How to Avoid Miscommunication, Embrace Differences and Handle Disagreements

After recently covering how to become a better commenter and how you deal with comments is it time to expanding the view a little and look a number of related issues. Rather than reinventing the wheel let’s look at what others have written about it as there are a number of good sources of information already out there. Expanding the view means covering more aspects of each of the following issues that are all related to the articles on how to comment and dealing with comments: Criticizing people, disagreeing and persuading someone, developing communication skills, being considerate as well as conflicts, negative comments and disagreements and how to deal with them.

The web is neither the ideal environment for social interaction nor the harmonic utopia that some seem to see it as. It never will be. Just as in other aspects of life where people engage will there also be negative sides and seemingly negative sides. The latter being those that indeed can be very positive if handled appropriately. The following articles presents various concepts and will help you make the best of even the seemingly negative as well as dealing with the really negative. Since there is no way of escaping it you may as well learn how to deal with these things, optimize your own behavior and make the most of whatever happens.

How to Disagree and Persuade without Offending
This article is centered around how you get your point across without getting into a fight. The six strategies of persuasion presented and elaborated does a very good job of rounding off all aspects of engaging in conversations online. In fact I would claim that if just half the people participating in discussions online used them we would all be twice as clever as we currently are. Well worth thinking about and acting upon.

Communication Skills for Bloggers
Darren Rowse finds it a little ironic that bloggers often seem to be struggling with miscommunication. However is that perhaps simply because blogging is no different than many other things we do. We are well aware of what we should be doing, but something prevents us actually doing it. Defining the two key concepts (assertiveness and active listening) and the underlying aspects this articles does a great job of summing up what you should be doing as well as where it so often goes wrong.

10 Steps to Conflict Resolution
Using couple counseling as springboard Darren Rowse presents 10 steps of resolving conflicts related to blogging relationships. This is can be seen as the second piece of the puzzle with the article above being the first one. While actually seeing conflict as something that can be positive the list can serve as a guide to resolving those conflicts that hold you back rather than bring you forward. Don’t take it too literally, but think about how to apply it to the conflicts you encounter.

The Concept of Being Considerate to Others
Bes Zain broadens the concept of being considerate from being about being considerate of others to being considerate to others, which is much more direct and relevant when interacting with someone. Then it is not simply about being able to get along with people with different views, but to actually appreciate both them and their differing views. It can thus be seen as a plea not only to accept differences, but to embrace them. Since differences is what makes us unique is it well worth thinking about.

How Should You Criticize People On Your Blog?
That it is okay to give your opinion and criticize on your blog goes without saying. They key is how you do it. John Cass is convinced that it is best done through either positive or negative constructive criticism. Although offering advice this is mostly a post meant to be reflected on. Read it and make up your own mind. I did and I have and you should too as you may need to take a stand on this before you know it.

Tips for Dealing with Blogging Disagreements
Everyone who blogs for some time will experience that someone disagrees with them. Depending on how forcefully they make their points and where they publish it will you experience it as more or less stressful and upsetting. Either way do you have to deal with it. Even if it can also help you learn and make you wiser. Chris actually applies a structure that is not unlike mine when dealing with disagreeing comments, but since he presents and tackles it differently his tips also adds to it.

Dealing with Detractors: Responding to Negative Word of Mouth
The key to the success of your response is responding in the right manner. Andy Sernovitz lists the six steps he believes will help you when you are attacked publicly online. The premise is that you are actually in the right and that your reputation is on the line. Although written for companies it is sound advice and well worth taking note of. Not that you should assume that you or your company is ever attacked or unfairly criticized. However if you are, taking the right steps could prove vital.

Handling Negative Comments: Do You Have a Volunteer Fire Department?
Fear can be paralyzing and fear of negative comments is no different. Being a blogger does however also mean that you are not alone. The more of a conversational and relational blogger you are the less alone you are and the more people will be on your side if negativity indeed indeed should rear its ugly head. The best way to put your mind at ease is thus getting more involved on your own blog as well as on other blogs thus integrating yourself in the community.

We have to get along somehow and in fact most of us want to. Staying true to who we are, what we believe in and how we do things are equally important. That can lead to conflict. If we remember that we actually want to get along when we communicate does that make a world of difference. It is okay to disagree and to criticize. In fact it may be what is necessary for us to develop. How you do it is however not trivial. Being considerate and structured when criticizing or responding to criticism is essential. Actually being considerate means nothing more that considering that you neither are alone nor have patented the truth about everything. That others have something valuable to say and may not always be those doing things the wrong way. If there even is a wrong and a right way.

Sometimes people really are idiots and sometimes differences cannot be bridged, but you will get a lot further and learn a lot more if you don’t automatically assume that this is the case when someone disagrees with you or do things differently. Keeping this in mind and generally trying to be a good communicator when traveling the Blogosphere will in the time of need also decide who people side with if someone should try to discredit or directly attack you. It is thus a winning proposition all the way round when everyone try to be the best they can be when communicating.