Conflict in the workplace, for many, is all too familiar. It can develop as teams are under increased business pressures. Despite this, most of us lack basic Conflict Management skills. Rather than react to conflict on a purely emotional level, you can learn how to manage disputes and disagreements in a positive manner, or even (and more preferably) avoid them altogether. This course will show you how to recognise the stages and causes of interpersonal conflict. Learn skills to help you critically evaluate conflict situations and then choose the appropriate strategies and tools to manage and/or resolve them. You’ll develop greater awareness of your own emotional triggers and how to control them. In addition, you will learn how to deal with other’s behaviours in a professional, non-judgemental manner.

 Who Should Attend?

Business professionals who want to increase their Conflict Management skills, understand their own emotions and behaviours when addressing conflict, and find productive ways to manage conflict.

By attending this course you will be able to

• Recognise the causes and stages of conflict
• Use a powerful technique for mapping conflict to enable and identify solutions.
• Identify ways to develop flexible responses to both personal and professional conflicts
• Learn how to apply techniques, models and strategies to manage your communication and behaviours in conflict situations

Course Content

Developing Awareness of Conflict

• Recognise the difference between disagreement and conflict
• Understand how and why conflict escalates
• Exploring barriers to conflict management and resolution

Ways of Responding to Conflict

• Identifying your own feelings and actions in response to conflict
• Use Active Listening to demonstrate understanding
• The importance of Validation
• Distinguishing between listening for thoughts and listening for feelings

Mapping Conflict

• Mapping a conflict using a 5-step approach
• Exploring a given conflict from various “viewing points”
• Separating interests from positions in a specific conflict
• Selecting a conflict strategy appropriate to addressing a specific goal
• Implementing a chosen conflict strategy

Perspective

• Changing our perspective on the conflict
• How to address an intra-group conflict case study
• Planning for future development to effectively respond to conflict.

Why Trust in Crucial in Minimising Conflict

• The 4 Cs of building trust.
• How trust is lost and regained, and the importance of transparency.
• Identifying interests behind positions

Strategies for Managing Conflict

• Identifying your preferred strategies for responding to conflict
• Understanding the five conflict strategies
• Appropriate strategies to minimize/manage conflict
• Identifying and practicing assertiveness tools and strategies
• The danger of emotional statements and alternative ways to get the message across.