Try using this technique when in conflict with another person. Often we “know” we are just as right as the other person believes they are. What if you switched perspectives? What if you argued the other persons point of view instead of your own?
The point of this tool is to consider the other perspective…
Write/type the dialogue between the two of you. Word for word.
Switch your role for the other persons. Read their words as if you were saying them.
Consider what they may have meant vs what they said. Consider how you could have responded with this new insight.
What action can you do now to change the outcome? Can you apologize or take responsibility for something? Can you explain your point of view differently?
Give it a try!
PS – Notice I said try to consider the other persons perspective. I didn’t say take it as your own. You can still be “right” in the end but understanding where the other person is coming from in their point of view is largely important to resolving the conflict.