Conflict and confrontation is no fun. It’s inevitable…but it’s no fun. For today’s front-row Friday video message, I suggest a couple of conversation hacks to help you stay calm and credible if you are being confronted or if you have to confront someone else on a conflict situation. If you are being confronted, you may be caught off guard. If that’s the case, breathe, and ask a question. Ask for specifics. Ask them to repeat themselves. This will buy you some time to think about what to say next. Plus, clarity is always a good thing when managing conflict.
If YOU are the one that has to confront someone on their behavior, again, not fun, but doable with this conversation hack. Write down the situation. Write it again. Then, reduce it. When confronting people, we often allow our discomfort and awkwardness turn into too much verbiage and the message gets lost. So, keep the conversation short. Once you have the message down to a simple conversation, focusing on stating facts and moving toward resolution, then practice on a trusted friend. Ask how your message is coming across. Let the words flow so that when it comes time to actually confront the person, the words are familiar to your lips.
Good luck! Keep these hacks in your back pocket for the next time conflict or confrontation shows up.
Your head usher,
Marilyn
