Throughout this program we will be making reference to Vistelar's Point-Of-Impact Conflict Management Framework, which consists of these six elements ("6 Cs") and the displayed graphic:

Context: All approach considerations prior to an interaction, including your assessment of risk, decision on whether to be there, personal mindset and physical positioning. Goal: effective preparation.

Contact: Situations when an initial interaction occurs. Goal: get the interaction started on a positive note, prevent conflict and, if necessary, turn a defensive atmosphere into a supportive one.

Conflict: Situations when anger, verbal abuse or resistance enters into an interaction. Goal: de-escalation to prevent this emotional violence from progressing to a physical altercation.

Crisis: Situations when someone is showing irrational behavior or rage. Goal: keep everyone safe.

Combat: Situations when resistance or aggression results in physical engagement initiated by either party. Goal: everyones' physical safety. Note: while uncomfortable to some, we use this term as a means to emphasize that physical engagement is a possibility in all jobs and must not be glossed over in conflict management training.

Closure: All follow-through considerations, including assessing everyones' well-being, establishing a strong foundation for the next interaction and reviewing/reporting on the incident. Goal: achieve the best possible outcome and end the interaction in a better place than where it started.

This Framework is designed to provide you with a simple structure for learning how to better and more-safety manage conflict.