You work through each step before you take the next one with the goal of getting someone to do something they may not like.

  1. Ask: “Can I ask you to…”
  2. Set in Content (Explain)
  3. Give Options
  4. Confirm
  5. Act (Escalate to HR, Police, Etc.)

This was something covered in an HR training but it’s an interesting conflict resolution approach.

Example

Scenario: A customer becomes belligerent after not being able to get their problem resolved. They blame the tech for not fixing their issue.

  1. ”Can I ask you to wait over here.” Directing them to move to a safer location.
  2. Explain: “Your computer could not recovered because you submerged it in the ocean. This means that the disk drive plates are rusted together.”
  3. Give Options: “We can send it to get the data recovered, start setting up a new computer, or you can take it and try a different provider."
  4. "You’re sure neither option works for you?”
  5. Uppercut (jk). Explain that nothing else can be done and if they still are belligerent you can call the police.