I began to notice that we had forgotten how to talk culturally and argue. Sometimes, to the point of hoarseness and insults, we prove ourselves right, make offensive comments, give advice that we were not asked for. What’s happening?
Now access to any information is at the click of a finger. There are many options. Waking up in the morning, at breakfast, we do not talk with relatives, we are reading the news and obligatory viewing of social networks. The phone is always in our hand. And also print publications, TV, podcasts. That’s not counting checking personal email at work. The fact that humanity has stepped forward and has easy access to information is excellent. But we got one significant problem. It is difficult to think critically and draw conclusions from the information received.
In the 21st century, soft skills, which include communication skills, organization, the ability to resolve conflicts, work in a team, are valued, and this is independent of the profession. In order to develop these skills in yourself, you need to use your critical thinking.
Using critical thinking:
- You analyse the received information. Where and who said it is important for me and what sphere of life does it affect?
- You reason consistently, follow the logic of the text and the arguments given. Pay attention to how the reasoning is built.
- We make decisions according to the data received, draw the logical conclusions.
We all believe that we know how to understand information, as we listen only to the right experts. Then why, when we are talking with a person who expresses his opinion, sometimes intolerance for someone else’s opinion breaks through. There is a strong desire to point this out. What do you think, if it makes sense? I think no. Because it’s your problem, not theirs. Since they also read the right sites and listens to trusted experts. We can’t just say, «You should change your mind because I’m right.» But will such communication with a person who thinks differently from you be useful? Undoubtedly. After all, you cannot surround yourself with people who will think exactly like you. You have to respect the opinions of the people around you. Not everything in the world is clear.
Did you hear of the «unfriending» trend on social media? Whether this is right, I have not yet decided for myself. But if your friend has become overly active in writing posts or reacts aggressively to someone else’s opinion, expresses judgments opposite to yours (oh, horror! I’m joking). I don’t think that the way out of this situation is to stop talking, or to “unfriending”. Listening to other people’s opinions, no matter how different from yours, is useful.
Yes, maintaining a conversation and competently arguing is an art. But you can learn. For a person who sets a goal, nothing is impossible. You can read conversation life hacks here. Good luck and be patient with each other.