Why Are We Yelling?: The Art of Productive Disagreement
'This is a life-changing book. Read it three times and then give a copy to anyone you care about. It will make things better' - Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing
'All you need is Buster Benson. His methods are instantly actionable, [and] his writing is funny and relatable' - Adam Grant, author of Originals
Why Are We Yelling is Buster Benson's essential guide to having more honest and constructive arguments.
The way we argue is broken. Whether it's about Brexit, the existence of ghosts, the best burger in the city or who's allowed to sit in your favourite chair, we end up digging our heels in and yelling at one another or choosing to avoid heated topics entirely. There has to be a better way.
Buster Benson, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with two decades of experience facilitating hard conversations at some of the biggest tech companies in the world, recommends eight things to try in order to make disagreements more productive. By applying these eight new habits, we can flip frustrating, unproductive disagreements into ones that bear fruit and bring people closer together.
In this book you'll master practical skills to make your disagreements more productive by:
- Understanding four ways of disagreeing that are more valuable than simply 'winning' the argument
- Identifying the kind of argument you're having so you know how best to negotiate it
- Articulating the best possible version of your opponent's argument before attacking it
With this toolkit we can explore more possibilities and perspectives in the world, simply because we'll no longer be afraid to wade into scary topics of conversation.