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How to overcome unproductive conversations? Here are some responses that may help:

• “Yes.”
• “No.”
• “I don’t agree.”
• “I don’t know.”
• “I don’t understand.”
• “I don’t remember.”
• “I’ll get back to you.”

If you say, “Maybe,” it sounds vague. So a seemingly valid response like, “I’ll think about it.” Negative comments like, “That’s ridiculous!” or polarizing comments will lead to further communication breakdowns.

Don’t worry so much about gaining agreement, set the bar high on achieving clarity.

Skill may help, but you need to embrace conflict, and have self-confidence to connect and communicate.