December 18, 2008Poison Phrase of the Week ~ That’s ridiculous
If someone has an issue or concern, they might not immediately be able to express it in a way that makes perfect sense. You can shut them down fast if you say something like
- That’s ridiculous.
If you can stay open long enough to help them clarify their point, you might find they have a valuable insight that will help. If you’re too quick to go after conclusions, you might miss the opportunity for clarity.
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When someone pauses to collect his or her thoughts and seems to take a long time, I’ll say, “Hang on, folks. There’s a point here somewhere.” I do this only with people I know very well and use a light tone of voice to show that I’m not angry or making a put-down. It usually works well.
Comment by Darrell Turner — December 18, 2008 @ 11:53 am