You’re a writer with a looming deadline. How can you manage conflict and still deliver your best work?

Being a writer, working with different types of people you need effective communication skills, time management skills and know how to stay calm in any situation. 1) Make a time table- Divide your all tasks in to differnt time blocks. 2) Set your priority- Identify which is more importanr and give your time according to that. 3) Understand between important and urgent- Understand what is urgent and what is important and do your work accordingly. 4) Set boundaries- Let the other party know what you are comfortable with and what are your goals and requirenments.

I was working with a B2B brand to deliver content for their blog section. Even though the page was getting traffic, the numbers were lower than the sales & management anticipated. This led to a conflict between the content & the sales team. The writers would submit the content (after multiple rounds of quality checks), but sales were not a fan of the content submitted & recommended discarding what we wrote for generic articles. That is when I & my editor decided to have a word with the team and made them understand the difference between traffic vs the traffic we want (which in our case had a niche audience). At times, conflict is non-negotiable. Only when we involve stakeholders & get to the bottom of it can we fix it.

Communication is never complete until a feedback is received. Communication gaps has caused a lot of avoidable conflict among people. Do well to communicate the true situation of things and the possible time it would take anytime you are faced with the prospect of not meeting up with deadline.

As writers, we deal with multiple stakeholders. Editors, clients, experts whom we reach out to for opinions, audience & many more. The only way to align everyone is by communicating effectively. Also, it is a two-way street. Communication does not make sense if it is not comprehended well. In addition to that, communication is incomplete when a given feedback is not incorporated. Your editor gave you feedback that you don't align with — communicate Your client expected something else when you submitted the final draft but was okay when you submitted the initial outline — communicate Communicate, and keep everyone in the loop & you'll see things turn super smooth on their own.

When faced with conflicting priorities, it's essential to prioritize tasks based on their importance and deadline. Break down your project into smaller, manageable tasks and create a timeline to stay on track. Tackling one task at a time can prevent overwhelm and ensure steady progress. Whether it's carving out specific writing hours, turning off notifications, or creating a designated workspace, safeguarding your writing time can help minimize distractions and maximize productivity.

Despite the minor setbacks you encounter in your writing process, make it a habit to find the light. There is always something to be happy about. Enjoy your breaks, celebrate little wins, or just be grateful for where you are. Acknowledging and celebrating your achievements, big or small, can give you the motivation to do it all over again. It is your mental and emotional preparation for your next deadline.

As a writer, there will be multiple instances of conflict. That is natural in this field as multiple opinions are involved. The best way to deal with it is always to have a rationale for what you do. In my current workplace, where I cover a lot of B2B content for internal & external stakeholders, we follow an 'Answer First' and 'Rationale' format. Simply put, we need to have the 'what' and 'why' of every article before drafting it. Think a title is better than your manager suggested — communicate using 'what your preferred headline is' with a rationale behind it. If you can make the 'why' data-driven, nothing like it.