This informal CPD article on Dealing With Conflict At Work was provided by UK Body Talk, the global leader in evidence-based courses on the psychology of communication.
Great communication is the key to a successful workplace, without it the ability to collaborate, engage with each other and deal with conflict goes out the window. The trouble is not all of us are natural communicators, and many more of us will do everything we can to avoid challenging conversations and conflict completely. Uncomfortable as it may feel, difficult conversations play a positive role in business and can help us forge better relationships.
If you think about it, conflict forces us to speak up, to share our thoughts and feelings and try to find solutions. Doing the hard thing often results in innovation, collaboration, and a stronger team.
So, what can you do if you find yourself in a conflict situation and what steps could you take to work towards finding common ground or even getting the other person on your side? Use our three top tips for dealing with conflict at work:
Show Empathy
Empathy doesn’t mean saying sorry or agreeing with the other person. It’s simply a case of putting yourself in their shoes and trying to understand why they see things the way they do. In a heated situation, it’s easy for tempers to flare and to play the blame game. Putting aside your own agenda and genuinely being interested in the opposing view can help to lower high emotions and create a calmer environment to discuss differences.
Speak Less, Listen more
The natural reaction when someone disagrees with us is to tell them all the reasons you are right, and they are wrong – no wonder emotions escalate! Put yourself into investigative journalist mode and dig deeper to find out what is the person most concerned about. By asking good, open, and short questions this allows a conversation where your antagonist feels listened to AND you get more information. If you feel yourself talking too much, remember this handy acronym. W.A.I.T which stands for Why Am I Talking! If the other person feels like they’re being talked at and not listened to it will be very hard to win their trust and work towards a resolution.
Propose A Solution
Imagine two people who love each other very much. One person gets down on one knee and says, ‘You will marry me’. Of course, marriage proposals don’t go like this and if they did, one would hope the person being proposed to would run a mile. Most of us don’t like being told what to do and conflict situations often go badly because we give our solution as an instruction, which can undo any empathy or understanding you’ve built up.
Instead, offer your solution as a proposal. ‘If we did this, would that work for you?’. Just like the traditional marriage proposal it gives the other person free will, and if you’ve misjudged the situation, you haven’t lost anything. Just go back to the beginning, show empathy, ask questions, and try to find a solution you can both agree on.
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from UK Body Talk, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively please visit the CPD Industry Hubs for more CPD articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
