using a visual aid confusion about meaning of words/ grouping of concepts unresolved disagreements missing what the other person considers important failure to separate disagreements about the state of the world from disagreements about values / desires ability to remember what we agree upon for later use or revision in the same conversation ability to literally point at differences of opinion Using a visual aid in conversation (also requires pointing and talking ;) * A black arrow represents a causal influence that I think generally increases its target. * A red arrow represents an influence that decreases its target. * A dotted arrow represents an influence I'm less certain about than the others in this picture.