Two women decide not to compromise
This lesson will focus on compromising or not compromising when necessary.
Sometimes a compromise may be necessary; sometimes it's better to stand your ground. We'll practice making a good compromise and deciding when not to compromise.
Vanessa said that special toning shoes give the wearer more exercise compared with regular shoes, but her well-read friend Caleb said that this claim had been debunked and proven false. Another friend offered a compromise, saying that the shoes give more exercise to some people, but not to everyone.
Is their friend correct? Is a compromise acceptable in this case?
Round-bottomed toning shoes (shown above) were a fad for a short time, until multiple scientific studies proved that they don't help the wearer at all. Skechers Shape-Ups had a class-action law suit brought against them, and the company had to pay out $40 million to customers.
Here is a good article about it on Web MD.
Have a chat with your student about these kinds of shoes.
A compromise is not acceptable when it comes to facts. Facts are either correct or incorrect. (Provided you cannot question authority--see lesson 7 of this course.)
However, if a person actually exercised more in these training shoes, then it would offer a health benefit. This would just be the result of more exercise, not because of using the shoes. This is correlation, not causation (lesson 1 of this course). Wearing the shoes would encourage a healthier lifestyle. Those lifestyle changes would lead to health benefits.
Ask your student: In English, people say, "A good compromise leaves everyone equally angry." Do you agree?
When is it acceptable to compromise, and when is it better to not compromise?
Here are some phrases you can use to compromise. Are they flexible or inflexible?
- I see your point. However, don't you think ...
- Well, the fact of the matter is...
- Ok, I see what you're getting at, but...
- I'm afraid that's not true. Remember ...
- I understand what you're saying, but ...
- I get what you're saying, but actually...
- I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree.
Compromise is usually acceptable when it's a matter of opinion, or deciding between different courses of action.
Compromise is usually not acceptable when dealing with facts and data.
- I see your point, however, but don't you think ... [flexible]
- Well, the fact of the matter is... [totally inflexible]
- Ok, I see what you're getting at, but... [either flexible or inflexible, depending on what comes next]
- I'm afraid that's not true. Remember ...[totally inflexible]
- I understand what you're saying, but ... [either flexible or inflexible, depending on what comes next]
- I get what you're saying, but actually... [inflexible]
- I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree. [ending the discussion]
In each situation, decide if a compromise is acceptable or not, and if so, how much you're willing to compromise. Your instructor will start each practice.
1. Person A wants to buy Shape-Up shoes with a rounded sole to get more exercise.
Person B has read a study stating there is no evidence to support the claim that you get more
exercise with a rounded sole.
2. Person A really wants to eat soba.
Person B really wants to eat ramen.
3. Person A always avoids eating MSG for health reasons.
Person B has read a study saying there is no evidence that MSG causes health problems.
4. Person A states that Napoleon Bonaparte was very, very short.
Person B read that Napoleon Bonaparte was not short:
Facts: Napoleon Bonaparte was slightly taller than the average Frenchman of his time. After his death in 1821, the French emperor's height was recorded as 5 feet 2 inches in French feet, which in English measurements is 5 feet 7 inches (1.69 m). Some believe that he was nicknamed le Petit Caporal (The Little Corporal) as a term of affection. Napoleon was often accompanied by the Imperial Guard, who were selected for their height—this could have contributed to a perception that he was relatively short
How about you?
Have you recently disagreed with someone? What happened? Did you compromise?