Get Your Message Across in a Difficult Conversation

February 01, 2016 Get Your Message Across in a Difficult Conversation If you need to have a difficult conversation with someone, you’re unlikely to come to a resolution if you don’t hear the other person out. After you’ve listened to your counterpart, you can create a better understanding of your message by doing the following: Own your perspective. Treat your opinion like what it is: your opinion. Start sentences with “I,” not “you.” Explain what’s bothering you and follow up by identifying what you hope will happen. Pay attention to your words. Avoid name-calling and finger-pointing. Your language should be simple, clear, direct, and neutral. Watch your body language. Are you slumping your shoulders? Rolling your eyes? Take stock of the impression you’re giving. Change the tenor of the conversation. If things get heated, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and suggest a different approach, such as: “If we put our heads together, we could probably come up with a way to move past this. Do you have any ideas?”