In particular, I love your redefining confrontation as meeting someone face to face! Seems to me the nature of conflict is such that it can be a very positive thing if one of the parties to it knows how to be gentle about it.

Guy is yelling at a service provider about how ripped off and angry he feels because of a delay in his order, and the service provider, instead of taking it personally, or thinking bad thoughts about the customer, simply replies, “Sir, I want to help you solve this problem. But I’m going to need your help to do it. Sir, can you help me to help you?”

BTW, my favorite way of confronting a problem you’re having with someone else is narrowing the definition of it, because as that activity reduces the differences between you, you thus increase the available common ground in the relationship.

Great blog, keep up the good work!
Rick