Meeting confidence with confidence

So, like me, you’re trying to be a more confident communicator. What if you’re interacting with a super confident person?

Match their energy.

People respect others who think or act like them.

Let’s say you think a confident person made a factual error, hasty decision, or if you want to challenge the reasoning or the dominant narrative in a group setting, or even to de-escalate a conflict, try this simple phrase, said confidently but respectfully.

“Are you sure about that?”

Done well, it prompts reconsideration, uncovers additional information, creates space, and challenges without aggression.

By placing a seed of doubt, respectfully, you may even get them to reconsider their position, or at least force them to clarify their reasoning.

Just because someone’s more forceful, louder, or more confident doesn’t mean their ideas are better than yours.