Conversational Receptiveness: Improving Engagement with Opposing Views
Yeomans, Minson, Collins, Chen & Gino (2020) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 160
We use this paper in 3 places in the academy · 1 stated limit
What the study found
Executives who came across as more open to the person they were arguing with were seen as better teammates and advisers, and were more persuasive. How open they thought they were did not predict any of that.
Wikipedia editors who wrote in a more open way got fewer personal attacks from editors who disagreed with them.
Naming the other person's view, saying out loud what you agree with, and softening your own claims were among the things that made people sound open. And sounding open went with being liked, being trusted, and changing minds.
What the study cannot prove
The study measured written disagreement, not a live argument between two people who know each other. It tracks how open people seemed, not whether anyone changed their mind.
Limits we note on the exercises
The researchers watched what happened on Wikipedia. They did not run an experiment. So we cannot be sure the open writing caused the calmer replies, rather than the other way round.
Where we use it
We use this paper in 3 places in the academy. If the paper turned out to be wrong, we would have to change everything in this list.
Other papers used in the same places
These papers are used in the same topics and videos as this one. That does not mean the papers agree with each other. It only means that the same exercises use both.
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A real study. We tell you what it found, how many people were in it, and what it can't prove.
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