7. Step Back

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If you do feel yourself about to burst after hearing something that you think is ridiculous, it may be worth taking a short break if possible. Go off for five minutes, make yourself a drink, do tip number three and remind yourself that it is only someone else’s opinion.

6. Maintain Calm at All Times

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In my opinion maintaining your calm is the most important way that you can avoid an argument. Often people become angry and start shouting at the other person, in my opinion this only adds fuel to the argument. This is because the other person then feels as though they need to defend their argument and themselves.

5. Present Your Side of the Discussion in a Rational Way

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When someone is saying something that you really do not agree with, do not turn around and tell them that their ideas are a load of rubbish because this is not constructive. In my opinion it is important that you think about the other person’s argument and say why it is that you do not agree, do so in a logical way and try to refer to evidence to support what you are saying.

4. Listen to What the Person Has to Say

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Just because you do not want to start an argument does not mean that you have to ignore the person all together, it may be that the person only wants someone to rant to and then they will be fine. So make sure that you listen to what they are saying, show that you are listening by making a simple gesture such as nodding or asking questions.

3. Take a Deep Breath

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If you feel yourself starting to get agitated because of someone’s behaviour or what some one is saying then it is important to try to maintain control over yourself. First of all let out a deep breath, hold your breathing for a few seconds and then take in a deep breath, hold again, repeat this for as long as you need. In my opinion this is important because breathing correctly has shown to help people to relax.

2. Accept That We All Have Different Opinions and Views

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So many arguments are started by the fact that people have different opinions and views. In order to stay clear of arguments you need to be able to accept this and understand that an opinion is not a fact; your opinion could be disagreed with by so many. This happens because people are from so many different ethnic backgrounds, gender differences, age differences and there are cultural differences.

1. Do Not Bite the Reel

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There are a lot of people around that just enjoy stirring and they will create situations in which arguments can start easily. You should try not to take the bait and bite back because this is exactly what the other person wants; they want an argument and say things in order to induce one.

There you have 7 ways to avoid an argument. The next time that you find yourself in a bit of a tricky situation with someone who blatantly wants to start an argument, try thinking of these tips and they should help you to prevent it.

Top Photo Credit: Mattijn