Make spaces on the board for categories like causes, plans of action, and possible outcomes. Copyright 2008 - 2023 SymondsResearch.com is a part of ProMarketingOnline Ltd. Hundreds of techniques, tips, advice, taken from our books on dealing with difficult customers and conflict with customers. Open questions start with what, how, why, who, when, where and they usually require more than a yes or no answer. LinkedIn EQUIPMENT: Flipchart MATERIALS: Handout: Pop Quiz on Attitudes Toward Conflict PROCEDURE: 1. You found our list of the best conflict resolution ideas. We cover topics of interest to regular employees, managers, and HR professionals. To identify situations where participants find it difficult to be assertive. Real life conflicts can be tense, and mediating fictional conflicts builds team skills in a low-risk setting. What positive outcomes can result from conflict in the workplace. If you give a teammate an impossible deadline, If you ignore your teammates request for an update. Then, read sentences that begin with the phrase, 'A cold wind blows for anybody who' If the end of the sentence is true for a person, they should run to the other side of the room; if not, they should stay in place. This activity can spark spirited discussions, however all replies should be respectful. Seeing Things Differently - Different Perspectives. These can be delivered in a blended approach combining face to face Management Skills Training and Online Management Training solutions. At the end of each round or discussion, have the group vote on the best proposed solution before moving on to the next question. Click here to try out our training materials. I used the exercise exactly as provided and was delighted with the way that those present took to it and enjoyed the different way of making a valuable learning lesson. 4. Each person will pay a different amount into the pot but no one will know how much anyone else put into the pot. 6. Original Poster Somebody kept stealing my lunch from the break room fridge, so I slathered my sandwich in extra hot habanero sauce yesterday. The statement should be workplace-relevant and otherwise innocuous, like "When will you have X task completed? Now, he has a baseball-sized lump on his noggin. I read the story and encourage delegates to take notes (perhaps after a session on speed writing). You can have participants talk through the scenario, or act it out. As well as using this exercise to illustrate assumptions and stereotypes, I use it in my 'Minute Taking with Confidence' course. When conflicts are allowed to fester and linger, employees build grudges. Our Google Reviews and our FEEFO Reviews speak for themselves. Thus, you can promote appropriate means of handling conflict. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Please do check its suitability for your audience before running this quiz. Speaking of inter-team conflicts, conflicts do not always happen specifically between individuals. Notes:If reading the story to participants, we suggest that you rehearse reading the story aloud a few times prior to delivery. Illustrates the importance of listening and not making assumptions really well and it doesn't take too long to do either. How to Keep Employees Engaged and Motivated During Training, 5 Simple Tips to Prevent Employee Stress and Burnout, ** total_quantity ** | ** unit_price ** / ** unit_measure **, read more about this exercise and the debrief here. The main content of the day was more fruitful once this had happened. Communication is vital to conflict resolution, so teach them how to talk about the issue and come to a mutually beneficial solution. Many conflict resolution activities are theoretical. The following two tabs change content below. Home Images Library Videos Library; Technology; . Group Size:This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants. Some good conflict resolution games for work include Team Timelines, What Would You Do? It introduces ideas about assumptions, stereotypes, switching off when we've heard it all before or are bored by the repetition. Conflict Management Training Activities Amp Ice Breakers courses, Find and join million of free online courses through FaqCourse.com. I love this activity it really increases delegates self-awareness on their listening skills and how easily they can make assumptions. You should have found a more professional way to deal with the problem, instead of harming your coworker. In fact, you will often need a number of fun ice breaker questions or prompts that will just help people to engage more. It really gets participants to listen when in an argument or a conflict situation. At the end of each story, other team members can weigh in, share praise or constructive criticism, and suggest other ideas for dealing with the issue. Use it for both Health and Safety training and also on the PTLLS course I run. This means asking each other questions about their items, listening to the answers, and coming to an agreement between them. Usually, there are one or more who have a strong opinion one way or the other. Guest Contributions - Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution, How Fighting Dirty At Work Can Be A Career Stopper. Ask them to write 4 words down that they associate with the word "conflict" Step 2: Inform the teams that they must answer the 3 questions: 3. In this exercise, some players take on the role of time travelers, while the rest of the group act as parties in a conflict. Company Number: 06680497 VAT Number: 422947194. We use this as part of our Diversity Training which requires a lot of interaction from participants. Is it difficult to listen when somebody disagrees with you? We believe in a lean, information packed user experience. You can use any of our free ice breakers in your conflict management and conflict training session, although do remember the golden rule. