Conversation skills essentials
&gt; Verbalize when you change your mind<p>I find that a lot of people aren&#x27;t used to changing their mind. For these people, conversation is to <i>convince others</i> rather than <i>engage in exchanging and synthesis of ideas</i>. To take this further, in general people are very attached to their own ideas, and if presented with viewpoints contrary to them, will fight as though backed into a corner. I think this comes from attaching their ego to their opinion, so if they&#x27;re wrong, then they&#x27;re &quot;worse&quot; of a person, so they really don&#x27;t want to be wrong. Perhaps it&#x27;s also a form of sunk cost fallacy.<p>Part of &quot;gauging the conversation&quot; is to understand if your conversation partners are in such a mode - and if so, then to adjust appropriately.