Have you ever wondered how to navigate uncomfortable conversations? You know, that moment when everything goes radio-silent and gets aawwwk-ward. Usually, it’s when someone has a serious concern or wants to bring up something near and dear to their heart. If this type of interaction isn’t in your comfort zone, watch out, because your body will start talking—loudly.
Shaan, the CEO of a San Francisco startup, is worried that when he encounters an emotional elephant in the room, he may come across as inauthentic. Watch this brave entrepreneur use his body and mind to get to the bottom of his dilemma.
Do you feel awkward in the midst of a serious conversation or momentary silence? If so, what do you do next? Do you wonder what the other person’s thinking, ignore that it just occurred or cross your fingers and hope they don’t notice? If early on you tune into the physical signals coming from your body, you’ll be able to better manage yourself and change course to create an authentic connection.
Some habits die hard. So while Shaan rewires his brain for a new response, he may still catch himself running his old pattern. No worries. In that case, he just needs to do two simple things: acknowledge what happened + get curious. It would sound something like this, “I can tell this is important to you and I’m not sure why I just laughed. I apologize. I felt uncomfortable in the silence. When I laughed, what happened for you?” And in no time at all, Shaan will be managing himself in the moment and choosing to respond differently. It’s that simple!
Tell us what creates awkward moments in your life and how you handle them. The TalkRx community is a great place to share your thoughts and get support.
To awkward moments,
