When you’re in a difficult conversation with someone, it’s easy to let emotions run high and start overreacting. However, 99U recommends you take a more levelled approach by asking “And what else?” to flesh out the conversation and get to the heart of the issue.
Picture: Ken Banks/Flickr.
The idea here is to keep your reaction as simple as possible without you having to offer any advice to the other person. This gives you time to react with a level head and also gives the other person time to work through their thought. 99U explains:
“And what else?” is one of the most powerful questions according to Michael Bungay Stanier in his book, Do More Great Work. He offers variations on this theme: “Do you have any further thoughts on this?” and “Can you think of anything else?”
The end result is a better understanding of a high-stakes conversation for both parties involved and hopefully gives everyone enough time to ease the tension. Head over to 99U for a few more ways to get through tough conversations.
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