Like you, I’ve been increasingly disturbed by our fractious polarization.
One of the keys to finding our way out is truly understanding those we think are completely wrong. We must understand what others think and why they think it and how they see us.
They must feel truly understood. The feeling of being understood occurs at an emotional level. It’s not just an intellectual event
Our reflex response to others is to tell them where they’re wrong and we’re right.
You know what? It doesn’t work. If we want them to understand us, we must first understand them.
There’s an art to understanding other people—especially those with whom we vigorously disagree. Skilled mediators and negotiation professionals have used and taught that it for decades. The more of us who master the art of understanding, the better off we’ll all be.
That’s why I created a free 90-minute workshop on listening to understand others. Our brochure explains in detail:
This is a hands-on, practical session in which you’ll start practicing the art of understanding others right away. It’s something you can use next week, when Uncle Butch or Aunt Nita shares her political views along with the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving Dinner.
Here’s the key information:
Saturday, November 22, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time
Online
FREE
To overcome our adversarial polarization we need the ability to genuinely understand people who see the world differently than we do.
It’s more than just paying attention to what they say. It’s about also understanding why they see what they see.
The assumption that everyone who disagrees with us is either uninformed, irrational, or acting in bad faith kills our ability to have meaningful, productive conversations. It costs us relationships. It makes political discussions feel like a battle rather than a dialogue.
Why can’t Uncle Butch see just how wrong he is? (You know what? Uncle Butch asks the same question about us.)
This is not a lecture about being nice or finding common ground, another exhortation to civility. (Nothing wrong with that, of course.)
It’s 90 minutes devoted to acquiring the skills to understand others on their terms. We’ll use real scenarios from political conversations, workplace conflicts, and family gatherings. And we’ll learn:
Why we struggle so much to understand perspectives different from our own (the psychology is fascinating)
The single biggest barrier to genuine listening—and how to overcome it in yourself
Practical techniques you can use immediately at the Thanksgiving table, in community spaces, or in political discussions
How to create conditions for real dialogue, even when emotions are running high
This workshop is for you if:
You have relationships strained or broken by the current political climate
You want to model a different way of engaging across difference
You’re exhausted by shouting matches and performative outrage
You believe understanding others is both possible and essential—even now, especially now
You want practical tools, not just good intentions
You’re dreading political conversations at Thanksgiving
This is not about:
Convincing anyone to change their political views
Finding false “both sides” equivalencies
Abandoning your own values or convictions
Forcing niceness or suppressing legitimate anger
Pretending everything is fine when it’s not
It’s about developing the capacity to genuinely understand how others see the world, which is the foundation for everything else—relationship, dialogue, collaboration, and yes, even productive conflict.
When: Saturday, November 23, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Eastern Time
Where: Online via Zoom (link sent upon registration)
Cost: FREE
Size: Only 24 spots total.
P.S. Can’t make it Saturday but want these skills? Send me an email (mike@winbeforetrial.com), and I’ll keep you informed.
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