We have to have them, and we often procrastinate, avoid, or ignore them…difficult conversations.
But life doesn’t wait for us. Too often, in our rush to put off the tough conversations, they end up happening in explosive and unproductive ways, at times when we’re filled with emotion and say things we don’t mean without accomplishing whatever we intended.
To stop putting them off, we need to:
- Get clear on our goal in the discussion-what do we want to achieve or have been true after talking to the person?
- Think carefully about a few key points we want to get across – plan out only the handful of most essential topics to discuss
- Think of our own blind spots – where might we be wrong or vulnerable in a tough chat?
- Choose a mutually beneficial time for the message to be received
- Listen more than we speak
- Do our best to bring the conversation to a positive, forward-looking resolution with clarity on who owns any action items
This list seems very idealistic… even to me as I write it. But it’s really the only way.
Whatever conversation you don’t want to have today, try applying this approach and getting it done. Better to do it with a little nervousness than with an uncontrollable explosion. Trust me!
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