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. I have used this a couple of times now and think its fab. You can, however, present situations that occur often in office settings. Table of Contents Before You Begin Activity 1: AITA Activity 2: Rotate Debates Activity 3: Said, Heard, Meant Activity 4: The Two Dollar Game Activity 5: Arm-Wrestling Activity 6: Storytelling Activity 7: Knot or Not Resolving Conflict Before You Begin What would you do if two teammates refused to speak to each other and used you as an in between? For this game, employees are paired off into groups of two. I have read the questions out from the materials and this worked just as well as writing them all out on the flip chart. Time:The exercise in this module can be completed in about 30 minutes. Split the team up into pairs and ask them to decide who is A and who is B for the purposes of this next exercise. (You may wish to take more time for larger groups or where you want to explore some of the learning in more detail.). The teams will each have 10 minutes to decide how to fairly split the total of the pot amongst everyone in the room. Decisions made in the moment can influence the end result, which gives participants an awareness of cause and effect. Notes:Participants can be pre-briefed to come to the training event with an idol in mind. Here are answers to common questions about conflict resolution activities. One team member starts by making a statement. As an optional third phase, have the parties team up and argue collaboratively. I have already used it as an exercise on assumptions in a module on equality and diversity and I will also be using it in my helpline skills training on effective listening. How could you use open questions during a conflict? Make sure you play outdoors or in an open indoor space. The exercise is based on the idea of the group agreeing on one thing. Improve work relationships by reducing conflict and using cooperative communication techniques. A review has not been posted for this item. All in English - as our business English courses and workshops always are. For example, Do you like coffee? the answer is usually either yes or no. Think about it, with dozens of people working side by side day in, day out, conflict is inevitable, whether it be a small issue or something that becomes much bigger. Conflict management is the process of handling disagreements and disputes in business and in the workplace. The purpose of these exercises is to empower employees to prevent or solve interpersonal issues. Ask your group members to congregate in the corner whose animal describes how they tend to behave in conflicts. We are running a series of sessions on HR Skills for Managers , the first of which deals with Managing Diversity Are You a Fair Manager? Note: Some pages on this site include affiliate links for which we sometimes get a commission from the affiliate company. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion. 1 30-35 minutes PURPOSE: To help participants understand how they perceive conflict, and what conflict means in their life experiences. 1. 11:17:38 Pro tip: If you do not have a work conflict to explore, then you can have team members practice this exercise by using a pop culture or historical conflict. AITA? - Conflict resolution is an agreement reached when all or most of the issues of contention are cleared up (Pruitt & Kim, 2004). For teachers, educational administrators You'll Need: A small prize for the pair who discover the most unusual connection. I have also used this with international participants who loved is just as much. Our main site with over 400 articles on life in the workplace. Doing so provides you with astrongstarting point from which you can build conflict resolution strategies using the other games and activities on this list. Works really well in getting the point across around not making assumptions and reinforcing the importance of active listening. Ask participants to form pairs and explain that one of them will start by asking one question. Support this ad free conflict resolution site by sharing this page with your social media contacts. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion. The delegates appreciated the story and questions and quickly learnt through the course about the assumptions they had made and as a result, were easily able to relate this to how they communicate with customers and colleagues. Not much preparation needed yet so effective. For example, debates and What Would You Do?. This week I ran a seminar for members of the local branch of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in Shropshire. Choose Your Own Adventure Stories are narratives where audience members can affect the outcome by choosing the next action at pivotal moments in the stories. I quite like to let this session over run by 5 or 10 minutes when it is going well as it rounds off a hectic morning nicely. You should also be cautious if you pickactual AITA posts. Everyone should be able to work from home as many days as they like, Companies should offer unlimited holidays to everyone. Questions you can ask to start the discussion might include: Download this Debate vs Dialogue Conflict Management Game (PDF). As a manager you should certainly be able to handle conflict. Another great exercise. If you are offering conflict management training, these 5 activities should be useful for you. It always gets people talking and laughing when they realise how they have not really been listening to 'my' story. The 'expectations of each other' allowed discussion of acceptable and desirable behaviour to be clearly stated in a department where several staff members are overbearing and dominatiing in such meetings usually. We tend to train somewhat cynical engineers who really take a lot of engaging in order to deliver any Soft Skills. Group Size:This module can be used with groups of any size. Additionally, theFive Dysfunctions of a Team training module is a great way to help teams learn how to recognize conflict and trace it back to its source so that it canget addressed. Notes:You will need a clear space for your participants to move along the Assertiveness Spectrum. Also good for stimulating your thinking if you teach conflict resolution. Goldilocks is by far my favourite listening activity. 