A lot of times we start conversations when there just isn't any time. How much of the other person's attention do you really have and how much of your attention do they have? Management is the degree to which your conversation is actually contained to the people participating in it. And that's just how much of the full toolbox of human communication are you actually using? Are you going to go into a really, really hard job with the tiniest little kit? Why would you leave all your tools at home? Don't do that. This is a very hard job.
When was the last time you really connected with someone who disagrees with you? Or saw a post on social media that challenged your views? Or listened to a newscast from across the political aisle? Modern life places us in all kinds of echo chambers – so what happens when these divides stop us from actually seeing and understanding one another? Today’s guest, journalist Mónica Guzmán, is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted –twice– for Donald Trump. Now the chief storyteller for “Braver Angels”, an organization dedicated to political depolarization, Monica shares the tools she uses to find common ground with her loved ones. She talks about why interacting with (and listening to) different points of view is critical work – and how through curiosity we can achieve the seemingly impossible task of understanding those we tend to think of as our enemy. Her book, “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times” is out now.