13 Successful Conversation Skills in Difficult and Challenging Situations

Most people are afraid of difficult and challenging conversations. These conversations involve delivering bad news, discussing a sensitive topic, or talking about something that needs to change or that went wrong. In this article, we present 13 successful conversation skills in difficult and challenging situations that will ensure your success. If you are ready to have a successful conversation, come see us.

Just thinking about these conversations, whether with your partner, children (especially teenagers or young adults), family, friends, or colleagues, can cause anxiety and panic, and by keeping you busy, can distract you from other important considerations. addressed, be careful, don't throw it away.

This fear can be related to the worry of broaching a sensitive topic, not feeling comfortable in the environment or imposing restrictions, or worrying about the other person's reaction. People may be concerned that these conversations could lead to bad feelings or conflict. Since these types of conversations can be very uncomfortable, it’s natural to want to avoid them. The problem is that delaying these talks will only lead to the talks continuing and potentially getting worse if the situation doesn’t resolve itself.

Planning and preparation can help reduce your anxiety and increase your chances of success in these difficult conversations. As legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

Preparing for a Successful Interview

For difficult or challenging topics, it’s best to plan the conversation in advance: “I want to talk about……….” or “We really need to talk about……….” Then, you both agree on a time and place for this conversation and meet in a place where there is enough space for all participants to feel comfortable and can see each other clearly. There is no point in accumulating feelings of fatigue, anger or rage for days, weeks or longer and then taking them out on someone else.

Successful conversation skills.

1. Get as close to eye level as possible.

In other words, it is best for all participants to be sitting or standing. As a general rule, a situation in which one person is physically taller than the other is not beneficial.

2. Speak directly to the other party.

3. Speak as calmly and logically as possible.

This maximizes the likelihood that others will listen to the content of your message instead of focusing on your emotions.

4. Avoid pointing fingers at others, whether it’s blaming or pointing the finger at others.

This makes the other party feel excluded or ridiculed.

5. Avoid being rude, yelling, screaming, cursing, criticizing, insulting, or threatening (emotionally or physically).

When any of these things happen, everyone hears anger and aggression. This can cause them to leave, remain silent, or take action. Respectful behavior is essential for healthy communication.

6. Be as clear as possible and use specific examples to describe your concerns and the things you would like to see different.

Avoid words like “always,” “never,” “everything,” and “nothing.” These words may express frustration and dissatisfaction, but they are too general and are not fundamentally true. There is no benefit to using these words in the communication process.

7. To have a successful conversation, try not to interrupt the discussion.

When the other person is speaking, listen consciously and with the intention of listening. This is different from waiting for the other party to finish and find an opportunity to speak. If you are thinking about what you want to say while he is speaking, do not listen.

8. Before you respond, make sure you understand what the other person is saying.

If you are not sure what he meant by what he said, ask for clarification. "Please repeat that?" or "I'm not sure what you meant." "Can you help me understand better?"

9. Instead of wanting to be right, approach the conversation with an open mind and a desire to solve the problem.

Whenever we see it as a competition and want to prove that we are right, it means that the other person is wrong. This kind of "this or that", "win or lose"

12. Instead of blaming the other person, take responsibility for how you feel.

No one can make you feel a certain way. Use first-person statements like, “I feel…” and be clear about what the other person did that triggered your reaction. Instead of saying, “You make me so angry,” focus on the other person’s actual behavior.

13. Let go of assumptions.

Just because you’ve lived or worked together for a long time doesn’t mean you know what the other person is feeling or thinking. People grow and change. What you want, need, or expect from each other will change, and you may need to talk about it from time to time.

Finally, realize that you can’t control how the other party responds to your attempts to engage in a difficult but necessary conversation. However, with proper preparation and by following these guidelines, you can improve your participation skills and maximize the chances that the conversation will achieve its goal.