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Hi, I'm Julie Tietz. And welcome to Conflict Resolution-- putting the pieces together. Today, our topic for discussion is on trust, credibility, and authority. So why don't we get started off with our key terms?
Trust-- an expectation that an individual will act in positive ways towards other members of the relationship based on assessment of previous behavior. Authority-- in relationships, a recognition that a member of the relationship is empowered to fill particular roles or perform particular tasks.
Credibility-- in relationships, a perception that an individual has adequate knowledge and an inclination to honesty regarding particular actions or statements. Attribution bias-- a tendency to assign more positive traits to members of one's own group and to assign more negative traits to nonmembers.
So we're going to talk a little bit about trust building. And when we think of trust, think of it as going up a set of stairs. So each step we take is one level higher of trust we have in a group or individual.
And when we are developing trust, we are looking or observing and interpreting their behaviors to make sure that they fit in with acceptable rules. So we're making sure and looking and interpreting all of their actions, their communication, their behavior, to make sure they fit in with what we deem as appropriate in their rules.
And we're also looking at their credibility and authority. So we're making sure that if they're talking about a particular subject or a particular job that they're in, we're making sure that they have the right set of skills and knowledge. And that they're honest.
And we're also looking to see how they're exhibiting their authority and making sure that they are in their particular roles and not overstepping their bounds and exhibiting more power than their role permits them to do.
Now, let's talk about how our attribution bias fits into our trust building. And remember our attribution bias is our tendency to give more positive traits to people that are in our own groups and our tendency also to give more negative traits to those that aren't within our groups.
So our attribution bias plays a really powerful role in determining whether or not somebody is trustworthy. So if somebody is like me, I find it easier to trust them. That's because they are possibly from the same group as me. And so we know that they possibly or more likely than not share the same values or have similar interests. And so that makes me feel more comfortable in knowing that they're like me.
And I trust myself. So if I find somebody like me, I'm more likely to trust them versus if I find somebody that's unlike me, I find it harder to trust them. I'm not sure, again, what their values are, who they associate with, how they act. So I need to observe a little bit more and interpret their behaviors before I can say that I would trust them.
So how does conflict and trust relate with one another? Well, more likely than not, if you're in a conflict, your trust has been damaged between you and the other party. So I want you to think of a time when you were in a conflict, and the trust was damaged. And how did that make you feel? If you need to take time to pause this tutorial to think about it, that would be great.
Maybe it was with a partner. And they had an affair. Of course that would damage your trust in them. Maybe it was with a family member. Let's say you're a parent. And your teen lied to you about where they were going. And they got caught. So your trust in them has been damaged because of their lying.
Or maybe it was with a friend. You trusted them with a secret that you didn't want to share with other friends. But they went ahead and told them anyway. And so your trust is broken with them. And you're in a conflict with them because they didn't respect what you wanted.
So how do we build trust with parties as a conflict intervener? Well, that's one of the most important things in the conflict resolution process is for the parties to feel that they can have some trust in the intervener. And in doing so, it can make them have trust in the process, which can lead them to a resolution in the end.
So the intervener needs to show that there is equal treatment between the parties. So they need to give both of the parties equal amounts of time to share their feelings and their thoughts and their side. And we need to make sure that we're doing that through the process and that nobody feels like they don't get enough time.
And we need to have a positive and safe environment for the people involved. So we want to make sure that we're in a private space and maybe have some refreshments available and comfortable seating for everyone to feel like they can share their thoughts and feelings in this space.
And we need to be non-judgemental. So we need to state that we don't have any claim in the outcome of this process and that we're not judging the parties based upon why they're in the conflict and their behaviors.
And we need to ask more open-ended questions like how did this conflict start? Can you tell me exactly what happened? Or when that happened, how did that make you feel? Versus some closed-ended questions, which typically require a yes or no answer.
In following these simple steps, we can make the process and the intervener more trustworthy in the process, which will make them feel more comfortable in expressing their views and leading towards a resolution of their conflict.
So now that we've gone over trust, credibility, and authority, let's go over our key points. When we trust somebody, we believe that others will support us and that they will act in positive ways to fulfill our needs and to be on our side.
When we have credibility and authority, we are displaying that we have adequate knowledge on a subject or topic and that we are keeping within our acceptable roles and not overstepping our boundaries in maintaining our proper authority.
And attribution bias plays an important part in building trust. When we find people that are more like us, we are more often than not likely to trust them more than others who are unlike us, which makes it harder for us to trust them. And conflict can damage trust. But when we go through a conflict resolution process, we can repair that trust. And we can do so in building trust in the intervener and the process and working through the parties' conflict.
Thank you so much for taking the time out to view this tutorial. I really hope that you've learned something. And I can't wait to catch you again next time.