The Insightful Leader Live: How to Cool Down Heated Conversations
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The Insightful Leader Live

A series of live, virtual events providing an hour of critical leadership and business insights from a Kellogg professor.

Archived Webinar Wednesday, October 22, 2025

The Insightful Leader Live: How to Cool Down Heated Conversations

Disagreement is all around—in the workplace, in the political arena, and at home. But even when people don’t see eye to eye, they can still hold constructive conversations, says Steven Franconeri, a professor of management and organizations by courtesy at Kellogg. In this complimentary webinar, Franconeri will talk about the critical-thinking technique of “argument mapping” and how it informed the design of his new conflict-resolution game, Point Taken. He’ll be joined by Helena Rojas, Kellogg EMBA ‘20, Vice President and Business Intelligence Manager at Federal Home Loan Bank Chicago, and an early play tester of Point Taken. The speakers will demonstrate the game and offer principles for productive disagreements to consider during your next sensitive conversation.

Steven Franconeri is a leading scientist, teacher, and speaker on visual thinking, visual communication, and the psychology of data visualization. He is a Professor of Psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences at Northwestern, the Director of the Northwestern Cognitive Science Program, as well as a Kellogg Professor of Management and Organizations by courtesy.

Helena Rojas is the Vice President and Business Manager at Federal Home Loan Bank Chicago, where she has worked for over 20 years. Rojas received her Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in 2020 and obtained a bachelor's in accounting from Elmhurst University in 2005.

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