
Learn how to get a meeting back on track, even when challenges arise.
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 |
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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." |
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?
Look at the following phrases and work on the scenario that your teacher will give you.
How to deal with conflict | Phrases |
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Preempt |
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Acknowledge |
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Diffuse |
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Define |
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Perspective Taking |
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Mediate |
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Resolve and move forward |
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Repair |
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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?