While you can't always prevent conflict in meetings, there are many things you can do to stop disagreements from damaging your team's wider goals. Consider the following:
- Can you set up your meeting to reduce the risk of conflict?
- How do you turn the conflict and tension into a positive force, and one that generates better solutions and results?
- Can you reduce the negative impact of conflict?
- How can you help those involved accept the situation when consensus isn't possible?
We'll look at each of these. As we do so, remember that there are two separate underlying reasons for conflict in meetings.