Carol Barkes, CPM, MBA, is a conflict resolution expert, mediator, national speaker, educator and bestselling author who uniquely applies neuroscience to the fields of conflict resolution and negotiations. Her expert perspective is always fresh and relevant.
about Managing Polarized Topics Via Social Media
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- Do consider your purpose. Are you just venting? Trying to make a change? Lashing out? What you post should take your purpose into consideration. If you are looking to have an honest, open dialog, posts that discredit opposing opinions with judgment and venom are unlikely to accomplish your objective. Instead, consider asking questions. Pose your observation and be willing to consider others’ opinions – even if they differ from yours.
- Learn from others. Understand it is easy to agree with someone with a push of the “like” button, but it is just as easy to tune you out. Just because you get some “likes” doesn’t mean you have a popular view or that your view is correct. If you isolate others, unfriend them when they don’t share your view, you are missing an important opportunity for everyone to learn from each other.
- Challenge yourself. Know that once your brain has made up its mind, it is difficult to hear any message that is not in alignment with your thoughts. Challenge yourself to stay engaged with messages which are different from your beliefs. You just might learn something about yourself and others.
- Be kind. You can be frustrated. You can be angry. However, messages that express negativity seldom have the impact we desire. People gravitate to kindness, fairness, and optimism. How can your posts reflect these values while still making your point?
- Take conversations off of social media and make them live. If you are continually posting but not having conversations, you are talking AT people, not to them. You are also not communicating well. Instead, invite people to have Zoom, phone, in-person conversations (for now, socially distanced, of course), where messages are less likely to be misconstrued and can be a two-way dialog.
- Do consider your purpose. Are you just venting? Trying to make a change? Lashing out? What you post should take your purpose into consideration. If you are looking to have an honest, open dialog, posts that discredit opposing opinions with judgment and venom are unlikely to accomplish your objective. Instead, consider asking questions. Pose your observation and be willing to consider others’ opinions – even if they differ from yours.
Interviews: Carol Barkes
Carol Barkes, CPM, MBA, is a trend-setting mediator, business executive and educator specializing in the use of neuroscience to improve business performance, interpersonal communications, negotiation and conflict resolution processes for optimally successful results. She is also a speaker, educator, and author of the bestselling book: Success Breakthroughs: Leading Entrepreneurs and Professionals Reveal Their Secrets for Breaking Through to Success.
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