Mind Tools Newsletter 49 - 23 May 2006

Be Positive: Resolve Conflict! This newsletter is published by Mind Tools Ltd, of 2nd Floor, 145-157 St John Street, London, EC1V 4PY, United Kingdom. You have received this newsletter because you have subscribed to our double opt-in newsletter. To unsubscribe, just click the link at the bottom of the email we sent you.If you are not already a member and you would like to subscribe, please visit http://mindtools.com/subscribe.htm.

Contents: In This Issue... What's New Communications Planning Mind Tools Store Be Postive: Resolve Conflict A Final Note

In This Issue…

We've been busier than ever this week at Mind Tools! In this newsletter, we have a great set of new tools for you as well as some much-requested worksheets and templates and much, much more in the pipeline.

What's New?

Not only do we have 3 new tools for you, but we've also just added nearly 30 worksheets to the website!

These are all free for you to download and share with your co-workers and team. They help you use many of our most popular tools, making them even easier to use. To find these, look out for the “free worksheet” buttons on articles across the site.

The first new tool we feature today is Communications Planning. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end, you’ll know what a negative impact poor communications can have on the very people who they're designed to inform or inspire. By using this tool, you can do a much better job, making sure you communicate your messages to best effect! What’s more, the Communication Planning tool comes complete with one of the new ready-to-use templates for you to download. Try it today, and make sure that your communications really hit the spot!

Next up is the first article in a new series entitled “Be Positive!” This article shows you how to conquer one of the most common causes of negativity – conflict at work. The tool is brought to you by Mind Tools’ team member Dianna Podmoroff. Thanks Dianna for a great article and thoroughly useful mind tool!

A Mind Tools milestone…
Also in this newsletter, we're marking 10 years since the launch of www.MindTools.com in May 1996. Naturally we’ve been reflecting a little on just how much things have changed – at Mind Tools, on the Internet and most of all in people’s working lives in general.

It’s interesting to look back, but what’s exciting us even more is the future… and you can be sure we are firmly focused on helping you excel in your career. We hope you'll love the new features we'll soon unveil!

Enjoy the read, and enjoy the second decade of MindTools.com!

James & Kellie

James Manktelow and Rachel Thompson
MindTools.com
Mind Tools – Essential skills for an excellent career!

To find out about new tools on the Mind Tools site the moment they’re uploaded, click here to subscribe to the Mind Tools RSS feed (you'll need an RSS newsreader installed), or here to find out more about RSS.

New tools on the Mind Tools site

• 19th May 2006 - Communications Planning - Getting the right message over, in the right way
• 16th May 2006 - Crawford's Slip Writing Method - Gathering ideas and suggestions from many contributors
• 12th May 2006 - Conflict Resolution - Resolving conflict rationally and effectively

Find out about new tools on the Mind Tools site the moment they’re uploaded! Click here to subscribe to the Mind Tools RSS feed (you'll need an RSS newsreader installed), or here to find out more about RSS.

New Tool:
Communications Planning
By Rachel Thompson

Have you ever received a memo and felt the sender really wasn’t thinking about what you needed to know or hear? Maybe you have attended corporate presentations that have simply left you cold? Or perhaps you’ve even delivered communications yourself and realized, in retrospect, that you really hadn’t got the measure of your audience and their needs.

This is at best frustrating. At worst it is such a huge “turn off” that it can have a negative effect, or even produce an effect that is the exact opposite of the one you had intended.

Whether you need to communicate general day-to-day information or “big news” about major changes in your organization, the best communications start with some good planning.

The first step is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What do they need to know, and want to hear? What’s their preferred way of receiving information? What will stop them listening to what you have to say? And how will you know that they have got the message?

So there’s quite a bit more to good communications than preparing a good memo or presentation! This tool will help you through the preparation steps and so help you create an audience-focused communication plan that’s sure to get your message heard.

Market Your Message! Good corporate communications is very much like good marketing. You have a message (product) that you need to ‘sell’ to your audience (customers). If they are going to ‘buy it’, you must package the message so it’s attractive to them. You must make sure the value and benefit outweigh any downsides (the ‘price’ you are asking them to pay). And you must reach the audience through the right communication channels. Following the communications (promotion), you must be able to measure the effectiveness and how well the message is ‘bought’.

How to Use the Tool:

Use the following steps to create a good communication plan for your company or project. Record your plan on a communications planning template, such as the free Mind Tools one you can download by clicking here (you'll need to have Adobe Reader installed - click here to get it free) or the one shown in figure 1.

