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What do you do when you find it hard to relate to someone’s perspective ?

What do you do when you find it hard to relate to someone’s perspective?

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Patricia’s Answer

This is a common issue I face daily. It's crucial to listen carefully to understand, not just to reply. If you can't relate to someone else's viewpoint, don't hesitate to ask more questions. Different ways of thinking are valuable, but we still need to make decisions and get things done. I often consider whether my view is important enough to try to change someone else's mind or if I should change my own. Gathering information is key, and you can do this by communicating, learning about others' perspectives, and respectfully asking why they think the way they do.
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Jordan’s Answer

Focus on empathy by imagining yourself in someone else's position to see things from their perspective. Ask questions to help you understand how they think and feel. It's perfectly fine to have different opinions, but listening to others is key to understanding their views and concerns.
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Carmen’s Answer

When I find it hard to relate to someone’s perspective, the first thing I do is listen with curiosity instead of judgment. I try to ask questions to better understand where they’re coming from and what experiences have shaped their way of thinking. Even if I don’t share their point of view, acknowledging their experience as valid helps me maintain respect and keep the space open for dialogue.
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Sydney H’s Answer

This is common and a normal gut reaction. I often find taking the simple steps of "Stop and Think" to create time for processing. You don't need to answer or respond immediately. Allowing time for emotions will create space for objective reasoning and offer a moment to reflect on where the person is coming from.

In the end, you may not still agree with another's perspective, or understand. Open up the dialogue and ask questions, solutions may come to light with curiosity and your intent to further understand.
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Julie’s Answer

Many things can make it hard to relate to someone else's perspective. When that happens, I try to connect to the person instead of the perspective. Asking questions to uncover what is driving their perspective can help you at least understand, if not relate to the person. Understanding why you aren't able to relate can help you isolate the disconnect and perhaps give you an idea of how to reduce conflict that could arise from vastly differing beliefs.
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Prasanna’s Answer

get curious about what the person is trying to say and ask relevant probing questions base on what they are sharing.
to get better clarity its ok to repeat what they say to get more clarity and information.
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Eva’s Answer

This may sounds cliche and slightly corny, but it really is a matter of putting yourself in someone else's shoes.

An example: I was speaking to one of our clients who wanted serveral hundred dollars in charges credited to them. They had experieced intermittent issues with our service while they were travelling internationally and they claimed it had ruined their trip thus they didn't want to pay for any of their international coverage. Logically, the issues they had faced were not persistent their entire trip and they had indeed used the service we were charging for the majority of the trip, but when I see it from their perspective it makes more sense. In their eyes, you are in a foreign country doing a trip you had planned a long time for, and these intermittent service issues are causing you untold amounts of stress because when it's not working you can not navigate your way around and you can not contact your family. When I see it from their eyes, it makes sense why they wouldn't want to pay for the service even though it worked most of the time.

It's all about stepping outside of yourself, outside of your experience, and immersing yourself in what someone else is feeling.
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Hera’s Answer

I would encouraged you to try and listen to learn - the goal doesn't always have to be agreement.

Giving people space to share can hopefully help you further develop empathy and compassion. There is often different rules of engagement, meaning it's not always clear what another person is hoping to accomplish from their side of the conversation, so perhaps the best thing you can do is to go into a conversation with an open mind and try to ask more questions to better understand why they believe what they do and from where they think that belief stems.
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Sarah’s Answer

Stay curious, listen, and pay attention to your feelings. When you react to someone else's viewpoint, ask yourself why you feel that way. This isn't about changing your perspective, but you might discover a new view and expand your understanding.
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