Ep 106: Mónica Guzmán | What happens after we find common ground?

Rethinking Communication

There's an unanswered question lingering in the air amongst all the talk that focuses on dialogue and bridging divides and finding common ground.

And that question is: What happens when we have to move beyond conversation and achieving understanding and we actually have to start producing solutions to problems? What do we do then?

It’s an important question because dialogue can only get us so far … or so it seems.

To help me answer this question, I invited Mónica Guzmán back onto the show. Mónica is the Senior Fellow for Public Practice at a political depolarization non-profit called Braver Angels, and she first joined me back in episode 81 shortly after the release of her book, "I Never Thought of it That Way."

As it turns out, this question of "what do we do when we actually have to solve problems?" is at the forefront of Mónica's mind as well, and she recognizes just how difficult it can be when competing values are placed on the table. In these scenarios, it's easy to slip into a zero-sum mentality, where for me and my side and my ideas to win, the other side has to experience total defeat.

Mónica and I discuss just how important language matters in these conversations, and how it might be the key to uncovering entirely new ways of looking at and solving problems.

Learn more about Braver Angels at https://braverangels.org/, and connect with Mónica on Twitter at https://twitter.com/moniguzman.

Listen to Mónica's previous appearance on The Follow-Up Question at https://michaelashford.com/episodes/ep-81-monica-guzman-the-perspective-changing-power-of-asking-what-am-i-missing