the Benefits of Having Difficult Conversations

Most people avoid difficult conversations like the plague. They stand by the sidelines allowing other brave souls to volunteer to come forward and face the unpleasant conversations. In the shorter run, it might seem easier to ignore the difficult conversations or pretend like they don’t matter. Being in denial does not seem to make the difficult conversation disappear. Emotionally intelligent people often see difficult conversations as stepping stones to something greater, to resolving a festering problem once and for all, to clear up long seated misunderstandings, and to make wrong things right. Facing difficult conversations instead of running away from them can change the trajectory of relationships for the better, prevent greater disaster looming ahead, minimize misunderstandings, and get things out in the open in order to start the resolving process. Emotionally intelligent people see difficult conversations as opportunities for things to get better, smoother, and easier.

While there could be a greater seed of benefit in difficult conversations, caution and discretion are always advised in handling them. Difficult conversations make many people feel vulnerable, raw, and desperate. Someone who is emotionally volatile could “lose it” and do something in haste during a difficult conversation. Always use caution when you are about to embark on a difficult conversation with someone.

The person confronting difficult conversation which have been avoided for years is often seen as a “bad,” “bossy” or a “conflict prone” person. While this could sometimes be true depending on the circumstance, if the difficult conversation is being approached for the right reasons rather than for self gain, the person confronting the difficult conversation might actually be doing one of the biggest favors for everyone entangled in that conflict. Finally, someone has the courage and character to face it, rather than flee from it. That person could actually be the hero in the whole equation. They might be freeing people from emotional heartache, mental worry, financial burden, and more.

The reality however is that a person facing difficult conversations is typically unpopular and has to take heat for having the courage to confront something that everyone else has been shoving under the rug.? They muster courage to intentionally face those difficult conversations, head on. By doing so, they free themselves of unnecessary burdens and they free others also from unnecessary worries and blown out of proportion worries. Above all facing the difficult conversation lifts their own inner conflicts that could otherwise drag them down. They lighten their emotional burden, which empowers them to go farther, faster.

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Benefits of Facing Difficult Conversations

While you can choose to avoid having discussions altogether, being able to successfully navigate a difficult conversation can bring benefits. In an emotionally strained relationship where trust has been damaged beyond repair, having a difficult conversation that was avoided for years might clear up some misunderstandings. This could lead to people involved in the situation to have peaceful relations, realize misdoings, voice their side of the story, and end lies from spreading further. Overall, facing the conversation in such a circumstance could lead to emotional healing in a strained relationship.

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A person who musters courage to have a difficult conversation acts as a healing agent in emotionally damaged situations. The mere action of confronting an unpleasant conversation that others have dreaded to even think about has a healing quality to it. To resolve the conflict, they realize the importance of facing the ugliness of a difficult conversation. This is a major benefit of facing difficult conversations.

Another benefit is positive change, when that is still possible. Some situations maybe so warped, damaged, and crushed to bits beyond repair. A difficult conversation may not salvage such relationships. Yet there may be other situations where all it might take could be the confrontation of a difficult conversation that could yield a dramatically positive outcome to a situation that could otherwise have had a sad ending. When handled with sensitivity, toughness, and with the right motives, difficult conversations could lead to positive change.

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Changed people change situations. People who confront difficult conversations typically have experienced dramatic changes in their lives. They often bring in a different perspective to the same old problems. They are also the types of people who will change situations. Sometimes all it could take, might be confronting a difficult conversation, that could lead to a positive result or to free a person from guilt, anger, or inner conflict. Avoiding that conversation might leave the matter permanently unresolved or unchecked.

?Facing difficult conversations could save relationships. If the damage has already been done, and nothing has changed, having the difficult conversation could prevent the relationship from deteriorating event further or negatively impacting other people involved. Having a difficult conversation might finally reveal the real person who has been engaging in manipulation all along and unveil the mask of the person who has created havoc for everyone. This revelation could put into place many of the other shady areas that may have led to a relationship breaking up. It could reveal the innocent person as being honorable, truthful, and upright. It could expose the person who has been hiding behind the curtain all along. It could lead to people making amends and mending a fractured relationship. In many dramatic ways, having a difficult conversation could save damaged relationships or make the future journeys of those relationships slightly easier and more pleasant.

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Here is another benefit: Having a difficult conversation can eliminate misunderstandings from taking mental root. In a work environment all it can take is a small misunderstanding such as a smiley face emoji on an e-mail that is taken out of context or a frown from a co-worker, which can lead to unnecessary hurt, breaking up of relationships, and division. All these eat into workplace productivity, time management, and overall ambience. Rather than allowing misunderstandings to float in the workspace, having a one-time difficult conversation could actually help to clear out the clutter that is permeating in the office airspace.

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