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The Right Way to Argue a Point
“Seek First to Understand …”
There is too much anger being thrown around, and what good does it do? What does it accomplish? That would be a big, fat nothing! How many of us really listen to the opposite side of the argument and try to at least understand where they’re coming from? Instead of listening, too many of us are thinking of a rebuttal. Rather than hearing what they have to say, we’re thinking ahead to how we will refute our side and strengthen our argument.
This is the first of two articles that is meant to help us listen, at the very least, to hear the other side and possibly understand why they believe what they believe. If we can stop screaming at each other long enough, there’s a chance we might just find common ground on which we can hopefully build a foundation of respect for each other.
When I was in college, one of the books I was required to read was Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was a pretty good read, and although I don’t necessarily practice all seven habits, there are two that have become a major part of my life that I use consistently. The first is “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
There is no point in trying to reason with unreasonable people, but I’ve found that if people are willing to listen with an open mind, they almost…
