How can we change people’s minds

I caught this programme on Radio 4 last night and realised that this is really relevant to our campaigning. Personally when I’m talking to volunteers many of them say that their MP ‘won’t listen’ or ‘they don’t do anything’ however this programme gave me an insight into how we can all change and how we can use this research in our work with MPs and others.

Here’s the link to the programme – it’s well worth a listen https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009z89 (30 mins)

Here’s the blurb:

“There’s a widespread belief that there’s no point talking to people you disagree with because they will never change their minds. Everyone is too polarized and attempts to discuss will merely result in greater polarization. But the history of the world is defined by changes of mind –that’s how progress (or even regress) is made: shifts in political, cultural, scientific beliefs and paradigms. So how do we ever change our minds about something? What are the perspectives that foster constructive discussion and what conditions destroy it?

“Margaret Heffernan talks to international academics at the forefront of research into new forms of democratic discourse, to journalists involved in facilitating national conversations and to members of the public who seized the opportunity to talk to a stranger with opposing political views.”