There are people who are easy to communicate with and others who are “difficult patients”. You can meet them in personal communication and ex officio. In the former case, you can avoid unpleasant communication, but in business relationships you generally do not choose your partners. So, how to have a dialogue with unpleasant people and achieve the necessary communication goals while maintaining stability and self-esteem? Let’s take a look at the most difficult types of partners and how to communicate with them.
1. SENIOR PARTNERS
People are ashamed of them, afraid to interrupt them. As a result, the conversation goes in the wrong direction and you are no longer in control of the situation.
How to communicate: Despite the difference in status, it is important to maintain an inner center and a high energy level. Be polite enough, but without being pious. With high-ranking people, you shouldn’t allow them to look down on you. What does this mean? If you fleetingly acknowledge their feeling of inferiority, you will forever remain in that position for them. Therefore, keep your internal movement on an even keel, especially when you need to interrupt their speech or insist on a question along the lines of “well, but still.”
2. OVERLY EXCITED CONVERSATIONALISTS
As a rule, stressed people become uncontrollable: they make mistakes, confuse words and facts, talk too fast or fall into a stupor.
How to communicate: Try to create as pleasant an environment as possible. Use embodied intelligence: Use a calm tone of voice and posture to show that you are there for them and that you have nothing to worry about. Give words and cues, make encouraging jokes about yourself or the context.
3. SELF-FOCUSED INTERLOCUTORS
This is the free-thinking person who withdraws from the dialogue into a monologue and reacts to any interference not very positively or even angrily.
How to communicate: By asking successive clarifying questions, steer the conversation in the direction you want it to go. Don’t argue, but rather connect to what is being said by using phrases such as, “Well, what about the situation…?”, “It must be important to you…”, “It must be important to you…”. If the need arises to interrupt this person, try to do it without words. For example, you can move your body forward slightly, maintain steady visual contact, and even help yourself with an appropriate hand gesture. If that doesn’t work, engage short words to interject into the flow of speech in the style of “What do you think…?”
4. SLOW OR POOR SPEAKING PARTNERS
They answer briefly, often using language that is too fluent and vague. There are always awkward pauses in conversations with such people.
How to communicate: First of all, it is necessary to understand whether this is a permanent condition of the interlocutor, or whether he reacts to stress in this way. If the former, then try to guess what topic is now able to interest the person and engage him in a dialogue. If it is the latter, it is better to try to open up as much as possible and demonstrate the safety of space: comment, rephrase what is said, clarify.
5. TALKING IN A CIRCLE
A person says the same thing three or four times. Often there is no way to break away from an already established opinion or fact and look at the situation from a different perspective.
How to communicate: help the person you are talking to start a new round of thinking by agreeing or arguing with them, making a joke or asking a follow-up question.
6. ASK A QUESTION
This type of interlocutor may demand special respect, be slow or on their wavelength.
How to communicate: Think of such a conversation as a dialogue with a wise person who has understood life and is in no hurry to get anywhere. Try to be clearer in your questions, make them shorter, thus programming time for a response. Allow the guest a respectful space to complete his thoughts.
7. TOO FAST CONVERSATIONALISTS
The opposite of “too slow”. With this person, you literally have to justify your presence and constantly look for opportunities to express yourself.
How to communicate: Pick up the pace and run along with the speaker and find the right moment for his or her speech. At the same time, you can slow him down with your voice and intonation while engaging your body nonverbally. Don’t hesitate to ask clarifying questions – such people may forget that their partner is unaware of certain concepts or situations that need clarification.
Understanding exactly what kind of conversation partner you have in front of you will allow you to find comfortable ways to communicate with them. And the right attunement will maximize the effectiveness of your communication, allowing you to achieve your goals quickly.