I want to lose every debate

Re:I want to lose every debate by noud on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @03:58AM (#34592894)

When someone tries explaining something to me, I try to summarize what this person said when they are finished. E.g., "So you're saying that <summary here>" or "It seems like <summary here>". This forces me to actively listen and remember what the other person has said. Afterwards, I'm looking for a response in the lines of "That's correct!" or "That's right!", or a correction and explanation that I haven't heard it correctly. Even if I don't agree with the other persons believes, this seems to build good relationships.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by nibbleshifter on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @04:06AM (#34592955)

That is what is called active listening, and is a good way to do it.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by dayjaby on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @04:24AM (#34593078)

Reminds me of the interview with Jordan Peterson, where the interviewer said "so you're saying that <some invented bullshit that J.P. never actually said>".

So I agree with you as long as you don't fall into that trap of putting false words in the other mouth.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by mejutoco on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @05:11AM (#34593392)

It is also useful if the other person won't accept any other phrasing that word-by-word quoting, even if in good faith, and accurate. It shows they are not willing to compromise.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by slowwriter on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @05:12AM (#34593396)

In situations where someasks "so you're saying that..." followed by something they didn't say it might very well be on purpose, but in other cases being explicit about how you understood someone can allow them to elaborate and correct your understanding.

It's much better than just continuing the conversation under a false assumption.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by robertlagrant on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @05:35AM (#34593526)

I agree - especially in an interview situation where many of us still have a vestigial instinct that an interviewer is not biased and is informed, we can assume that what they say is an objective interpretation.

In that instance, doing that actually exposed it quite well, though. Jordan Peterson is able to respond off the cuff, so a reasonable percentage of the audience didn't walk away having assimilated the interviewer's version of his position.

The subsequent Joe Rogan interview of Jordan Peterson was illuminating. Joe Rogan is, despite all odds, such a good interviewer, because he listens and engages, and only occasionally challenges.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by joenot443 on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @08:10AM (#34594593)

Always found it funny how admitting that Joe is a good interviewer is some type of a concession.

He’s probably the highest paid interviewer on the planet, of course he’s good at what he does! If he hadn’t found the ire of the online progressive crowd by letting on some unsavories, he’d probably be regarded super positively across the board. It’s crazy how many times I’ve seen web-activists go for blood with this guy and come up empty handed. Why is it hard for people to admit he’s just a really good podcaster?

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Re:I want to lose every debate by robertlagrant on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @08:16AM (#34594644)

I don't know. I didn't "admit" it; I just said it.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by joenot443 on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @08:55AM (#34595003)

Yes my apologies - that wasn't aimed at you specifically, just a poorly phrased observation.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by robertlagrant on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @09:08AM (#34595151)

No worries!

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Re:I want to lose every debate by yakshaving_jgt on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @09:11AM (#34595192)

He is a good podcaster, but he has a habit of publishing misinformation also, which his audience seem not to scrutinise.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by chaosite on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @06:09AM (#34593733)

Interviews, especially televised ones, are a performance. You're explicitly not trying to convince the interviewer of anything, you're trying to give a good interview, ostensibly for the benefit of whoever is watching. Politicians, for example, are famous for doing whatever they can, in more and less elegant ways, to talk about the things that they are interested in conveying (the "talking points") and not about whatever it is the interviewer is asking.

This is not the point of this technique. This technique is about actually talking to a person, one-on-one, and trying to understand what they mean. No one else is watching, or at least the interview isn't being recorded.

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Re:I want to lose every debate by TheSpiceIsLife on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @04:54AM (#34593278)

Verbal Aikido with Fred Kofman is right up that alley.

https://youtu.be/O6N9nvk8bvE

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