Sometimes, it is difficult to converse with people whom you strongly dislike. They may have previously done something that harmed you personally, or they may have suspicious habits or a bad reputation. However, it might be necessary to talk to them because of circumstances. In this speech, I will explain how it may be possible to successfully communicate with someone you do not like, and not suffer in the process. Generally, it is possible by being neutral, controlling emotions, and realizing the same dialogue structure as with any other person.
The first step is to let it go, getting rid of your emotions if anxiety takes you over when expecting an unpleasant dialogue. These emotions may hurt the future discussion, making overreactions possible. It is, therefore, necessary to take a deep breath and calm down. Then, it is time to plan the start of the discussion, as it is very important, with people usually analyzing their conversation partners at the start (Lakritz, 2019). The optimal start of discussion is to smile, greet the person you meet, and avoid negative body and facial expressions.
When the dialogue has already started, it is time to find common themes for discussion. To this end, it is important to find the ‘bridge of commonality’ (Lakritz, 2019). Sharing your interests and facts you know may be helpful in this regard. If you still unwittingly discuss something that makes the conversation unpleasant, it is important to ‘side-step’ away from this subject (Wong, 2021). Thus, the topic of discussion has to be thoroughly controlled to avoid animosity.
To manage the controlled flow of the discussion, it is important to keep the mood set from the start. Throughout the whole discussion, stay neutral, even if the opponent expresses an idea that irritates you. Even if cannot remain neutral, try your best to fake neutrality and distance yourself emotionally (Patel, 2017). Visible neutrality will help to maintain control over the dialogue and not do something regrettable.
Thus, a productive discussion with a person you do not like is possible by staying neutral, controlling emotions, and making the dialogue standard by structure, with visible friendliness. Discussing common points of interest and interesting personal information is important as well to avoid tension. Do not be afraid of unpleasant conversations, but learn to control them and, first of all, control yourself in them to achieve your goals.
References
Lakritz, T. (2019). How to talk to people you don’t get along with, according to someone who does it all the time. Insider. Web.
Patel, D. (2017). 12 ways successful people deal with people they dislike. Forbes. Web.
Wong, B. (2021). How to talk to someone you have nothing in common with. HuffPost. Web.