Look for the common ground

I am definitely a "fence sitter" when it comes to liking Jeremy Clarkson and Alastair Campbell. On occasions I think they can get a bit up themselves and be irritating...but most of the time I find them hugely entertaining. And I'd put them both up there as "hall of fame" contenders when it comes to persuasive communicators.
But they are also known to be fairly wide apart...politically speaking. And to be what you might call combative persuaders. So I was very interested to see  them in conversation on Top Gear the other evening.   

They began as you would expect with little attempt to conceal their mutual antipathy. The fact that Alastair was welcomed with boo's by some of Jeremy's courtiers didn't help. Although the reception was more of the style of a panto audience greeting Captain Hook than the deep hatred implied by the Campbell-hating Daily Mail. Nonetheless it probably did encourage Clarkson to hold court and get in some easy hits off his guest.
It was never going to be an easy conversation. I can only judge them by their public personas and these suggest few levels where rapport would get a toe-hold or likemindedness be uncovered.
But I had a go using the popular Levels of Thinking template:

• On what each would see as their purpose in life they were at their widest apart.
• As to how they see themselves in promoting that purpose they are actually very similar. JC is just as much a spin doctor as AC.
• On the question of beliefs and values...yes gaps definitely appearing again.
• Looking at capabilities. Harmony again with both having a mastery of PR and rhetoric!
• What about behaviour? It's yes again. Have you ever seen two more dedicated wind-up merchants.  
• And environment. Most of the time they do what they do separately and the people they do it for love them. Put them together unnaturally and territorial problems are bound to occur. Although as we also saw, put them into an alternative environment which they happen to love...in this case a fast car and they're best of mates!

So a very interesting exercise I thought...
Two controversial and provocative opposites who when you go looking for it share a few more opportunities for rapport and agreement than you would think.