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Transforming Conflicts
From theory to practice
Experiential training
Minimum 2 hours
Participant number: up to 20
In this training, you will explore conflict through exercises, games, theory, and discussion. You will gain an awareness of your own reactions to conflict and learn how your response can influence the outcome of a dispute. This interactive training will give you specific skills and knowledge of alternative approaches that will help you in resolving both personal and professional disagreements.
Conflict is a part of life
Conflicts are catalysts for change and bring forth innovation. Conversely, they could wreak havoc in our lives and cause tremendous harm. When conflicts are stressful, the cumulative effects of long-term engagement have a profound negative impact on our minds and bodies. Getting beyond what the conflict is about and looking at how we engage with it is essential to resolve it. Raising the level of awareness of how we deal with conflicts can greatly change the outcome.
Recognize patterns in conflict
We are culturally patterned to compete, bring disputes to attorneys. This takes the power to make decisions out of our hands. This system encourages competition, and situations quickly become a “zero-sum” game in which there is a winner and a loser. Everyone hopes to be the winner, but there is no guarantee. Competitive environments discourage mutual understanding and collaboration: the focus becomes what we want and what the conflict is about, rather than why we want what we want and how we are communicating to resolve it. While some conflicts need advocacy, many could be resolved if we had the skills and understood the "how."
Develop awareness and skills
Developing an awareness of our conflict behavioral tendencies and fine-tuning our listening skills are some of the basic, but powerful tools that one can develop. We listen to respond rather than to understand. Just a simple change in how we listen could shift the dynamic of the conflict. Knowing our behavioral tendencies when facing conflict could inform how we might communicate more effectively. As chaotic and terrifying as conflicts can be, we can develop some comfort and the capacity to be more fluent and skilled communicators.
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