Communication I - Agreement Frame

Ever been in an argument with someone you don't want to look bad? A date, a boss, a panelist during thesis defense; winning over them is not winning them over, bruised egos are a hard sell.
Here's a simple tip to create a win-win situation:
 
 The Agreement Frame
(I) Agree, reinterpret.
(II) Agree partially, with the goal.
Hijack the argument; you're both on the same page, their argument supports your own.


I. Agree and reinterpret.
(at a product meeting)
X: People don't need this product.

A: Right, people don't need this, even better, they want this. If there's a want, there's a market; women for fashion, men for gadgets. We'll be rich. *grin*

II. Agree partially, with the higher goal.

(evening at work, rushing to finish a project)

X. We need to do overtime work to finish this project.

A. Yeah, this project needs to finish. My head's fuzzy, let's grab a big dinner and not sleep late, this project needs us to be in top shape to finish.