Opinions differ, people disagree, conflict happens.
I like seeing people resolve potentially flammable situations amicably. I like it when two people respect each other enough to work together on a resolution. And I don’t like it when disagreements spiral out of control.
Here is one behavior, that above all others, I think can throw an innocent discussion to the wolves:
The raised voice.
An empassioned discussion can lend itself to your raising your voice to be “heard.” That just doesn’t work. You’ve just taken the focus off your words and onto your volume, which can and will be heard as offensive. A raised voice changes the discussion the millisecond the decibel level grows.
Raising your voice shifts the focus from the message to the messenger.
Last week, I heard someone say, “No argument has ever been won by a raised voice.” Definitely food for thought…
Instead of raising your voice, raise the level of other things–
- Your respect for the other person
- Your desire to understand all sides of the discussion
- Your sincere desire for a resolution
Try it, and let us know how it works!
