ENSURING LIFE HARMONY
Resolving Conflict and Creating Positive Change

Workshop

To see a sample of the workshop, click here.

Program Summary

Conflict. Not a pretty word, is it? Who among us wouldn’t avoid conflict if given a preference? Numerous surveys confirm that people in all occupations report the most uncomfortable, stress-producing parts of their jobs are the interpersonal conflicts that they experience on a daily basis between themselves and coworkers or supervisors. None of us relish the thought of having to confront a friend, family member, or coworker about an issue or disagreement. We all know the likelihood of the situation getting worse, not better, with our efforts. But the fact, is we interact with many people each day of our lives, and merely avoiding conflict doesn’t make it go away. 

How we handle conflict has a huge impact on our professional and personal relationships. Unresolved anger, stress, and frustration over a situation can damage relationships beyond repair. So what should we choose – issue or relationship? 

We know that conflict comes in all shapes and sizes, and chances are the opportunities for conflict will never go away.  But if we don’t grow our awareness of what contributes to conflict, how perceptions play a role in conflict, or how seeing conflict from another’s perspective can improve the outcome of conflict, we will continue to hurt ourselves and others, and forsake our personal happiness.

In our workshop on conflict, your participants will increase their insight into what drives conflict and what can be done to move past it when it occurs. They will realize how shifting their way of seeing conflict can open up new possibilities and outcomes to its resolution. Conflict can lead to positive change, and with a little exploration of what drives it, we can all learn to resolve it more quickly, confidently and professionally.

This 3 hour workshop has 10 interactive exercises/activities and is a perfect addition to the other Ensuring Life Harmony – Resolving Conflict and Creating Positive Change products. The information in this three hour workshop compliments, but does not duplicate the products in the suite.

Course Content

The Ensuring Life Harmony – Resolving Conflict and Creating Positive Change workshop covers these topics:

Part I – Current Understanding of Conflict:

• Introduction – Prone to Conflict
  • What is our normal response to difficulties and differences with others?
  • This component starts with an activity entitled, “Pushing Back” where participants realize the innate reaction people have to being confronted.

• Our Frame of Reference for Conflict
  • How do past experiences condition our reactions in the present?
  • This component includes an activity entitled, “Looking Back” where participants identify the source of their preferences for dealing with conflict.

• The Way We Handle Conflict Today
  • What is the current perspective we hold around conflict in our lives?
  • This component includes an exercise entitled, “Methods for Handling Conflict” where participants review methods for handling conflict and identify those methods most often used by them and by the people in their lives.

• What Contributes to Conflict?
  • What elements make conflict more likely to happen?
  • This component includes an activity entitled, “Contributors to Conflict” where the participants increase their awareness of what contributes to conflict.

Part II – Seeing Conflict Differently Going Forward

• What Contributes to Resolving Conflict?
  • What elements make the resolution of conflict easier?
  • This component includes an exercise entitled, “Contributors to Resolving Conflict” where participants learn skills to use to resolve conflict.

• Assumptions & Distortions in Conflict
  • Seeing what’s true in conflict and not what just appears to be true.
  • This component includes an exercise entitled, “Optical Illusions” where participants study optical illusions and determine the difference between what’s illusory and what the real truth is in these images and how this relates to perception and conflict.

• Our Perception of Self
  • What personal perceptions, values, and unmet needs are at play in conflict?
  • This component includes an activity entitled, “Self Perception” where participants explore how personal perception, values, and unmet needs affect conflict.

• From the Perspective of Others
  • Seeing an issue or situation from someone else’s point of view.
  • This component includes an activity entitled, “Shifting Perspectives” where participants are challenged to see an issue or situation from someone else’s point of view. This is an important skill needed when dealing with conflict.

• Course Review/Application
  • What from this workshop do I want to take and apply in my life?
  • This component includes an activity entitled, “Tying it all Together" where participants review what they have learned from each topic.
  • This component concludes with an exercise entitled, “Moving Past Conflict” where participants reflect on what they have learned and how they will apply what they have learned to a situation in their lives that’s marked by conflict.

Learning Outcome

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to recognize what contributes to conflict and what contributes to its resolution.  They will also be able to explain how perceptions of self and the difficulty in seeing a situation from another’s perspective play a role in conflict situations.  Such awareness will support participants in moving past conflict, resolving it, and creating positive change as an outcome of any conflict situation.

Workshop Benefits

Conflict can arise over the slightest thing and then escalate into a major confrontation between individuals.  There’s a reason for all the headache and stomach medicine ads airing on television at dinner time each night.  In a fast-paced world, conflict can take its toll. 

Participants in this workshop will gain awareness for the causes of conflict, what prevents conflict, and what can help to resolve it.

The benefits of this workshop include:

• Recognize what makes us prone to conflict.
• Discover the link between past experiences and our reactions to conflict today.
• Identify factors that can create conflict as well as resolve conflict.
• Discern our present view of conflict.
• Appreciate how the perception we have of ourselves affects conflict.
• Evaluate conflict from another’s perspective.
• Move past making assumptions and distorting the truth during conflict.

To see a sample of the workshop, click here.