7 Tips To Having A Better Conversation Outcome
1. Know what you want. Ensure you know exactly what it is you would like to happen from this conversation. However, be willing to be flexible, negotiate, and compromise.
2. Try to see the other persons point of view. Everyone has their personal truth, as well as, their own unique experiences and perspectives. Try to understand their side just as you would want to be understood.
3. Be Sympathetic. Even if you don’t agree with the other party/person you could still be sympathetic to them. Being sympathetic toward a person or cause is one of the first and best ways to knock down any divisive walls.
4. Show Respect. Again, even if you don’t agree with the other persons position, perspective etc. showing respect will get you the respect you deserve and need to continue having a mutually benefitting conversation.
5. Compliment. When you enter into a conversation it always sets the other party at ease if they hear a compliment first. An example of this would be, “Thank you for being my sons wonderful and patient teacher. We don’t know what we would have done if our son was assigned another teacher. I am wondering if we could chat about the amount of time he is sent to the office?”
6. Talk about your own mistakes first. Clearly pointing out some of your own mistakes before starting a conversation helps the other party let down their guard in admitting their mistakes.
7. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and own it. If you are wrong and you do not fess up quickly and emphatically It is one of the quickest ways to lose credibility/respect. If you lose credibility/respect during a conversation you may very well lose the conversation as well.
