My interest is in how to have creative and productive conversations with anyone, especially those we disagree with.
The assumption behind my approach is that in most cases, the primary obstacle to having a good conversation isn’t the other person, it’s us. Not that we’re more at fault necessarily, but that we have much more agency than we realize to help get even the most difficult conversations on a productive path — agency that we frequently fail to access.
So in this newsletter I want to offer information that helps you better understand why difficult conversations can get you get all tied up in knots, along with tools and strategies to help you untie them. That way you’ll be less reactive to the other person and therefore more flexible and creative in your response. You’ll know how to sidestep their triggers, rebuild trust, and set the stage for a better conversation going forward.
In terms of content I envision a mix of summarized studies, personal experiences and reflections, podcast interviews with subject-matter experts, links to useful information, and maybe an occasional animation just for fun.
I hope you find it useful.