We’ve all come across those grouchy, ill-tempered, cranky people throughout our lives. Some of us might even be unfortunate enough encounter them on a daily basis. If you’re one of those people, here are a few things you can try to calm the cranky co-worker, spouse, customer, or whoever it may be:
- Be an investigative listener – Hear what they are saying and look for something underneath their message.
- Be mindful of your response and practice these three steps:
1. Create a cushion – like a seat cushion, use words to soften things in the conversation. It isn’t agreeing or disagreeing with them, but pulling information that they shared with you.
2. Create a bridge – avoid words like “but” and “however” because you negate everything you just heard.
3. Respond with evidence – what evidence do you have?
So the next time you want to take the fire out of the fight with a cranky individual, give it a try. Things might turn out better than you could have ever imagined…