ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses conversation involves our head and includes dynamics that need to be understood by facilitators. A conversation of the heart is one in which participants make statements that often begin with "I feel". One can be confused by how someone feels, can share a different feeling, can even seek more understanding of the feeling, but cannot dismiss the individual's feelings. In contrast, a conversation of the head is one in which an individual begins a statement with "I think". These words can invite debate, proof, support, or justification as reasonable discourse. A conversation of the head, a cognitive domain, is a conversation in which deduction and reasoning are major players while feelings often play a secondary role. Consequently, social justice leaders need to plan intentional opportunities for participants engaged in this work to come together for further conversation. One configuration for these additional conversations could be race caucus groups.
