Scroll through your social media feed or watch the evening news and you will see a plethora of people that believe they are right about everything

Everybody thinks they’re self-proclaimed experts on vaccinations, politics, and a myriad of other social issues.

The problem, most people are wrong compliments of confirmation bias, and few very people possess the communication skills required for conflict resolution.

Beliefs are easily manipulated. Knowledge, not so much.

Most people have strong beliefs, but they lack knowledge about whatever they adamantly defend.

Many people meander through life operating with an adolescent mindset. Once they develop a belief system, they won’t compromise, consider alternative viewpoints, or engage in respectful conversation.

Considering most people lack emotional intelligence, the combination is dangerous.

Equip a stubborn mind with superficial insight based on specious claims, and you have a poor communicator that can’t listen who makes virulent attacks and refuses to admit fallibility. Sound scary, it is.

Try living with someone like this or working with a “superior” that has everything figured out.

Work environments are filled with political ideologues that have their prejudice wrapped in arrogance and disdain for anyone that disagrees.

When these people take charge, they shove their opinions down our throat and refuse to entertain any ideas that contradict their own.

People in agreement, you can rest peacefully. Anyone that disagrees, remains silent, gets ostracized and encounters punitive contempt.

This “need to be right” is the product of many underlying issues, but the results are the same. In relationships, these people are challenging. At work, these people can make life miserable. In life, these people are obnoxious and better avoided.

So how do we get better at confronting know it alls who can’t accept being wrong?

TO BE BETTER AT DEALING WITH KNOW-IT-ALLS DO 5 THINGS:

01.CONTEXT

It’s very difficult not to take things personally, but we need to resist personalizing poorly delivered arguments based on flimsy facts and emotional hyperbole.  The internet is full of people that are convinced they have the facts, but most don’t.  We need to recognize most of these people have a history of unhealthy behavior that extends deep into their past.  This encounter isn’t about us, we just happen to be the target of choice. Once we detach from the need to convince an ignorant person of their untenable arguments, we move on.

02. BOUNDARIES

People that love to argue are energy vampires and they crave conflict. The need to be right makes people hunger for conformity so they can savor another victory. Sound like a shallow person? You got it! It’s ok to assert our opinion, but we need to realize conversion isn’t an option with an obstinate human being. State your piece and walk away. Block and delete people on social media that trigger confrontation and think carefully about the people we surround ourselves with. Boundaries are key to keeping life incredible.

03. DON'T ESCLATE

I see so many people escalate confrontation on social media. When somebody stops by and says something disrespectful or lacks common sense in their ability to communicate effectively, pause and refrain from escalating the situation. Does this person really matter? On a recent LinkedIn poll, I asked my community how much sleep they require to function at their best. Over 1.5 million people saw that post, 80,000 people voted and 3,000 people joined the conversation. One person, a self-proclaimed “marketing expert” vilified me for asking a question that had nothing to do with weather. Her claim, your storytelling needs to be refined. She had 3,000 followers on LinkedIn and gets no engagement and she’s selling advice on how brands can build awareness on social media. See the irony? I sure did. She obviously didn’t take the time to research my business and its relationship to Anatomy of Success, my personal brand. Better health is of my four tenets of equanimity, and proper rest is an important topic. What was she really saying? I am irrelevant and your success annoys me. Block, delete and move on. . .

04. FOCUS

Conflict requires staying focused on the relevant issues. It’s easy to drift off course once somebody starts to bloviate about everything under the sun. They drag up the past. They point fingers and make outrageous claims based on speculation and conjecture. It’s easy for people that lack knowledge to complicate the disagreement with a myriad of unrelated issues. We need to keep the conversation focused and keep people on topic. It’s a skill that requires practice, but it helps nullify the effects of a meandering mind commitment to confrontation..

05. CORROBORATE

At work know it all’s can be especially dangerous. They will call in the reinforcements and corroborate their inveterate claims. On social media, these are the bullies that pile on political adversaries and attempt to silence people that disagree. They come out in numbers. Obnoxious idiots with too much freedom and a penchant for anger, intimidation and lack of purpose, love to pull people into their pit of despair. We must take the high road and realize the futility of engaging “the group”. At work, set boundaries and focus on communicating directly with the person involved. Online, if we are discussing divisive issues, it’s part of the territory, conflict is inevitable.

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