Conflict Handling Skills

This one day conflict handling course is ideal for training anyone that has to deal with conflict on a regular basis. But because from time to time we all have to deal with conflict, this is a course for everyone in your organisation.

Conflict can be hugely damaging to the success of your organisation. At a high level, disputes can literally tear a company in two. But anywhere conflict arises, it creates a tense and unproductive work environment.

Teams that are able to resolve conflict, are a winning combination of people. Much of business success is about overcoming problems successfully, so why would you not want people who resolve conflict effectively? Conflict handling is useful across a business:

• Senior leadership teams – differences of opinion here can be crippling to an organisation, ensuring those involved in high-level strategy and decision-making can overcome conflict is crucial to agreeing on, and achieving, organisational goals.
• Conflict within teams – people fall out for all sorts of reasons. When you spend a lot of time with people, it is human nature to occasionally irritate one another. Knowing how to recognise, understand and resolve conflict is vital.
• Customer-facing employees – conflict resolution is a vital skill to retain customers and find positive solutions (sometimes in the most challenging of circumstances).
• Buyers and sellers – are able to secure more favourable terms by being able to handle the sometimes confrontational nature of striking deals.
• Credit control departments – disputes about debt and money are common and need to be positively resolved.

So you can see that your organisation will benefit from training your people in conflict handling, for any job role and level. The benefits are widespread and tangible.

• People are better able to create positive relationships and a happier work environment. Bad work relationships don’t just affect those directly involved, they send negative ripples across teams and departments.
• People are empowered when they can rise above and resolve conflict. It creates a sense of confidence among teams, that they’re in it together and nothing can stop them.
• Save money – conflict costs your business money. HR resources, management time dealing with issues, disciplinary measures and even employment tribunals.
• Increase productivity – Workplaces that are able to resolve conflict are more collaborative and unite around common goals. Besides, the amount of staff time wasted arguing, gossiping and pulling in different directions can be very costly.

Topics covered:

• What is conflict? – Helping participants to understand and appreciate how conflict occurs, whilst reviewing their own experiences.
• How to spot conflict – Looking for the tell-tale signs and the more predictable behaviours inherent with conflict.
• Why conflict can be difficult to resolve – A look at the behavioural aspect of conflict. How our desires drive our behaviour and what this means.
• Positions and Interests – A further exploration of how people focus on positions when working on interests can produce better results. Supported by an excellent training game.
• The stages of conflict – Plotting the typical path that a conflict follows and relating this to participant’s own experience.
• The five methods of managing conflict – Exploring the methods individuals use to manage conflict, which are: Avoiding, Accommodating, Forcing, Compromising, Collaborating.
• Resolving conflicts you are involved in:
• Skills required – Identifying and discussing the key skills.
• Conflict resolution model – Following a set method of resolution.
• Personal conflict situation – Applying skills to a personal situation.
• Negative responses – Coping with typical responses.
• Practice – A chance to demonstrate and practice in a safe environment
• Resolving conflict between others – How to manage the process of helping others resolve conflicts without becoming embroiled.

Everyone who may face conflict in their work environment.

None.