New Tools for Difficult Conversations

Most faculty and staff who work with students have experienced it: a conversation that starts with a question or concern and quickly becomes more difficult. A student may be frustrated about a decision, upset about a grade, unhappy with a policy or simply having a difficult day. Sometimes that frustration comes across as anger, disrespect or confrontation.

A new self-paced learning module, Diffusing Conflict: Managing Confrontation, is designed to help faculty and staff feel more confident when those situations arise.

The module focuses on practical skills employees can use in their everyday interactions with students. Participants learn ways to calm a tense conversation, communicate effectively when someone is upset, set appropriate boundaries and recognize when an interaction may be heading in the wrong direction.

Rather than spending a lot of time on theory, Diffusing Conflict puts participants into realistic situations they may actually encounter. How do you respond when a student becomes argumentative? What can you say when someone is speaking to you disrespectfully? When should you try to continue the conversation and when is it better to end it? At what point should you involve a supervisor, the Dean of Students Office, Public Safety or another University resource?

There is rarely one perfect answer to those questions. Difficult interactions can develop quickly and every situation is a little different. The module gives participants an opportunity to think through their response before they find themselves having to make those decisions in the moment.

One of the important messages of the training is that de-escalating a situation does not mean accepting inappropriate behavior or giving a student the answer they want. Faculty and staff can be respectful and supportive while still setting limits, communicating expectations and standing behind University policies and decisions. In many cases, how we communicate during a difficult conversation can determine whether the situation settles down or becomes more confrontational.

The skills covered in the module can be useful across the University. Challenging interactions do not happen only in classrooms or student-facing offices. They can occur at a front desk, during an appointment, on the telephone, in a meeting or through an email exchange. Whether someone works with students throughout the day or only occasionally, being prepared for those moments can make them easier to manage.

Faculty and staff who complete Diffusing Conflict: Managing Confrontation will also receive a digital badge recognizing their professional development. The badge can be displayed on LinkedIn, in a digital portfolio or professional profile, in an email signature or on other appropriate platforms.

No training can make every difficult conversation easy. But having a few strategies ready and knowing when and how to use them, can make a difference.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to take some time to complete Diffusing Conflict: Managing Confrontation, work through the scenarios and consider how they would respond. The next challenging conversation may come when you least expect it. Being prepared can help.

Access the module here.

Categories: Campus Life