"Huh?" That, according to Alan Alda, is what he wanted to title his most recent book. When editors put the kibosh on that, he chose instead If I Understood You Would I Have This Look on my Face? That's still pretty descriptive of the book's subject: the difficulty of communicating complex ideas in a way that people can understand.

It's hard to stroll past a book with such an intriguing title without taking a look. That happened to me again recently with I'm Right and You're an Idiot by James Hoggan. Perhaps it's the subtitle that really caught my attention: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up. Alan Alda's subtitle is pretty good, too: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating.

The context for both of these books is science. Alda sees a parallel between communication skills he needed as host of science programs on PBS and those he had honed as a comedian. Central to both, he says, is empathy. If we want someone to understand what we are saying, he argues, we first must establish a connection with that person.

Hoggan developed his ideas when trying to figure out how to promote understanding of climate change so that problems can be addressed before it is too late. He observed that advocacy can polarize and lead to gridlock--just the opposite of what is needed to address a subject of great urgency. He explores ways to change the style of public communication in order to improve awareness and understanding.

Daily--indeed, many times a day--we are exposed to information so complex that we despair of even trying to understand it or so offensive we try to ignore it. But those responses are just cop-outs, aren't they? As responsible citizens, we have an obligation to grapple with complex information if it has impact on public policy and to confront and challenge assaults on democratic principles. But it's hard work. We need to figure out how to do it better.

LWVBCC can play an important role in moving dialogue along. We are committed to nonpartisanship and to active participation in matters of public policy. We can provide an arena for creative, respectful efforts to identify and address issues of concern. Since we can, we should. Let's.