How can you use SEL to address conflicts in your team?

3 Express your thoughts and feelings respectfully

Another key skill for resolving conflicts is expressing your thoughts and feelings respectfully. Expressing yourself is not just stating your opinion or position, but also explaining your reasoning, feelings, and needs. To express yourself respectfully, you need to use "I" statements, avoid blaming or criticizing, focus on the issue and not the person, and use respectful language and tone. By expressing yourself respectfully, you can clarify your point of view, assert your needs, and invite feedback and dialogue.

4 Seek common ground and solutions

The ultimate goal of resolving conflicts is to find common ground and solutions that satisfy both parties. To seek common ground and solutions, you need to identify the underlying interests and needs of both sides, brainstorm possible options and alternatives, evaluate the pros and cons of each option, and negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. By seeking common ground and solutions, you can move from a win-lose to a win-win situation, and strengthen your relationship and trust.

5 Reflect and learn from the experience

The final step of resolving conflicts is to reflect and learn from the experience. Reflecting and learning is not just evaluating the outcome, but also examining the process, the emotions, and the lessons learned. To reflect and learn from the experience, you need to ask yourself and the other person questions such as: What did we do well? What could we have done better? How did we feel during and after the conflict? What did we learn about ourselves, each other, and the issue? How can we apply what we learned to future situations? By reflecting and learning from the experience, you can improve your SEL skills, your team culture, and your conflict resolution abilities.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?