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Conflict Resolution
“By optimizing the role I play in any interaction I have been better able to minimize defensive reactions in others and to resolve conflicts more effectively. I received ongoing support and information from you that helped direct our firm to that higher level..”
—Nelson Grummney, Jr.
President, Neland Investment Management
When differences occur between people, flawed technique can quickly turn a meeting into a fruitless argument. But this doesn’t have to happen. Instead, individuals can learn to identify specific behaviors and the tangible outcomes they have on them so that the other person can more easily appreciate the nature of the difficulty.
Too often the encounter becomes negative, and the relationship between the people suffers. Instead of being distracted by personalities, develop skills for confronting the tough issues while concentrating on tasks and getting the job done.
Objectives
- Learn how to keep the other person engaged and motivated to listen.
- Become aware of each person’s positive and negative communication behaviors.
- Learn to give clear and direct feedback.
- Identify methods to minimize defensive reactions.
- Diffuse volatile issues and unveil the elements of a workable solution.
Benefits
- Reduce turnover and the costs associated with it when people understand how to resolve their differences.
- Free up time that the leader spends as a referee.
- Create a more productive work environment in which people concentrate on results, not differences of opinion.
Process
- In written pre-work, each participant answers questions designed to pinpoint the nature and causes of the conflict.
- Prior to the first meeting, each person meets with the facilitator to discuss the issues he or she identified in the written pre-work.
- Drawing from the responses of the pre-work and interviews, the facilitator guides the participants through a step-by-step process that helps them determine what they will need to strengthen the working relationship between them.
- After considering the feedback from the others and the facilitator, each person commits to some change of behavior.