Four steps to reduce relationship tension and increase trust

The tension was heavy in a recent meeting. The participants had competing agendas, different personalities and diverse perspectives. Being privy to side conversations before the meeting, I knew that they were making judgments about each other. Instead of coming together as "we," they were defending and protecting the "me." In his classic book "Nonviolent Communication," Dr. Marshall Rosenberg suggests that this behavior isn't so unusual:

The tension was heavy in a recent meeting. The participants had competing agendas, different personalities and diverse perspectives. Being privy to side conversations before the meeting, I knew that they were making judgments about each other. Instead of coming together as "we," they were defending and protecting the "me." In his classic book "Nonviolent Communication," Dr. Marshall Rosenberg suggests that this behavior isn't so unusual:…