Even the best conflict engagement professionals can be blindsided by an occasional toxic exchange. Despite how fantastic a day may start, a few harsh words can catch us off-guard, leaving us feeling defensive, angry or belittled. You can keep difficult people from bringing you down with them and poisoning your well. There are surprisingly effective strategies for bouncing back and preventing conflicts from getting the best of you.
I’ll walk you through an example from my own experience.
Jingles may wish us happy holidays, but commercials and social media, by design, influence how we bedeck our homes, spend our money, measure happiness and practice traditions around holidays. It can be overwhelming.
If we succumb to all the pressures buzzing around us, the reality is this: the main focus of the holidays is wiped out by stress, misunderstanding and conflict. Here are a few personal stories as well as tips from my 20+ years as a mediator on how to avoid common pitfalls.
Our social harmony has been fragmented by mud-slinging and divisiveness. Clashes between the left and the right have global reverberations. Each side holds negative views about the other, leading to polarization, culminating in political “echo chambers.” I admit, I've been guilty of this myself at times. When I do engage with people on the opposite end of my political views, however, I find practical negotiation strategies lead to respectful and eye-opening debates.
