to communicate well
musings, examples, and insights on good communication
sari and
to communicate well
I wanted to share my most memorable VC pass email of all time, Maple back in the fall from @schlaf. Thoughtful and empathetic:
"I've been wrong more than I've been right so take this all with a grain of salt. I hope you prove me wrong and make me regret this decision."
I have the secret to how to get the best help immediately from any customer service, like the phone company or the bank or anything. I have the best line, it always works. You want to know what it is? When I call, I say, “Hello. I am Hans Rosling and I have made a mistake.” People immediately want to help you when you put it this way. You get much... See more
Shanna Carpenter • Q&A with Hans Rosling (Part 2): How to change Fidel Castro’s mind … and everybody else’s | TED Blog
We often raise issues of justice and equity not to advance meaningful social causes but to generate positive attention for ourselves by denigrating others. Sometimes this involves piling on—joining a Greek chorus of reproachful replies without contributing anything new—or exaggerating one’s moral outrage for dramatic value. In doing so, we dilute the impact of critical ethical issues and foreclose the possibility of productive public discourse. The goal is not to understand but to win.
The brilliant Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once wrote, “Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.”
James Clear • Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
Very few issues worthy of debate are black and white. That’s why we need to grapple with the gray areas of life, of which there are many. It’s always tempting to reduce issues to binary choices between right and wrong, good and evil, beneficial and destructive. But it’s ultimately self-defeating; binary thinking discourages complex reasoning while... See more
Mastering the art of arguing productively
I just got some (personally) mindblowing advice, re: a message that felt overdue:
You don't have to explain yourself.
Say, '"Thanks for your patience; it took longer than I expected to get back to you."
and then move on with it!
🤯
Sarah McManusx.com