Top 6 Conflict Resolution Strategies

Conflict is inevitable. It's not a matter of whether the situation will occur, but when. If you're involved in an ongoing conflict, there are several ways to handle it. The most important thing is to know what works best for you and your personality type so that you can achieve your goals while leaving both parties feeling satisfied with the outcome.

Here you have some strategies that work on conflict management

1. Defusing with Time Out

• Take a Break. If you're upset, it's okay to step away from the situation and calm yourself down before trying again. Go for a walk or find something else to do until you feel ready to talk again.
• Don't Let It Escalate: Don't allow the conversation to get too heated. If things are starting to get out of hand, take a break and try again later when both parties have calmed down some more.
• Don't Take It Personally: This person isn't attacking you personally; they're just frustrated with the situation as well as their lack of control over it at this point in time (or maybe even feeling powerless). You don't need to let their words hurt you—they just mean that they're upset about not being able to make things better right now!

2. Shoulder-to-Shoulder: A Problem-Solving Approach

As the name suggests, this strategy is all about finding a solution that works for all parties involved. Rather than looking at the conflict as "you" versus "me," it's important to take a step back and see the larger picture: You are both part of the same team, or organization, or family.

The first step in this approach is to have an open dialogue where everyone feels heard and understood by one another. This can mean taking turns talking about what you're feeling; it can also mean taking time to listen carefully before responding yourself. It's important not only that people feel understood but also that they feel respected, which means avoiding any type of judgmental language (even if it seems justified).

In order for conflicts to be resolved successfully through negotiation and compromise, everyone's needs must be taken into account—and if one person feels left out of discussions about those needs, then no progress can be made toward resolving their conflict

3. Fisher's "Getting to Yes" approach

The "getting to yes" approach is a negotiation strategy developed by Roger Fisher and William Ury in their 1981 book of the same name. The method described in this book is built on the idea that you can resolve conflict more effectively by focusing on what you want, rather than what you don't want. The authors describe five "principles of peaceful negotiation":

• Focus on interests, not positions: Instead of arguing over whether something should be done, focus on why it needs to be done and how it can be accomplished.
• Invent options for mutual gain: Look for ways to satisfy both parties' needs without taking anything away from either one in order to reach an agreement that works for both sides.
• Insist on using objective criteria: Make sure your decisions are based solely upon relevant facts rather than emotions or personal feelings about others involved in the dispute.
• Aim high and then compromise: Don't settle for a mediocre solution; instead, push yourself toward better ideas until all parties have achieved their goals as best as possible given available resources and constraints (e.g., time). Once everyone agrees upon an acceptable compromise, take immediate action to make it happen so no time is wasted revisiting issues later down the road when circumstances may have changed since then

4. The Conciliator

The conciliator is a peacemaker. They do not take sides in the conflict; rather, they act as a mediator and work towards understanding each person’s perspective. A conciliator does not point fingers or assign blame for the situation at hand. Instead of trying to figure out who is right or wrong, they focus on how both parties can get what they want without hurting one another.

This style of communication can be especially useful when handling interpersonal conflicts that involve several people or when resolving issues within teams where no clear leader exists. However, it can also backfire if one party feels like their concerns are being dismissed by someone who isn’t directly involved in the dispute—as this may make them feel as though their opinion doesn't matter or won't be heard by those with power over them (e.g., supervisors).

5. Dealing with Crazymakers

Crazymakers are people who get upset when others disagree with them. They may be passive-aggressive or aggressive, depending on the situation. Some crazymakers use emotional blackmail to get their way; others use threats of violence. Crazymakers can also employ the "silent treatment" as a tactic for punishing those who disagree with them.

Crazymakers tend to have one or more of the following characteristics:

• They have low self-esteem. This means that they are insecure about themselves and what they do, so they feel threatened by anyone else who may challenge them in any way (e.g., by offering an opinion that differs from theirs).
• They lack social skills. In other words, they find it difficult to interact with other people because they don't know how to properly communicate their thoughts without being rude or offensive in some way (e.g., by insulting someone else's intelligence).

So, how to deal with them?

• Stay calm: Don't get caught up in their craziness, and don't let them drag you down with them.
• Don't get angry, upset or emotional - it won't do any good to let your emotions take over when dealing with a crazymaker. It will only make the situation worse and could lead to an argument that will only serve to prove their point: that they are right and you are wrong or weak (even if neither is true). You may think this sounds easy enough but believe me...it's not! Especially if someone has been bullying you for years on end!
• Don't waste time trying to understand why they act like this towards others; instead focus on maintaining healthy relationships within yourself and others around you who respect each other's boundaries as well as respecting themselves enough not allow anyone else treat them unfairly either verbally/mentally/physically etcetera...or else those types of people need counseling help ASAP because no one deserves being treated badly by anyone regardless how much we might dislike someone else's personality style preferences such as being "too loud," "too quiet," "too boring," etcetera...

Don't fall into the trap of responding right away.

If you want to keep your sanity, don't respond immediately. Give yourself a few minutes to calm down and think about what you want to say. This is not the time for an emotional outburst or accusatory comments--you'll just make things worse in the long run if you do that. Instead, use this time as a chance to come up with a response that isn't emotional or accusatory but still gets your point across effectively.

Set boundaries.

• Set boundaries. You don't need to be a doormat for everyone who walks through your door or chats with you online, but it's important to set limits on what you will and won't do for others.
• Make sure that boundaries are clear and enforceable by others in the situation. For example, if someone asks for advice and is not open to hearing it (e.g., they just want validation), then let them know that this isn't going anywhere productive before hanging up or ending communication altogether--and stick with it!
• Understand that there's no right way of dealing with crazymakers; what works best may vary depending on each person's unique situation, personality type, etc..

Ask questions.

• Ask questions like "What do you mean by that?" or "How do you see the situation?" and listen for their answers. This may help you understand their perspective better and get more information from them, which will help you figure out a way to deal with them effectively in the future.

Be direct and clear about your feelings, but not accusatory or mean.

It's important to be direct and clear about your feelings. Don't use sarcasm or passive aggression, which can make the situation worse. If you're feeling angry or hurt, try saying something like "I'm feeling upset because [your reason here]".

If you have a history with the person who is making you crazy and know that they are often irrational or emotional in their behavior, then it's okay for you to say: "I understand why this might seem like an unfair thing for me to do/say but I need some time away from this person right now."

You don't have to live with crazymakers, but you do have to find ways to manage them in conflict situations and protect yourself from their craziness in everyday life, at work and play

Keeping Emotions in Check

The first thing you can do is to try to keep your emotions in check. It’s natural to feel frustrated and mad when dealing with a conflict, but it helps if you can rise above the anger and not let it get the best of you. When using humor, avoid sarcasm as that only serves to aggravate the other person further.

Avoid name calling, insults, or angry words. Instead focus on being calm and collected so that your actions are less threatening and more calming for everyone involved in the situation. Take deep breaths and practice relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga so that you can stay level-headed during stressful moments.

6. Getting Away from "I'm right, you're wrong" and "You're right, I'm wrong."

In the "I'm right, you're wrong" approach, one side is seen as the winner and the other as the loser. In this strategy, if you've been in a conflict with someone else and they are not willing to let go of their perspective or take responsibility for their part of the problem (or if your view is that they have done something wrong), then it's very likely that things won't get resolved until both sides give up some ground.

The problem with this approach is not only that it can be difficult for people to do but also that it can lead to more conflicts in future conversations because each side feels like they have lost. It makes sense; after all, if someone says something hurtful or untrue about us, we don't want them thinking they've won!

The "You're right/I'm wrong" approach can also be problematic because it means putting aside our own feelings about what happened so we can apologize first—something many people find difficult to do because of pride or fear of being perceived as weak. And again: though trying not to argue does seem like a good idea at times (especially when it comes from good intentions), there's always going to be situations where we disagree strongly on certain matters and may need more than just agreeing not fight anymore

There are many ways to handle conflict. You may want to use more than one strategy.

If you find yourself in conflict with someone, it is important to remember that there are many ways to handle the situation. You may want to use more than one strategy at the same time or at different points in time, depending on the circumstances and the people involved.

You could, for example:

• Use active listening techniques while also remaining calm and speaking with respect.
• Ask a friend or colleague for help if you need it but still do your best to resolve things by yourself (for example by using assertive communication).

Conclusion

There are many ways to handle conflict. You may want to use more than one strategy. For example, if you're trying to defuse with time out and it doesn't work, you might try shoulder-to-shoulder next time. Remember that the most important thing is for both parties in a conflict to come away feeling heard and respected at the end of the day—however that happens!