Conflict in meetings: what to do ?
Find the origin of the conflict
When opinions are contradictory, it’s important to identify the cause of the divergence. What was the topic? Why is it divisive? Why did it provoke indignation or anger in some participants?
If the root of the conflict isn’t clear, calmly ask the people involved to say what’s bothering them.
Conflict in meetings: what to do?
What to do?
Meticulously prepared agenda, room layout, impeccable attire, dynamic presentation, brainstorming activities… as a meeting organizer, you’ve done everything you can to ensure the success of your event and strengthen team cohesion.
Unfortunately, teamwork often means disagreements. A tense situation, whether in the workplace or in everyday life, is always difficult to grasp and manage.
As it’s not easy to manage both meetings and conflicts, the Accor group’s meetings experts have some good advice on how to resolve this type of situation, and make the most of it.
When opinions are contradictory, it’s important to identify the cause of the divergence. What was the topic? Why is it divisive? Why did it provoke indignation or anger in some participants?
If the root of the conflict isn’t clear, calmly ask the people involved to say what’s bothering them.
When a disagreement arises, the people involved both think they’re right and defend their position with varying degrees of force. Keep in mind that in the event of a meeting conflict, resolution must prevail over victory.
Even if they’re sure they’re not wrong, encourage them to put their egos aside and avoid offending the other person.
Conflicts expose temperaments. Introverts remain calm, needing time to think about the problem as a whole and choose their words. Extroverts react spontaneously, getting angry easily, raising their voices and making grand gestures.
If tempers flare, take a break. Invite participants to take a 15-minute break, have a coffee or get some fresh air. The situation should calm down when they return.
Conflicts can arise during a role-playing game or group work. Use it wisely to remind your participants that the activity in progress is designed to encourage mutual support and strengthen team cohesion.
Congratulate them on their commitment, and let them know that communication is one of the pillars of your organization.
Seize the opportunity to convert a conflict into a brainstorming session. Be sure to present the problem to the group, so as to guide them towards the desired reflection.
Even if the participants don’t come to any conclusions, they’ll have cogitated together on a sensitive issue, and you’ll have helped to forge links between employees.
If the above-mentioned advice has no effect and the conflict becomes too great, a third party will have to intervene. This could be the head of department or the director of human resources, for example.
In the event of a disagreement during a meeting, make sure to bring it to a positive conclusion. Invite participants to bow, to show the other person that they respect them and that their relationship is more important than the subject of the conflict. Take advantage of this moment to play on the emotional side and generate compromise.