Opinion as Fact

Whew. There are a long list of ways to quickly disengage others from a conversation. In fact, I think I probably know of many more ways to disengage others than to engage them.

One biggie is stating our opinions as facts. We all do it, don't we? We have a current reality that works for us, whether we like that reality or not. I think that subconciously we may just assume that our reality is THE reality even though, if asked in detail about it, we'd realize that everyone has a reality or maybe that we all see THE reality through our own filters (more on filters in another post...I'm saving it for later).

When we get into a discussion, especially a lively one, some people seem to state their reality as the only one that exists, or maybe worse, the only one that matters. When they are calm and rational, they know that is just not the case, but when they're passionate about an issue or a person or an idea, they can quickly take their side as THE side.

Do you ever state your opinion as fact? Think about it and think about how others react if you do it. What are ways we can help keep this "monster" in check?