A disagreement is often decided in the first three seconds, when we prepare our defense instead of listening.
Getting defensive is human: the body reacts before the mind. But it turns a point of view into a power struggle and costs you whatever was useful in the objection. This module teaches you to take disagreement well, to respond once you have truly heard the other person, and to spot the rare attacks that don’t deserve an answer.
~20 min at your own paceKey skill: Handling Criticism and ObjectionsAvailable in FR + ENNo prerequisites
What you’ll take away
- the kind of rephrasing that gets a “yes, that’s right” and lowers the tension
- the three facilitation questions (mirror, relay, and echo) to redirect a meeting debate
- a range of graceful replies to personal digs, from humor to a refocusing question
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants to stay calm and constructive when their work or ideas are challenged.
Learning objectives
- See criticism differently: as a point of view and a sign of interest, not an attack.
- Take objections well in three steps: listen silently, rephrase accurately, and answer clearly after hearing the other person.
- Reopen debate in meetings with mirror, relay, and echo questions to steer the exchange in a constructive direction.
- Recognize a personal attack and defuse it without justifying yourself or striking back, by sidestepping or postponing.
How does this module work?
The steps of the Adaptive module.
- Self-assessmentOn nine dimensions, to gauge current habits and guide the practice.
- Expert videoA ~10 min video with three pauses for reflection.
- Practice scenariosThe first two scenarios chosen from the self-assessment, then sixteen more, optional. Every answer gets feedback: what it leads to, and one way to improve.
- Dated commitmentOne action to try, written by the learner or chosen from the suggestions.
- Memo to downloadKey takeaways, questions, commitment, personal notes, and checklists.
Duration: ~20 min. Excluding bonus practice scenarios and optional in-depth content.
