Managing Conflict and Dealing with Difficult People

The email from an angry parent. The colleague whose reports are late again. The Year 9 who digs in the moment the class is watching. It's tempting to avoid these conversations, or rush them to make the discomfort stop, and both tend to make things worse.

Each kind of conflict needs handling on its own terms. With a colleague, open with what you've noticed rather than what you've decided it means, so they hear an invitation and not an accusation. With a worried parent, listen properly before you reach for the policy. With a pupil, lower your voice, offer a choice and give them a way to back down without losing face in front of friends.

You'll also look at what happens after the door closes, from settling yourself to the small gestures, like a thank-you before you go home, that put a relationship back on an even footing.