Conflict Resolution
Educational Programs and Services
Educational Programs
The Conflict Resolution Advisor provides educational sessions and training to employees on the numerous topics related to communicating in difficult situations listed below. She offers sessions on harassment and discrimination for student and classroom groups. Most sessions can be modified to fit a group's unique needs as to content and length (one hour to full day). The longer, the more effective is the rule for workshops that focus on skill development.
The Advisor has also developd a web seminar, Difficult Conversations, which you can study on your own or with a buddy. It provides a fascinating perspective on how we manage to misunderstand each other as well as guidance on the most effective ways to listen to others, to express ourselves, and to find common ground.
As well, Vancouver Island University has developed an excellent set of web materials on Managing Workplace Conflict.
Educational programs described on this page are:
- How to Drive Your Instructors Crazy--Not
- Inter-Cultural Conflict Resolution
- Skills for Communicating in Conflict
- Understanding Customer Diversity
Skills for Communicating in Conflict
- Conflict styles: avoid, dominate, accommodate, compromise, collaborate
- Non-verbals, body language
- Expressing yourself effectively
- Active listening
- Open questions
- Checking out assumptions
- Bullying behaviour
- Bully profiles
- Impact of bullying
- What to do?
- The role of bystanders
- When managing becomes bullying
- Resources
Collaborative Conflict Resolution
- Goal of collaborative conflict resolution and skills required
- Preparation stage
- Exploration stage
- Resolution
- Discussion ground rules
- Conflict de-escalation
- Dealing with disruptive behaviour in the classroom
- Helping different types of distressed students
How to Drive Your Instructor Crazy--Not
- Brainstorm the "no-no's"
- Why students may be tuning out and acting out
- When and how to give feedback and open discussion with your instructor
- Session can be as short as 30 minutes - works best in class groups
Conflict Communication Skills in Customer Service
- Video: Conflict Communication Skills
- Review of video and skills
- Managing your emotions
- When skills aren't enough
Understanding Customer Diversity
- Our diverse University community
- Video: Understanding Customer Diversity
- Cross-cultural communication glitches
- Understanding Cap's International students
Dealing with Differences: Diversity in the Workplace
- Fears and benefits
- What it feels like to be "different"
- Universals
- Areas of difference
- Being effective
- Managing your anger: signals, self-interruption, stick to the issue
- Assertive expression
- Dealing with angry people: defuse, confront, disengage
- LASSIE system: listen, acknowledge, separate the person from others, sit down, indicate and explain options, encourage person to try an option
- When threatened with violence
- Aggressive boss
- Video: Dealing with Aggressive Behaviour
- Based on the Harvard Negotiation Project book, Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
- Moving from delivery of a messge to a learning conversation
- Sorting out what happened, the feelings involved and the underlying identity issues
- Preparing for good communication
- Handling feelings; negotiate your way to curiosity
- Opening the conversation and listening
- See also the Web Seminar, Difficult Conversations
back to top
Emotional Intelligence
- Based Daniel Goleman's book, Emotional Intelligence
- Basics of EI
- Self-awareness and managing our own emotions
- Handling relationships
- VIDEO: 20/20 Interview with Daniel Goleman
- Preparation
- The meeting in process: starting, decision-making, participation, trouble-shooting, concluding
- Follow-up
- Cultural continuums
- Areas of potential misunderstanding
- Effective approaches
- Institutional interventions
- Interpersonal interventions
- Inner interventions
- What it is
- Why it's difficult
- Benefits
- Skills training
Services
The Conflict Resolution Advisor's services are available to all members of the campus community: students, staff, faculty and administrators.
- Confidential consultation and advice
- Assistance with written communication
- Coaching
- Mediation
- Conciliation (acting as a go-between)
- Group facilitation
- Chairing meetings
- Referral
