Are you an effective vegan communicator?

Transitioning into a plant-based lifestyle is one of the most empowering personal transformations one can experience. Unsurprisingly then, it sparks a light in those who reap the benefits to advocate and communicate the far-reaching pros. Vegans are, after all, the engine of the movement.

Unfortunately, communicating the message of veganism can be extremely challenging. Let's be honest, education about having healthy relationships and communicating effectively is an issue most of the population faces; however, when an ideological difference is palpable, the issue becomes far more complicated. Food is evidently an extremely personal topic, right up there with religion and politics. As advocates for the movement, we find ourselves spending a tremendous amount of time and energy navigating our way through complicated relationships and responding to non-vegan excuses. The inability to communicate effectively can cause us to feel drained, frustrated and even misanthropic. These communication difficulties not only take a personal toll on vegans (and vegetarians) but also come at a cost for the movement as a whole. It is thus essential that vegan advocates are well informed about how to spread the message effectively. 

REMAIN RATIONAL

The first important thing to remember when communicating with carnists is to remain level-headed and rational. While it is easy to get frustrated and tempered, being anything but rational will make veganism as a whole appear irrational to the person we are speaking with. 

YOU CANNOT DEFINE THE REALITY OF OTHERS

It is humanly impossible to define the reality of others, however, it is common practice in the vegan world. This is the foundation for dysfunction in communication and relationships. It is therefore crucial that you do not attempt to impose your reality upon others, especially when carnism is so normalised. This will significantly reduce defensiveness and make people more receptive to what you are saying.

For example, if someone says, 'I love animals', rather than responding with 'no you don't, you eat them', you could alternatively respond with 'That's great to hear. The animals in our world suffer tremendously and they need all the compassion they can get. That's actually what led me to become vegan.'

OR

 If someone says 'I would love to become vegan but I need protein to be healthy', instead of arguing that animal protein is not necessarily healthy, you could say; 'Yes, so do I. That's why I eat a lot of plant proteins which luckily for me are also high in fiber!'

AVOID JUDGEMENT

It is important to be a good listener and to be relatable. After all, most of us were blinded by conditioning at some stage too. As difficult as it may be, it is important to AVOID judgment. Judgement is an action whereby we are essentially taking a position of superiority which causes feelings of shame and guilt in others. These are extremely disruptive emotions that will cause almost anyone to defend themselves. Shamed people thus react by withdrawing or attacking, leaving very little room for real, effective conversation. Let integrity be your guide and remember to be curious, compassionate and courageous.

EDUCATION

Lastly, it is important that we are educated. The more we know, the easier it becomes to confront non-vegan comments and questions. This does not mean we necessarily have to memorise every book, statistic, research paper and nutritional label we come across (though this would be a super cool power and extremely effective for advocacy). If you struggle with anxiety or stress in the process of dealing with a non-vegan and their common passive-aggressive comments, it is useful to have a wide range of resources under your belt for recommendation when necessary. The research is there and it is abundant. Whilst it is important to spark the conversation through factual accounts and avoid the spread of inaccurate assumptions, widespread expectations that vegans should have the perfect answer to every non-vegan scepticism is simply unrealistic and unfair. Vegans are more often than not conscientious people who tend to worry about perfectionism, however, this plagues the vegan cause and we should not be so hard on ourselves.

TIP: THE SOCRATIC METHOD
The 'Socratic method' is a technique devised by Greek philosopher Socrates who argued that rather than giving answers, we should ask questions. This will allow the person we are speaking with to freely reach their own conclusions without feeling like they are being told what to do. 

For example, Rather than saying 'animal cruelty is wrong' - you would ask, 'do you think animal cruelty is wrong?' 

I hope these tips will help you in your personal advocacy and keep your relational immune system strong.

Written by Isabelle Nicolas.