In my line of work, communication can often make the difference between success and failure, between positive outcomes and negative outcomes.
While I certainly have my flaws as a communicator – then again we all do – I’ve long been a believer in motivational interviewing, in which interviews are less of a series of “yes or no” questions and are instead open-ended questions designed to elicit not only a dialogue, but a conversation that starts (or continues) the process of positive change. While many interactions in my line of work may end up being adversarial, they don’t necessarily have to be adversarial.
As an example of the things that can be accomplished in a partnership, as opposed to an adversarial relationship, here’s a video of Monty Roberts, a “horse whisperer,” saddling a horse for the first time. Instead of using traditional methods to “break” the horse, Roberts instead chooses to work with the horse to get the desired outcome, instead of trying to “break” the horse’s will.
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