At the 2018 Students for Life of America Conference, Timothy Brahm gave a never-before-heard speech on social media dialogue. After the presentation, Tim answered some questions from the audience along with Josh Tijerina from Halcyon, another social media presenter at the conference who presented before Tim did. Below are listed some of the different points that he makes in the speech, in case you would like to jump around:

Problems with Conversations on Social Media:

• 2:27: When people are in fight mode, they can’t hear you. It is not just about the arguments.
• 3:43: Social media conversations are extra challenging because they are public, not private
• 4:33: Social media breeds hypersensitivity to our own brand management.
• 6:07: The structure of comment threads work against you.
• 7:12: The “like” system influences how causal observers perceive your writing through an unfair filter.
• 8:15: People on social media are almost immune from normal social pressures.
• 10:07: Recent political hostility has conditioned people to be angry online.
• 11:03: Social media is structured as an engine for constant outrage.

16 Tips for Social Media Dialogue:

• 16:08: Move your conversation to private message, Skype, or in person as soon as possible.
• 17:06: Make minimal persuasion goals.
• 18:00: Be aware of the lack of nonverbal communication.
• 18:34: Post things with your pro-choice friends in mind.
• 19:22: Try hard to assume the best about people.
• 19:34: Take a step back if you’re feeling defensive.
• 19:57: Point out every piece of common ground.
• 20:14: Try to only use neutral language.
• 20:31: Ask lots of clarification questions, make few statements and arguments. Try to wait to do so until the conversation is one-on-one.
• 20:48: Choose a friendly looking profile picture.
• 21:17: Don’t name-drop philosophers or logical fallacies.
• 21:36: Don’t feed the trolls.
• 22:08: Use links very sparingly.
• 22:28: Only cite neutral sources. Do not link to pro-life websites.
• 22:36: Point out when they teach you something.
• 23:18: Sow intentional, positive seeds with people who you hope to dialogue with someday.

Q and A with Tim Brahm and the other presenter who spoke before him, Josh Tijerina:

• 25:25: “When is the appropriate time to use snark in dialogues?”
• 26:39: “In regards to your point about liking pro-choice friend’s comments when you think they are being charitable or gracious in dialogue, do you think that could be misinterpreted or come off as strange to your pro-life friends?”
• 28:01: “Have you done any studies on the effectiveness of graphic abortion images on social media?”
• 30:01: “In tip number four, you suggest we post on social media with our pro-choice friends in mind. I am a Christian and this influences my pro-life view, so sometimes I post Christian things or bible verses. What do you think about this?”

Related Links:

Listen to the ERI team tell stories from the SFLA 2018 Conference: http://bit.ly/2F0hRQy

Timothy Brahm: On Virtue Signaling: http://bit.ly/2FuIrSz

Timothy Brahm: Don’t Be Too Nice: http://bit.ly/2vPMDX4

Josh Brahm: Don’t Name Logical Fallacies: http://bit.ly/2ikWwed

ERI Website: https://EqualRightsInstitute.com

ERI Blog: https://Blog.EqualRightsInstitute.com

ERI Course: https://EquippedCourse.com