Talking Across the Divide

By Justin Lee

How to communicate with people you disagree with and maybe even change the world

These days many of us live in an echo chamber, which leads to group polarization
A single outside voice can be incredibly powerful in coutering the effects of an echo chamber
Bridge gaps and mend fences by using strategic dialogues
Strategic dialogue is all about encouraging listening, and making sure each side feels like they're being heard and understood
the more important it is to change someone's mind, the more critical the listening step becomes
(Mirroring) Prove that you're listening by repeating back what someone else has said. People want to feel heard.
Five barriers that stand in way of a successful dialogue
- Ego protection
- Loyalty (Group loyalty)
  - Exploiting our urge for individualism is an effective way to counter the barrier of team loyalty
  - Use Alice and Bob instead of representatives of any groups
- Comfort
  - Status quo bias
  - Carefully raise a new discomfort that the other side hasn't thought of before
- Misinformation
  - Explain your own experience of how you uncovered the misinformation and found the truth
  - Old saying in advertisement - People need to be exposed to a message seven times before it really sinks in
- Worldview protection
  - making the ask (suggesting first step in the right direction)
Actionable advice - Take notes