Creativity, Conflict, and Connection - How Cross Community Communication Requires More Than Simple Respect

Made with NightCafe

Progress For Positive Change
 
Creative output has the unique ability to transcend borders. No-one has seen it before, so no-one is in a better place to judge than another. We can reach a wide range of individuals with new concepts if they can be shown at first hand how they work. Our new ideas, opinions, perspectives, and histories are the tools we have for bringing people together, gaining mutual understandings, and allowing the best of a situation to flourish over the worst. What about if we disagree with a person? Or what if the thing they are saying evokes a sense of repulsion or revulsion upon hearing it? Now we have entered a dangerous territory, one that can easily end in some form of conflict and an eventual halt to progress. In order to progress with a building of ideas to reach a mutual agreement, the interested parties must feel heard and safe to make themselves heard. The safety of the people involved must be recognised and respected in the physical and emotional context. Your responses to information that you do not like can create an unhelpful opening for further escalation.  Our words and our tone of voice can be our enemy when attempting to create positive change.
 
Take Responsibility for The Connection
 
It’s in our best interests to keep people talking and prevent them from walking away. Sometimes other people may take a turn towards negative conflict which results in others feeling shamed or humiliated for their stance. It is vital that we make an effort to be the glue between these two opposing poles. If we can mediate the tenuous situations and validate the sociable ones, then the whole is a lot less likely to fall apart. Isolation of communities or individuals prevents them from having their say in the way we all move forward.
 
Reinforce The Group With Empowering Language
 
Keeping everyone interested is a lot more than just listening to what they have to say. If there has been conflict or apathy in the past then bringing them to the table for discussion can be one of the hardest things to do. In order to keep everyone interested we must constantly reinforce the group mentality with language that creates bonds, fraternity, and mutual appreciation for each other’s time and energy.

7 Winning Conflict Resolution Techniques: Master Nonviolent and Effective Communication Skills to Resolve Everyday Conflicts in the Workplace, Relationships, Marriage and Crucial Conversations
​

Keep Conflict Civil
 
Not everyone will agree, we’re all different. Our cultures and beliefs contribute to how we feel about the world and the problems that present. The things we understand or believe we understand will shape our reaction to various things and in many instances, we have different knowledge and different viewpoints on these items. We will not always see eye to eye. This must be welcomed and cherished and not hidden away. The areas where we disagree are where we learn the most about each other and the reasoning behind our perspectives. Refraining from aggressive and judgemental language is the key to communicating our views without building over other people’s views. If we find that others begin to use negative language about opposing views, then we can work to refrain an escalation by accepting the statement and then offering a calm counter-response that takes notice of other interested people.
 
Reserve Judgement
 
It’s easy to jump to conclusions or to repeat harsh opinions. We can fall into culture shock and start moralising about various things. This fails to create a forward direction. It is in our best interests to hold back from any form of negative projection. We can create a hypothetical situation and in this literal sandbox allow the human situation to play out, show how others may judge, show how others may get frustrated, and let the group add to the role-play in the safe environment. If we detract judgement into a make-believe situation, we can avoid giving other people reasons to stop the communication.
 
Step Back From The Lead
 
We might be preventing others from having a full say on the subject by always taking charge. We have only good intentions but there are times we forget to be fair. It is important to be as inclusive as possible and to give space for others to talk among themselves and come to their own conclusions before joining in with our thread. Sometimes other people need a lot of time to think things through or learn about the things that matter. It’s vital that we stop any form of pressure to move forward and listen to our agenda. We need to allow the community to work in a fluid sense with no one individual taking charge on the way forward.