Understand Your Objectives

Step 1. Be clear about your overall communication objectives. What do you want to achieve, when and why? Record your overall objectives in your plan.

Figure 1: Communications Planning Template

Communications Plan For……………………
Overall Communication Objective:
Audience	Communication Objectives	Message	Channel	Timing

Understand Your Audiences

Step 2. Now identify and list your different audiences. (This can initially seem quite difficult: For all but the simplest communications plan, it’s good to use Stakeholder Analysis to help you do this. This is particularly useful for identifying who to communicate with and why.)

Example: Audience Groups Think of “audiences” as groups that you need to communicate with. Any one person may be a member of several audiences. As an example, consider a project communications plan that has four audiences: All people working in New Jersey Office All people working in Sydney Office Customer Services Teams HR Managers. Joe is an HR manager working in Sydney and is therefore a member of two audiences, as is Sue who is a customer services team manager in New Jersey. Whereas Lee, an IT consultant in New Jersey, is a member of just one audience: “All people working in New Jersey Office”.

Step 3. Now drill down into your communication objectives and clarify specific objectives for each audience. A good way to do this is to think about the audience’s needs – what do they need and want to know from you? List all the objectives (there may be several) for each audience in your plan.

Plan Communications Messages and Channels

Once you have clarified your objectives and got a full understanding of the different audiences you need to communicate with, it’s time to plan the communications – that means working out the messages needed to meet your objectives and when and how these will be delivered.

Step 4. Before starting on the detail of your plan, first jot down all the possible communications channels you could use. Think broadly and creatively! You probably already use lots of great ways to communicate in your company, and some new ones may help get your message across. Here is a list to get you started:

Email	CEO Briefing	Launch event
Newsletter	Posters	Team meetings
Tele-conference	Lunch-time meeting	Podcast on intranet
Notice boards	Intranet article

Tip: Remember to Use Existing Channels Big corporate news often gets announced at big corporate events. But don’t forget to use existing channels too, such as staff newsletters, the intranet and team meetings. Using existing channels with the right message at the right time is an effective and familiar way to reach your audience.

Step 5. To plan out the message for each audience, start by thinking about the broadest audience groups first. In our example, the broadest audience might be “All people working in New Jersey Office” and “All people working in Sydney Office”.

As you consider each audience in turn, ask the following questions:

• What does the audience need and want to know?
  
• When do we need to communicate?
  
• What is the regular or preferred channel for reaching this audience?
  
• For this specific audience and message, what is the most effective way to get your message across?

Several messages over time may be required to meet the objectives of each audience. Make sure the messages you plan “add up” to meet the audience’s objectives.

Tip: Earlier in this article we compared Communications Planning with marketing. One saying in marketing is that "prospects need to see your message seven times before they buy." While this may be over-precise, you may need to give your message many times over before it sinks in. On the other hand, as you plan for each audience, remember also that members of one audience may also be part of another audience, and so may receive several messages. Try to plan your communications so that individuals receive the right information and are not inundated (or worse, confused) by the different messages they receive.

Monitor Effectiveness

Step 6. It’s good to get feedback on the communications you have planned and implemented. Ask people from different audiences how you are doing. Check they understand the messages you need them to hear. By getting timely feedback, you can tune any future communications that you have planned to better meet people’s needs or fill any gaps so far.

Example:

Rather than provide a fully worked example here (which would take up too much space!) here’s an example for you to work on to get a better understanding of how to write communications plans.

Let’s consider planning the communications for the implementation of new security passes in your office. The overall objective is to “Ensure a smooth transition from the current security pass system to the new one”.

Who are the audiences and what do they need? First consider the universal audience “All Office-Based Staff”. Everyone will need to know that the change is scheduled, what to expect and when. If people at each site need to receive different instructions about how to get a new pass and so on, each site needs to be listed as a separate audience (“Staff at site A” etc.) And what about the people who manage security? They are a further audience group as they have specific needs including more detailed information (possibly training) on how to manage the new system.

Now consider the specific messages for each audience. As well as receiving all-staff announcements about the new system, “Staff at site A” must know when and where at Site A to get their new pass photos taken. This information must be communicated several days ahead of time. The day before the change over, people may need to be reminded to have their new passes at the ready, perhaps by leafleting everyone’s desk throughout the office.

For more tools that can help you plan and manage change, see our Project Planning section. In particular, look at the articles on Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Planning (if you haven't already done so.)

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Article Series and New Tool
Be Positive: Resolve Conflict
By Dianna Podmoroff

In many cases, conflict in the workplace just seems to be a fact of life. We've all seen situations where different people with different goals and needs have come into conflict. And we've all seen the often-intense personal animosity that can result.

The fact that conflict exists, however, is not necessarily a bad thing: As long as it is resolved effectively, it can lead to personal and professional growth.

In many cases, effective conflict resolution can make the difference between positive and negative outcomes.

Good News and Bad News...

The good news is that by resolving conflict successfully, you can solve many of the problems that it has brought to the surface, as well as getting benefits that you might not at first expect:

• Increased understanding: The discussion needed to resolve conflict expands people's awareness of the situation, giving them an insight into how they can achieve their own goals without undermining those of other people;
  
  
• Increased group cohesion: When conflict is resolved effectively, team members can develop stronger mutual respect, and a renewed faith in their ability to work together; and
  
  
• Improved self-knowledge: Conflict pushes individuals to examine their goals in close detail , helping them understand the things that are most important to them, sharpening their focus, and enhancing their effectiveness.

However, if conflict is not handled effectively, the results can be damaging. Conflicting goals can quickly turn into personal dislike. Teamwork breaks down. Talent is wasted as people disengage from their work. And it's easy to end up in a vicious downward spiral of negativity and recrimination.

If you're to keep your team or organization working effectively, you need to stop this downward spiral as soon as you can. To do this, you need to understand two of the theories that lie behind effective conflict resolution:

Understanding the Theory: Conflict Styles

In the 1970s Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Killman identified five main styles of dealing with conflict that vary in their degrees of cooperativeness and assertiveness. They argued that people typically have a preferred conflict resolution style. However they also noted that different styles were most useful in different situations.

Thomas and Killman's styles are:

Competitive: People who tend towards a competitive style take a firm stand, and know what they want. They usually operate from a position of power, drawn from things like position, rank, expertise, or persuasive ability. This style can be useful when there is an emergency and a decision needs to be make fast; when the decision is unpopular; or when defending against someone who is trying to exploit the situation selfishly. However it can leave people feeling bruised, unsatisfied and resentful when used in less urgent situations.

Collaborative: People tending towards a collaborative style try to meet the needs of all people involved. These people can be highly assertive but unlike the competitor, they cooperate effectively and acknowledge that everyone is important. This style is useful when a you need to bring together a variety of viewpoints to get the best solution; when there have been previous conflicts in the group; or when the situation is too important for a simple trade-off.

Compromising: People who prefer a compromising style try to find a solution that will at least partially satisfy everyone. Everyone is expected to give up something, and the compromiser him- or herself also expects to relinquish something. Compromise is useful when the cost of conflict is higher than the cost of losing ground, when equal strength opponents are at a standstill and when there is a deadline looming.

Accommodating: This style indicates a willingness to meet the needs of others at the expense of the person’s own needs. The accommodator often knows when to give in to others, but can be persuaded to surrender a position even when it is not warranted. This person is not assertive but is highly cooperative. Accommodation is appropriate when the issues matter more to the other party, when peace is more valuable than winning, or when you want to be in a position to collect on this “favor” you gave. However people may not return favors, and overall this approach is unlikely to give the best outcomes.

Avoiding: People tending towards this style seek to evade the conflict entirely. This style is typified by delegating controversial decisions, accepting default decisions, and not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings. It can be appropriate when victory is impossible, when the controversy is trivial, or when someone else is in a better position to solve the problem. However in many situations this is an extremely weak and ineffective approach to take.

Once you understand the different styles, you can use them to think about the most appropriate approach (or mixture of approaches) for the situation you're in. You can also think about your own instinctive approach, and learn how you need to change this if necessary.

Ideally you can adopt an approach that meets the situation, resolves the problem, respects people's legitimate interests, and mends damaged working relationships.

Understanding The Theory: The "Interest-Based Relational Approach"

Commonly referred to as the "Interest-Based Relational (IBR) Approach", this type of conflict resolution respects individual differences while helping people avoid becoming too entrenched in a fixed position.

In resolving conflict using this approach, you follow these rules:

• Make sure that good relationships are the first priority: As far as possible, make sure that you treat the other calmly and that you try to build mutual respect. Do your best to be courteous to one-another and remain constructive under pressure;
  
• Keep people and problems separate: Recognize that in many cases the other person is not just "being difficult" – real and valid differences can lie behind conflictive positions. By separating the problem from the person, real issues can be debated without damaging working relationships;
  
• Pay attention to the interests that are being presented: By listening carefully you'll most-likely understand why the person is adopting his or her position;
  
• Listen first; talk second: To solve a problem effectively you have to understand where the other person is coming from before defending your own position;
  
• Set out "the facts”: Agree and establish the objective, observable elements that will have an impact on the decision; and
  
• Explore options together: Be open to the idea that a third position may exist, and that you can get to this idea jointly.

