Better Dinner Conversations: A Intergenerational Chinese Gathering 跨代华人交流活动

Everyone’s home. There’s a feast lined up on the counter; a smattering of western and Chinese dishes, rich and pungent. What about the conversation? What can we bring to the dinner table to inspire more storytelling and mutual curiosity?

This holiday season, let’s play with a few approaches to stimulating conversation at family gatherings. In intergenerational pairs, we will ask each other the following questions:

• What makes you a first in your family? (First to emigrate? First to remain unwed?)
• What was the most unforgettable event to happen in your lifetime?
• What conversation changed your life? Or, perhaps changed someone else’s life?

For each question, the asker will listen well - sensing/feeling, asking clarifying questions, honing in on details. We’ll talk about all this as a prelude to the conversation. By the end of the gathering, we’ll each walk away with at least one skill to play with this season as we sit down together.

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号召所有有兴趣促进华人移民代际之间对话的人们! 家人们都在家，餐桌上摆满了美味的中西佳肴，浓郁的香味四溢。那么，聊天的话题呢? 我们可以带 些什么到餐桌上，以激发更多的故事分享和对彼此的好奇?

这个假期，让我们一起尝试使用一些对话工具，为家人聚会带来新的灵感。以代际组合的方式互相提问 以下问题:

1. 是什么让你在家庭中成为“第一”?(例如——第一个移民的，第一个跨文化婚姻的等等)

2. 你一生中 最难忘的事件是什么? 它发生在哪里? 你当时和谁在一起?

3. 你人生中哪次对话改变了你的生活? 或者也 许改变了他人的生活?

每个提问者将尽力聆听——感受对方的情绪，提出澄清性的问题，抓住细节。在对话之前，我们 会讨论如何做到这一切。聚会结束时，我们每个人都会带走至少一个可以在这个节日季节尝试的交流技巧。

Host or Publisher Edwin & Sen