Conflict is a part of life, and it is inevitable in almost any relationship. After all, people have different ideas, priorities, needs and wants and when they try to work or live together, it is inevitable that there is going to be some discord. While some people view conflict as a bad thing, in reality, having different opinions is a good thing and when those opinions conflict, it can be an important opportunity to find a compromise or explore new and better ways of doing things.
Conflicts become a problem, however, when they do not lead to constructive discussion or effective solutions. When people become angry as a result of a conflict and use hurtful words or shut down discussion this can have a destructive impact on a relationship and make it very difficult to solve the conflict in a positive manner. Becoming withdrawn, giving in but doing so resentfully, or forcing your opinion on others to resolve a conflict can also be harmful.
To avoid allowing conflict to turn into a problem, it is a good idea to consider learning some conflict resolution skills. With conflict resolution training, you can learn how to approach any conflict in a more positive manner and you can learn how to diffuse or prevent arguments from occurring. With the help of conflict resolution training, in fact, a conflict doesn't need to become an argument at all but is instead a chance to strengthen a relationship by working together to find an effective resolution.
What are Conflict Resolution Skills
There are many different skills you can bring to the table to help resolve conflicts in a more positive and effective manner, and conflict resolution training will arm you with the skills you need. For instance, you can learn how to more clearly get to the root of the disagreement and identify the relevant issues in the conflict.
All too often when people disagree, neither says what they really mean or makes their position clear in a way that the other party can understand. Further, people may bring in unrelated issues when they are in conflict, out of frustration or anger. All these behaviors can muddy the water and make it difficult to resolve conflict since it won't always be clear even what the conflict is about. When you learn good conflict resolution skills, however, you'll learn how to focus on the heart of the matter at hand so a synergistic course of action can be achieved.
Another important conflict resolution skill is an understanding of when conflicts need to be resolved and when they can simply dissolve. In some cases, as people begin to look at the heart of the issue, it will become clear that there really isn't anything worth fighting over and that the conflict doesn't need a solution. In these instances, the argument or conflict can simply dissolve. In other cases, ongoing arguments or fights could occur unless some sort of resolution is made, so these particular conflicts will need to be resolved in a fair and amicable way.
Of course, learning to actually resolve differences is a key to conflict resolution, and any training on conflict resolution skills will devote time to teaching strategies that can lead to a win-win outcome for all involved.
