Table Of ContentCREATING COMMON GROUND
CONNECTIONS
Through an empathetic and positive approach to interpersonal communication,
this book guides readers to build on the skills they already possess to communicate—
and connect—with others.
Author David W. Bennett, Ph.D. approaches communication with the belief
that it is at the heart of any human division. This book helps readers fnd a
way to communicate that will help build understanding regardless of each party’s
perspective. Written in an approachable and conversational style, the book
includes tips, examples, and concept reviews to easily illustrate communication
principles readers can take with them beyond their courses or training sessions.
An ideal supplement to courses focusing on skills in interpersonal, professional,
or business communication, this book can also be used as a communication
primer for students or professionals in any feld.
David W. Bennett, Ph.D. teaches Interpersonal Communication and Introduction
to Public Speaking at Ivy Tech Community College, USA. He is the owner of
Common Ground Communication Training and Consulting, www.common-
ground-communication.org.
CREATING
COMMON GROUND
CONNECTIONS
Healing Divisiveness
David W. Bennett
Designed cover image: LeoPatrizi/Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 David W. Bennett
The right of David W. Bennett to be identifed as author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-1-032-41258-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-41257-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-35704-9 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003357049
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
Preface vi
1 Creating common ground connections 1
2 Resolving confict 19
3 The unconscious communicator 35
4 Showing empathy toward others 55
5 Targeted speaking and nonverbal pinpointing 66
6 Listening energetically 88
7 Shared perceptions 110
8 Creating personal change 127
9 Healing divisiveness 141
Index 146
PREFACE
You can make a diference
It’s apparent over the last few years that people perceive the world to be deeply
divided. People seem to be increasingly entrenched in their beliefs and rarely will-
ing to entertain other ways of thinking.
How do we re-unite this world? Change starts with each person and how
they communicate one-on-one with one another. That change then spreads out-
ward through our communities, nations, and ultimately our world. It catches
on because it works and taps into the basic desire for all people to communicate
efectively with one another.
Each person can start this process by utilizing their natural common ground
and connection skills. When you establish common ground with others, you seek
to fnd things you have in common with them. It’s hard to communicate with
someone with whom you have nothing in common.
If you discover a trait or characteristic that you have in common with another
person, then you can go further with that characteristic to create a connection.
Connection goes deeper and more personal between both people. When you
connect with someone, you and the other person are literally thinking in the
same ways. Each person communicates with understanding. They “click.”
In other words, one of the goals of this book is to increase people’s awareness
of skills they already possess, and then learn to use them more frequently and
deliberately than they might do now. Those skills may be slightly diferent for
each person based on with whom they interact and the situations in which they
fnd themselves. That’s the ultimate goal of this approach: to help people delib-
erately yet fexibly use these natural skills in all their conversations. Readers use
their other communication skills which currently work for them to help create
common ground connections in every conversation.
Preface vii
Chapter sections
To support your eforts in enhancing your communication ability are the follow-
ing sections in each chapter:
1. Current state of the world: At the beginning of each chapter is a descrip-
tion of the divisiveness in the United States and the world today pertaining
to the subject of each chapter. This sets the context for applying the concepts
covered in the rest of the chapter.
2. Chapter on “personal change”: A chapter is dedicated to helping the
reader track their attempts at implementing common ground, connections,
and common ground connections in their personal communication.
DOI:10.4324/9781003357049-1
1
CREATING COMMON GROUND
CONNECTIONS
Preview of book
Common ground connections, healing divisiveness
This book seeks to detail a new approach to communicating with the people of the
world. “Common ground connections” is specially geared toward communicating with
people with whom you disagree but can also make your existing relationships closer.
DOI:10.4324/9781003357049-1
