Conflict Management Training Course - 1 Day

Many conflicts are born of a misunderstanding of an earlier message. By clarifying your original message, you can avoid many errors and misunderstandings.

The first thing you must do, is to clarify the goal. You must know what you want and be able to clearly communicate your objectives to others. In addition, you must understand what the other person wants.

An ambiguous message is one that can be understood in multiple ways. For example, “Send me that document, asap”.

Notes on how to eliminate vagueness and ambiguity from your spoken and written communications.

Clarity is a virtue, vagueness is a vice.

We will show you eight ways to clarify your message and ensure there can be no conflict, based on misunderstanding.

Remember that people make judgements about you, based upon everything you say and everything you do.

You have the power to control what you say and do, and therefore you should decide exactly how you want to be perceived and then act accordingly.

The misuse of humour can be the source of conflict. We will discuss how to properly use humour and the negative effects of the misuse of humour.

It is important to be able to accurately express your message, in a single sentence. We will show you how to reduce a complex message to its essential terms, so that it can be more easily and correctly understood.

How to give a clear, specific message

Some people are cynical and negative – they call it being realistic. We will show you how to transform your negative cynic, into a critical thinker.

Every time you speak, you create mental images in the mind of your listener, which are then acted upon. Therefore, it is very important to phrase your message, so that the images you create, correspond to the things that you do want. We call this process embedded command.

Managing confrontational situations

Conflict is inevitable, since not everybody agrees with your views. How you deal with conflict and confrontation is an important issue.

Three common mistakes people make in conflict situations

1. Many people get too emotional, too quickly.
2. They argue far too long about what has already happened (the past).
3. They lose control of their language and make a bad situation, worse.

The proper approach to conflict resolution

We will use reason and objective language to resolve conflict.

Whilst in conflict, keep your negative emotions under control.
Strictly control your language and don’t verbalise your derogatory opinions.
Don’t argue about the past, instead negotiate a plan going forward.
Operate according to the facts, not your feelings.

1. Your goal is to modify their behaviour, not “win” the argument
2. "Nip it in the bud" technique, to quickly handle conflict
3. Don’t use emotional language when dealing with conflict in the workplace
4. Use objective language
5. Don’t attack their self-image, character, ego or pride
6. Give them a clear way out of the conflict
7. Ask them for a specific change in their behaviour
8. Distinguish reasons from excuses
9. Don’t give concessions to excuse givers
10. Positively reinforce any positive change in their behaviour

In conflict situations it is important to get your body language right.

Learn our Pat Goes Ape formula:

• Posture
• Appearance
• Touch (handshake)

• Gestures
• Orientation
• Expression
• Scent

• Accessories
• Proximity
• Eye contact

1. Volume
2. Pitch
3. Pace
4. Intensity of emotion

We practice our skills in handling real-life conflict scenarios. You will have the opportunity to present your own problems and we will work out a solution.

Interestingly, we all have similar problems when handling other people, for example, dealing with:

• Harassment issues
• Consistent lateness
• Social bully
• Inappropriate humour in the workplace
• Aggressive behaviour
• Poor performance issues

The lack of appreciation may be the cause of a conflict situation.

How and when to give praise and appreciation.

Whenever the person makes a move in the right direction, then immediately, “tag it” with a piece of positive reinforcement.

Conflict Management and Resolution Training Summary

Summarise and write your personal development action plan.