Do you always think of the best answer in bed in the evening?
It's a shame, because quick-wittedness can help you to be perceived more confidently at work.
What experts advise.
Some colleagues always come up with a
suitable saying
, some just stammer a surprised "Let me explain ..." when they have been ironed and others just stay silent.
Not everyone is quick-witted, right?
Yes, says Sabine Altena.
The former journalist coaches, among other things,
rhetoric *
and
quick-wittedness
.
After all, after a while, most people come up with a good counterattack.
"Everyone is quick-witted, just not at the right time."
Being quick-witted is not entirely unimportant in the job, says coach and author Matthias Nöllke ("Quick-wittedness: The 100 best tips").
It doesn't always have to be a clever counterattack.
“In essence, it's about not remaining speechless.” That can give you back your sovereignty in unpleasant situations, for example.
Rhetoric and quick-wittedness at work - these methods can help according to the coaches:
-
SAY SOMETHING:
First of all, it is about saying anything at all and not remaining silent in tricky situations.
“It doesn't have to be original or funny,” says Nöllke.
“Quick-wittedness starts with zero sentences.” So you could simply say “I can't think of anything” or “I have no idea what you're getting at.” That gives you back security.
- LITTLE GAME TORTERS:
Anyone who has team members or even a manager who keeps getting stupid may be able to work with little game spoilers, says Nöllke.
“Nice for you”, “You deal with that, not me” or “It's okay, if you want to see it that way.” Those who persist with such phrases spoil the fun with knockers.
- INTERPRETER:
This technique works like this: You
pretend
to be an interpreter translating a foreign language.
If someone makes fun of an outfit, you can reply, for example: “You mean you don't like my jacket?” The interpreter brings the conversation back to the factual level.
- CONTRA-REPRESENTATION:
With this technique you can react to allegations or wrong judgments, says Nöllke.
For example, the assumption that you are too young and have too little experience for a job.
“You often feel run over and want to justify yourself.” That doesn't seem confident.
It is better to reject and correct, in a nutshell: “That is your view.
In fact, I'm bringing a breath of fresh air into the project. "
- DAG GREAT WHOLE:
Here the statement of the other is relativized. A detail that the other criticizes, for example “That costs too much”, “We don't have enough manpower for that”, is diverted to an overarching goal, according to Altena. Example: “Yes, of course, that costs money. And what we want to achieve is that employee satisfaction increases significantly. ”Ideally, the sentences are combined with an“ and ”instead of a“ but ”. That is less derogatory.
- SURPRISING YES:
If someone tries to attack the other person personally ("You are small!", "Is your desk always so messy?", "You are really loud!"), They can simply agree: "Right", “Absolutely” or “You can get used to it.” Because most people justify themselves rather than agreeing at such moments, the technique is called “surprising approval”.
-
CLASSIC INQUIRY
: If you can't
think of anything
spontaneously, you can ask what exactly is meant.
“What exactly do you mean by ...?
What is your understanding of ...?
What's your idea about this?
What do you need in order to ...? ”That gives you time and, by the way, actually a better understanding of the situation and thoughts.
-
CONFUSION
: You say something that sounds clever, but neither says anything nor has anything to do with the attack or the criticism.
Nonsense proverbs, proverbs that nobody knows, or unknown movie quotes are suitable.
“The unknown creates confusion,” says Altena.
It is crucial to put on a meaningful face, to speak slowly and to take breaks.
Altena's favorite saying: "If you don't have a knife, you can't cut bread".
Or also: "You know, the pear ... has the handle at the back."
(Dpa / ahu) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
Also read
:
Interview: Use this 4-second trick to make a good impression straight away
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