3 things to remember during emotionally charged conversations

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In his session, "Navigating Emotionally Charged Conversations," delivered at the 2024 Fetch Coastal dvm360 Conference, Bash Halow, LVT, CVPM, walked attendees through difficult interactions in the clinic, with both clients and coworkers. In an exclusive interview with dvm360, Halow shared 3 things to always keep in mind when having these conversations. His recommendations were:

1. Understand why you're feeling the way that you are about the situation.
2. Take blame out of the equation.
3. Be careful not to make personal comments or attacks.

Below is a partial transcript

Bash Halow, LVT, CVPM: The first is, you should understand why it is you're feeling the way it is you're feeling. So, if you're about to go in and have a conversation, and you're worked up into a lather about it, you need to get real about why it is you're worked up into a lather. One time, I was working with this doctor, and she got worked up in a lather about a client, and her comment was, "You know, you're just not you're just not supposed to talk to women that way." And, I don't really think her beef was that this guy was talking to women that way. That wasn't her beef. Her beef [had to do with] the way that he was talking to her. It was insinuating that she wasn't smart enough to do the job. That's what the real [problem] was. And, I think that when you call a spade a spade, when you understand why it is [that] you're... feeling what it is you're feeling, that button is less likely to be as reactive when you're in the room. So, know why you're worked up into a snit, is number 1.