4.4.e Video: Acting Out Your Strategy
If the first step in conflict transformation is to become aware of your own reactions and conflict style, the next step is to be able to adjust your conflict style to meet or confront different types of conflict styles. In this video, Roy Johnson describes how to act out your strategy when dealing with conflict. You can download the transcript for this video by selecting "video transcript".
Video summary
- After queuing air and refusing the bait, the next step is to act respectfully and effectively.
- Act out your immediate strategy: directly describe your concern and then direct to a solution (ex: I am concerned that your comment is not helpful at this time. What the client needs is your attention and clinical care.)
- Using a calm tone while modeling respectful behavior might backfire or be too subtle; instead, use a practical tone of voice and say something like, “Clearly something isn’t working here; let’s get through this.”
- Talk about the future state and your commitment to getting this positively resolved;
- Then just get through it; now is not the time to get too deep into that difficult conversation.