By following these rules, you can keep often-contentious discussions calm and civilized. This helps to prevent the antagonism and dislike which can cause conflicts to spin out of control.

Using the Tool: A Conflict Resolution Process

Based on these theories, a starting point for dealing with conflict is to identify the overriding conflict style employed by your team or organization.

Over time, people's conflict management styles tend to mesh, and a “right” way to solve conflict emerges. It's good to recognize when this style can be used effectively, however make sure that people understand that different styles may suit different situations.

Look at the circumstances, and think about the style that may be appropriate.

Then use the process below to resolve the conflict:

Step One: Set the Scene
If appropriate to the situation, agree the rules of the IBR Approach (or at least consider using the approach yourself.) Make sure that people understand that the conflict may be a mutual problem, which may be best resolved through discussion and negotiation rather than through raw aggression.

If you are involved in the conflict, emphasize the fact that you are presenting your perception of the problem. Use active listening skills to ensure you hear and understand other’s positions and perceptions.

• Restate
• Paraphrase
• Summarize

And make sure that when you talk, you're using an adult, assertive approach rather than a submissive or aggressive style.

Step Two: Gather Information
Here you are trying to get to the underlying interests, needs, and concerns. Ask for the other person’s viewpoint and confirm that you respect his or her opinion and need his or her cooperation to solve the problem.

Try to understand his or her motivations and goals, and see how your actions may be affecting these.

Also, try to understand the conflict in objective terms: Is it affecting work performance? Is it damaging the delivery to the client? Disrupting team work? Hampering decision-making? or so on. Be sure to focus on work issues and leave personalities out of the discussion.

• Listen with empathy and see the conflict from the other person’s point of view
• Identify issues clearly and concisely
• Use “I” statements
• Remain flexible
• Clarify feelings

Step Three: Agree the Problem
This sounds like an obvious step, but often different underlying needs, interests and goals can cause people to perceive problems very differently. You'll need to agree the problems that you are trying to solve before you'll find a mutually acceptable solution.

Sometimes different people will see different but interlocking problems - if you can't reach a common perception of the problem, then at the very least, you need to understand what the other person sees as the problem.

Step Four: Brainstorm Possible Solutions
If everyone is going to feel satisfied with the resolution, it will help if everyone has had fair input in generating solutions. Brainstorm possible solutions, and be open to all ideas, including ones you never considered before.

Step Five: Negotiate a Solution
By this stage, the conflict may be resolved: Both sides may better understand the position of the other, and a mutually satisfactory solution may be clear to all.

However you may also have uncovered real and valid differences between your positions. This is where a technique like win-win negotiation can be useful to find a solution that, at least to some extent, satisfies both people.

There are three guiding principles here: Be Calm, Be Patient, Have Respect…

Key Points

Conflict in the workplace can be incredibly destructive to good teamwork.

Managed in the wrong way, real and legitimate differences between people can quickly spiral out of control, resulting in situations where co-operation breaks down and the team's mission is threatened. This is particularly the case where the wrong approaches to conflict resolution are used.

To calm these situations down, it helps to take a positive approach to conflict resolution, where discussion is courteous and non-confrontational, and the focus is on issues rather than on individuals. If this is done, then, as long as people listen carefully and explore facts, issues and possible solutions properly, conflict can often be resolved effectively.

A Final Note from James

10 year of Mind Tools! So what does the future hold?

One thing I know for sure: We’ll keep on doing our very best for you, our amazing readers, in more than 80 countries around the world. We’ve been promising you “essential skills for your excellent career” since 1996 and we’ll continue to do so in, I hope, ever more effective, accessible and powerful ways. We've got some incredible projects in "the pipeline," which I can't wait to share with you!

On a personal level, I'd like to thank you for your enthusiasm, your interest and your feedback. And I'd also like to thank our talented global team for their insight and hard work: I’m very proud to work with all of you!

But now to the immediate future: Next week we'll have the second of our "Mind Tools Reviews" supplements, focusing on speed reading - an essential skill for beating information overload. And in the next issue of the newsletter, we’ll be bringing you an intriguing range of tools. Are you interested in how to make a good first impression? Do you want help honing your personal career strategies? It’s all in the next issue, so make a date to read it, two weeks from now!

Keep reading, keep telling us what you want to hear, and know that we are here, working hard to deliver our promise of more essential skills for your excellent career.

Have an excellent week!

James

James Manktelow

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