Effectively Managing Conflicts: 10 Easy Tips to Remember

This article is part of a spotlight series featuring thought leadership pieces submitted by Pathship’s experts. This week, Jill Maidment shares her tips on how to handle conflicts more effectively.

In a study conducted by Stanford Graduate School of Business, 43% of CEO’s surveyed ranked how to handle conflicts as the most important area they want to improve on for their personal development. Before diving straight into conflict management skills training however, it is best to begin with some form of assessment. This may include a personality profile or 360 feedback process, which provides an objective view of key development, leadership and management competencies that need to be improved.

Oftentimes, personality profiles can help determine how an individual will likely approach conflict, which include being accommodating, compromising, collaborating or — with more assertive individuals — argumentative.

No matter what your personality profile is or what approach you use, here are 10 simple tips to remember when dealing with conflict:

1. Take a deep breath before reacting in a conflict situation; try to keep calm by controlling your breathing and thinking before you speak. Watch your body language: avoid pointing or thumping your fist on a table!
2. Stay objective and don’t get personal; use neutral words and ‘I’ and ‘We’ rather than ‘You.’
3. Clarify the issue that is causing the disagreement because often this can become lost or muddled in a heated debate.
4. Ask open questions to establish the facts: ‘when, where?’ and ‘how, what?’ can help you obtain more details and understand the values and feelings of the other person which are driving their argument.
5. Be aware that asking ‘why?’ can sometimes sound judgmental and cause the other person to become defensive.
6. Look at different options available and generate alternative solutions.
7. If somebody is making an objection to your proposal, respond with questions. Use questions to encourage constructive thinking. For example, If we can’t start this meeting now, when would be a better time?
8. Voice your concerns sincerely and listen carefully to the concerns of the other party; actively listen by nodding and summarizing what the other person says.
9. Demonstrate extreme empathy. Learn to tolerate and explore the reasons behind the differences in opinions because opposing views can often spark the best and creative ideas.
10. Confirm the solutions and actions to be taken in order to avoid any further misunderstanding.

Want to learn more on how to handle your office conflicts better? Check out Jill’s profile and book a session!

Jill is a highly respected executive business coach, leadership and management development consultant and British Psychological Society-qualified assessor, with over 20 years’ extensive commercial experience working with high profile senior roles.