What to do when you notice resistance from people in interactions

We have all had those interactions in business, with employees or clients where we notice some resistance to what we are saying, here are a few tips to try and dissolve such resistance;

1.     Explain the why – sometimes people need the context in order to understand your perspective

2.     Create trust – understand where you are similar and focus on the similarities to create trust and enhanced connection

3.     Keep calm – sometimes when we experience resistance we get flustered and angry, this in turn creates anger and resistance in the other person and creates a defensive attitude

4.     Seek to understand where the other person is coming from – are you understanding their needs, or just assuming you know their intentions and what they need (are you projecting?)

5.     Stay neutral and refrain from judgement

6.     Allow the other person to feel that you genuinely want their opinion and perspective on the situation

7.     Seek to understand and dissolve frustrations

Taking the time to check these simple elements can dissolve potential problems that can arise from resistance to discussions, change and new initiatives and has the potential to save you a lot of time and money.