Greetings!
Have you ever been in an argument?
Some people joke that arguments would be shorter if the other person would just admit they're wrong. And no matter how complicated and nuanced the topic is, deep down, we might think the other person is:
- just being stubborn. (And we need to work harder to convince them.)
- naïve. (And we need to convey our wisdom.)
- controlling. (And we need to call them out on it.)
- irrational. (And we just need to educate them with facts.)
So how can we move past this thinking find a way out of the argument?
Be curious. Ask questions.
So instead of asking ourselves “How can they think that?” ask, "I wonder what kind of information they have that I don’t?”
Instead of asking ourselves, “Why are they being so irrational about this?” ask, “How are they seeing the world such that their view makes complete sense?” You may even ask “What am I missing here?”
Genuine curiosity unlocks essential information and adds a new dimension to the conversation.
