Sharpen up Your ‘Argument Etiquette’ by Letting Someone Else Win for a Change

Get into the other person’s shoes and figure out why their point of view is so important for them.

Conflict is almost inevitable in an argument due to both the parties ‘doubling down’ on their confirmation bias. Instead of going the way of souring your relations, a better approach is to have an open mind and simply understand the other person’s point of view.

Arguing with someone generally means that only one person can win by default, a productive and healthy debate can mean there is a good amount of learning for both the participants and the aim is to have a positive outcome benefiting all.

The subject of right and wrong is itself subjective, and the differences lie in what is significant and crucial for the individual. If we can understand this and learn the opposite sides of the issue, then we can work towards resolving the conflict.

When engaging in a debate, here are a few things to take care of:

1. Empathize with the other person’s point of view.
2. Try not to make the debate a ‘he-said-she-said’ slinging fest, and keep it productive and solution-based.
3. Do not argue in an email or text message, as it makes one lose the power of hand gestures, facial expressions, and the intonation of our words, which can change the context of the statements.
4. Take a break and cool down, if it seems the conversation isn’t going anywhere.