Live Online Policy Forum 

# The Competencies of Civil Discourse 

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Date and Time 

October 22, 2024 3:30 - 4 PM EDT 

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##### Featuring 

[![ErecSmith-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-02/ErecSmith-cropped.jpg?itok=p8wlcACq)](/people/erec-smith) 

[Erec Smith](/people/erec-smith)

Research Fellow, Cato Institute, and Cofounder, Free Black Thought

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](https://x.com/Rhetors_of_York) 

![Jonathan Rauch](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-06/Rauch-200.png?itok=BoAvMCFm) 

Jonathan Rauch 

Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

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](https://www.twitter.com/jon_rauch) 

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Civil discourse is an important aspect of a free and pluralistic democracy. That said, many people do not participate in civil discourse. There are several reasons for this: fear of being wrong, lack of rhetorical skill, negative emotionality, etc. What’s more, this refusal or inability to speak to those with whom we disagree is growing by the day.

Join our virtual discussion as scholars Erec Smith and Jonathan Rauch discuss the art of “mutual persuasion” in a turbulent time.

This conversation is being supported by Project Sphere, a collaboration between the Cato Institute and the Brookings Institution that creates a constructive space to discuss areas of disagreement in a civil forum. Our goal is to resist political polarization by emphasizing areas of agreement even within contentious conversations. To learn more, visit [Pro​ject​Sphere​.org](https://projectsphere.org).

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