127: Communicating with the Opposite Side of the Political Divide

Can the Five Secrets of Effective Communication Help Us in this Era of Intensely Polarized Politics?

Clearly, the nation is intensely divided, and passions on both sides of the political divide are characterized by hostility, frustration, and mistrust. Can the Five Secrets of Effective Communication help us communicate with colleagues, friends and loved ones who may have radically different political beliefs?

Find out on this edition of the Feeling Good Podcast, as the David and Fabrice respond to Eileen, a podcast fan who kindly allowed us to share her intensely painful conflict with her mother with all of you. Eileen's mother is an ardent Trump fan, and Eileen is an equally ardent anti-Trumper, and there have been plenty of tears on both sides of the aisle!

Eileen wrote:

"How can you talk to someone with whom you fundamentally disagree? My Mom is a big fan of the current regime (Trump) and I'm horrified by what's happened in the past two years and what's coming. It's hard for me to get past my rage at her. . . intensely distorted and not-reality based beliefs, fed by right-wing media. To be clear, she thinks exactly the same about my beliefs and information sources. I feel so stuck. . . and I would love to repair this relationship with her before she dies."

Can you identify with similar conflicts in your own family or circle of friends? I know that I can, and it's quite painful. Fabrice and I will give you our take on a new approach to this widespread problem this Sunday!

While you're listening, you can take a look at Eileen's Relationship Journal. You may also want to review the Five Secrets of Effective Communication as well as the three advanced communication techniques we discussed in last week's podcast.

Let us know what you think after you've listened to the podcast!