Handling Stressful Situations and Conversations

Today is Friday, so this post is on interpersonal competence.

Interpersonally competent people have managed three skills.

1. They understand themselves.
2. They have the ability to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships.
3. They have the ability to resolve conflict in a productive manner.

Stress and pressure hamper relationships – and make it more difficult to resolve conflict in a positive manner.  Anne Field suggests nine steps for avoiding problems when communicating under stress.

1. Keep your message short and clear.
2. Vary how you communicate and repeat the message.
3. Be especially careful with e mail correspondence.
4. Use the telephone more, and e mail less, to manage virtual teams and relationships.
5. Encourage people to ask questions.
6. Pay attention to people who tend to withdraw in stressful situations.
7. Understand your communication style – use this understanding to better communicate with others.
8. Don’t say “you’re wrong”.  Say, “I disagree” or “Here is what I think…”
9. Slow down.  Focus less on the task and more on the conversation.

This is some good, common sense advice for dealing with stressful situations.  Use it, and you’ll become a more interpersonally competent person.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.