# 🏁 Checkpoint: Disagreement, Boundaries, and Trust

By Better Wise



## Quiz

1. In a disagreement, what is the difference between a position and an interest?
   - A position is the emotion someone shows; an interest is the facts they cite.
   - A position is always the more reasonable view; an interest is the stubborn one.
   - A position is what someone says they want; an interest is why they want it.
   - A position is what you will do next; an interest is what the other person must do.
2. A colleague says, "We should just ship on Friday." Which reply follows the four beats of respectful disagreement (shared goal, signal of difference, your reason, invitation)?
   - "That's reckless. You clearly haven't thought this through."
   - "Fine, whatever you think is best."
   - "We both want the client to be happy. I see the timeline differently: my worry is that shipping untested costs us a week of firefighting. What's driving Friday for you?"
   - "You always rush things and it never works out."
3. Which sentence is a clean ownership statement rather than blame?
   - "You're overreacting to a small change."
   - "Everyone knows you're bad at communicating."
   - "I got caught out when the time moved. Can I get a heads-up next time?"
   - "You never tell me when plans change."
4. In the three-step repair, why must acknowledgement come before clarification?
   - Because acknowledging first ends the conversation faster.
   - Because the re-ask step should always come first.
   - Because explaining first is heard as justification, and the other person stops listening.
   - Because the clarify step is optional and can be skipped.
5. Which line is a boundary rather than a demand or a hint?
   - "I don't answer messages after 9pm. I'll reply first thing in the morning."
   - "You have to stop messaging me at night."
   - "I'm usually pretty tired by then..."
   - "If you message me at night again, we're done."
6. A relative pushes back: "You never come to Sunday lunch anymore. Your sister manages it." What is the recommended first move?
   - Argue back with a new point about your sister's schedule.
   - Give in this once to keep the peace, then resent it later.
   - Explain in detail why your schedule is so busy right now.
   - Acknowledge the feeling, then restate the boundary in similar words.
7. You promised a report by Friday but cannot make it. What builds the most trust?
   - Promise a bigger deliverable next time to make up for it.
   - Wait until Friday, then apologize for the delay.
   - Say nothing and hope they do not notice.
   - Tell them before the deadline and give a new specific time, such as Monday by noon.
8. Which three criteria guide channel choice?
   - Length, formality, and audience size.
   - Speed, convenience, and cost.
   - Sensitivity, ambiguity, and relationship repair.
   - Tone, brevity, and written record.
9. The three-step repair is: acknowledge, ____, re-ask.
10. Write a three-line repair for this situation: in a team call you said, "This report is a mess," and a colleague later told you it embarrassed them in front of everyone. Then check your answer against the rubric.


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## Contents

Part of [🗣️ Human Connection: Communicate Clearly, Listen Deeply, and Build Trust](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust.md)

- **👂 Listening Foundations**
  - [🎧 Active Listening and Presence](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/active-listening-and-presence.md)
  - [❓ Open-Ended Questions That Open Conversation](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/open-ended-questions.md) (sign-in required)
  - [🔁 Reflective Paraphrasing and Summarizing](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/reflective-paraphrasing.md)
  - [✅ Checkpoint: Listening Foundations](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/checkpoint-listening-foundations.md)
- **👀 Nonverbal Signals and Clear Messages**
  - [🧍 Nonverbal Awareness: Body, Tone, and Mismatch](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/nonverbal-awareness.md)
  - [🙏 Clear Requests Instead of Hints](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/clear-requests.md)
  - [🧰 Constructive Feedback That Lands](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/constructive-feedback.md)
  - [🎯 Checkpoint: Nonverbal Signals and Clear Messages](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/checkpoint-nonverbal-and-clear-messages.md)
- **🤝 Disagreement, Boundaries, and Trust**
  - [⚖️ Respectful Disagreement and Quick Repair](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/respectful-disagreement-and-repair.md)
  - [🛡️ Boundaries, Follow-Through, and Trust](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/boundaries-follow-through-and-trust.md) (premium content)
  - [💻 Digital or Face-to-Face: Choosing the Channel](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/digital-vs-face-to-face-channel-choice.md)
  - [🏁 Checkpoint: Disagreement, Boundaries, and Trust](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/checkpoint-disagreement-boundaries-and-trust.md) — this lesson
- [Course cheatsheet](https://everwise.study/courses/human-connection-communicate-clearly-listen-deeply-and-build-trust/cheatsheet.md) (premium content)