Exam Preview for 1944: How to Diffuse Difficult Conversations July

How to Diffuse Difficult Conversations

Please note: exam questions are subject to change.

1. The three Cs of communication refer to: being consistent, clear, courteous being communicative, concise, controlling being calm, cool, collected being concise, calm, captivating
2. Core communication approaches for diffusing difficult discussions include, but are not limited to: assume best intentions, walk away if things go sideways, retain control assume best intentions, practice active listening, ask open-ended questions show empathy, ask simple yes/no questions, and do not interrupt refuse to be criticized, assume others are against you, never agree during an argument
3. Each difficult conversation is actually three conversations, which are described as: a “personality test,” a “showdown,” and a “who can outlast” conversation a “feelings,” a “truth-seeking,” and a “who can manipulate the best” conversation a “what happened,” a “feelings,” and an “identity” conversation an “assumption,” a “forceful,” and a “showdown” conversation
4. Talking about who is at fault in a difficult communication exchange only produces disagreement, denial, and little learning denial, hurt feelings, refusal to adapt flexibility, finesse, friendliness enemies, denial, dead ends
5. Unexpressed, personal feelings often block our ability to use the right words establish mutual ground listen attentively cry
6. Typically, we translate our feelings into sarcasm, humor, nonchalance anger, defeat, defense judgments, attributions, characterizations conflict, defense, defeat
7. The three main principles in “listening to understand” are: giving advice, suggesting next steps, interrupting interjecting your thoughts, talking over your communication partner, being judgmental solving your communication partner’s problem, interrupting, being attentive embracing silence, being actively present, asking open-ended questions
8. Listening with the goal of understanding means to disengage try to fill in the silence put the speaker in the driver’s seat and become the passenger give my attention, but only to what I can agree with
9. A great question to ask while being an active listener is What are you talking about? Why do you feel this way? How could you think that? What do you need right now?
10. Silence during conversations where you are listening with the goal of understanding the situation actually keeps the speaker in charge of his/her/their thoughts keeps you from saying the wrong thing gives you more time to establish a snappy come back allows you time to figure out a graceful exit