How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide

In our current political climate, it seems impossible to have a civil conversation with someone who has a different opinion. Dialogue is often shut down when perspectives clash. Heated debates on platforms like Facebook and Twitter frequently result in shaming, hindering any possibility of productive discourse.

How to Have Impossible Conversations guides readers through the process of having effective, civil discussions about any divisive issues—not just religious faith, but also topics like:

• Climate change
• Race
• Gender
• Poverty
• Immigration
• Gun control

Two Types of Conversations

Co-authors Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay distinguish between two types of conversations:

1. Truth-Oriented Conversations: Discussions aimed at arriving at truth.
2. Interventions: Conversations that may require changing the beliefs of people who do not want their beliefs changed.

Practical Techniques for Success

The book provides straightforward, practical conversational techniques for every level of discussion, from beginner to expert- and master-level techniques designed to handle hardliners and extremists.

Key principles include:

• The "Seven Fundamentals Necessary for Good Conversations"

This is the manual everyone needs to foster connection and empathy with anyone, no matter how challenging the topic.