Dealing with CONFLICT at work - Business English lesson

Let's discuss some professional English vocabulary that we can use to resolve conflicts at work. We're talking about how to deal with difficult colleagues and how to solve arguments and disagreements with your team mates and coworkers. We'll hear some idea for what to do in these situations and some natural and native sounding vocabulary so that you know exactly what to say when people start to get angry in the workplace.

This is also one of the most common job interview questions and a lot of the vocabulary in this podcast can be used to build a great answer to that job interview question. 

Arguing with your colleagues is challenging, especially in your second language. Hopefully this podcast can help you in those professional situations. 

Don’t forget that my full time job is helping international professionals who use English at work to improve their communication skills. So, if you need English to do your job but don’t speak it natively then maybe we can work together to help you to achieve your language goals. If you’d like to book some time to meet with me through one to one video calls, then you can go to:

https://www.breakoutbusinessenglish.com/start

Transcript

To the Breakout Business English podcast, where I help you to communicate better at work. Hi everyone, my name is Chris and I'm a Business English coach and tutor. Thank you so much for listening. And today's topic is conflict resolution. One of the interview questions that I think people struggle with most is, tell me about a time when you've had to resolve a conflict with a colleague. No one likes to get this question, but the one thing we like even less is actually dealing with these issues when they happen at work. I've definitely had disagreements with colleagues, even sometimes full arguments that lasted much longer than they should have and definitely stopped myself and my colleagues from doing our best work. Today we're going to discuss some tips for resolving conflicts and disagreements at work. We're going to hear some great vocabulary that we can use to help resolve these arguments with our colleagues. And we're going to listen to some natural and native sounding examples of how all of this goes together.So let's get started. A great place to start is to talk about de -escalating situations. Conflict can present itself in different ways at work, but one way is with raised voices and angry words. Let's hear some examples of how we might encourage people to go away and calm down before trying to resolve a conflict. This conversation is getting a little heated. It might be best if we both just took a step back and let this cool off for a little while. This conversation is getting a little heated. It might be best if we both just took a step back and let this cool off for a while. I don't think we're getting anywhere and shouting over each other is just detrimental. Let's revisit this at a later time. I don't think we're getting anywhere and shouting over each other is just detrimental. Let's revisit this at a later time. It sounds to me like everyone's tempers are starting to fray. Why don't you both give each other some space and come back to this later? It sounds to me like everyone's tempers are starting to fray. Why don't you both give each other some space and come back to this later? Let's start with the word de -escalate. We heard this in the introduction to this section. To de -escalate a situation means to make it less intense, and we usually only use this to talk about disagreements. The opposite word, however, escalate, has a lot more uses. Of course, if an argument gets stronger and more aggressive, then we can say that it escalated. However, you're probably most used to hearing this word in the form of escalator, which is the name of the moving stairs we often see in shopping malls and large supermarkets. We often use the word escalate to talk about referring and transferring a problem to a different, usually more senior colleague. For instance, in a customer service context, we might say something like, I'm sorry to hear you're having this problem. I'm going to escalate this issue to my manager and they'll call you later. I'm sorry to hear you're having this problem. I'm going to escalate this issue to my manager and they'll call you later. Let's get back to conflict resolution and take a look at some vocabulary from our first example. We heard, this conversation is getting a little heated and we need to let this cool off. This conversation is getting a little heated and we need to let this cool off. We sometimes use temperature and heat terms and vocabulary to talk about arguments. If a conversation gets heated, this means that it is intense and people are getting angry. Then, if things get too heated, then people might need to cool off, which means to calm down and maybe relax a little. More informally, we sometimes hear people who get angry easily called hotheads. They could be hot -headed. Be careful with that though, it's often used as an insult. In our second example, we heard the adjective detrimental. This is definitely a more formal and professional word. It means that something has a negative impact or effect on the situation.So, just like smoking is detrimental to your health, continuing to discuss a problem when a conversation gets heated is detrimental to the process of finding a solution. In the third example, we heard everyone's tempers are starting to fray. Everyone's tempers are starting to fray. Fray is a verb that we usually use to talk about fabric or maybe rope, which is starting to become damaged because it has been used too much. You definitely don't want to rely on a rope once it's started to fray.So, when we use this to talk about a person's temper, we mean that they were angry. Just briefly, don't forget that my full -time job is helping international professionals who use English at work to improve their communication skills.So, if you need English to do your job, but don't speak it natively, then maybe we can work together to help you to achieve your language goals. If you'd like to book some time to meet with me through one -on -one video calls, then you can go to BreakoutBusinessEnglish .com. That's BreakoutBusinessEnglish .com, which is the title of this podcast with .com on the end, and find out more. I sometimes have offers and discounts on packages of meetings with me, and entering your email address on the website is the best way to be the first to find out when those limited -time deals are available. I've worked with over 1 ,000 non -native English speakers, from new graduates up to CEOs and government leaders, to help them achieve their goals, and I look forward to meeting you. Okay, let's continue.So, once everyone has had some time to cool off, and we've de -escalated the situation, it's time to talk, or more importantly, to listen. At this stage, it should be your goal to do lots of listening, and to make an effort to really understand the perspective of the other person. Let's take a listen to some natural and native -sounding examples of how this might sound.I'm glad that we can start to clear the air.And I hope we can both speak candidly about how we see the situation. I think that we should be able to find some common ground and get on the same page. I think that we should be able to find some common ground and get on the same page. It's high time that we have a frank conversation and put this behind us. It's high time that we have a frank conversation and put this behind us. Let's start our vocabulary discussion with two words that have essentially the same meaning. These are the adjectives candid and frank, or the adverbs candidly and frankly.So, candid and frank, candidly and frankly. Both