Find common interests

Anything common interest that you can discuss between you and someone else will make it easier to discuss less conflicting positions or beliefs later.

For example, discussing soccer or birds may help discuss funding or defunding the police. Discussing a common interest helps in two ways. First, it helps model calm behavior and disagreeing on a safer topic. Second, it helps have a calm experience that our brain may go to when discussing a less comfortable topic.

Discussing common interests and topics can be used as a stepping stone to discussing less common interests and topics.