Life would be dull if everyone we knew saw the world as we do, and agreed with everything we think. Differences are what make life interesting. They can also cause misunderstanding and disputes and hurt feelings.
Here are a few ideas and tips to turn arguments and disagreements into agreements :
- Try to focus on what you need to reach an agreement and maintain the relationship, instead of focussing on what you are disagreeing about.
- Try to concentrate on your similarities, instead of your differences.
- Try to focus on moving towards a joint understanding and on what you need to do to prevent the problem or misunderstanding from occurring again.
- Try to set your sights or goal on something that both of you want, so instead of arguing, you will be searching together for a common goal or something you both want.
If having a good relationship is more important than being right, it’s worth spending a bit of time looking for common ground. Together you can get more done, and more pleasantly.