program - How to Get along with Critics

* Identify your nemesis.
Think of one interesting thing about him. Discuss that topic with your critic, but "keep the conversation light and short."
* Expect dissappointment.
If a co-worker, friend, or family member always gives you a hard time, expecting major improvement will only frustrate you.
* Pick your battles.
Speak up when verbally abused but let "minor offenses" like insensitivity go. Set a limit, though, on the small stuff--say, five or 10 instances--and then respond. Try, "I've been keepinga tally, and I decided to ignore your first six rude remarks. But you just hit seven and need to chill out," said Leonard Felder, author of When Difficult Relatives Happen to Good People.
* Get some distance.
If converstions become uncomfortable, go out for a cup of coffee.

--source: Fitness, quoted in The Week, February 4, 2004