Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.

It's our tendency to approach every problem as if it were a fight between two sides. We see it in headlines that are always using metaphors for war. It's a general atmosphere of animosity and contention that has taken over our public discourse.

But if you parry individuals points - a negative and defensive enterprise - you never step back and actively imagine a world in which a different system of ideas could be true - a positive act.

Relationships are made of talk - and talk is for girls and women.

To say that a person feels listened to means a lot more than just their ideas get heard. It's a sign of respect. It makes people feel valued.

We tend to look through language and not realize how much power language has

For most women, the language of conversation is primarily a language of rapport: a way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships.