Your heart is racing, you can feel heat radiating from your ears, you can feel your pulse in your neck, your palms are sweaty. Your body is reacting as if you are in serious physical danger. But you are not in physical danger, you are just face to face with an angry co-worker. This physiological reaction, known to psychologists as the “stress response” is a totally normal reaction to threat, designed to keep us safe. The problem is that when we are in the midst of a stress response, we reduce our ability to process complex information, think creatively, and monitor our own behavior. The skill necessary to deal with an angry co-worker is one of the most useful communication skills you can acquire. Let’s talk about how.
