Meryl Runion's "Speak Strong" message for this week resonated with me. Although "conservative Republican neocon" roughly describes my place in the political spectrum, the bottom line is that I am an American first, and one who's interested in good government dedicated to serving the people. Here's an excerpt:
UNITE AND CONCUR
...I’ve been writing intensely. I’m taking on the big one. My new book applies SpeakStrong techniques to our political conversations. It’s not a political book – it’s a communication book about how to have reasonable and productive political dialog. I’m very excited about it.
The title is: From divide and conquer to…Unite and Concur: How to Stop Arguing and Start Communicating with Your Political Opposite. At least, that’s the title today…
I will create a separate newsletter for Unite and Concur, but for now, I have a challenge for you. If you’re spending the holidays with someone you disagree with politically, notice your own resistance to what they say. For now, don’t correct them, contradict them or try to convince them of anything. Instead, consider the ways you stop listening. See if you can hear something you didn’t know, and try to find something you agree with them about.
This is a first step toward healthy political conversations. Actually, it’s a first step toward bridging any divide, so if some other topic divides you, put listening to work – and let me know how it worked for you.
I’ll be posting to my blog over the holidays and back to my usual newsletter format in the New Year.
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