Working emotionally charged situations can be challenging. In particular, when emotions are negative.

Here’s a simple construct when working with emotions:

A – Acknowledge the emotion to the other person. This acknowledgement will start to normalize the feelings, and help you see the emotion, isn’t yours.

B – Breath and don’t be afraid of the silence. It will help you be clearer on your next step and honours the other by showing you are thoughtful

C – Curiosity about what is behind the emotion. All emotions are an expression of something important. Now go find it.

Working with emotions can be as simple as ABC.

You’ve caught this.

Credit: my friend Beth Kleederman for the ABC construct.