Bridging the Great Communication Divide

"Not  everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Baldwin

A path to understanding, consensus, or peace from the epicenter of civil unrest may seem impossible to navigate today. Marked by antithetical national ideologies and an alarming irreverence for sacred institutions and one another, our national dialogue has devolved into a giant, hot mess. To this I offer a refresher on the basics of civility, and a call to observe and employ three incredibly fundamental communication practices.

Listen: Where constituents aren't heard -  messages fall on deaf ears.

Respond: To every concern - remaining fully engaged in dialogue, beyond just the messages you're interested in advancing.

Strike the inflammatory rhetoric: Words matter. Eliminate the divisive and sensational language that underscores your point at the cost of alienating others and halting dialogue in its tracks.

Peaceful discord and message integrity is the foundation of civil society and democracy. May we find ourselves there again.