January 8, 2008Poison Phrase: You haven’t been here long enough to understand
My colleague Lee Beaumont has been a wonderful supporter and advisor for my new book Unite and Concur: Stop arguing and start communicating about politics. His knowledge of dialogue and logic is profound. Visit his website at: http://www.emotionalcompetency.com/
One of my pet poison phrase peeves is sarcasm. One of his is ad hominem arguments, or if you can’t attack the argument, attack the arguer.
An example is: if you offer a suggestion at work, instead of addressing the logic of your suggestion, someone responds,
-You haven’t been here long enough to understand how we operate.
The suggestion should be evaluated on its merits, not discredited by claiming the person offering the idea is unqualified to have an opinion.
I have a “no sarcasm rule.” Lee has a “no ad hominem attacks rule.” It makes discussions authentic.
Good communication practices have also made my dialogues with Lee very productive. He has corrected and/or improved hundreds of passages in my new book without triggering resistance in me.
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