In the video, Effective Strategies to Manage Conflict at Work, Lorraine Segal discusses conflict and how we can best respond and handle those situations. One of the communication skills she discussed was listening. When we listen effectively we are able to hear what the other person is saying and able to resolve a conflict more quickly. Listening effectively means we stop what we are doing, take ownership of our own mistakes and keep an open mind to others ideas. Lorraine Segal talks about the benefits of listening in the you tube video from the course content this week. By listening we make others feel heard and breakdown conflict more readily.
We all have “hot buttons”, those things that really irritate us. One of my hot buttons is being questioned in front of my patients about my nursing actions or judgement. After watching the video, I learned that I need to switch my own attitude to contribute to the conversation and stop being defensive. By taking a breath and being willing to listen to the question with an open mind, I will be less likely to end up in a confrontational situation.
Khawand, P. (2014, June 06). Effective Strategies to Manage Conflict at Work [Video File]. Retrieved
from https://blackboard.fhsu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_
id=_119914_1&content_id=_5363996_1
I like how you pointed out the taking ownership of our mistakes part. I think a part that can go hand in hand with understanding that we may have made a mistake is to recognize that just like we may have misunderstood what someone else said, it is possible for them to misunderstand us. If we really take the time to focus and listen we can more readily identify any misconceptions.
I agree with you that we should take ownership of our mistakes. I think that is a big cause of conflict, when people do not take ownership. Also, I like that you added that we must be open to other’s ideas. Sometimes we seem to get stuck on our ways without realizing there is different ways do things with obtaining the same result.
There are many communication skills to manage conflict. One of them would be to address issues as soon as possible. One should not allow conflict grow more by giving it time. One should address it right away. At my previous job, our manager always made sure to remind the staff that she was available at all times. This was helpful, because whenever I had a concern it was easy to address it right away with her flexibility. In addition, like Lorraine Segal mentioned, one should “accept conflict, listen effectively, manage your emotions, look at what is and isn’t your part, and let go” (Khawand, 2014). These are all ways to deal with conflict. I believe the harder part of all of us is to only take our part, and let go. Most of the times during conflict we seem take more than what is just ours. This only allows the conflict to grow stronger because we lose control of our emotions.
Again, in my experience, one of my “hot buttons” is when I hear gossiping. This immediately makes me put up my guard with the person doing the gossiping. I do not like to hear people gossip about others or myself. I have not always dealt with this the way I should. I think I try to be nice to coworkers, but I tend to keep a lot of feelings in. In the future I will use Lorraine Segal’s strategy to “breathe in peace and breathe out peace” (Khawand, 2014), let go and stop holding. Her strategy appears to be a good one to use and share with others.
Khawand, P. (2014, June 06). Effective Strategies to Manage Conflict at Work. Retrieved February 07, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8_n-QGwh-E
I completely agree that active listening is a great way to handle situations and manage conflict. I also like what you said about taking ownership of our own mistakes. I think a lot of people struggle with that, myself included at times. I am trying to be better about that because I do think it is extremely important that we do take ownership of our mistakes and listen effectively to help manage conflict. I believe that as a leader, being a strong effective listener is a great characteristic to possess. It will help your staff feel like they are actually being heard.