Negative Organizational Culture is Not.

Conflict is a part of every relationship, whether it is between family members, coworkers, neighbors, or friends. Gain skills to address conflict as an opportunity for growth, strengthening relationships and solving problems. Join The Conflict Center in an interactive session to develop the tools necessary to help understand other perspectives, generate options, and create mutually agreeable solutions.

Course Learning Objectives:

• Acknowledge that conflict is a normal part of life, discuss the negative and positive aspects of conflict and how to approach it in a positive and creative way.
• Increase participants’ self-awareness about their own responsibility and role in a conflict.
• Learn new ways to express thoughts and perspectives that open up, rather than shut down solutions.
• Gain understanding of passive, aggressive and assertive styles of communicating.
• Learn effective techniques for giving feedback and expressing appreciation.
• Explore constructive and destructive conflict styles and practice those that serve to solve problems while building more positive relationships.

Productive relationships are the basic foundation of a healthy workplace. Leaders and supervisors know the impact unhealthy and dysfunctional relationships have on the work climate and culture and need the skills to effectively navigate these conflicts. This course will help leaders to build positive and productive relationships with and among co-workers internally, as well as creating positive interactions with vendors and customers. The course teaches a variety of techniques that leaders can utilize to identify shared team goals and values; listen openly; create safe space for other perspectives to be voiced; and facilitate difficult conversations. 

Course Learning Objectives:

• Engage in team building and the articulation of common team values and goals.
• Create positive team culture through setting group norms, rules and expectations.
• Understand the importance of other perspectives and how they can be used as a strength by the team.
• Learn and practice the five key components of active listening Including: Restate; Reflect; Clarify; Summarize; Non-verbal Communication.
• Gain understanding of passive, aggressive and assertive styles of communicating.
• Learn effective techniques for giving feedback and expressing appreciation.
• Understand and practice techniques for non-blaming communication through use of “I messages” and Affective Statements that help each person identify and own their own thoughts and feelings in a difficult situation, allowing each person to participate without blaming the other person.

During times of contention and heightened emotions, how can we distinguish between debate and dialogue? Why is it important not only for us to make that distinction, but to intentionally utilize tools that encourage a healthy dialogue? We will explore barriers to respectful conversation, practice dialogue techniques, and discuss when to engage and when to walk away.

Course Learning Objectives:

• Learn de-escalation techniques for helping to diffuse tense situations.
• Understand the difference between reacting and responding.
• Explore ways to understand one’s own and others’ motivations and intentions.
• Explore ways to better understand and respond to others’ emotions and needs. 
• Gain awareness of the feelings and emotions that are triggers for anger, the physical signs of becoming escalated, and strategies for more constructive approaches.
• Delve into how to use thoughts and actions to assess situations, cool down when necessary and bring oneself and others into a productive problem solving space.
• Practice ways of responding effectively when dealing with someone who is expressing strong emotion.

Have you ever wanted to “unfriend” people? As core perspectives and experiences divide us as a country, it is even more important to be able to stay in conversation with people and to engage in civil dialogue, even if they are contentious interactions. This interactive session will focus on a variety of ways that we “unfriend” people and review facilitation skills we can use everyday – such as reframing resistance, listening deeply, and navigating triggers – to stay “in conversation” instead.

Course Learning Objectives:

• Understand the reasons behind why we withdraw from others
• Explore the intentions and motivations behind our choices in a conflict
• Identify and better understand our hot buttons and triggers
• Learn powerful cool down and reframe techniques

How can someone’s identity or position influence the way we interact with them even when we are truly trying to be unbiased? Whether we are conscious of it or not we all have biases, and our unconscious is pretty powerful. Often bias happens in organizations because of ingrained and implicit ideas we have been taught to believe as the “norm” or the “right way.” Learn more about what implicit bias is and how it works in each of us, in the policies and practices of organizations and when we are engaged in conflict.

Course Learning Objectives:

• Introduction to the nature of human bias 
• Recognize how implicit bias shows up in each of us
• Explore how implicit bias plays out in organizations
• Gain new tools to recognize and address implicit bias in ourselves and others

Working effectively in a culturally diverse workplace, requires leadership which proactively and consistently creates environments which are inclusive and culturally-responsive, valuing the personalities, identity and culture each employee brings to the work team. Topics to be covered include self-reflection on personal identity; recognizing elements of personal and organizational culture which either hinder or support inclusive practices; implementing practices which not only enhance recruitment but also retention of diverse employees; and developing and expecting inclusive behaviors in employees.

Course Learning Objectives:

• Explore elements of our identity and how they influence our perceptions
• Understand the role identity on the personal, group and institutional level
• Examine how bias operates through institutional policies and practices
• Gain skills and resources to intentionally create inclusive workplace culture 
• Review current policies and practices and identify opportunities for growth

Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices are becoming more common in criminal justice and education settings, but what does Restorative Practices really mean and how can it apply to the workplace as well? Join The Conflict Center to learn more about using conflict as an opportunity to solve the problem, to build the relationship and to take responsibility for our behavior. Learn the basics of Restorative Practices from “The Five Rs” to affective statements and practice using Restorative Practices techniques as a manager or with your colleagues.

Course Learning Objectives:

• Increase participants’ understanding of the history and central concepts of Restorative Practices

• Gain familiarity with the language of Restorative Practices

• Foster a paradigm shift — away from the traditional ways of viewing conflict and toward a restorative approach

• Learn how to reframe conflict and turn it into an opportunity to strengthen relationships

• Develop strategies to create buy-in for restorative practices in your workplace

• Examine the impact of implicit bias and out it can harm a positive environment

• Understand how Restorative Practices can support the healing of people who experience harm and the growth of people who cause harm

In any business, nonprofit, or industry where employees are interacting with customers, there is the need to learn how to effectively manage heightened emotions or situations. This includes understanding your own responses to escalated situations and internal cooling off methods, as well as strategies for interacting with heated clients or customers. Identifying things that you can do and say in the moment will allow you to map out a plan so that you can feel confident when it comes time to put your plan into action. How can you respond in a way that de-escalates the situation while continuing to remain clear and firm? What tools can you use to remain calm, even when a customer is not? How can you continue to prioritize your own safety?

Course Learning Objectives:

• Increase participants’ self-awareness about their own responsibility and role in a conflict.
• Explore what may be underlying emotional reactions
• Gain understanding of the role that verbal and nonverbal cues play in a conflict situation and how these may impact others.
• Learn ways to respond to escalated customers that de-escalate a potentially tense situation
• Create and utilize shared language
• Examine their underlying values and the ways that these affect their expectations of themselves and others.

Not finding exactly what you’re looking for? We want to ensure that we are able to provide you with a workshop that fits the needs of your group/organization. Please contact us to discuss creating a customizable workshop tailored to fit your needs.