It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it …

…except sometimes it is what you say.

Consider the difference in these two approaches:

Scenario 1:  “We’ve been over this before.  You don’t seem to get it. This needs to stop.”

Scenario 2:  “I know we’ve talked about this before.  I’d like to hear your perspective on why this is happening and what hurdles you might be facing that I can help with.”

Aim to be more like scenario #2.  Yes, the conversation might take longer, but chances are you will have one good conversation that leads to solutions - compared to ongoing, frustrating conversations with no end in sight.

‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood’  

People work better that way!