It has become popular to say that we want to have a variety of opinion in workplaces. We want people to speak if they disagree with an approach or have a unique point of view about how they can tackle a complex problem.
Although we say that there are many individual and group psychological factors in the summary that work against this ideal. We are often resistant to opinions that are differences of our differences and more critical about evidence that our beliefs contradict than we are evidence that it is consistent with it. We also have negative emotional reactions to information that goes against what we believe. We are also reluctant to say things that we think others do not want to hear in a group. In the end, people often have a powerful urge to believe what others believe in their social group. To be successful in taking different opinions, you must fight against these factors.
Listen without responding
One of the most difficult parts of hearing an opinion that differs from yours is to allow someone else to say everything they want to say before he in chims. There is a tendency to separate someone else’s beliefs and arguments before they even had the chance to say what they want to say.
Instead, give your conversation partner the opportunity to complete their thought train. Even if you think you’ve heard a fight like that of theirs, let them finish. It may be surprised to find out that they have a different approach than you expect. You will never discover that if you interrupt quickly.
Moreover, if you respond in a visibly negative way when someone does not agree with you, they can find it difficult to complete his argument – especially if you are in a position with more status or power than they have. Try to stay involved and neutral in your interaction instead of being hostile.
Repeat back what you have heard
An old strategy when hearing a different opinion is to start by repeating the argument that you have just heard before you criticized it. This works in discussions at work and also in close relationships.
Repeating the argument has two advantages. It enables the other person to feel heard, making it more likely that he will express himself in the future if they do not agree. Moreover, it ensures that you have clearly understood the argument. If someone does not agree with you by following a new approach, you might miss some of his most important principles. Repeating the argument to them ensures that you have fully understood their position.
Find what is good at what you think is wrong
Even after having carefully listened to the point of view of someone else, you may have the desire to argue with them strongly – and perhaps to convince them that you are immediately immediately. A good conversation is not a debate and it doesn’t have to have a victor. The real advantage of a conversation is an exchange of ideas.
Many people find the most intellectual what they can do is to offer a convincing argument against someone else. I would claim that the most difficult thing to do intellectually is to find something in an idea that you generally find wrong. When you do that, you can strengthen your overall knowledge base, even if you do not change your mind to fully agree with someone else.
It is a skill to see the truth in the arguments of others. It can take a lot of work to integrate apparently absurd points of view. The most important thing is that it requires a lot of self -confidence. You must acknowledge that taking part of the position of another does not decrease your own status or give them power over you. It simply makes you more inclined to cope with the complexity of the world in the future.
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