of these mean to speak in a way that is open and honest.So, if you're speaking candidly or frankly, then you are saying what you really mean, what you're really thinking. Out of the two, candid and candidly feel a little more formal and professional. We often hear the word candid used to talk about photographs, especially of celebrities. A well -planned photo taken in a studio might be used to promote a movie. But a candid photo of a famous actor walking down the street with a coffee in their hand is sometimes more interesting. In the first example, we heard the idiom to clear the air. Using some of the vocabulary we've already discussed today, to clear the air means to de -escalate a situation by using frank and candid discussion, by speaking openly and honestly. In context, we heard, I'm glad that we can start to clear the air. I'm glad that we can start to clear the air. In a slightly wider context, we might hear this phrase used to talk about rumors or speculation. For instance, if there's a story in the news that your company is soon going to fire a large number of staff, then a manager might hold a meeting and start by saying, I know everyone has seen the news, so I wanted to get you all together and clear the air.In the second example, we heard the phrase common ground. Common ground. And the idiom to be on the same page. To be on the same page. Let's start with common ground. In short, common ground is something that you both agree on. You might have heard the similar phrase to have things in common. But where we use the phrase things in common to talk about shared hobbies or characteristics, we usually use common ground to talk about shared beliefs. For instance, in the 1990s, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the CEOs of Microsoft and Apple respectively, disagreed on a lot of things. However, both of them would always say that eventually there would be a computer in every home. This was a belief that they both agreed on. It was their common ground. Similarly, we can talk about being on the same page. If you're on the same page as someone else, this means that you agree with them, either in general or on specific things. We could say that Gates and Jobs were on the same page when it came to how easily accessible computers would be in the future. Which I think leads us nicely onto the theme of compromise. We're now going to hear some authentic sounding examples of people considering compromise in order to resolve a conflict at work.Maybe there's a middle ground that we can settle on. Maybe there's a middle ground that we can settle on. I think that with a little bit of give and take, we should be able to draw a line under this.Think that with a little bit of give and take, we should be able to draw a line under this. Let's start with the word concede, which is a verb that we heard in the first example. I'm happy to concede a couple of points. I'm happy to concede a couple of points. To concede something means that you admit and agree that something is true. We especially use this if we've previously denied that point in the past.So we've said that something is not true, we've been very strongly against agreeing something, and then we change our mind. For instance, imagine that you and I are interviewing candidates for a job. We might disagree on which applicant we should hire. I might say something like, I concede that this candidate has more relevant experience, but I just don't think that they'd be a good fit for the team. I concede that this candidate has more relevant experience, but I just don't think they'd be a good fit for the team. We often hear this word used in sports commentary. For instance, if you fail to prevent an opponent from scoring, then you concede a goal. If you admit defeat and allow your opponent to win, then we say that you have conceded. This is a common way for professional chess matches to finish. No one has technically won, but one player has decided that they cannot possibly win, so we save time and that player concedes to the other player. My favorite tip for conflict resolution is to focus on the future. When you've talked for a while and you've made some progress, then it's time to talk about next steps. Equally, if your discussion stalls and you stop making progress, then talking about how you're going to move forwards together can be a great next move. Let's hear some natural and native -sounding ways to focus on the future. Let's see if we can agree on some ground rules moving forward.What next steps are we going to implement from here? What next steps are we going to implement from here? I think that from now on, we should establish some best practices for how we do things.Okay, in our first example, we heard the phrase ground rules, as in, let's see if we can agree on some ground rules. Ground rules are the basic rules and principles that you are going to apply to all future actions. Many people use the term rules and ground rules to mean the same thing. However, we most often use the term ground rules to talk about standards of behavior that are agreed on by everyone in a group. Whereas the word rules on its own sounds more like a set of instructions that come from someone in authority.So, if you're in a team meeting, then everyone on the team might agree some ground rules. But if your company has formally sent you a letter or an email telling you what the rules for meetings are, these are more likely to just be called rules rather than ground rules. We heard the phrase next steps. This is a great formal and professional way to say what we are going to do next. It's the individual things that you can do that are on your to -do list to move you closer to your goal. I've used this in customer service situations in the past. When I've started to get frustrated when I'm the customer and I want to avoid a full argument, I'll say something like, let's talk about next steps. It's similar to let's talk about where we're going to go from here. Okay, one more time, don't forget that my full -time job is helping international professionals who use English at work to improve their communication skills.So, if you need English to do your job, but don't speak it natively, then maybe we can work together to help you achieve your language and communication goals. If you'd like to book some time to meet with me through one -to -one video calls, just me and you, then you can go to BreakoutBusinessEnglish .com. That's the title of the podcast, Breakout Business English, with .com on the end, and find out more. I sometimes have offers and discounts on class packages, and entering your email address on the website is the best way to find out when those limited -time deals are available. I've worked with over 1 ,000 non -native English -speaking professionals, from new graduates up to CEOs and government leaders, to help them achieve their goals, and I look forward to meeting you. That's almost everything for today. Don't forget that between episodes of the podcast, you can get videos every couple of days on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and RedNote. Just search for Breakout Business English. If there's a topic that you'd like to hear me talk about on the podcast, then I'd be excited to hear your ideas. Leave me a message or a comment on Instagram or TikTok or YouTube, and I look forward to meeting you. I should say that out of the three or out of the four platforms there, I spend a lot more time on YouTube, so if you definitely want to make sure you get my attention, leave a comment on a YouTube video there. That's it for today. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for your time, and I'll talk to you again next time on the Breakout Business English podcast. Thanks a lot, everyone. Hope to see you soon.