Dialogue First. Suspend judgment, be curious, be open, listen.
Many of us spend most of our time with people who share similar views. We don’t get much practice interacting with people who think much differently than we do.
Here, we offer our top five tips for conversations across differences.
1. Agree not to try to change each other’s minds. We are here to learn from each other. Decisions, policies, laws, and community efforts become better when we know how these solutions impact different people.
2. Start by connecting at a human level. We are all people who care about our community. We are mothers, fathers, children, sisters, and brothers. We care about society enough to devote our personal time to have dialogue with others. We might discover that we share hobbies, interests, and experiences. It is okay to like somebody who doesn’t agree with each of your views.
3. Take turns talking and make room to hear from everybody.
4. Move beyond arguments about “facts.” Let people know what information you trust that helps form your opinions. Ask about the data that supports others’ views. People can look for themselves and decide if they can learn something from new information sources.
5. Take three breaths. Many people come to this conversation with strong feelings that can be overwhelming. You will be able to think, talk and listen better if you intentionally relax from time to time.
Read the full list of tips in our exclusive guide How To Have A Dialogue (PDF)
