Take a look at each of these attempts to resolve a conflict and figure out which conflict resolution technique is being used.

1. “I don’t really have time for this–let’s just do it your way and forget I ever brought up the problem.”

2. “Look Sue, Joe’s already filled me in on your issue. I’ve considered his position, and I’ve decided that he’s right, so I don’t need to hear anymore about it.”

3. “Hold on a second, let’s all sit down and figure out what the real problem is.”

4. “Joe, you’ve got a solid case, but Sue really brings up some good points. If you just make two little concessions, and Sue gives up one of her points, we’ll all be good.”

5. “You guys are almost entirely in agreement—you just differ on one little point! I’ll bet we’ll be laughing about this next week.”

6. “I don’t really have time to deal with this right now. Just figure it out and get back to me.”

7. “I know this problem seems really big, but I’ll bet if we take a long, hard look at it, we can figure out how to fix it permanently.”