Perspectives: Dialogue as a Design Tool
Pratt Institute is partnering with the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) to launch Perspectives, a nationally recognized dialogue training program.
Perspectives is a research-backed, six-part, blended learning program that equips students, faculty, and staff with practical skills to engage thoughtfully with complex and often polarizing topics. By combining structured online learning modules with guided peer-to-peer practice and optional facilitated sessions, the program builds core competencies for navigating disagreement, strengthening critical thinking, cultivating empathy, and engaging in civil discourse across differences.
Through Perspectives, participants will learn to approach dialogue with curiosity, share stories that humanize diverse perspectives, and center dignity to find common ground; skills central to creative practice, academic rigor, and building an inclusive campus community.
Perspectives align with Pratt’s continued commitment to inclusive education, cross-cultural understanding, and fostering a culture of meaningful dialogue, while also expanding creativity, deepening connections, and enhancing our collective capacity for empathy across differences. By building resilience, Perspectives prepares participants to collaborate in meaningful and innovative ways, strengthening a more connected campus.
Comprehensive Training
The Perspectives online learning program introduces key concepts from psychology to explain why people hold different beliefs, worldviews, and values, and presents five research-backed principles to help participants navigate difficult conversations with greater understanding, respect, and effectiveness. Delivered through six interactive lessons that can be completed asynchronously at any pace, the program enables participants to build these essential dialogue skills alongside their academic and creative work:
- Lesson 1: The Divided Mind
- Lesson 2: Us and Them
- Lesson 3: Get Curious
- Lesson 4: Storytelling
- Lesson 5: Navigating Conflict
- Lesson 6: Moving Forward Together
Ready to get started!
Starting October 22, 2025, Pratt students, faculty, and staff will be able to complete the virtual Perspectives training program.
Participants who complete all six lessons will earn a badge and certificate, credentials that can be added to LinkedIn profiles or resumes to showcase new skills in civil discourse—and will also automatically be entered to win and gain access to a range of campus incentives.
For questions about Perspectives and Pratt’s partnership with the Constructive Dialogue Institute, please email diversity@pratt.edu.