--- title: "Communication Skills for Navigating Board Conflict" id: "61550" type: "post" slug: "communication-skills-for-navigating-board-conflict" published_at: "2021-01-25T12:00:27+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:10:12+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/25/communication-skills-for-navigating-board-conflict/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/25/communication-skills-for-navigating-board-conflict.md" excerpt: "Boards need to have open—and sometimes contentious—conversations, without allowing disagreement to devolve into animosity. Board and staff leaders need to develop the right skills to help boards have civil, productive discussions even in divisive times." taxonomy_category: - "Executive Leadership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Communication Skills for Navigating Board Conflict Part of the Deep Dive[Lead2021](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/lead2021/) In this era of heated debates, heightened mistrust, and political polarization, the art of disagreeing effectively seems to have been lost, but it is absolutely necessary for boards to function effectively. To navigate conflict and come out stronger after difficult conversations, board and staff leaders need a few key skills. “Disagreement is healthy,” says Mary Byers, CAE, an association governance consultant and host of the *Associations Today* podcast. “It’s how [people] handle the disagreement that’s crucial.” Board disagreement that isn’t resolved properly can hamper board effectiveness moving forward. “Conflict does not age gracefully, and the longer it’s left unchecked, the harder it is to resolve,” Byers says. “The minute you see there is conflict is the minute you need to address it.” The key to disagreeing in board interactions is to do so respectfully and with your association’s mission in mind, says Arlene A. Pietranton, Ph.D., FASAE, CAE, CEO of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. “We encourage diversity of thinking and perspective and candid challenging of information and alternative views,” Pietranton says of her work with the ASHA board. “There is an explicit expectation it is done in a respectful way. There is a healthy way to have those differing perspectives. That helps ensure there is broader thinking to make decisions.” [Rasheeda Childress](https://associationsnow.com/author/rasheeda-childress/) Rasheeda Childress is a former senior editor at Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/rasheeda-childress/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [Strategic Planning in 2021: The Same, but Different](https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/25/strategic-planning-in-2021-the-same-but-different/) - [What Should You Keep From Your Pandemic Pivot?](https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/25/what-should-you-keep-from-your-pandemic-pivot/) - [Reinventing Association Business Models](https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/25/reinventing-association-business-models/) - [Beyond Data: How to Decide What’s Next](https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/25/beyond-data-how-to-decide-whats-next/) - [A Reckoning With Ethics and Injustice](https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/25/a-reckoning-with-ethics-and-injustice/) - [Keep Your Board Focused on Strategy](https://associationsnow.com/2021/01/20/keep-your-board-focused-on-strategy/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/lead2021/) ## You Might Like - [VideoAmerican Geophysical Union: Standing Up for Science: AGU’s Year of Action for Scientists and SocietySeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-geophysical-union-standing-up-for-science-agus-year-of-action-for-scientists-and-society/) - [VideoInt. 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