You're probably thinking, "What? Arguing? That's never a good thing! It's always caused me problems."
Well, you're not completely wrong. But that's because many people "argue" in the wrong way. Instead of having a passionate discussion with another person to try to convince them your view is the correct one, most people yell, scream and throw out words laced with anger and bile. This is not the correct way to argue, so yeah, if you're doing it this way, you're doing it wrong.
You're probably also thinking, "oh, arguing with a coworker or a boss? Yeah, that's never productive." Wrong again! (see, I'm arguing with you right now).
Arguing carries a mostly negative connotation with it, but it's not as harmful as may think. If you want to know how arguing can actually help your business, and create a positive environment at work, keep reading!
Sometimes, you need to have passionate discussions with your fellow coworkers, or employees. That's really what arguing should be: passionate discussion between two or more people about things they care deeply about. When you discuss an important issue with someone, and you put a lot of thought and effort into making your point of view known, you cultivate a healthy work environment where people aren't afraid to voice their opinions.
Cultivating these passionate discussions helps to bring in new ideas that would otherwise go unspoken. That's because when you're passionate about something, whether it be a special project or the company your work for, you're more willing to try to make it better, and think outside of the box. Arguing your ideas with others is like a brainstorming session that's hyped up on a ton of caffeine, and it will usually produce an idea that you never thought of before, or a new perspective on an old way of doing something.
The most important thing to remember is that arguing can be done without anger getting involved. Most people forget this because whenever they start having a heated discussion with someone, they think they're being attacked on a personal level for having a differing opinion. What you need to remember is that anger never solves anything, and ends up putting a barrier between you and the other person. Whenever you feel yourself getting angry during a heated discussion, remember that the other person feels just as passionately about their ideas as you do yours. Remember to take deep breaths, don't raise your voice, don't personally attack the other person with your words, and keep your cool when arguing.
Let's face it, if you don't care about something, you're not going to put too much effort into making your opinion known to your coworkers. But, if you're passionate about a cause or an idea, more likely than not you're going to speak up and let others know. Arguing gives a voice to the ones who might not be the typical speakers in meetings. You might be shocked at times when the typically quite employee suddenly speaks up in opposition to your idea, but always remember to listen to what they have to say. Just because they don't typically speak, and are mostly in agreement with whatever you decide, doesn't mean they don't have awesome ideas as well.
Arguing is typically viewed as a negative way to communicate between coworkers. And it can be, if abused and done in the wrong way. Don't dismiss it as something that's always bad, however. Embrace arguing, and learn to do it the right way!
Contributor Caleb Hennington is a 24-year-old writer, who manages the Atwill Media and FGmarket blogs. He graduated from Arkansas State University in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
When not writing, Caleb enjoys camping, running, collecting comic books, and binge-watching shows on Netflix.