Even the most well-designed and effectively-facilitated process will encounter bumps on the road to an agreement. Participants may become stuck due to interpersonal conflict or seemingly-intractable disagreements, may become exhausted or frustrated, or may even intentionally use disruptive behavior designed to divert or derail the process.  Consider approaching these situations through three steps:

• First, name the problem and investigate its causes in a way that avoids escalation.
• Second, look for an opportunity to bring a positive outcome out of negative behavior, since the behavior may provide a window into a participant’s underlying interests that are otherwise going unexpressed.
• If all else fails, maintain control by interrupting and ending negative behaviors.

This section reviews strategies for responding when these conflicts and disruptions threaten to interfere with a collaborative process:

• Managing Tensions: Use these techniques to manage tensions and direct participants back into collaborative negotiation before a full-blown conflict develops.
• Addressing Problematic Behavior: When things go wrong, use these strategies to stop disruptive behavior and reassert group standards.