How to Avoid Losing Friends Over Politics
Tips for communicating with friends who have different political beliefs. If you feel a friendship is otherwise solid, and you want to avoid breaking it up over political differences, here are some communication techniques you can try.
Build a strong foundation: It can be tempting to launch into a political debate. Still, if your goal is to maintain a friendship and have a constructive conversation, O’Connor recommends first building trust with the other person.
Listen to Understand: Instead of going into a conversation with the goal of making your point or changing the other person’s mind, try active listening
Set Boundaries: Jessica Hare, DSW, MSW, vice president-outreach at American Promise, advises practicing effective and efficient communication and setting boundaries to keep things respectful.
Check in with your feelings: Try to check in with yourself and observe how things make you feel during a discussion. Is the tone of your voice changing? Can you feel your mood shift?