Pronouns & Labels | Jennifer Furlong | A Model for Navigating Polarizing Topics | Part 3

What is the difference between leaning in and opting out of conversations that feel tricky to navigate? When we do not feel that we understand the beliefs that someone holds, how can we stay in conversation and push through to find the story behind that belief, which inevitably gives us the best chance at finding shared understanding?How can we make small (but significant) changes in our language so that we are inviting others into conversation instead of shutting down dialogue?...Jennifer Arvin Furlong is a highly-rated communication/media specialist with 30 years of experience in the communication industry and 18 years of experience teaching in higher education. She is the author of Mini-Handbook for Jackasses: Communication & Relationships and co-author of the #1 Amazon international best seller, Cracking the Rich Code. She is a TEDx speaker and coach and host of the Communication TwentyFourSeven Podcast. She is a Marine Corps veteran, a first-generation college graduate (B.A. and M.A. in Communication), a mom, and a breast cancer survivor.Today, Jennifer and I wrap up our conversation by exploring some topics that tend to provoke strong (and very different) opinions. We begin by referring to the Platinum Rule ("treat others the way they want to be treated") and how we might live that out. My hope for this episode is that it may act as a model of what it can look like to lean into challenging and potentially polarizing conversations. I imagine that you may feel some discomfort during this conversation. I invite you to lean in with us and to spend some time examining your own reactions in the hopes of learning more about yourself and others. I ask that you pay special attention to the ways in which Jennifer and I choose curiosity and how that opens us up to understand each other better. In this conversation, Jennifer and I explore the role that labels play in our society (both the good and the not so good), some of the stories that shaped Jennifer’s beliefs around gender and meaning, and the ways we can use curiosity to create connection instead of disconnection. As you reflect on your own values during this conversation, and hear some of ours, I encourage you to read my Values Statement. ...Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter.Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal andSocial Evolution....Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. Find Rik on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to our conversation with Rik in ⁠⁠Ep. 8⁠⁠....⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told.⁠⁠⁠Email me! [email protected] me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Subscribe on ⁠⁠