Moderator Training – Crossing Party Lines

CPL Moderator Training is a science-based training that teaches you to design, moderate, and participate in respectful and productive discussions on controversial topics. Past graduates have applied these skills in various settings, such as workplaces, homes, schools, and churches, helping others treat one another with dignity and respect and keeping conversations civil and productive. Upon completion of the training, graduates hone their skills as moderators at Crossing Party Lines’ weekly conversations, which provide an opportunity for people to engage with others who have different views and experiences, and to challenge their own assumptions and biases.

Format:

16 self-paced online lessons
Virtual class discussions
One-on-one meetings with the instructor
Virtual practice sessions.

Duration:

6 weeks
Four weeks of class, 2 weeks for individual practicums

Prerequisites:

None, however CPL 100, 102, 102, and 103 are strongly recommended.

Objectives:

Create connection and rapport by humanizing the “others” in the room.
Reflect back, and when needed, reframe, challenging statements in a way that defuses animosity and makes it possible for others to hear them.
Ask questions that help people gain insight into why a person’s views make sense for them.
How to model and encourage skillful communication.
Manage domineering or disruptive participants to ensure conversations stay on track and all participants get a chance to hear and be heard.
Check your own views at the door and remain focused on the success of every participant, regardless of where they are coming from.
Adapt your skills and techniques to virtual, in person, or hybrid interactions.

Course Outline:

Week 1	Lesson 1 — Welcome!	explores the theory and beliefs behind Crossing Party Lines.
	Lesson 2 — The Meetup Experience	presents at the experience we work so hard to provide to our members.
	Lesson 3 — Facilitation Basics	introduces basic facilitation skills.
	Lesson 4 — Facilitation CPL-Style	narrows our focus to the facilitation skills you’ll be using most as you facilitate a CPL meeting.
Week 2	Lesson 5 — The Power of Listening	teaches you why we focus on listening more than talking.
	Lesson 6 — Active Listening	introduces the skill you’ll depend on most as a moderator, which is listening with the goal to understand.
	Lesson 7 — Active Listening within the Context of CPL	gives you examples of how and when to use active listening as a CPL moderator.
	Lesson 8 — Theory and Science Behind CPL	introduces you to some of the things science has taught us about political differences and relates these to experiences you may have at CPL meetings.
Week 3	Lesson 9 — Reframing	teaches how you can help your members “own” their views by speaking from personal experience.
	Lesson 10 — Crafting Questions	introduces you to techniques for asking questions that invite members to share more deeply.
	Lesson 11 — Disruption Management	gives you the skills and confidence to step in before a discussion gets out of hand and deal with problems if they arise.
	Lesson 12 — Facting	explores CPL’s unique take on using facts in a political discussion.
Week 4	Lesson 13 — Making Meetups Happen	explores the elements of the meeting itself and how each plays an important role in giving our members the experience they came for.
	Lesson 14 — Preparing for the Topic	teaches you how to prepare to run a discussion about the current topic. You will have a Topic Guide to take the stress out of it.
	Lesson 15 — Celebrating Community and Success	covers the important skill of anchoring the good work you do by calling attention to our members’ growth.
	Lesson 16 — Moderator Self Care	introduces some of the techniques and perspectives that other moderators use to energize themselves and keep an open, curious mind.
Week 5 and Week 6	Practicums

Required Texts:

Swallow, Lisa, Yes You CAN Talk Politics (2021) [PDF provided at first day of class]

Moderator Training Syllabus

Training Schedule

Fall 2026

October 4th - November 15th

Winter 2027

January 10th - February 21st