Civil Communication in a Pandemic
If you thought the conservative versus liberal narrative was bad in the United States....
....wait until you check out the posts on your neighborhood Facebook page during the pandemic.
To open up or to not open up. To wear a mask or to not wear a mask. To get an antibody test or to not get an antibody test.
These opinions and arguments will drive you more mad than #election2020.
If you’re fed up with all the different opinions out there and you are more annoyed than a cow swatting flies away on a hot day - then keep reading.
I’m here to help you navigate these tough conversations.
First - get annoyed (just kidding…)
Try these 5 steps in your next politically heated, or pandemically heated, argument and see how the nature of the conversation changes.
Start the conversation with “In my experience…”
Ask the person on the other end of the conversation “what is your experience with XYZ”
Challenge yourself to listen not to respond, but to be challenged
I always think “what is something new I can learn from what they are telling me right now”
Reiterate what you have heard back “What I’m hearing is…”
Ask if you can continue the conversation another time
By offering up “in my experience” the person automatically takes down their defense. It is no longer my opinion versus your opinion but it is my experience has informed this conversation.
Be sure to give the other person space to speak their piece too. Approach the conversation with genuine curiosity. Clarify what you have heard and ask questions.
And lastly, by asking if you can continue the conversation at a later date it either gives you time to process what you have heard and/or it gives you a civil way to leave the conversation if you truly cannot engage with what is being said.
“Being taught to avoid talking about politics and religion has led to a lack of understanding of politics and religion. What we should have been taught was how to a civil conversation about a difficult topic” - Anonymous
I am on a mission to help us have conversations about difficult topics. Whether that be at the dinner table or in the office.
