Difference in thought and opinions often lead to arguments which can get worse and turn into a conflict. Though a part of life, at times it really can get bad. It may arise at your work place, in your relationships, with your friends or colleagues. As mature individuals, it’s important to be able to ascertain how to manage conflict whether you are part of the conflict or not. You may find you need to act like an arbitrator, with your children, your employees, your friends, but it will definitely help you.
So here are a few handy tips on how to manage conflict more constructively:
1 . Try And Figure Out The Cause
Ask questions and work out to know why the conflict cropped up. Get to the root cause. It will be difficult to manage and resolve, until you know the reason for the same. This can be hard to do if you are part of the conflict as one tends to see things from one’s own perspective. You can choose to discuss the issue with a friend to get a spectators’ perspective of the exact cause of the conflict.
2 . Listen And Understand Others’ Perspective
It is important to understand and recognize different perspectives in a conflict. No two people will think or see things from the same perspective. It is vital to acknowledge someone else’s point of view when approaching conflict management or resolution. Recognition creates awareness and when we are aware of our differences we can learn to get passed them.
3 . Accept And Rectify Your Mistake
Sometimes conflicts arise due to misunderstandings. These kinds of conflict can be resolved very quickly by acknowledging the mistake and rectifying it. Mistakes are discovered when we discover the cause of conflict, so make sure you ask questions to understand how you ended up here.
4 . Avoid Escalations
Try and avoid further exaggerations. This should be the focus of anyone trying to resolve and manage conflict. When conflict get escalated and emotionally charged it becomes harder and almost impossible to resolve. You must take steps to calm those involved. If you are part of the conflict, give yourself some time. A good sleep may help you understand the situation in a much better manner the next morning.
5 . Settle With A Mutual Consensus
When trying to resolve conflict always look for solutions. Communicating your thought yet being open to others is key to finding solutions and once again asking questions is a great way to discern where people are willing to compromise. If you are part of the conflict, let the person know what is important to you and reason it out calmly. Most of the time we hold back some of our thoughts, logic is powerful and if we use it to explain our perspective it might resonate better with others.
So, go ahead and try these tips to resolve the prevailing conflicts before you enter the new year and start the year afresh on a positive note. Stay Happy, Stay Healthy!