Far more common ground exists between you and those with whom you disagree than you may believe, but finding it requires a different approach to your conversations. Podcaster and independent journalist, Michael Ashford, shares stories and insights from his exploration on what it takes for us to uncover common ground so that in turn we might co-create new, better solutions together. I’ve been a communications and marketing executive in the software space for more than a decade now building and leading teams at companies large and small. But before my marketing career, I was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. My years as a journalist helped me hone my interviewing skills and taught me just how important listening and asking follow-up questions is to understanding the full, real story. As a podcaster and author, I am focused on exploring how we find common ground despite our differences and disagreements at a time when it is increasingly harder to do so.

I’ve interviewed professional athletes and Olympians, CEOs and entrepreneurs, pilots and authors, TV stars and actors, doctors and Ivy League professors, all in an effort to better understand and share how we get beneath the emotionally charged societal landscape and better connect with the humans around us. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx