Navigating Conflict: Strategies for Effective Communication and Resolution

Navigating conflict is part of every professional relationship. It's an opportunity to learn more about our client and their goals, or to improve how we're communicating in our own workplace. Either way, conflict is a necessary part of any healthy workplace.


But conflict is also one of the biggest challenges that working professionals face in their career. Navigating conflict can be stressful, even if it's something we do every day. So, how do we keep it from being stressful? What strategies do we need to use?

When I began researching this topic, I was surprised at how little information there was on navigating conflict. After a bit of digging, I found that there were several frameworks for dealing with conflict. While some are better suited to certain types of conflicts (e.g. passive/aggressive vs. direct), I found the 4 stages of conflict resolution (proposal, evaluation, discussion, decision) to be helpful in any conflict situation.

In this article, I'll talk about how to navigate through these stages, what tools and strategies you can use to handle different kinds of conflict, and how to get better at negotiating.

Step 1: Propose

The first stage of conflict resolution is proposing a solution. This is a critical step because it's what determines whether the conflict will be resolved or fester on.

We've all been taught that a solution should be proposed in the heat of the moment. It's much harder to accept a solution that's proposed later on. If you're proposing something that doesn't work, then you won't be able to move forward.

Here are a few suggestions:

Be clear about the goal. If you're proposing something that's not going to work, say so. You might have to be a little direct about it. You don't want to come off as disrespectful, so choose your words carefully.

State your case. If you're proposing something that's going to work, try to support your case with evidence. It could be that you've worked hard on a proposal before, and you can reference specific details from previous attempts.

Try to set expectations. If you're proposing something that's going to work, try to set expectations for both parties. You may want to explain why you think this proposal is going to work, and why the other person should be open to it.

Ask for commitment. If you're proposing something that's going to work, make sure you get a commitment from the other person. Make sure you understand where they are coming from before you agree. You don't want to jump into a proposal without knowing where the other person is coming from.

You can't know everything. There will be times when you're proposing something that will work, and the other person isn't receptive to it. That's OK.


Step 2: Evaluate

Once the conflict has been proposed, the second step is evaluating the situation. This is the stage where we learn more about our client and ourselves. At this point, we can see what worked and