The key to disagreeing effectively is to maintain professionalism at all times. When you disagree with someone, start by acknowledging their view and respecting their opinion. Start with the points that you and your colleague agree on then build your case for the differences between your areas of disagreement. Remember – they will feel passionate about their approach so avoid turning the situation into a contest.
Think carefully about the outcome that you want from the situation. After all, you will still have to work with this colleague every day. Sometimes it’s best to meet in the middle and reach a compromise.
Sometimes you need to concede a few points to someone else. In this case you should be prepared to “agree to disagree”. After all, a point comes when the business needs to move forward, even with an imperfect solution.
Once you agree on a solution, the key is to encourage the whole team to move past their need to disagree and move to support the final decision. By working through disagreements together, people often build a better understanding of one another and can build improved working relationships as a result. Disagreements are a learning experience for everyone involved and over time, people learn to let things go and move on.