Communicating Through Disagreement

Overview

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Think about a time when you disagreed or fought with another person. What was the outcome? How did it make you feel? More likely than not, you've found yourself in disagreements that didn't get resolved or that left you with a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. In this course, conflict resolution expert Lynne Hurdle shares her methods to ensure you're able to effectively communicate through disagreements and achieve your intended outcomes. Lynne reviews her tips and tricks to prepare yourself to participate in this conversation, effectively listen and manage your emotions, and achieve mutual understanding and agreement. She also shares how to avoid commmon pitfalls when it comes to things like venting or talking over one another. Lynne also gives examples of individuals who really excel at communication through disagreement, and what these individuals do that makes them more effective. Finally, Lynne empowers you with tips to manage disagreements and conflict more effectively, and gives her resources to help you continue your learning over time.

Syllabus

Finding a Path Through Disagreement

You'll face disagreement in every workplace and relationship, but you may not have been taught how to navigate them well. In this module, you'll build the foundational communication skills that make productive disagreement possible, so you can enter tough conversations with confidence and guide them toward genuine understanding.

Respond, Don't React

The way a conversation unfolds often has less to do with the topic being discussed and more to do with the words you choose, the emotions you manage, and the space you create for the other person to be heard. In this module, you'll develop the in-the-moment skills that keep a difficult conversation on track, so you can shift your language from adversarial to collaborative, manage strong emotions before they take over, and use silence as a deliberate tool rather than an awkward gap.

Beyond the Argument

You've probably been in a disagreement where both people kept talking past each other, because neither person stopped to ask what the other one actually needs. In this module, you'll move beyond surface-level positions and apply proven techniques drawn from professional negotiation, so you can uncover what's really driving a disagreement, keep the other person engaged, and create the conditions for a resolution you both can accept.

Conclusion

You've built a strong set of communication tools across this course, and now it's time to practice applying them under pressure. In this module, you'll sharpen your conflict resolution skills and integrate everything from the course, so you can engage in disagreements with greater confidence, intellectual humility, and a genuine commitment to mutual understanding.