Once you have some ideas on how to resolve the conflict, do a quick evaluation. What do you want and need out of the solution? What might the other party need? Use these to sketch out a solution. (Remember, if you’re going to propose a solution, the other party is going to want to know what’s in it for them, so make sure you have something to offer.)

Have a backup plan, too, in case your approach doesn’t work. This could be a different solution, a different way of presenting your original solution, or even a proposal to move to a more complex resolution process. Simply have some ideas in your back pocket in case your original approach doesn’t work.