Handling the Slippery Egg

How do YOU toss a slippery egg? First, think about how you handle conflict. When you have to have a difficult conversation do you…

Save those slippery eggs for a long time and then hurl them?!

Throw them hard and fast because you can’t hold on to those slippery eggs?!

Avoid the person so that you don’t have to toss those slippery eggs?!

Wrap those slippery eggs with so many layers of explanations and apologies that no one is sure you have tossed them?!

Or do you try to recognize when you have the slippery egg and toss it with great care and understanding, being assertive enough to communicate your needs and concerns.

Instead of saving the slippery egg for a long time and then hurling it, address the issue as soon as you can. Ask the other person for a good time to talk. When you’re ready – remember – the other person needs to be ready to receive it. For example, you don’t want to start a difficult conversation when the other person is rushing off to a doctor’s appointment.

The best thing to do is to have a plan for addressing difficult issues. For example, you and your co-teaching partner might have an understanding that either of you will put a small toy on the classroom desk when one of you needs to talk.

Over-explaining won’t make the issue less slippery. Share your perspective as clearly and concisely as possible.