In many teams, conflict avoidance is the norm. As a result, tensions harden. Or they keep simmering beneath the surface of day-to-day work until emotions suddenly boil over.
In teams like these, people have often lost the sense that it’s safe to openly raise different perspectives, priorities and ideas.
When I run workshops with teams that want to change this, we talk about “opening lines”: How can I put my unease into words? That’s often the biggest hurdle.
- “Hang on, that doesn’t sit right with me.”
- “Let’s take a moment to get clear on this before we move on.”
- “Something about this doesn’t feel right to me.”
- “Can we stay with this point for a moment? I think there’s something important here.”
An opening line won’t resolve the conflict on its own. But it brings a difference to the surface that would otherwise go unspoken.
And opening lines are something you can practise.
