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I love your question! It’s a great place to ask it, because merely asking a question like that in a place like this immediately demonstrates the need we all have to develop these tools. Appreciate you!

Practice listening over hearing. Prioritize curiosity for its own sake.

In terms of 1:1 communication: If dialogue is a venn diagram, strongly opinionated people can sometimes look for opportunities of intersection and commonality to bring things back into their sphere of control. Communication can become territorial in that way, with opinions acting as a kind of currency that gets used to buy influence. Try to be aware of where you’re at, spatially, on this diagram. Try to be aware of what your intentions are in a given moment. If you lead with listening and curiosity, you’ll quickly find yourself spending a lot more time in the other person’s sphere.