There are few skills more important in life than the ability to manage conflict effectively. And one thing all successful people have in common – whatever the context – is that they are good communicators, good negotiators, and effective conflict managers. Effective Conflict Management is essential to success in leadership, management, teamwork, negotiation, relationships, and many other parts of life; both personal and professional. Our training is designed to help participants become more effective by:
- Understanding what conflict really is and how it works,
- Understanding different types of conflict and what causes it,
- Learning how to be effective “conflict doctors;” able to diagnose any conflict,
- Learning how to deal effectively with the friction in relationships that is inevitable when people work together,
- Learning how to communicate for understanding – and to clarify misunderstandings,
- Learning how to exercise influence, without creating – or increasing – conflict,
- Learning how to engage in productive problem-solving with others,
- Learning how to give — and receive – feedback effectively, despite tensions, and
- Learning how to have difficult conversations skilfully when conflict exists.
Understanding Conflict
Our training begins with presentations and discussion on different types and sources of conflict; from the natural friction inherent in group work to deep-seated identity differences; from simple misunderstandings, to ideological conflict; from substantive differences to situational conflict (e.g., that generated by scarcity). This introduction will help us better to understand the subject, and to identify the ways in which improved skills and approaches can help us to be more effective in dealing with conflicts of all kinds. Discussions will also help participants to begin to identify the conflict management challenges they face – or will face — in their work.
Understanding the Challenges Participants Face
Participants will be asked to share some of their biggest challenges related to dealing with conflict. We shall discuss those challenges and some of the most common difficulties people face in managing conflict effectively; from expressing oneself, to raising issues for discussion, to understanding others, to preventing or clarifying misunderstandings, to dealing with emotions, to giving or receiving useful feedback, to negotiation of substantive differences, to engaging in difficult conversations skillfully.
We include emphasis on the communication skills that are necessary to deal with conflict effectively. This includes focus on the cognitive psychology of how people form perceptions, and how those perceptions then serve as the basis for our behavior. This helps participants to understand how communication is structured and how to “navigate” a conversation about differences effectively; especially when they are under pressure and/or when they face difficulties in understanding others or being understood clearly on issues of importance.
The Practice of Conflict Management: Role-Plays, Videos, and Case-Studies
Participants prepare for, and engage in, one-on-one or multi-party conversations as part of role-play simulations, based on a dispute among two, or more, parties. The role-plays might simulate a commercial or workplace dispute, identity differences, political or ideological differences, differences of opinion, or competition over scarce resources. They are designed to challenge participants to communicate effectively in several ways; dealing with miscommunication, solving issues in substantive disputes, and maintaining a good relationship, while also trying to exercise influence on the other parties.
Participants will learn key skills for turning debate into dialogue, by watching relevant videos and/or discussing case-studies based on actual conflicts. Sea-Change Senior Consultants have worked with parties to commercial, political, and violent conflicts at all levels for more than 20 years, worldwide. We will share real experiences from the many peace negotiations, business disputes, conflict management efforts, and crisis interventions in which we have been involved as trainers, advisors, and mediators.
Communication in Conflict
How we communicate with one another is itself often a source of conflict. Skilled communicators are able to convey messages and exercise influence without creating or exacerbating tensions. And those in the midst of conflict can use effective communication skills to manage relationships effectively while dealing with the substance of a dispute. Some conversations; such as performance reviews, political debates, bearing bad news, dealing with customer complaints, or sharing unpopular opinions are often difficult by design. And it requires particular communication skills to deal with such situations.
Our training includes presentations and practice sessions on the art and science of having “difficult conversations” skillfully; including the skills associated with giving and receiving feedback. (While at the Harvard Negotiation Project, Sea-Change Senior Consultants contributed to the acclaimed book, Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, which is based on decades of experience working with parties in all types of disputes).
Performance Review and Application to Participant Cases
At several intervals, throughout the training, participants will be asked to review the exercises and presentations, so that they might reflect on their performance, the performance of others, and so that they can relate the workshop lessons and experiences to the situations they face in their own work and lives. There will be facilitated discussions following each exercise and there will be question & answer sessions after each presentation in order to guarantee such opportunities for reflection.
Prior to the training, participants will be asked to prepare real cases based on a dispute/conflict in which they are – or will be – involved, so that they might consider how the skills, tools, and strategies offered in the training can be put to effective use in their own situations.
Role-Reversal
Participants will be asked to work on the cases they will have prepared prior to the training, using the “Role-Reversal Exercise.” This exercise has been used effectively for decades to help participants prepare for a difficult conversation or a challenging negotiation with another party, by asking the participants (with the help of a fellow participant, acting as a partner) to engage in the conversation, but while playing the role of the other side (the party with whom they have the dispute). The exercise is an effective way of helping participants both to gain diagnostic and empathic insights into how the dispute looks to the other party in order to design strategies and prepare for the conversation prior to the actual meeting.