Discovered: Jul 14, 2025 18:43 ME:: Be short, simple and firm; don’t be funny; play for the audience; pick your battles; call things what they are; etc ; Greg Wilson:: The Third Bit: Managing Conflict

QUOTE

What can you do if conflict becomes more personal and heated?

  1. Be short, simple, and firm.
  1. Don’t try to be funny. It almost always backfires, or will later be used against you.
  1. Play for the audience. You probably won’t change the mind of the person you are calling out, but you might change the minds or strengthen the resolve of people who are observing.
  1. Pick your battles. You can’t challenge everyone, every time, without exhausting yourself and deafening our audience. An occasional sharp retort will be much more effective than constant criticism.
  1. Call things what they are. For example, don’t call someone stupid when what you really mean is that they’re racist or homophobic.

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