Difficult people and conversations come in all shapes and sizes, at all times and places and in all equations and phases.
in today’s era of communication revolution, it is evidently becoming more and more tedious to speak your heart, get your point across, intentions acknowledged and actions honored.
If we learn this fact at the very beginning that its not the other person but solely us who is responsible for how we feel and react, it will ultimately lead us to the winning side.But unfortunately most of us learn that the hard way.
A few tips to help deal with this seesaw better –
- Understand first – Before classifying anybody as a difficult person, give it a benefit of doubt to understand where that perspective is coming from. Believe it or not, it is first step to maintaining your peace of mind.
- Delve a little into the psyche – Second effort to gauge the mentality and thinking habits on a superficial level, might give you tools to deal effectively by speaking in terms understandable to that person.
- Maintain your calm – A difficult person might deliberately try to push your buttons either to get some information out of you or simply annoy you, any how maintain your calm demeanor and observe as a third person, will give you ample of time to not go with the flow and act to your personal best.
- Respond in place of react – If you are having a difficult conversation, choose to respond and not react, the difference being not letting the words sink in and provoke a quick unsolicited reaction like a reflex.If you respond calculative without getting perturbed the intention of other side to put you in a weak spot will fade away.
- Remove yourself – If despite all efforts the conversation is going haywire, choose to walk away from the situation for a while with some good reason. Will help dilute the intensity and you will be able to think with clarity and better ideas to deal with the problem.
- Written is always better – In cases of daily unavoidable conversations, limit and formalize the talks as much as possible and try always for a written communication, this technique works most of the time as the other one is not able to entangle you in useless manipulative word games and you have everything documented.
- Kick them out of your head – Last but not the least, do plan how to speak with such energy drainers but do not rent them a space in your head and do not spend much time and energy for this futile effort.
Ultimately save your peace, save your sanity as anybody else’s perception and behavior is not your responsibility.