How to Handle Difficult Conversations
Again with the finger!
It happens without warning. Suddenly, out of the blue, someone is red-faced and angry with you. Your adrenaline kicks in — that old fight-or-flight instinct is activated. Your caveman brain has taken over, and you find your ears pounding with blood, your voice stuck somewhere near your esophagus, and your most primitive self emerging. So you yell back. Then they yell back louder. Then you yell back louder…
Well, you can tell where this is going. To hell in a handbasket.
If you’ve ever been there, you know it’s a place you never want to be again. So how do you keep your cool while someone else is all up in your face, spitting mad?
Staying cool when someone else is red-hot sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? And it is. But it’s pretty simple, at least in theory. Once you figure it out and practice doing it, you’ll never have to have a yelling match with another person again. Well, unless you want to.
Check out this article and learn the secret of handling difficult conversations.
Tags: arguing rationally, dealing with angry people, fending off angry people, how to avoid arguments, how to handle difficult conversations, listening skills
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on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Helpful Hints.
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Good link, Liz.
The other thing to keep in mind, especially for us writer-types, is to NEVER try to resolve a contentious issue via email or printed communication. Doesn’t matter how skilled a writer you are, the receiving party is likely to misread it (and read into it) in ways we didn’t imagine. Face to face is best, with phone in a distant 2nd place.
Very good point, Jake. It’s scary, but you’re absolutely right. F2F is best. Thanks!