One way to approach difficult conversations, and I think it’s a good way, is to use the analogy of climbing Mount Everest.
Now, of course, having a difficult conversation with someone might feel like climbing a very imposing mountain, but that’s not the part of the analogy that I think is most useful. It’s the part suggested by Mónica Guzmán (author of “I Never Thought of It That Way - How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously”). She talks about the value, and often necessity, of establishing a basecamp before you start climbing.
In other words don’t just launch into the difficult conversation. Rather establish common ground from which to start climbing. Find things to agree with the other person about, delineate common ground. You’ll probably have to do it first. But once you’ve done it, the other person is sure to reciprocate. It’s just human nature.
And stepping into a difficult conversation from shared agreement on just one thing is sure to set you up for a much better conversation than stepping in from the opposite poles of an issue.
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