Okay, something I think elementary kids should be taught: using a 'stasis point' in an argument ('cause the first place I heard about it was in Engl 306/Rhetoric). Generally for every argument both parties can backtrack to some point that they both agree on, and then in working on from that point, things are generally much more pleasant. Simple as that, no frills. But when people are so focused on what they themselves are saying that they start arguing over something they either actually agree on or just because they totally missed something the other said, not so happy. Finding the stasis point actually requires that they listen to each other, wonder of wonders, and slow down, and start by working towards agreement in some regard, even if they end up agreeing to disagree in the end. Of course, if that were the case I wouldn't have had to spend three hours listening to people bitch and bicker at the dojo meeting (though entirely tangentially there was an interesting mix of Arizonan, Midwestern, British, and New York accents, and even a misunderstanding caused by a touch of Ebonix).