Had a stretch last November where I argued with my cousin about election integrity for four straight nights and we actually hugged it out

We sat down with a six pack each night, agreed to let each other finish sentences, and by the end of the week he admitted I had a point about mail-in ballot verification while I told him his concerns about drop boxes weren't totally crazy - has anyone here managed to have a real conversation that actually changed someone's mind even a little bit?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily36013d ago

Read something about this actually. There was a study or article about how the key to changing someone's mind isn't facts, it's letting them feel heard first. Sounds like you two did exactly that without even knowing it. Most people just talk over each other and wonder why nothing changes. You made space for his worries without calling him dumb, and he did the same for you. That's more than most political conversations ever manage.

hugo23612d ago

But here's the thing that's been bugging me - how do you even start making that space when the other person is already shouting or throwing insults? Like, my brother-in-law goes straight to name-calling the second I mention taxes, so where's the entry point for "letting him feel heard"? Seems like you need both people willing to slow down, which is pretty rare once tensions are high.