Managing the heat during different opinions

[AbbeyKrause]

Having different views and opinions is part of being human and a reflection on our life experiences. It’s how we put forward these ideas and opinions that contribute to shaping our relationships. Young Scot posted a great piece at the end of last week for young people but I think we can all learn something from it.

What to Do if Your Friend Has a Different Opinion to You

Managing different views and opinion can be challenging, it can get heated, especially if we feel very strongly about something.

What can we do to ensure our conversations stay respectful and that people feel heard even though we might not necessarily agree?

[paulb]

I have found that letting people have opinions, even when I think they are wrong, without stamping on them or overreacting is the only way my family ever works anything out.

The best way to get me to adjust a firmly held wrong opinion is to let me have my opinion, once I voice it I might just change it myself realising it is wrong, but if not, I am then more likely to let you tell me what you think and once I hear that there is more chance I’ll adjust what I think.

More often than not we are both a bit wrong and a bit right ,a bit of listening(not always easy) with some healthy(also not always easy) debate to follow has proved itself to work consistently

[duncang]

Opinions can challenge belief systems, however we should try to be open to challenge and see it for what it is; another perspective, food for thought and an opportunity to question and learn. Many opinions are not based on fact, and are therefore open to interpretation or misinterpretation. A suggestion for keeping things respectful would be to manage your emotion through being curious, and try to find out how the opinion was formed. It can be an interesting journey.