Hard conversations are rarely resolved in a single event.
When you have a linear approach to communicating, it can be very frustrating when those blow-up, suck it up, or walk away moments happen. There’s no easy way back to resolving your initial concern or complaint.
However, when you follow the 5 parts of the Keep Talking Framework, you have all the time you need to correct misunderstandings, think through unexpected responses, and continue along a productive path.
The five parts of the framework are:
Initiate: Start with sharing what you want to communicate and what you want the outcome to be.
- Pause: If your Conversation Kryptonite creeps in, take a healthy pause to calm your emotions (or allow your partner to calm down) so that you can continue when problem-solving is more likely.
- Repair: Get clear on your part in the communication breakdown. Create space for your partner to own his part.
- Resume: Once misunderstandings and communication breakdowns have been repaired, resume a healthy discussion about the original topic.
- Resolve: Reach your conversation objective in a way that both partners feel seen & heard.