Negotiating with Nay-Sayers : Navigating Resistance

Communication Strategies – Navigating Resistance

It seems these days people are so pressured, so busy, and so over-regulated at work that it’s difficult to get their attention at all; let alone get them to do you a small service. Next time you find yourself dealing with a person who seems to be putting up more barriers than bridges, try this strategy. Before approaching them with your request have a fallback scaled-down plan B ready. If they decline your first request ask, “If you can’t do ‘A’ then can you at least do ‘B’?” Immediately, the other person views you as being somewhat reasonable – after all you’ve ‘given-up’ is your plan ‘A’. So, in the spirit of fairness the other person subconsciously feels that they need to give a little as well.