Unpacking Politics: A Dialogue on Politics, Values, and Civility II

About this Episode

We hope you found value in part one of this podcast. Thank you for joining us for this second segment. Welcome to today’s episode of The Communication Solution podcast with Casey Jackson, John Gilbert and Danielle Cantin. We love talking about Motivational Interviewing, and about improving outcomes for individuals, organizations, and the communities that they serve. This episode In this engaging episode we delve into the intricate dynamics of political discourse, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for understanding and civility. Through personal anecdotes and discussions on the role of values, mindfulness, and the biological underpinnings of conflict, the hosts explore how individuals can engage in political conversations in a way that respects differing perspectives without compromising their own values. The podcast highlights an innovative civility summit initiative that aims to bridge divides through decisional balance exercises, emphasizing the potential for growth and understanding in political dialogue. The conversation encourages listeners to approach political engagement as an informed choice, rather than a conflict, fostering a more constructive and less confrontational political landscape. The episode concludes with an invitation for listeners to share their own experiences and insights on navigating the complex world of politics with civility and respect.

In this podcast, we discuss:

• Introduction to the Complex World of Political Discourse: The podcast opens by acknowledging the challenges and tensions inherent in political conversations, emphasizing the goal to understand differing perspectives deeply.
• Personal Anecdote of Political Dialogue: A host shares a personal experience of engaging in a political discussion with a friend, highlighting the importance of seeking to understand opposing views.
• The Role of Values in Political Beliefs: The discussion explores how personal values shape political opinions, emphasizing the need to recognize and respect the value systems of others.
• Civility Summit Initiative: One host shares involvement in a civility summit aimed at fostering civil discourse among individuals with divergent political views, using decisional balance exercises to facilitate understanding.
• Mindfulness in Political Discussions: The conversation turns to the importance of mindfulness and acceptance in political dialogue, promoting a deeper understanding without necessarily agreeing.
• The Biological Basis of Righteous Indignation: A discussion on how the body’s chemical responses to conflict and righteousness can become addictive, influencing behavior in political discussions.
• Aligning Behavior with Values: The hosts reflect on the importance of ensuring personal behaviors are consistent with individual values, even in the heat of political debate.
• The Definition and Nature of Politics: The podcast examines the formal definition of politics as governance and conflict, pondering on how this inherent conflict can be navigated more constructively.
• Choosing Civility Over Conflict: The dialogue suggests reimagining political engagement as a choice informed by values rather than a battleground, promoting a more thoughtful and less confrontational approach.
• Invitation for Audience Engagement: The podcast closes by inviting listeners to share their experiences and thoughts on navigating political discussions and maintaining civility.

You don’t want to miss this one! Make sure to rate us or share this podcast. It would mean so much to us!

This has been part one of a two-part podcast. We hope you’ll join us for the second portion. You don’t want to miss this one! Make sure to rate us or share this podcast. It would mean so much to us! Thank you for listening to the communication solution. This podcast is all about you. If you have questions, thoughts, topic suggestions, or ideas, please send them our way at casey@ifioc.com. For more resources, feel free to check out ifioc.com.

Transcribe

 Hello and welcome to the communication solution podcast with Casey Jackson and John Gilbert. I’m your host, Danielle Cantin. Here at the Institute for Individual and Organizational Change, otherwise known as IFIOC, we love to talk about communication, we love to talk about solutions, and we love to talk about providing measurable results for individuals, organizations, and the communities they serve.

Welcome. To the communication solution that will change your world.Hi everyone. This is Danielle Cantin. I’m your facilitator today with the Communication Solution podcast. And I’m here with your hosts, Casey Jackson and John Gilbert. Hello. Hey guys. Today, I thought we could dive into a compliance situation.

When you look at motivational interviewing, oftentimes we’re working in compliance type models and systems. So it makes you think of law enforcement, probation, child welfare. Where’s the benefit in that intersection with motivational interviewing? When you’re looking at these systems and people trying to help other people.

Deeply rooted in a, you know, compliance type model. This is a really, really common question that we get, Danielle, because John and I get to train a lot of these, uh, professionals in these types of systems. And there are two ways of thinking about, like, one of the first things we launch into in, in the intro training is differentiating.

Between compliance based methods of communication and behavior change based methods of communication. And what’s really fascinating about it is the more data comes out, the data is pretty clear that compliance based. Interventions don’t coincide with long term sustained behavior change. And the example that I always use with people in training is for anyone that’s ever worked with any person that’s been on probation before, especially, you know, years I worked in juvenile probation.

What’s one of the first things we know is going to happen as soon as they get off probation? They even say it. One of the first things they’re going to do is go party or use again. Um, and so that could be, they could be on probation for 2 years. And the 1st thing they’re planning on doing is getting messed up or as soon as they’re released from prison or from jail, the 1st thing they plan to do is get messed up.

So compliance models do not generate behavior change. Compliance models aren’t bad for what they’re designed for. For a swift punishment, but they are not, they don’t coincide with long term behavior change. So what you start to think about is, if I’m in a compliance based system, how do I use a behavior change based method?

And for me, the beauty in this is what we always have control over is we have control over what comes out of our mouth as a professional. We don’t have control over law. We don’t have control over policy. We don’t have control over a court order. We don’t have control over what, you know, has to happen if we need to protect the child, but we have control over what comes out of our mouth and the way things come out of our mouth can actually generate change the whole function.

Everybody listening. We know in motivational learning, the whole function in communication. Is to help move from tension or discord or resistance to ambivalence efficiently. And when you’re moving to the ambivalence and helping people resolve ambivalence, you’re helping their brain generate giving this situation in front of you.

How do you want to navigate this to get to your best outcome? So even though that rock has dropped in their path, that boulder has dropped in their path. If you’re going to stand on the boulder and say, you can’t go around this boulder. You are going to generate discord if you acknowledge the boulder and drop shoulder to shoulder with the person and look at the boulder and go, how do you want to navigate this reality?

This boulder is not going anywhere. Knowing you still want to make it further on your path. So that boulder can be law. It can be policy. It can be a quarter. It can be all sorts of things. But you, you think more from a collaborative place, knowing that the reality is, is those laws and policies are not going to change.

So you just, it’s, it’s a shift in mindset is as much as a shift in skill set, John, what are your, I know you’ve got lots of thoughts. Yeah, well, we’ve, we’ve worked with so many different groups and this can get really, you could say, unsupportive and gaslighting and manipulative. If you look at the technique and listen to the technique that you were just giving, and there’s a deeper way of being with and treating someone and trying to support their power that they may or may not want to take on.

That you’re getting at there where, you know, you had moved into getting shoulder to shoulder and asking a question for the 1st basic step, which is. To not tell to not should on them, but instead to ask how they see getting around. Right. But in the trainings, we really talk about shoulder to shoulder giving voice to what it must be like the unfairness, the sense of B.

S. This is the sense of whatever they’re going through. But I’m, I’m highlighting that because that’s another skill and there’s other skills we could get into here with him. I, but all of the skills are on a certain way of how I treat you. I think it’s important to talk about that with what we’re, you know, talking about with the different eight factors of.

Helpful helpers of like, how am I treating you? Am I treating you from a place of you are a complex human with choices that you