Dr. Mark Smutny, President of Civic Reinventions, Inc., offers strategies for de-escalating in high conflict, stressful environments. These include calming techniques and active listening skills:
Calming Techniques:
Deep Breathing: Slows heart rate and promotes relaxation.
Grounding Exercise: Focuses on the present to reduce anxiety.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tenses and relaxes muscles to release tension.
Visualization: Creates a mental escape to a peaceful place.
Box Breathing: Calms the mind through structured breathing.
Mindfulness Meditation: Promotes relaxation by being present.
Stretching: Releases physical tension.
Positive Self Talk: Replaces negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
Mantras: Uses calming phrases to focus the mind.
Active Listening Skills:
Mirroring: Reflects the speaker's words and tone to show empathy.
Paraphrasing: Restates the speaker's message in your own words.
Perception Check: Asks the speaker to confirm or clarify your understanding.
Behavior Description: Describes observable actions without judgment.
Creative Questions: Encourages deeper exploration with open-ended questions.
Fogging: Acknowledges truth in the speaker's statement to keep the conversation going.
Negative Inquiry: Challenges negative statements to promote a constructive outlook.
By integrating these techniques, you can effectively deescalate high conflict situations, foster a collaborative environment, and enhance team performance. For more insights and resources, visit Civic Reinventions or email mark.smutny@civicreinventions.com.
