We need to talk! (Restart 2026)

In times when opinions are hardening and spaces for discussion are narrowing, in this format we are looking for encounters that do not immediately result in agreement or rejection. We are interested in the in-between – the zone where different thoughts, feelings and experiences meet. Where people talk who would otherwise avoid each other: about politics and belonging, about city life, traffic, climate, freedom – and about what is “non-negotiable” for everyone.

“Wir-müssen-reden” is not a communication course, a seminar on empathy or conversation skills. It is an expedition into unknown territory: How do you stay in the conversation when the impulse to break off or turn away becomes overwhelming? What happens when you try not to convince immediately, but to really understand – especially when it hurts?

We want to try out (on ourselves) how curiosity, listening and a clear attitude can go together. How “tough moderation” and genuine openness are not mutually exclusive. We want to share what participants experience in “such” situations and how they approach them. What happens when you get involved, not to “convert” the other person, but to understand what moves them – even if you firmly reject their position.

The pilot so far – an encounter with members of the AfD – has shown that productive conversational dynamics develop precisely when the focus is not on refuting opposing positions, but on understanding the underlying motives, emotions and needs. Without giving up a critical distance. This creates a space of experience in which democracy is negotiated in concrete terms. People do not speak from a distance, commenting “in the stands”, but go out onto the communicative “playing field” of direct encounters.

In the “Wir-müssen-reden” project, people come together who know themselves, their patterns and their reactions well – and who are keen to break new communicative ground (instead of theorizing). It’s not about harmony, but about the art of staying in conversation without bending. It’s about balancing distance and closeness, listening and contradiction.

Perhaps we will find out more and more precisely what separates us – but also what connects us: the need to be seen, to be understood, to belong. We explore: Where and how can bridges be built? Where do we need “red lines” and integration at the same time?

“We-must-talk ” – because democracy cannot remain alive without encounters.