\u201cWe-Need-to-Talk\u201d is an open forum for people seeking genuine conversation\u2014beyond mere back-and-forth and self-affirmation. It\u2019s about the \u201cart of constructive engagement\u201d with viewpoints that may seem foreign or uncomfortable, about listening with curiosity, and about striving for understanding without giving up one\u2019s own stance.<\/p>\n
Following an initial, intensive encounter with representatives of the AfD, the project is now entering its second phase. Through further dialogues on topics such as democracy, belonging (integration vs. exclusion), or city life (living vs. partying), participants will jointly create concrete spaces for shared experience where listening, reflection, and clear stances come together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe-Need-to-Talk\u201d is not a course, but an invitation to an experiment: to an open, critical, and at the same time empathetic culture of conversation. The \u201cplaying fields\u201d (topics) are identified and developed together.<\/p>\n
Facilitator: Thomas<\/strong>Hegemann, who, as an organizational developer and management consultant in the U.S. and Europe, has focused on the topic of innovation capacity\u2014particularly within organizations\u2014and, as a coach and television host, has accumulated many decades of experience with both successful and failed communication (and formats).<\/p>\n In times when opinions are hardening and spaces for dialogue are shrinking, this format seeks to create encounters that do not immediately lead to agreement or resistance. We\u2019re interested in the space in between\u2014the zone where different ways of thinking, feeling, and experiencing intersect. Where people who would otherwise avoid each other talk: about politics and belonging, about city life, traffic, climate, freedom\u2014and about what is \u201cnon-negotiable\u201d for each and every one of us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe-Must-Talk\u201d<\/strong> is not a communication course, nor is it a seminar on empathy or conversation techniques. It\u2019s an expedition into uncharted territory: How do you stay in the conversation when the urge to walk away or turn away becomes overwhelming? What happens when you try not to convince right away, but to truly understand\u2014especially where it hurts?<\/p>\n We want to explore (for ourselves) how curiosity, active listening, and a clear stance can go hand in hand\u2014and how \u201cfirm facilitation\u201d and genuine openness aren\u2019t mutually exclusive. We want to exchange ideas about what participants experience in \u201csuch\u201d situations and how they handle them. What happens when you commit to not trying to \u201cconvert\u201d the other person, but rather to understand what motivates them\u2014even if you firmly reject their position.<\/p>\n The pilot so far\u2014an encounter with members of the AfD\u2014has 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 for experience where democracy is concretely negotiated. People don\u2019t speak from a distance, commenting \u201cfrom the stands,\u201d but step out onto the communicative \u201cplaying field\u201d of direct encounter.<\/p>\n In the \u201cWir-m\u00fcssen-reden\u201d project, people come together who know themselves, their patterns, and their reactions well\u2014and who are eager to actually venture into uncharted communicative territory (rather than just theorizing). It\u2019s not about harmony, but about the art of staying in conversation without compromising oneself. It\u2019s about balancing distance and closeness, listening and disagreement.<\/p>\n Perhaps in the process we\u2019ll discover more and more precisely what divides us\u2014but also what connects us: the need to be seen, to be understood, to belong. We\u2019re exploring: Where and how can bridges be built? Where are \u201cred lines\u201d needed while still fostering integration?<\/p>\n \u201cWe-must-talk\u201d<\/strong> \u2014because democracy cannot remain vibrant without dialogue.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n Registration: events@dai-heidelberg <\/strong> \u201cWe-Need-to-Talk\u201d is an open forum for people seeking genuine conversation\u2014beyond mere back-and-forth and self-affirmation. It\u2019s about the \u201cart of constructive …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":58457,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"dai_event_category":[7],"dai_event_type":[12],"dai_event_location":[],"class_list":["post-58456","dai_event","type-dai_event","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","dai_event_category-library","dai_event_type-in-dialogue"],"better_featured_image":{"id":58457,"alt_text":"","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":820,"height":370,"file":"2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden.jpg","filesize":120477,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"260429_Wir-muessen-reden-300x135.jpg","width":300,"height":135,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":20351,"source_url":"https:\/\/dai-heidelberg.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden-300x135.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"file":"260429_Wir-muessen-reden-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":11725,"source_url":"https:\/\/dai-heidelberg.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden-150x150.jpg"},"medium_large":{"file":"260429_Wir-muessen-reden-768x347.jpg","width":768,"height":347,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":67826,"source_url":"https:\/\/dai-heidelberg.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden-768x347.jpg"},"dai-list":{"file":"260429_Wir-muessen-reden-140x140.jpg","width":140,"height":140,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":11074,"source_url":"https:\/\/dai-heidelberg.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden-140x140.jpg"},"dai-selector":{"file":"260429_Wir-muessen-reden-240x170.jpg","width":240,"height":170,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":18554,"source_url":"https:\/\/dai-heidelberg.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden-240x170.jpg"},"dai-hof":{"file":"260429_Wir-muessen-reden-240x192.jpg","width":240,"height":192,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":19119,"source_url":"https:\/\/dai-heidelberg.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden-240x192.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[],"alt":""}},"post":null,"source_url":"https:\/\/dai-heidelberg.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/07\/260429_Wir-muessen-reden.jpg"},"post-meta-fields":{"dai_autotranslate_source_post":["75211"],"dai_autotranslate_source_thumbnail":["74463"],"dai_autotranslate_should_translate":["0"],"dai_event_datetime":["2026-07-16 19:15"],"dai_event_featured":["0"],"dai_event_subtext":["Thomas Hegemann (Host)"],"dai_event_artist":["But different\u2014deeper, more alert, more curious.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0"],"dai_event_ticket_freeadmission":["1"],"_thumbnail_id":["58457"],"_edit_lock":["1783354072:10"],"_edit_last":["10"],"dai_event_status":["planned"],"dai_event_language":["de"],"dai_event_type":["at_location"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_dai_event_category":["7"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_dai_event_type":["12"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_dai_event_location":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["4"]},"yoast_head":"\nClick here for more information<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/summary>\n
\nThe program is designed as an ongoing series<\/strong>, with each session building on the previous one. We therefore recommend participating throughout the entire series:
\nApril 29: Meeting Room (2nd floor, starting at 7:15 p.m. each time)
\nMay 6: Library
\nMay 26: Library
\nJune 10: Library
\nJune 24: Meeting Room (2nd floor)
\nJuly 9: Meeting Room (2nd floor)<\/s>
\nJuly 16: Library
\nJuly 29: Library<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"