Have you heard of a concept called Complementarity? It’s a powerful communication tool that turns even the most challenging people and situations completely around. 

If you’ve ever had someone throw you for a loop with their negativity, causing you to act as badly as them, then this episode of Successful Women Think Differently will help you to interrupt that pattern and shift the dynamics of a potentially toxic interaction.

It’s time to ‘flip the script’ of how we meet toxic energy with negativity. 

Kindness, curiosity, help, and silence are all unexpected reactions that you can use to prevent emotions from escalating and a situation from spiraling out of control.

As Valorie teaches us, if it can work in hostage situations to defuse tension, then doing the unexpected can work in our lives too. 

By breaking the pattern of negativity with a non-complementary, positive action of our own, we are more likely to be met (in kind) with kindness. This is because, as humans, we practice what we call mirroring behavior. 

Learn how to choose words that take you closer to your goal, and keep focused on your vision. Let’s not allow our emotions to make our decisions for us as we respond rather than react. Please join us.

“If your eye is on the vision, you’ll understand that empathy and compassion keep you from getting bogged down in someone else’s issues.” ~ Valorie Burton

In This Episode:

• Understanding how to turn ‘flipping the script’ into a habit
• How a traumatic dinner party with guests at gunpoint turned into a miracle turnaround
• Unpacking how to ‘break the pattern’ when emotions escalate
• Learning not to give a negative reaction when someone pushes your button
• How can you use complementarity as an effective communication tool? 
• Keeping your goal in mind when you are communicating with someone who is angry

And so much more!

Coaching Questions:

• In what situation do I tend to get stuck in negative complementary behavior?

• What is the bigger picture of where I want to go? 

• Is my reaction moving me closer to my goal – or is it moving me further away?

• What is the complementary behavior that I would like to create?

• What can I say or do to create that?