My speech from the 2015 Students for Life of America conference in D.C. has been posted! These are six practical tips for having good dialogues with pro-choice people.
Six practical tips for having good dialogues:
- Silence your inner monologue.
- Rephrase what they said.
- Find genuine common ground when possible.
- Acknowledge the horror of rape.
- Be intentional with your body language.
- Be willing to jump to another topic.
Resources:
- I referenced Steve Wagner’s book, “Common Ground Without Compromise.” You can get it for free at CommonGroundBook.com.
- I referenced what I call “Fetus Tunnel Vision.” Read more about that concept and why it hurts pro-life dialogues at this post: 4 Reasons Pro-Lifers Need to Stop Doing This. Read the two follow-up posts here and here.
- I wrote a post that goes into more detail on body language here: Why You Shouldn’t Face the Person You’re Talking To.
- If you want to keep up with what we’re learning about how to have good dialogues with pro-choice people, subscribe to this blog and/or our monthly newsletter here.
Josh worked in the pro-life movement starting at age 18. After 12 years of full-time pro-life work he launched Equal Rights Institute to maximize his impact on the movement.
A sought-after speaker, Josh has spoken for more than 29,000 people in six countries and in 25 of the 50 states.
Josh’s primary passion is helping pro-life people to be more persuasive when they communicate with pro-choice people. That means ditching faulty rhetoric and tactics and embracing arguments that hold up under philosophical scrutiny.
He has publicly debated leaders from Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), Georgians for Choice, and one of the leading abortion facilities in Atlanta.
Josh also wants to bring relational apologetics to the pro-life movement. “Some pro-choice people will not change their mind after one conversation on a college campus. Some of them will only change their mind after dozens of conversations with a person they trust in the context of friendship.”
Josh is formerly the host of a globally-heard podcast turned radio/TV show, Life Report and the Equipped for Life Podcast. He’s also written dozens of articles for LifeNews.com and the ERI blog. He has been interviewed by the Washington Post, NPR, and Focus on the Family.
He directed the first 40 Days for Life campaign in Fresno, resulting in up to 60 lives saved.
Josh has been happily married to his wife, Hannah, for 19 years. They have three sons, Noah, William, and Eli. They live in Charlotte, North Carolina.