Communication skills really are learned...

Hey everyone,

Back for the first time in a while. Some down time (well, not really... but making it anyway).

I have been enjoying my time biking around in the not-so-cold of Karlskrona, not having to depend on the bus system, but having it as an option. Neither can be said of Ottawa these days, and I feel for those stuck because of the transit strike. It is my belief that transit should be considered an essential service, and this strike should've lasted all of three or four days before mediators and an independent arbitrator brought it to a close. Both sides are making Ottawans suffer.

One of my contacts back home recently made his views on the strike known to many people; he sent them out to all of the city councillors, the mayor and a mailing list. His approach was, well... undiplomatic? Let's just say that I could picture throbbing veins either in his neck or his forehead while writing it.

There's an approach we learn here which I had learned before (I remember discussing it in Gr. 11 gym class) but never had a name for - our program calls it non-violent communication (to me, it's a form of diplomacy). Not rocket-science, but so often forgotten when trying to win others over. Basically, framing arguments from the "I think that..." or "I feel that..." perspective, so the other side of the argument isn't as defensive.

It wouldn't be fair or right for me to post his message or say his name. But I can probably explain a bit more about communication skills and non-violent communication (and my own opinion of the bus strike, and my current, early perspective on the state of cities and municipalities in Sweden) through my response to my contact. See the message I sent him below (in almost its entirety; only pleasantries and statements superfluous to the argument have been removed).

______________________________________

Hey,

I am impressed with the amount of time you have taken on this issue. We need more people to hold city council to task, especially when they have been in the wrong, as they have been on the strike.

In Sweden, municipalities are really strong and own loads of stuff - district heating plants, transit companies, etc. They are really good at making money outside of tax revenue! Different model, and I think there's a lot more trust in government here (as is evidenced by your message).

While I agree with your assessments, I don't think that your approach has been the most productive means of getting your point across. Were I sitting in the seat of the councillors, particularly those suburban/rural councillors that are on Larry's side, I would probably react by not responding to your message, and perhaps not reading it beyond where the anger and the insults begin. I don't think the councillors are retarded monkeys; I think that those that agree with Mayor O'Brien (shudder - still can't believe Ottawans did that) are making a huge mistake, and making the citizens of Ottawa suffer unnecessarily. They may be doing it out of malice, or poor social skills and poor political skills and acumen, but idiocy isn't the problem. Even if this is the case, name calling will not change things - they're far more likely to go on the defensive and defend their actions, no matter how ridiculous those actions are. No doubt they have many people calling them out on this, and they're especially stressed at this time - that enough should get them back to the table.

Politics and diplomacy is about telling people their idiots when they're being idiots, and doing it in a way that they may stop being a idiot and fix the problem because you give them a way out of their dumb move. Good politicians do this. Some of city council includes good politicians. OK, maybe just Alex Cullen and Clive Doucet (he stepped back and apologized for speaking out against the mayor last week, and I respect him for it, even though he was in the right at that time). Still, they are out there.

Here's good news I just found out today - the Natural Step, an organization closely linked to the Master's I'm doing here, is working with the City of Ottawa on an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. If they're successful, the city will see the value of public transit and how integral it is to sustainability, and another strike won't happen.

Anyhow, I hope the strike ends soon. All the best,

Adrian