Four principles for having civil and productive conversations with people we strongly disagree with
Generosity and compassion
Phelps-Roper says, at the end of her presentation that we are all just human beings and that we should be led by this elementary fact en should approach each other with generosity and compassion. Just before that, she explains about what she has learned from the people she met on Twitter. Her hostile image of these people from the other side changed slowly but surely because the way some of them treated her openly and respectfully. One of those people is now her husband.
Four principles
Phelps-Roper says she has learned four things from these people which make it possible to have good conversations with people with radically different views. She tries to be guided by these principles whenever she talks to people with opposing views. Those four principles are:
- Don't assume bad intent
- Ask questions
- Stay calm
- Make the argument
I recommend taking 15 minutes of your time to watch this talk.