For those who think Democracy should be
a collaborative experience.
February 5, 2009
Women in politics ~ a more collaborative approach
My Unite and Concur eBook and keynotes are all about how to stop arguing and start communicating about politics. They describe a type of communication that is more natural to one half of our population than the other half. I’m talking about women.
There are three main centers of power in communication – might, heart and reason. While we each use all three centers to some extent, we also have our own strengths and tend to use one center more than the others. We women, (I’m a member of that club) base our interactions from our heart center – the one that seeks to collaborate rather than overpower or intellectualize. That approach uses inclusive language – we, our, us – instead of internal language – me, my and I.
It’s not that we women don’t use logic and logical language, or that we don’t call up our will and stronger language to make a point – we do. We just (generally) use the intellectual center and the power center to support the heart center, not the other way around. We start with heart, apply reason and increase the power if we need to.
Divide and Conquer used to be the law of the political land. But as women are becoming increasingly politically engaged, Unite and Concur is getting a toe hold. When it’s collaboration is practiced with grace and skill, it leaves the political bullies exposed and powerless, because their tactics don’t work any more.
I write more about how women are changing the politcal landscape and what it looks like to Unite and Concur in my new article, It’s My Democracy and I’m Watching it. enjoy it – and comment here. Thanks!
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