From Conflict to Conciliation: How to Defuse Difficult Situations

"The Six-C approach provides a framework within which people can work together to attack the problem, not each other. By ending each conflict with conciliation, those who use this approach can do much more than resolve conflict―they can build each other up so future conflicts will be easier to resolve."
―Bob Bowen, Chief Executive Officer
The Mandt System, Inc.

Don′t let conflict get in the way of meaningful collaboration!

Conflict is inevitable, but educators can work together effectively if they understand how to defuse difficult situations before they escalate. This resource describes the Six-C process, a conflict resolution method that allows educators to take progressively more assertive steps as necessary to resolve disagreements.

Based on research and easy to remember, this approach helps readers handle challenging situations using the least amount of time and energy. Illustrated with many examples and scenarios, the six steps are:

• Concern: identifying actionable concerns
• Confer: expressing concerns in nonthreatening ways
• Consult: reviewing and clarifying the situation collaboratively
• Confront: considering consequences and giving clear warnings
• Combat: taking sustained, logical action
• Conciliation: mending the wounds and restoring relationships

Focused on preserving relationships while resolving disagreements, From Conflict to Conciliation can be used in any situation or setting, from the classroom to the community.

William Watson Purkey is professor emeritus of counselor education at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and co-founder of The International Alliance for Invitational Education®. A noted author, researcher, speaker, and leader, Purkey has authored nearly 100 articles and more than a dozen books.

John J. Schmidt is professor emeritus of counselor education at East Carolina University, where he chaired the department for fourteen years. Author of more than 50 professional articles and nearly 20 books and manuals, Schmidt is a national certified counselor and a licensed professional counselor in North Carolina.

John M. Novak is professor and former chair of Graduate Studies in Education at Brock University, Canada. An invited keynote speaker on six continents, Novak is the author of numerous articles, book chapters, and ten books and monographs. He is the past president of the Society of Professors of Education.