Meetings 8 Dealing with problems

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Learn how to get a meeting back on track, even when challenges arise.

Introduction

Look at the following methods and situations of dealing with conflict. Come up with a definition for each word.

How to deal with conflict	Situation
Preempt	John comes up with a list of risks and possible challenges before the meeting begins.
Acknowledge	Julie listens to Mark's concerns and responds, "You're right about that. I hear your concerns. But what do you think about this approach?"
Diffuse	Rebekah listens to her colleagues argue for five minutes and sees that no one is listening to each other. She says, "Let's take a ten-minute break to cool down and then regroup."
Define	Lisa notices that the argument between her colleagues is stemming from one issue—a past project that didn't go well. She says, "Let's get to the bottom of the issue. I know we've been through this before and it didn't work out very well."
Perspective Taking	Stephen listens to his colleague, Hank, becoming a bit stubborn and refusing to listen to other opinions. He says, "Hank, I know you think that this is the best way, but let's consider this from Jules' perspective. She has to be mindful of the budget—how can we take her challenge and bring that into your solution?"
Mediate	Alyssa steps in between her colleagues, who are arguing about the solution. "Okay, I know you need to think about how we can get this out into the world as quickly and effectively as possible, but we also have to think about the money this will cost. So what's a low-cost, but effective alternative to advertising on TV?"
Resolve and move forward	Bob hears the solution becoming stronger as the discussions continue. "I know we've had our differences, but I think we're close to a great solution. What's our action points?" he says.
Repair	David knows that he might have been hard on Ethan during the last meeting and that tempers flared. He walks over to Ethan in the break room and holds out his hand as he says, "Hey man, I know things got a bit rough in there. Hope you didn't take it personally. You're doing an awesome job."

Warm Up

Strategic Vision and Company Values Disagreement

Participants:

Lisa (CEO) – Advocates for a long-term, ethical branding approach
Mark (COO) – Wants aggressive growth and profit maximization

Discussion:
Lisa: "Mark, I don’t understand why you keep pushing for short-term profit over our core values. We built this company on ethical sourcing and sustainability. If we start cutting corners now, we’ll lose credibility!"

Mark: "That’s naive, Lisa. We’re in a competitive market! If we don’t expand aggressively, we’ll be left behind. Your idealistic approach is going to drive us straight into irrelevance."

Lisa: "That’s completely unfair. I care about growth, but not at the cost of our integrity. I won’t let you turn this company into another profit-hungry machine."

Mark: "And I won’t sit here and watch you drive us into the ground with your 'values over profits' nonsense!"

As a leader in the meeting, what would you do?

Language

Look at the following phrases and work on the scenario that your teacher will give you.

How to deal with conflict	Phrases
Preempt	"Let’s set clear expectations from the start." "If you have any concerns, please feel free to bring them up." "We value open communication to avoid misunderstandings."
Acknowledge	"I understand that this is an important issue for you." "I can see that you’re frustrated. Let’s talk about it." "I appreciate you sharing your concerns."
Diffuse	"Let’s take a step back and look at this calmly." "I hear you, and I want to find a solution that works for both of us." "We’re all working towards the same goal."
Define	"Can we clarify what the main issue is?" "What outcome would you like to see?" "Let’s break this down into manageable steps."
Perspective Taking	"How do you see this situation?" "Can you help me understand your point of view?" "What challenges are you facing in this situation?"
Mediate	"Let’s find a middle ground." "How can we come to a fair solution?" "I suggest we explore some options together."
Resolve and move forward	"We’ve agreed on this solution moving forward." "Let’s put this behind us and focus on our goals." "I appreciate your cooperation in resolving this."
Repair	"I appreciate your patience and willingness to work through this." "Let’s ensure this doesn’t happen again by improving our communication." "I value our collaboration and want to strengthen our working relationship."

Practice

You are nearing the end of the meeting and it seems to be going nowhere as tempers flare. Out of the blue, the marketing intern starts asking questions about another project he's working on. Put the meeting back on track.

Minimising conflict and reducing the potential for disharmony is a huge consideration for business leaders.

What is your biggest revelation or takeaway from this lesson?

In our next lesson, we will continue to explore potential issues that can derail a meeting.