In a study, almost 100% of respondents claimed that other people were the cause of conflict in the workplace.
Conflict can happen anywhere and with anyone. When two (or more) opposing sides are at a standstill it can seem like progress will never be made.
Instead of letting resentment and frustration build-up, you can work things out with the other party and try to resolve the root of the issues.
Continue reading to discover all of the best tips for conflict resolution that may help calm a situation!
1. Collaborate With Everyone
One of the best tips for conflict resolution is to collaborate with all of the parties involved.
Cooperation helps make resolving issues much easier because it allows everyone the chance to say what they need to. Often times, conflicts arise because of miscommunication and an unwillingness to listen. Do your best to work with everyone around and wait for your turn to speak if you have something to add.
Keep an open mind and truly try to listen and understand the other perspective.
2. Try to Understand All Sides
Conflicts and arguments are typically more than one dimensional and have several biases and perspectives.
If you are wanting to resolve a conflict, you will need to be aware of these biases and other points of view. When frustration and anger take over in a conflict, it can be hard to hear the other person out. This delays the resolution and can worsen the problem.
When you aren’t able to keep biases aside, it is a good time to get help from an outside party to help keep conversations productive and controlled.
3. Avoid Your Trigger
Although avoiding your trigger won’t solve the root of the problem, it can still help diffuse a situation.
By avoiding who or whatever you have conflicts with, you can reduce the communication and focus on your own tasks. Not all people are n a position to avoid the trigger, however, but you can still limit communication. Some people recommend emailing or texting the person you have a conflict with if in-person communication often leads to arguments.
Keep in mind the avoidance is not the answer to all of your problems, you can find out more about controlling your reactions to help.
4. Find Common Ground
When there is conflict, it can seem like it is one side against the other.
This is unproductive and can prevent resolution. Do your best to find common ground with the other person. By learning more about the other person or perspective, you can discover where they are coming from and why they are taking their stance.
If you can’t find anything to relate to, you can talk to them about getting on the same path to fixing the conflict.
5. Don’t Play the Blame Game
The blame game is a popular tactic that people use to avoid conflict when in all reality, it adds more conflict.
By blaming the other person or side, you aren’t taking responsibility for any of your actions or words. Everyone should be held accountable, however, progress won’t be possible until finger-pointing stops.
Conflict Resolution Done Right
Disagreements and conflicts frequently occur, but that doesn’t mean that arguments are necessary.
By utilizing these conflict resolution strategies, you can fix problems at home, work, and with friends in a breeze. There are many sides and biases that come into play with conflict arises, so you must keep an open mind and be honest.
Blaming issues on other people and not finding common ground can intensify situations and result in more damage.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about resolving issues inside and outside of the home!
