
Negotiate Anything Stop Trying to Be Right. Start Trying to Be PERSUASIVE
Mar 10, 2026
Ashley Kennard, assistant professor studying intercultural communication and othering, explores how bias and survival instincts derail tough conversations. She discusses humanizing opponents, using meta-communication to reset talks, emotional strategies like pause rituals and safe words, and treating every interaction as intercultural. Short practical tactics for slowing reactivity and staying persuasive are highlighted.
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Othering Drives Dehumanization In Conflict
- Dehumanization in conflict is automatic due to in-group/out-group 'othering'.
- Ashley Kennard explains people instinctively see those unlike them as outsiders, which blocks connection and resolution.
Pause And Educate Yourself Before Reacting
- Be conscious and intentional: recognize bias and slow down to reframe communication.
- Ashley Kennard recommends educating yourself about cultures and pausing to reflect before responding in charged moments.
Choose To Pause Or Walk Away Strategically
- If the other person won't engage, choose to pause or walk away rather than escalate.
- Kennard advises building trust over time by finding similarities and intentionally demonstrating common ground.






