Written by: Vickie Sullivan | April 22, 2021
How to Handle Know-It-Alls on Social Media
We’ve all experienced that person on social media who is wrong but oh so confident. An easy way to deal with them is to placate or ignore them. But a Harvard Business Review article written by Adam Grant, Persuading the Unpersuadable, has some great ideas for an alternative approach.
Let’s move past Grant’s focus on one-on-one workplace conversations. The tactics he describes can also be used in online interactions.
2 Ways to Respond to Know-It-Alls on Social Media
• Inconsistency is our friend. No one is 100% stubborn 100% of the time. But the method for figuring out when someone will bend – the if/then equation – is a worthy tool for a variety of situations. And the best news: We can create scenarios where closed minds can open.
• Give them what they want – at first. Killer questions such as “what if” open the door for control freaks. And in those situations, the arrogant to go first. Then the “game of catch” can begin.
Listen: How to Praise an Idiot
Dealing with stubborn, controlling personalities are part of the territory during engaged conversations in social media. Tools like these can help you handle those situations, as well as one-on-one interactions.
Now Read This:
- How to Avoid Silly Debates on Social Media
- Springboard Marketing: Leveraging Your Expertise into an Empire