Unite and Concur Pressroom
Communications trainer and author Meryl Runion expertly presents practical ideas for how to stop arguing and start communicating – about politics or any other touchy issue. For interviews, she can address specific topics such as how to uncover logical fallacies, how to see through propaganda techniques or ways to bypass manipulation behaviors. She can speak in general about the detriments of our current way of discussing politics and the reasons she wrote her fifth book, Unite & Concur: How to stop arguing and start communicating about politics.
Runion’s first four books have sold more than a quarter of a million copies, and she has delivered nearly one thousand workshops, keynotes and other presentations across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. Her expertise is based on 30 years of training and mediation experience with clients such as IBM, Lockheed Martin, the FBI and Honeywell.
To schedule Meryl for an interview, contact... Meryl Runion at: or via email: |
1. Unite and Concur: How to stop arguing and start communicating about politics
Political conversations don’t have to be divisive or hostile, according to the new eBook, Unite and Concur: How to stop arguing and start communicating about politics. Author and Communication Strategist Meryl Runion explains how the same techniques that communication experts apply in negotiation and in diversity training can help “political opposites” have productive political conversations. She describes the current dysfunctional dialogue, addresses the five most common “yeah-buts” and provides action steps to elevate the level of political discourse.
2. A political divide? Or a political spectrum? The differences between conservatives and liberals
It helps to know who you’re talking to. While there are many scales we can use to define ourselves politically, people throw the categories “liberal” and “conservative” around so “liberally” that it’s important to have some idea of what these terms mean.
Meryl Runion starts with a caveat about the hazards of labels and categorization in general. Then, duly warned, she identifies seven qualities where conservatives and liberals trend in different directions. Learn about the upside and the downside of different political leanings, and how that knowledge guides you toward reasonable political dialogue.
3. Don’t get fooled again: logical fallacies in political dialogue
Modern political dialogue is driven by what Meryl Runion calls Aggressions’ Law - erroneous arguments that drown out accurate ones, unprincipled diatribe that drives out reason and tripe that overshadows reason and logic. When it comes to Aggressions’ Law, knowledge is power.
There are hundreds of logical fallacies. Meryl Runion details the ten most common ones that can derail a political conversation and lead you to believe in nonsense. And, she provides strategies to counter each one.
4. Political conversation ground rules
Rules of Order, parliamentary procedure, communication standards and guidelines all keep discussions productive, minimize hostility and make it safe to discuss hot-button topics.
Meryl Runion’s eBook Unite and Concur provides sample ground rules that people can adapt to keep political conversations civil, informative and productive.
Meryl Runion talks about the value of ground rules and how to establish them – even in the middle of a hostile political debate.
5. Why is reasonable political dialogue so difficult?
It seems that when a conversation gets political, all bets are off. All rules of courtesy fall away. As a result, people scream at each other, stay silent to avoid screaming at each other, or dance around sensitive topics. Meryl Runion details the obstacles that make reasonable political dialogue so difficult. She provides tips to overcome the obstacles that seem insurmountable, but aren’t.
6. Words that stroke, evoke, cloak and politically provoke
Politicians and propagandists know the power of words to pull your strings. Do you? If you do, you’ll be pulling your own strings.
Meryl Runion explains the three brain or brainlet systems that can leave you operating like a political third-wit. She describes how words evoke and provoke reactions that lead the listener to bypass reason. This information can transform an unreasonable political diatribe into a reasonable political dialogue.
7. Don’t get angry, get strategic
Anger may feel powerful, but strategy gets results. Vitriol and disinformation will continue to dominate the political dialogue until those who know better channel their anger and distaste into strategies to uplift the national political dialogue. When reasonable people insist on reason, and spread accurate information with the same enthusiasm that others spread hatred, propaganda and lies, change will come on all levels – even the national level.
Meryl Runion provides six strategies for people who have had enough of dysfunctional political dialogue and want to be Voices of True Political Reason. Each strategy comes with concrete action steps that to provide a standard for the others to live up to. The strategies are: Truth Sleuth, Deception Detective, Fallacy Finder, Fact Fanatic, Accuracy Advocate and Concerned Citizen.
Don’t get angry, get strategic.
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Interview Topics with Meryl Runion
Meryl on TV News Watch the Google hosted videos here
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Radio Interviews Michael Dresser Show radio interview
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Get Strategic: Stop arguing and start communicating
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Meryl has been featured
in many major publications, including The Home Business Journal
and USA Today
