To help avoid making difficult conversations worse, or neutral conversations difficult, you can:
- Turn down your internal dialogue. Stay focused on what’s being said, rather than thinking ahead and speculating on unspoken
- Breathe, stay calm and neutralize your
- Listen carefully and acknowledge the validity of alternate
- Move from judgment to curiosity by asking questions to gain better
- State your observations and experiences neutrally using specific examples, rather than personalizing a situation by generalizing about someone’s character
- State your perspectives, needs and desires
- Reframe the problem into a mutual, objective statement that recognizes common
The above list is deceptively simple; these are challenging techniques that can take considerable time to master. But each item on the list represents an indispensable tool for managers who want to be effective at minimizing the emotional nature of interactions.