Empathy is very useful because it makes people open up and allow you gain access to critical information about them. Whenever you find yourself involved in a confrontation with someone or a group of people you must learn how to manage your triggers. Confrontation can turn you into a monster which is most undesirable.
When you are defensive blood rushes to your head, your pulse starts to quicken and suddenly you end up saying something really nasty that you immediately regret to your friend, spouse, child, sibling, colleague, or client. Later when you calm down and weigh the cost of your actions you wish you can press the reset button and undo all the damage you have done. However, the truth is that it is very difficult to keep your cool when issues become sticky and things get heated up.
Confrontations can take place anywhere or anytime in places such as meetings, at home, in the office, during negotiations and while having difficult conversations. What is even more interesting is the way various people react or response to confrontation. Some individuals avoid it entirely, while some look forward to it, aggravate the situation and make it worse.
If you are an employer, an entrepreneur or belong to the working class having a level headed approach is the key to maintaining a harmonious workplace and cultivating positive relationships. Some introvert types tend to shy away from confrontation and choose avoidance instead. However, either in the workplace, at home or in life generally, the truth is that conflict is a given, a constant, and is often inevitable.
You can only avoid it for so long. If you are someone who struggles to keep yourself from exploding in anger and want to remain calm in the heat of the moment, you will find the following tips useful.
These self-help tips are useful because they work, and are based on decades of research. Staying calm during heated moments isn’t about appeasing the other party just to keep the peace.
It is also not maintaining a hardline stance and shouting or spewing insults. Amazingly, staying calm lies primarily in and is rooted in one word: empathy. Empathy allows you to humanize the other party so you can better grasp the true situation.
Empathy is not about forced or coerced agreement, giving in, being passive or allowing the other person treat you like a foot mat. What actually happens is that when you create more room for your emotions, you are discharging it or de-pressurizing.
When you allow the other person to vent, you gain access to important facts, verify the assumptions you made, know the constraints at play, or the difficulties the person is grappling with.
This then helps you to achieve something that is truly significant. You receive all the critical information you require for bridging the gap between you and the other person.