L. Therese White
Free guide
From Meltdown to Resolution
20 Veteran Mediator Scripts for Resolving Emotion-Driven Workplace Conflicts
Repair Relationships • Gain Control • Lead with Compassion
The difference between conflicts that escalate into emotional firestorms and those that turn into collaborative resolutions often comes down to a handful of carefully chosen and well-timed sentences.
Twenty of those sentences, the ones Therese reaches for when a room is about to come apart, collected from more than thirty years and over a thousand workplace mediations.
Three of the twenty
1 · Listening Deeply
“I hear you.”
12 · Regulating Your Own Emotions
“Hey, let’s take a break and catch our breath.”
15 · Finding Common Ground
“Let’s clarify what we agree on and what we still see differently.”
Inside the guide
8 foundational scripts
Listening deeply, prioritizing empathy, building rapport and trust, appealing to higher selves, regulating your own emotions, separating the person from the problem, finding common ground, and being vulnerable.
3 bonus scripts
Self-talk for managing your own stress, making the case for outside help, and introducing outside assistance to the people in conflict.
When the scripts are not the right tool
The line between everyday friction and a complaint that needs HR or counsel first, so a well-meant conversation does not make things worse.
Do you need an outside mediator?
Six situations where bringing someone in is the better call.
A one-page cheat sheet
All twenty scripts on a single page. Print it, pin it, share it.
From the author
Since 1992, I’ve been repairing severely broken workplace relationships by helping people work together in genuine collaborative peace . . . not just “stopping the fighting.”
Most workplace conflicts aren’t really about the easily seen surface issues. They’re about unaddressed and often hidden personal dynamics that no one knows how to talk about.
These scripts I’m sharing in this short booklet will help you navigate those moments when everything’s about to explode, and you don’t know what to say or do.
L. Therese White
Employment Mediator • Workplace Conflict Coach
“…Therese is highly empathetic and an outstanding creative problem solver, with deep knowledge and unstinting dedication to our work. For genuine, deep, lasting resolutions in any employment setting, Therese should be your first choice.”
“…I chose Therese to support these clients because of her skill in helping people repair damage to their relationships. Her approach to mediation is transformative — both the style and the outcome.”