Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

There is something about physically leveling your height and moving close to another person that squelches arguments and improves communication.

First, a story. One of my sons was a teenager. He was arguing with me about something. He was quite argumentative as a teen. He was sitting in a chair, and I was standing across the room. Something I learned somewhere clicked in my head.

• I stopped arguing.
• I grabbed a chair.
• I set the chair next to the one he was using.
• I spoke to him in a un-arguing tone of voice.

Life became much better for everyone. I wish I could explain how all this works, but I can’t. There is something about physically (1) leveling your height and (2) moving close to the other person.

Yes, pull up a chair to the person who might be opposing you at a moment of disagreement. Their attitude may change; your attitude may change.