- Keep calm. Don’t turn it into Godzilla vs. Rodan. (Samurai secrets of staying calm are here.)
- Treat’em like a child. You can’t talk them out of emotional outbursts and getting angry over it does nothing good.
- Say “Please speak more slowly. I’d like to help.” Slow it down. Don’t come off like you’re fighting back.
- Ask “What would you like me to do?” You gotta make’em start thinking in order turn off the rage machine.
- Don’t make statements. Ask questions. Explaining is veiled dominance. Questions get them thinking.
- Start sentences with “I’d like…” not “You are…” If you start with “I” it’s hard to be seen as attacking.
- Let them have the last word. Don’t let your ego blow it at the last minute.
Read more in Barking Up the Wrong Tree.
