What if the more effective questions we can ask are open-ended? Because the obstacle we face is helping the other person better apply their emotional intelligence to the dilemma of their conflicting feelings. Facts, sadly, don't go as far as we need when we want to reduce prejudice.
Thanks Dave, for your wise and thoughtful series on how to listen to potential voters who likely did not vote the way we do. You declare from the beginning the primary purpose of your visit: "Personally, I voted for Clinton. But I'm really interested in talking with people, whoever they voted for, because I hope that we're all able to talk with each other." The Trump voter readily agreed with you, so you were able to start on common ground--with an open-ended question. But the central point of this essay is that we all must listen carefully to the feelings behind the comments of the people we are hoping to have a conversation with. We are then properly advised to regularly incorporate those feelings and words into our responses.
What if the more effective questions we can ask are open-ended? Because the obstacle we face is helping the other person better apply their emotional intelligence to the dilemma of their conflicting feelings. Facts, sadly, don't go as far as we need when we want to reduce prejudice.
Thanks Dave, for your wise and thoughtful series on how to listen to potential voters who likely did not vote the way we do. You declare from the beginning the primary purpose of your visit: "Personally, I voted for Clinton. But I'm really interested in talking with people, whoever they voted for, because I hope that we're all able to talk with each other." The Trump voter readily agreed with you, so you were able to start on common ground--with an open-ended question. But the central point of this essay is that we all must listen carefully to the feelings behind the comments of the people we are hoping to have a conversation with. We are then properly advised to regularly incorporate those feelings and words into our responses.