10 Habits to Change Our Potentially Toxic Conversations into Healthy Dialogues
August 1, 2024
As a law professor who specializes in the First Amendment, Collis has had his share of uncomfortable conversations. In this logically argued book, his aim is to give readers strategies for defusing toxic conversations and coming up with usable solutions to today's problems. His advice sounds basic: assume the best about people, be open to change, and spend time with people with differing viewpoints. What gives his advice weight are the examples he gives from his own conversations and life experiences. It's not easy to keep an open mind when others are shouting at you or flinging daggers on social media. But Collis re-creates these volatile moments and demonstrates ways to reframe thoughts and find common ground. He urges everyone to seek out the strongest arguments against their own positions, and to search for opinions from reliable sources on both sides of the issues. Keeping your sense of humor, seeking inner peace, and embracing nonclosure are also recommended. In this time of sharp political divides and overwhelming feedback, Collis is a much-needed voice of reason and compromise.
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October 1, 2024
This is a brief and helpful guide for having difficult conversations at work or home and navigating the current political landscape. Collis, a First Amendment law professor (Univ. of Texas, Austin; Praying with the Enemy), emphasizes that even after years in his field, he still has a lot to learn about his chosen topic, such as the importance of having an open mind. He acknowledges that not knowing everything has helped him learn more from other people. He describes how social media is designed to keep people wanting another dopamine hit from online conflict and arguments and how susceptible people are to misinformation, while also teaching readers media literacy and ways to avoid falling victim to the algorithm. He balances his examples to be both "right" and "left" leaning, and his suggested habits are intended to help cultivate a new mindset with relatively small and simple actions. VERDICT A great companion to Amanda Ripley's High Conflict, this is an accessible and enjoyable guide to learning how to have open conversations and maintain civility with people readers agree and disagree with. Highly recommended.--Amanda Ray
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