What is an opinion, how free is it and what are its limits?According to an Allensbach study (summer 2021), 44 percent of Germans feel that they are not allowed to express their opinions openly. Many fear being punished for their opinion or being excluded from society. Where does this fear come from? And what is an opinion anyway? At what point is it no longer an opinion, but a violation of laws and human dignity? Finally, to what extent do these questions affect my professional activities? These and similar questions will be addressed in the first part of a two-day training course, with the help of practice-oriented exercises and theoretically based discussions.
In the second part of the training we will deal with the history, the effect and the functioning of conspiracy narratives. By working with practical case studies, we will discuss and try out possible courses of action in dealing with conspiracy narratives and people who believe in conspiracies. The focus here is on stimulating an exchange within the teaching staff on how conspiracy narratives can be countered in their own work.
Training agenda
What is an opinion? Clarification of important terms
- Sensitization for the use of language in everyday business life
- Difference between opinion and fact: What am I allowed to say, where are the limits?
- When is a statement punishable? General Equal Treatment Act (AGG)
Conspiracy narratives
- History and functioning of conspiracy narratives
- Who is vulnerable to conspiracy narratives?
- Recognizing structures for connecting and excluding employees for conspiracy narrative reasons
- Develop options for action based on case studies
Learning targets
- Knowledge about conspiracy narratives and (the limits of) freedom of expression
- We learn what is not covered by freedom of expression
- Understanding the appeal of conspiracy theories
- We learn the mechanisms and workings of conspiracy theories
- Practicing how to deal with and argue against conspiracy theories
