IDP Resource

Listening & Learning with "I" Statements

This guide is an accompaniment to our podcast, “I” Statements, where people with different identities come together to share their own beliefs, experiences, and perspectives, demonstrating both the power and the possibility inherent in communicating across difference. This guide is for people who would like to incorporate the podcast into their work with students and/or colleagues.

In this guide, you’ll find the following materials for each episode:

  • A brief description of the episode and a link to the entire transcript
  • Discussion questions that could be used to foster large-or small-group conversations
  • A writing prompt aimed at stimulating reflection on one’s own experience and beliefs
  • Related readings that can add additional perspectives and relevant information

We are curious about how this guide works for people, and if you do use it we’d love to hear from you about what worked well, what could be improved, and what other materials might help you make use of this podcast. This is a new endeavor for us, and we’re grateful for partners like you who help us learn how to effectively share dialogue with members of the Cornell community!

Episodes

  • Episode 1: Intergroup Dialogue
    In this episode Baba, Jeannie, and Rachel talk about intergroup dialogue. Reflecting on interactions with fellow students, teammates, and colleagues, these three describe some of the challenges and opportunities they’ve experienced when having candid conversations about social identity.
  • Episode 2: Access
    In this episode, Rachel, Ruju, and Stephen talk about times when they’ve felt a lack of access in their own lives, examples of when having access has made them feel connected to others, and questions about what access means.
  • Episode 3: Joy
    In this episode, Natoshia, Rachel, and Tony talk about what it means when they feel joy, how joy connects to the stories we tell about ourselves, and the importance of seeing one’s own experiences of joy represented in the world.
  • Episode 4: Humility
    In this episode, Baba, Janani, and Rachel describe the messages they’ve been told about humility, when they’ve been humbled, and their struggles to find the right level of humility for themselves as they move throughout the world.
  • Episode 5: Community
    In this episode, Jum, Natalie, and Rachel discuss their expectations related to community, when and how they’ve built community, and the ways in which the Coronavirus pandemic has affected their experience of community.
  • Episode 6: Connection
    In this episode, Jeannie, Owen, and Rachel talk about when they experience connection to themselves and others, and also how some of the messages they’ve received throughout their lives make it challenging to connect.
  • Episode 7: Rest
    In this episode, Rachel, Rheeda, and Tony talk about rest, including how they think about rest during this historic moment characterized by a pandemic and widespread protests against anti-Black racism. They also share where and when they experience rest and ask, rest: what is it good for?
  • Episode 8: Listening
    In this episode, Natasha, Rachel, and Stephen talk about their experiences learning to listen, connecting to others through listening, and asking themselves questions about who they listen to and why.
  • Episode 9: Imagination
    In this episode, Bert, Janani, and Rachel talk about the things they imagined when they were children, how they imagine what’s possible for themselves, and the role of imagination in creating a more just and equitable world.
  • Episode 10: Objectivity
    In this episode, Kathryn, Khary, and Rachel talk about what they’ve been taught regarding objectivity, how it can show up in science and journalism and among friends and family, and when aspiring for objectivity undermines nuanced and accurate stories about power.

A Note About IDP Resources

Members of the Cornell community are welcome and encouraged to use IDP Resources for educational purposes. This representation of IDP intellectual property is provided for noncommercial, educational use by the Cornell community only. Permission is required from IDP to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our materials for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please contact idp@cornell.edu.

Cite this IDP Resource:

  • APA: Intergroup Dialogue Project. (2020, September). IDP Resource: Listening & Learning with “I” Statements. Intergroup Dialogue Project – Dialogue Across Difference. https://idp.cornell.edu/idp-resources/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements/
  • MLA: Intergroup Dialogue Project. “IDP Resource: Listening & Learning with ‘I’ Statements.” Intergroup Dialogue Project – Dialogue Across Difference, Cornell University, September 2020, https://idp.cornell.edu/idp-resources/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements/
  • Chicago: Intergroup Dialogue Project, “IDP Resource: Listening & Learning with ‘I’ Statements,” Intergroup Dialogue Project – Dialogue Across Difference, Cornell University, September 2020, https://idp.cornell.edu/idp-resources/idp-resource-listening-and-learning-with-i-statements/