Not long ago, the annual Stress in America survey (I recommend you take a look at it periodically) reported that strain among families is often severe when it is associated with political and ideological differences.

Undoubtedly, you have employees in your organization that will rub elbows, and more likely bump heads this holiday season, since COVID restrictions are not as severe.

No one likes conflict, but fewer know how to pleasantly avoid it. So, anything that can help your employees experience a more pleasant holiday season is likely to get their attention.

Try passing along the few tips below in individual sessions, via email, or simply with a small tip sheet.

1) Steer conversations that appear to be drifting into conflict toward those things you can agree on;

2) If you are angry about what’s in the news, avoid displacing this tension onto loved ones;

3) Challenge yourself to be a tension de-escalator, not an aggravator;

4) Rehearse how you might respond to conflict. (Doing so will dramatically improve your ability to act calmly while avoiding hair-trigger reflexes.)

Quick Intervention Tactics

Assertive communication is key to ending political discussions in social settings. The formula for extricating oneself from such a discussion is any derivation on this sentence: "I can tell our discussion is bringing up a lot of strong feelings for both of us. I feel uncomfortable continuing further, and I would like to talk about something else." (Note, that you are not asking permission.)

Dealing with stressful conversations and politics has become almost a science. There's a nice article at the web site of the American Psychological Association on dealing with stress conversations. I know you will enjoy it and find utility for your clients in it.

apa.org [search “stress-conversations”] <= (include the dash!)