Mastering High-Conflict Conversations: Expert Strategies for Attorneys
Navigating high-conflict individuals is an inevitable part of practicing law. The ability to manage these interactions effectively—without escalating tensions—is a vital skill for any attorney.
While experience is the best teacher for handling challenging conversations, it can be difficult to practice when your brain’s fight-or-flight response kicks in. That’s why proper training is essential to building confidence and staying in control during high-conflict situations.
In this episode of Great Practice, Great Life®, Steve welcomes back Megan Hunter, co-founder of the High Conflict Institute and a renowned expert in conflict resolution. Megan shares actionable strategies for de-escalating tense situations and managing interactions with difficult individuals.
You’ll learn:
- Three proven strategies to handle conflict effectively.
- Megan’s personal story of navigating a challenging interaction with a high-conflict attorney.
- Practical acronyms to help you stay calm and focused in emotional moments.
- Why setting clear boundaries is crucial for managing disagreements.
Tune in to gain valuable insights and tools that will empower you to handle high-conflict individuals with confidence and professionalism.
Inside This Episode
- Why dealing with high-conflict people requires having a lot of structure, policies, and clear expectations
- Megan Hunter’s personal experience with a high-conflict person and how she dealt with it
- How to use an EAR statement (Empathy, Attention, and Respect) in a moment of conflict
- Why the interaction with a high-conflict person has to be about them at that moment
- What to understand about high-conflict individuals to have more empathy for them
- What a BIFF (brief, informative, friendly, and firm) statement is and how to use it when dealing with high-conflict people in writing
- The importance of setting limits with high-conflict individuals