How to Respect Cultural Differences in Crucial Conversations

Bless your heart! I love this question because I have lived it. I was raised in Utah, where a similar cultural aversion to hard conversations exists. People value harmony, so hard truths are sometimes softened to the point of marshmallow-like meaninglessness. But I’ve learned that avoiding necessary conversations doesn’t preserve relationships—it erodes them. The challenge is not whether to have a conversation, but how to do so in a way that aligns with cultural values. Here’s how you can navigate this.