Alison Cheperdak

So money, sex, politics, religion, and health status.

Those are the topics that I would not recommend starting with of like, hi, my name's Allison, and these are my political views.

What are yours?

Unless you're at a political event and people are expecting it.

Like if you're at a house of worship and people are expecting it, then it's fair game.

Once you get to know someone a little more than, of course, talk about these things.

But when you're trying to make someone feel comfortable.

just let it softly unfold.

If someone else brings something up, that's kind of a tell, like for example, maybe they, you know, you ask them what they did this weekend and they tell you a little bit, and then that tells you maybe a little something about their religious views or their political views or something like that.

Then they've opened the door, just like it's not very polite to ask someone, what do you do?

But when they basically tell you what they do,

in conversation naturally, then they've opened the door and it's perfectly fine to ask them a little bit more about that.

That's how I take politics or I think politics should be considered in conversation.

And when you're talking with someone, it's more kind to approach conversations with curiosity than seeking to convert someone's opinion.

So even if you feel super, super strongly and you completely disagree with someone,

If you approach the conversation being combative and argumentative or like trying to shut them down, you're probably not going to change their mind.

Right.

They're probably going to leave that conversation thinking you were combative and arrogant and annoying and they never want to talk to you about that or any other controversial thing ever again.

But if you make them feel heard and actually hear them out, it's much more likely that they'll be persuaded and impressed by how like calm and respectful you are.

It depends on where you are, but in general, asking questions about things that you're experiencing in common.