Last month I taught another webinar through the American Staffing Association on dealing with difficult people. Many times the Q&A is my favorite part of teaching, and I received so many great questions from webinar attendees at the conclusion of the session.
One question I followed up on from a webinar attendee was, “How do I make sure a direct approach doesn’t come across as rude?”
I appreciate it when others take a direct approach, but I know not everyone is as receptive to getting straight to the point. There are entire cultures that find a direct approach as offensive or even rude. So, how can we quickly drill down to the issue while still coming across as “for” our colleague?
Here are a few tips:
It’s hard to hear direct feedback on something we’ve done poorly. It’s feels like we’ve failed, and no one likes to fail. However, when we listen well, ask permission to share our honest thoughts, and then share those thoughts with love and care, it allows the listener to be open to hear what we need to say.