Wednesday I, Jeremy, had a chance to share with the staff and interns here at ECHO about my experience with Conflict Resolution on the mission field. Sadly, interpersonal conflict is still the number one reason why missionaries leave the field early. Number two is children. I have found here in United States most people are untrained in conflict resolution and thus we avoid it all cost. I wanted to share a simple formula for you to use when talking to someone where conflict exists. This is a complex issue and this formula isn’t magical but just a suggestion.
- Use “I feel” statements, then state why by saying “because”. Stay focused on the task that surrounds the conflict, not the person as much as possible.
- Actively Listen to their response.
- Repeat what you heard them say by saying “I heard you say”.
- Jump back to #1 and try to gain a clear understanding.
The main purpose of conflict resolution is not to determine who is right or wrong but to gain clear understanding to move forward together.
I hope this will help next time you encounter some conflict.
Jeremy
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