Your Job Forces You To Deal With Conflict – Part 2
Posted By admin on June 20th
Two week ago I wrote about if you are in a job that forces you to deal with conflict. You can’t run away from the conflict, so you have to learn how to respond to the other person’s difficult behavior.
In addition to considering your goals for managing the conflict, you have to consider how to react in a way to effectively manage the conflict. Too often, we respond emotionally without thinking, and then we regret our response.
There are things you can do, both before, and during the conversation to help you ease tensions and make the conversation less confrontational, and more productive.
- First, before you approach the other person about the conversation, take inventory of what it is you want to say. Take a few minutes to plan out your talking points, think about what you want to say, and what you hope to accomplish. Mentally practice the conversation, and try to see the various possibilities and visualize yourself handling each possible conversation with ease.
- Second, check your motivations for having the conversation. Ask yourself – what’s the purpose for having this conversation. Give a moment of thought to what pushes your buttons, and the backstory, or trigger for the conversation.
- Third, consider your role in the conflict. Think about how you might have contributed to the problem, and what assumptions the other person might have made about your behavior.
- Fourth, consider the other person’s needs and wants and what kind of solutions they might suggest to the problem.
- Finally, think about the most appropriate time to have the conversation.
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