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Today we’re talking about how to communicate with skeptics. Empathy, building rapport, and most importantly not letting arguments distract from the real goal of climate solutions! Exploring different perspectives and keeping perspective on the north star. On embracing conversation with those we don’t necessarily agree with, here’s advocate, strategist, and writer Jenny Morgan.

Full episode to be released on January 13th. Get on the waitlist for Jenny’s upcoming book, Cancel Culture in Climate, at http://www.cancelcultureinclimate.com

Created by TEDxLondon
Executive produced by Josie Colter
Produced by Ben Beheshty
Curated by Maryam Pasha
Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst

Transcript

[00:00:00] Maryam Pasha: Welcome to Climate Quickies, bite sized nuggets of climate goodness from our TEDxLondon experts in under 5 minutes.

[00:00:08] Ben Hurst: In this week’s Climate Curious, we’re taking a look at cancel culture in climate. Advocate, strategist and writer Jenny Morgan says that so much time is spent [00:00:20] arguing on how we reach our climate goals.

[00:00:22] that we forget about the North Star, i. e. stopping climate change. On how to be a better steward in climate action and contribute towards positive change, here’s more from Jenny. Stay curious.

[00:00:38] Jenny Morgan: When you are entering into a [00:00:40] conversation, you should ask yourself Five things. And think about these questions before you actually walk into your aunt’s house for dinner or wherever you’re going.

[00:00:50] And so first things first is ask yourself, am I attacking a person or am I attacking an idea? And so that’s very [00:01:00] important to distinguish between the two. You’re not mad at aunt Gertrude for whatever she just said. You don’t like The challenge that you’ve just been presented with. And so you’re attacking an idea, not a person.

[00:01:15] Um, second thing to ask yourself is, Can I accurately [00:01:20] present the other person’s opinion, or am I misrepresenting them to kind of get them in a gotcha moment? So can I actually try to be empathetic towards someone else’s perspective? Third is, are you open to questioning your own beliefs? Are you 100 percent right, or is [00:01:40] there an opportunity for you to learn something as well?

[00:01:43] And that’s the scientific method, is that there’s always room to grow and learn, and so that’s something to really keep in mind. Fourth is, can you identify the evidence that’s required to change your opinion? So, if X, Y, [00:02:00] Z was achieved, then I would change my mind. If you can do that, then you can actually have a conversation.

[00:02:07] If you are, if your opinion is set in stone, then there’s no opportunity for an open dialogue there. And then last, which is really important, is, Am I willing to do something [00:02:20] extreme because of someone’s opposition? So, if I’m in a mental state where I am feeling an extreme reaction. If someone says something that opposes my values or my beliefs, that’s when you need to understand your boundaries.

[00:02:37] You are in an emotional state [00:02:40] that is very heightened. And if you’re feeling that extreme response, this is not the appropriate time to have a conversation. And so now you found a boundary. A boundary has been met and you need to understand where your boundaries are. Your boundaries on Tuesday might be very vast and open, but [00:03:00] Thursday your boundaries are short and you’re not in a space mentally where you can have a open dialogue and a non combative conversation.

[00:03:09] So understanding that is really important and if you’ve met a boundary you can say, you know what? I am really just looking to enjoy this meal [00:03:20] and I’d love to talk about whatever this might be later. Um, but right now I’m just kind of feeling like I just want to let go and let loose and just enjoy this.

[00:03:29] Stuffing or whatever that might be. And so really understanding yourself and understanding the other person is going to allow you to have a really positive experience and maybe even be a [00:03:40] positive influence to those that you talk to over the holidays.

[00:03:43] Ben Hurst: Thanks for listening to this quickie.

[00:03:45] Maryam Pasha: This episode was created by our superstar podcast team at TEDxLondon.

[00:03:50] Until next time,

[00:03:51] Ben Hurst: stay curious.

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