Talking with People Who Disagree with You

In the June, 2022 issue of Reader's Digest, I came a cross a very timely article titled, I Never Thought of It That Way.  The author, Monica Guzman, describes her experience as an interviewer and how she has learned to talk to people who have a point of view opposite her own.

Guzman even described people she knows that discouraged her from talking to friends--or even her own parents--who disagree with her.  After listening to people for 17 years, her insight is helpful to most of us in this current, divisive, political environment.

As Guzman tells it, she said, "I stopped being afraid to ask questions; I was too impatient to hear the answers.  Soon I developed an incurable addiction to people--our stories, our passions, the totally unique way each of us sees the world--and to conversation itself, that unpredictable meeting of minds where individuals with wildly different lives can surprise, delight, and ultimately learn from each other."

What caught my attention, and why I bring it to you today, is the idea that being addicted to hearing the stories of others and developing a listening-for-understanding practice when engaging in conversations with people who do not agree with you, can go a long way in learning how to work together.

You see, it isn't our job to convince people we are right.  It is a greater work to be able to communicate and develop relationships with people so that we can really make a difference in this world, for the good.

Don't get stuck in the weeds.  Open yourself up so that you can work with others to make this world a better place and discover, as Guzman did, that "Everybody's so interesting."

Have a blessed Sunday.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com

#monicaguzman
#howtotalktopeople