There is sometimes an interesting scenario, and it occurs when two people meet each other for the first time. This is particularly interesting when they have prior knowledge of each other, but not always the case. If you want more guidance on this type of scenario and how best to deal with it as a sensible, normal human being, it would be useful to check out Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, and I would recommend the audiobook, which is sensational.
What happens, though, sometimes is the status chain reaction.
One person decides that they're the cleverest in the room and starts the conversation off in a particular way, which leads to an ‘escalation of cleverness’ by the opposite person until a chain reaction proceeds and people end up vying for the ego number one spot, and the conversation becomes utterly useless, apart from like two stags posturing on a hillside.
If you're clever enough to notice this, (assuming you're one of the two people). The best thing you can do is de-escalate.
It's one thing to think you're the cleverest person in the room, but it's another thing to understand that the person opposite you thinks you're the cleverest person in the room and act accordingly.
There's nothing to be gained from a battle like that, de-escalating the situation, often stepping back from that so you have absolutely nothing to prove is the best way to gain traction, trust.
Empathy and understanding from the person that you're talking to.
Blog Post Number - 4410
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