For the pre-step, I guess it helps to be able to already accept what you are going into and then hear the other person start saying that he thinks you are really crazy. This didn't bother me. I told him that I know he doesn't like it. He said he's not bothered by it. I told him then there's no need to say anything negative about it. He didn't say anything after and then I said we can take this personal matter to higher ups which he declined. I ended up winning the verbal sparring match while he looked like a dork.
To make things flow so smoothly like that for yourself, you have to be able to 1.) put in the effort to communicate properly and 2.) just be yourself. It's really that simple or maybe it's just being myself that I like to feel how I whooped someone at a stupid conflict.
