Check out the ultimate guide to 16 return-to-work programs in India for women
Difficult conversations are bound to happen in any relationship, personal or at work. Here's how to make them healthy and effective.
Did you know that over 1.5 million results appear when you search for the term: “difficult conversations” on Google?
Here’s what to consider before and while having them.
Difficult conversations are characterised by high-strung emotions, reactions and resistance. This happens as the topic might be sensitive for either party or both. Nonetheless, they must be had, because they are important. A person is considered effective in communication if they learn to initiate, engage and state the desired results while engaging in such difficult conversations.
There are various approaches to initiating a difficult conversation. But based on the context, we need to alter the tone, syntax and framing of the problem. Navigating through difficult conversations unscathed and obtaining the best outcome is not always plausible. But some techniques can help the initiator stay in control of the conversation.
Learning the strategy to communicate during such conversations can prevent irreparable damage. According to various reports, ineffective communication in the healthcare sector is a leading cause of significant negative impacts on patient safety and health concerns.
Before engaging in difficult conversations, it is necessary to consider some of these aspects.
It is important to have such conversations when something begins to concern you. Avoiding it can prove detrimental in the long run. Delaying these conversations will prove problematic for both parties. Thus, delaying the conversation is not beneficial to everyone involved in the conversation.
As difficult conversations affect us, our emotions can overpower us. Such feelings can lead to unexpected reactions and statements, which only the person evincing them can control.
Hence, be compassionate and do not prevent them from expressing themselves. Cutting them off while they are experiencing these emotions can escalate the situation, which is not salvageable. So, handle the person delicately. Assess their current mental state and if they are in a position to carry out a coherent conversation. Once this has been determined, move forward with it.
One of the many reasons to avoid difficult conversations is the kind of relationship that a person may share with the other individual. Irrespective of whether the relationship is intimate, or whether the individual is in a higher position at work, do not abandon this conversation out of fear of altering the status quo.
A difficult conversation must be had if it is essential to your welfare or theirs. The context could be either official or unofficial. The individual’s opinion about the person and the nature of the relationship may alter the course of the conversation. We must be prepared for other outcomes after such conversations.
Statements that are made during these conversations can impact an individual’s behaviour, performance and results. These need not necessarily be in the predicted manner. We need to carefully consider the body language, parlance, syntax and lexicon used during such difficult conversations.
It is possible to predict the behaviour of the person during such situations. Even in such cases, the conversation does not become less indispensable.
The reason these conversations are labelled “difficult”, is because the very crux of the topic meant to be discussed is unique and challenging. On occasions, both parties involved can experience distress and discomfort. So, consider how behaviour from both sides can become a roadblock to what could be a productive conversation.
Image Credit: Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay
An aspiring woman who is much more than her body type, selfies, shoes, looks and intellect read more...
This post has published with none or minimal editorial intervention. Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
If her MIL had accepted her with some affection, wouldn't they have built a mutually happier relationship by now?
The incident took place ten years ago.
Smita could visit her mother only in summers when her daughter had school holidays. Her daughter also enjoyed meeting her Nani, and both of them had done their reservations for a week. A month before their visit, her husband told her, “My mom is coming for 4-5 months!”
Smita shuddered. She knew the repercussions. She would have to hear sarcastic comments from her mother-in-law for visiting her mother. She may make these comments directly only a bit, but her servants would be flooded with the words, “How horrible she is! She leaves me and goes!”
Are we so swayed by star power and the 'entertainment' quotient of cinema that satisfies our carnal instincts that we choose to ignore our own subconscious mind which always knows what is right and what is wrong?
Trigger Warning: This has graphic descriptions of violence and may be triggering to survivors and victims of violence.
Do you remember your first exposure to an extremely violent act or the aftermath of a violent act?
I am pretty sure for most of us it would be through cinema. But I remember very vividly my first exposure to aftermath of an unbelievably grotesque violent act in real life. It was as a student at a Dental College and Hospital.
Please enter your email address