How to Take the Sting Out of Words: Reframe
Reframing is a tool used by mediators and negotiators and can be very effective. Let’s say two visitors, Olivia and Noah, come to my office seeking a facilitated discussion due to a conflict. They are anxious about being there and probably rather doubtful that a...The vital importance of being the adult in the room
As the adult in the room, you are responsible for your group, whether they are employees you supervise, students you teach or children that are in your family. You model behavior you want to see and you create the boundaries of what respect looks like. You set the...Talking Across Political Differences: Learning Skills for Productive Conversations
How do we approach conversations with people who have different political views, opinions, leanings, etc. from those that we hold? It’s especially important today, with the extreme polarization that we see, yet many are reluctant to engage with someone whose...The Added Value of Face-to-Face Meetings
How often have you read an email from a colleague that you and/or others misinterpreted? You might have wanted to respond by challenging the colleague or simply by writing back and asking for clarification. You wonder why the email was sent, rather than having a...Handling Eruptions in the Classroom and/or Workspace
Sometimes feelings, emotions, or opinions come spewing out from students during a class or from a colleague during a department meeting. What do we do with that and how can we respond without taking it personally and without attacking the other person? These moments...Taking the High Road
We all have had situations where we desperately wanted to lash out at someone but we stopped ourselves and decided to “take the high road.” This is an admirable route in many situations and I recommend it under certain circumstances: if you are dealing with a...Giving Constructive Criticism Effectively
We all occasionally have the need to correct others with whom we work, live and/or interact. We have tried responding to others’ behavior, only to be ignored or figuratively slapped in the face. There are ways to give less-than-glowing feedback that will have...Mission and Values as our Rudder
When we make a statement about a tragic local or world event on behalf of ourselves, our department, or our campus, we often do so with our institutional mission and values in mind. We wonder when it’s appropriate to issue a statement. We hope that making a...Trying to See Both Sides of a Conflict
There are several huge world conflicts that we are all seeing and trying to understand. At the same time, we all have comparatively smaller matters involving different viewpoints that we navigate each day. Is it important to try to understand the other side? If so,...Subscribe by Email
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