Respond to Conflict with Confidence

Developing your conflict competence is essential if you  want to successfully manage and respond to conflict with confidence. Respond to Conflict with ConfidenceConflict is inevitable; however, if conflict is poorly managed it will impact productivity, create reputation risk among prospective business partners and result in low morale across the workforce. While we generally see conflict as negative and prefer to avoid it better results come from engaging with it constructively.

At work, you are likely to find two forms of conflict. The first is conflict about decisions, ideas, directions and actions. We call this “substantive conflict” since it’s focus is disagreements about the substance of issues. The second form, “personal conflict” which leads to interpersonal tension.

During this workshop we will explore and develop your ability to respond to conflict with confidence  in three key conflict resolution areas:

  • Communication
  • Emotional Control
  • Process

You will identify and assess the effectiveness of your natural conflict management style and increase awareness of a range of alternative styles that will leave you equipped to deal with specific workplace challenges

Before we start it will be helpful for you to think about your relationship with conflict. This free resource entitled “My relationship with conflict” is available for you to download.

Respond to Conflict with Confidence

Duration: 2 Days

The Mechanics of Conflict

  • Exploring attitudes to conflict
  • The flawed combination of viewing conflict as negative and avoiding it
  • The cost of conflict and the value of addressing it
  • Analyzing your conflict style using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)

Managing Emotions

  • The ladder of inference – Self-generating beliefs and flawed conclusions
  • Identifying personal HOT buttons – Managing the button pusher?
  • Cognitive Reappraisal – Practicing the re-frame
  • Using The VALUED Model to demonstrate respect for another’s feelings
  • How resilient are you? Measuring resilience with the CRQ

Engaging Constructively

  • The four constructive behavioural elements of conflict competence
  • Creating Solutions with 4 letter words activity
  • Turning destructive behaviours into constructive responses
  • Identifying forms of retaliation
  • Managing conflict behaviours during performance management discussions

Team Conflict Competence

  • Exploring established norms and their impact on conflict resolution
  • The eight step method for team agreement
  • The Stop Start Continue process
  • Emotional Intelligence self-assessment designed to get you thinking about the various competences
    of emotional intelligence
  • Identifying your preferred working style
  • Designing a strategy to influence an opposite style

Lost the Plot?

  • Emotional control and emotional intelligence
  • What do we see from those who have mastered emotional intelligence?

Ability to handle frustrations
Ability to deal professionally with a diverse range of issues
Ability to manage own emotions
Ability to manage own social skills

  • Awfulizing –Mind Reading – Labeling- Managing unhelpful behaviour
  • The advantages of saying no

The Win/Win Approach To Conflict Management

  • Changing the conflict from adversarial attack and defense to co-operation.
  • Identifying underlying needs, rather than only looking at solutions
  •  Turning problems into possibilities
  • Empathy and active listening skills