No one wants to be ‘disagreeable,’ let’s face it!
But then there are times when you can't just get along and keep on agreeing for the sake of vanity. No matter how hard we try to please, to get along, there comes the time when you fail to agree. Be it with a co-worker, a customer or even your boss. You never want to get into an argument that will make your life difficult. But in a situation like that, how do you navigate disagreement and yet maintain the warmth in the communication. It's a difficult job, but sure, there are options.
Let's discuss these seven tricks using which you can navigate disagreement, and yet you look reasonable, interested and invested in the conversation and supportive of the discussion, even if you disagree.
Let’s try and find common grounds.
You may find certain points to disagree upon, but likely there are those points where you do agree on. It would be a smart step to focus on the points of agreement rather than obsessing over disagreements.
Try being more supportive.
One of the very impactful tactics to resolve disagreements is to support and encourage the person you are involved in the argument with. Try to understand their perspective, and even if you disagree, support their right to opinion as much as you support yours.
Ask more questions
When you are confronted with a plan, you find flaws in, rather than straight away disagreeing to it, just ask a few follow-up questions to better understand the plan and to opine with an educated understanding of the plan.
Be more thoughtful
You can try asking more insightful questions carefully, so you don't hurt the other person yet open up newer avenues to the discussion. You also need to learn to change your perspective if you are confronted with justifiable logical reasoning.
Act Pleasant
It's important to present your argument in a pleasant manner, so your point reaches across. The tone, the body language, the voice, it all matters.
Try and reframe the conversation.
You will be faced with a situation when you will find it difficult to agree on something, but instead of suppressing that feeling or abruptly putting your point across, you can try and reframe the conversation around ideas that both of you agree on.
Address integral emotions
Although conversations often seem to be driven by logical decisions, we often overlook the emotional components in a discussion. It's important to understand where the emotive situations might occur and how you are prepared to navigate that!
Follow these seven tips, and it'd do the trick.
