The weird rule that changes everything

Last month at the Braver Angels National Convention, I got to do something I love: chair a community debate. 

The topic? Whether the U.S. legislature should be the most powerful branch of government. Given that presidents from both parties have used (or abused) more and more executive power, and that Congress’ approval rating is stuck at a measly 15 percent, I knew things would get heated. 

And they did.

Since the Braver Angels convention was in Philadelphia, it gave me a chance to visit the National Constitutional Center and say hey to someone who chaired loads of consequential debates at a consequential time — George Washington

But the debate — a specially formatted Braver Angels debate — stayed productive anyway.

One reason why is a ground rule that sounds wacky but changes everything: when people ask questions of whoever just stood up and gave a speech in favor of one side or the other, they must refer to the speaker in the third person.

So instead of someone raising their hand and asking the speaker, "Don’t you think Congress deserves more power?" they raise their hand and ask me, the chair, "I’d like to know whether the speaker thinks that Congress deserves more power?"

And boy is it effective.

When people refer to speakers in the third person, they depersonalize their question. That lowers the risk of the speaker taking offense or getting reactive, which would a) distract from the substance of the debate and b) make it harder for speakers to feel like they can speak freely.

This rule also encourages everyone in the room to look at the angles of an issue in the space between them, rather than filtered through a series of showdowns between speakers and critics. 

Which helps everyone think together, even as they think differently.

When the goal is better understanding, that works like a charm. 

Stay curious, all