Tag: Media

Communicating Better by Following the Platinum Rule… DTH Episode 135 with Jennifer Furlong

Communicating Better by Following the Platinum Rule

One of the largest problems we face in society today is the fact that we do not communicate well. We spend so much time talking past each other instead of speaking to each other in a way to effectively be understood. Effective communication is a two way street that involves so much more than just trying to get our point across.

How can we communicate better?

There are many ways we can learn to communicate better and more effectively. One way of communicating better is by following the platinum rule. I only recently learned about the platinum rule when I became introduced to this week’s incredible guest, Jennifer Furlong.

Episode 113: Be Engaged, Not Enraged… Discussing Braver Politics with Braver Angels Rick & Barbara

I started this podcast a couple years ago with the slogan, “Bettering the World, One Attitude at a Time”… That is more than just a mission statement for me, that has become one of my central purposes in life. Why you might ask? In many ways, it’s because I see our world, but more specifically our country, has in certain ways become broken.

What can we do if our country ‘s political system is broken?
In addition to doing the Derate the Hate podcast, I have become quite involved with the organization Braver Angels. Braver Angels has become one of the country’s leading organizations working to depolarize  and mend our social fabric. As I began to hear more about the latest initiative that Braver Angels was working on, Braver Politics, I wanted to know more. I thought who better to reach out to than my friends Rick and Barbara!

How can I engage without being enraged?
Would you like to become more involved in the political discussion, without becoming part of and enraged shouting match that accomplishes nothing? Take a listen to my conversation with my friends Rick Hotchner and Barbara Thomas, (who you may remember from Episode 48) where we are discussing Braver Politics… Let me know what you think!

Episode 105: Building Unity by Asking The Follow-Up Questions… with Michael Ashford

One of the best ways we can have better, more meaningful and productive conversations is by asking better questions. My guest this week has made an art form out of communicating effectively and asking incredibly insightful and meaningful questions.

Michael Ashford is a former award-winning newspaper reporter, and editor of the Emporia Gazette in Emporia, Ks. His years of journalism experience sharpened his interviewing skills and taught him how important listening and asking follow-up questions is to get the full and real story.

He has transferred that skill set into the podcasting space, now focusing on the power of storytelling. He is still a self-described independent journalist, digging below the surface of cliches and clickbaity headlines to uncover nuance and detail that lives within the most important issues we face these days.

Episode 104: “I Never Thought Of It That Way”… with author MÓNICA GUZMÁN

Have you ever wondered how to have a meaningful conversation with someone with whom you disagree vehemently on a particular topic? Do you have family members that you disagree with politically, and cannot have a conversation without things becoming heated and toxic? What if there were a book that could teach you “How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times”? There is, and this week I am honored to have the author of that book on the Derate the Hate podcast to talk about her latest book, “I Never Thought Of It That Way”
Take-aways and Quotes from MÓNICA GUZMÁN
~”Those who are underrepresented in your lives, will always be over-represented in our imaginations”
~Curiosity in 1-to-1 conversations will save us (like no politician, group, or institution can)
~”If there’s one thing that most people on the left and right can agree on, it’s that the way we treat and talk to the other side is broken”
~Monica’s promise: “This book will equip and inspire you to be one level more curious about the people who disagree with you than you have ever been.”

Episode 103: Those Who Imply Correlation Equals Causation to Perpetuate Hate and Division

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase, “Correlation does not imply Causation”? More importantly, have you ever taken the time to think about what that means? Quite often there are those on social media, in the main stream media, or opportunist politicians that love to take a situation, ignore all variables except those that will get them the traction they desire, and run with a narrative that stirs the most division, animosity and anxiety amongst those of differing thoughts and opinions…

One can find countless examples of this each and every day in their news feed on most social media platforms, most mainstream news channels,  or by checking out the YouTube channel of most of your widely publicized politicians. This is not a hard thing to spot once you are conscious of it, and knowing what to look for, especially in this age of toxic public discourse. Take a listen to this week’s solo episode and let me know what you think. Stay tuned in the next few weeks as I have some incredible guests joining me for more great conversations. Above all, keep bettering the world by sharing this content with your networks.

Episode 80: It Must Be Nice… Envy is an Ugly Emotion

Are  you someone who has worked hard and has some nice things? Are you proud to have those things? Have you ever been confronted by someone who says, “it must be nice” as if you somehow don’t deserve, or didn’t earn those things? Envy is an Ugly Emotion… an emotion that leads to resentment, anger and hate.

In this week’s solo episode I talk about a conversation I had recently had with someone that was confronted with this very scenario. It should come as no surprise, but still does, that there are those who would confront someone who has nice things and say, “it must be nice”, when there are those in politics and the media that drive and perpetuate class envy as they do. We must resist those who constantly attempt to divide us by class through the perpetuation of envy and disdain for those who have more than we do.