What do you do when pro-choice talking points feel so stupid or so evil that you don’t even know what to say? I talked in my last blog post about what to do when something is so far beyond the pale that even most pro-choice people would agree with you … Read More
Does Your Image Need a Face-Lift?
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes. “Ben Shapiro DESTROYS Socialism” “Don’t Apologize to the Mob” Do titles like this sound familiar? Sure, the content inside might be entertaining to those who agree, but if you spoke like that in a conversation, would you convince anyone? It’s really easy to forget the … Read More
Debate vs. Dialogue: How Do They Differ?
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes. Debate is fun for me, but I’m odd like that. I’m an academic and ethics teacher, so I’ve debated abortion formally and informally, in academic settings and elsewhere. The subject arises most every time I’m in a panel discussion, too. In that time, I’ve come … Read More
Pay Attention to Who Should NOT Be in a Given Conversation
If you are a part of a dialogue-oriented outreach, you should be paying attention to who should be in a given conversation, and who should not be. Estimated reading time: 16 minutes. It was our second day of outreach at Davidson College and after having had several conversations, a lull … Read More
Don’t Dialogue Like Hamilton OR Aaron Burr
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes. The character of Aaron Burr in Hamilton: An American Musical stands in stark contrast to the title character. Alexander Hamilton is brash, aggressive, tactless, and always reaches for what he wants, while Aaron Burr is polite, careful, and hesitant. When he initially meets Hamilton, Burr … Read More
How Your Brain Tricks You into Thinking the Other Side Is Stupid
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes. Sometimes your brain plays tricks on you. For instance, when you look at a stick in the water, it looks bent, even though it isn’t. Or, when you’re driving on a hot day, it looks like there is water on the road at the horizon, … Read More
Sometimes It’s Not about the Argument
There’s a stereotypical story of married couples that you’re probably familiar with. The wife has had a bad day, so she goes to her husband to tell him about it. Her husband, being wired to fix problems, shows his love to his wife by offering solutions. The wife gets frustrated. … Read More
VIDEO: Dialogue Tips Speech and Mock Dialogue at Students for Life Conference
I asked Rebecca Haschke from Justice For All to join me for a practical dialogue tips session at the 2017 Students for Life of America conference in D.C. so that we could spend the last part of the session doing a mock dialogue! [youtube id=”tSKfxYHSarU”] Outline: Josh Brahm – Tip 1: … Read More
Snidely Whiplash Is Not on Facebook
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes. Are you frustrated with political polarization? Have you noticed that conversations between the opposite ends of the political spectrum are getting harder and harder? Do you wonder why it has gotten so ugly, and do you wish you could do something about it? Read on. … Read More
Learning to Allow Space for the Thinking Pause
You can’t dialogue well about abortion or anything else unless you learn to listen well. It should be obvious to anyone that if you want to listen well you shouldn’t interrupt people when they’re in the middle of a sentence. Something much less obvious is that you shouldn’t interrupt people … Read More
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