Jumbo The art of talking to each other

Our public debates are poisoned. Rumors and misinformation spread rapidly, and people are insulted and defamed. Media scholar Bernhard Pörksen and communication psychologist Friedemann Schulz von Thun, two prominent representatives of their field, analyze the communicative crisis and show ways out of the polarization trap. They explain the prerequisites for successful conversations and outline – in a dialogical form – an ethics of communication that combines empathy and appreciation with a willingness to engage in conflict and clarifying confrontation. With concrete and illustrative examples, such as the communication square that Schulz von Thun developed in 1974 during his teaching activities, they guide us in improving the course of debates and discussions. An audiobook that we urgently need in times of great irritability and populist simplifications.