GREENSBORO, N.C. — After almost one year of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, Rock shared how he felt about the incident on his stand-up comedy special on Netflix. Chris explained that he didn’t see himself as a victim while taking verbal jabs at both Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith for her infidelity. It remains to be seen if Will and Chris will mend fences.
This situation got us thinking about starting fresh after a blow-up with someone, whether it’s a friend or family member. A serious mistake that people make when they want to start fresh after a fallout is not realizing that it’s a process that takes time, energy, and patience. If the other person isn’t ready or willing to commit to starting fresh, then it’s common to think it won’t work out and give up. And decide if you’re really ready to put the situation behind you.
Before you reach out to the other person, take time to reflect on what happened. Think about what happened, why it happened, how you contributed to the problem, how did the other person, what you learned, and what you’d do differently.
Here are three considerations for your conversation: apologies, listen, and find common ground. Apologize for your contribution to the fallout. Listen objectively to their perspective, paraphrase the main points, and reflect on the emotions you hear. Find solutions and common ground so you can put the situation behind you.
Share your thoughts on my Facebook page: Blanca Cobb – Body Language Expert. Write a message on my timeline, and I’ll get back to you. While you’re on my page, I’d appreciate it if you give my page a “like.”