“You’ll never have trouble if you recognize that you can be wrong. This attitude will end all disputes and inspire your opponent to be as fair, honest and as open minded as you. It will determine him to want to admit that he, in turn, can be wrong. “
Telling people they are wrong equals to saying that you are much smarter than them and what you know matters most. This attitude is wrong and will not change your companion’s opinion, but it will only determine him to counter-attack.
In general, it is hard to change other people’s opinions, which have their own values and principles, different from ours. When a person makes a statement about which you think is wrong, you should start by saying that you think otherwise, but that you may be wrong too. Thus, your companion will not feel attacked and you can examine the facts together in order to reach a common conclusion.
Most often we hardly accept truths that contradict our way of thinking when others are saying “no, you are wrong.” Instead, when others are sympathetic and tactfully approaches us, we have an open mind and recognize much easier we may be wrong.
Tuesday, on Dale Carnegie’s evening, our colleagues Daniela and Alex played a sketch that showed what are the consequences when we tell others that they are wrong and how we can get to an agreement.