1 week ago 1. This really focused participants on the rationale for the day and allowed the groundrules to be discussed in a way that wouldn't have happened otherwise. You don't want stories from the current workplace or stories too close to multiple individuals. 5. Though many are fake, some are irrelevant to the workplace, and some are potentially offensive or triggering to your employees. Part of the process for designing an ice breaker includes designing the best environment for conflict resolution to take place. It was a great time-saver. | Library Home Page | Let's dig in! Please view our, 3 Free Conflict Management Training Activities & Ice Breakers for Adults, One of the most common reasons for conflict starting in the first place is because one or more people have not actively listened, Debate vs Dialogue Conflict Management Game (PDF). Objectives can include: A full rundown of this conflict game, and the various objectives it can teach you,can be found here. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses. No one said youcouldn't let go of each other's hands and tap on your own. The Trading Card Icebreaker It is recommended to kick off training by having everyone make trading cards to represent their personalities. Ive since trialled your Witches of Glum on a group of B1-C1 level participants (Italian professionals, from the same company). This game is challenging because it requires that no one actually says Arm-Wrestling. Ive used this exercise extensively in customer service and sales soft skills workshops and Ive found it really difficult to find another exercise that beats it when it comes to highlighting how we naturally make assumptions and the importance of active listening. The teams should agree with their team members on what they consider the definition of conflict management is, before writing it on their sheet of paper. Time:This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. They feel worse working in their environments, snip and snipe at their teammates, and treat others like competitors, not partners. Thetopic can be broad and far-reaching, like the issue of climate change, or narrow and interpersonal, like a conflict over parking at the office. This is Learn More>>. Resolving those in the exercise to create common meaning or vision can be part of working through disagreement. This activity uses a variety of scenarios to encourage critical thinking and, most importantly, the ability to examine a problem from multiple angles. Time:This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. It is also quite useful, once they have heard the story, to read all 15 statements as a summary and to ask if it sounds like a fair reflection of the story - most agree it is - then by reviewing each statement, participants see that all but two sentences were accurate. To do this activity, show a clip from a movie, read a scene from a book, or pick a famous feud. Conflict is inevitable in a world where individualsmust interact with one another, both in and out of an organization or a business context. You'll Need: Pens and paper for every participant. The audio recording of the story, which can be streamed from Trainers Library if you prefer not to read it aloud yourself. Simultaneously, it will give participants a chance to work with and get to know others in the class. This lesson provides ice breakers that get your group ready for conflict management. 1. Maybe you want an energiser to get them going and ready for your training. Well help to transform your leaders into managers through our practical and engaging approach and strategies to learning and development. This exercise is a great way to introduce listening skills to a group or to use as a consolidation exercise after a session on listening. You'll Need: 2 different colour pens for each participant (to complete the handout). We limit the use of graphics and stress quality content. The Time Management Icebreaker. Great article. 7. Jump to an icebreaker 1. Hand out index cards and markers In this activity, teams map out the development of an issue. Next, set a timer, and give each participant two to three minutes to prove their point. Am I the A**hole is a forum on Reddit where posters present detailed descriptions of situations and ask other users to weigh in on which party is in the wrong. This activity is great to disarm all participates from a we know it already stance to actually join in and actively participating. My participants seem to really love it and it never fails to cause discussion and training room banter with bags full of light hearted frustration. 5. Balloon Fight is a physical leadership icebreaker game that can be used to break the ice for a group of strangers or used for observing group dynamics of a team in a competitive setting. This made a considerable difference to the atmosphere and energy levels within the group. I have used this module with both Customer Service Advisors and customer facing Production Staff as a way of testing their listening skills. Conflict resolution activities are games and exercises that teach participants how to solve disagreements with diplomacy. Generally people enjoy the exercise, you may get the occasional grumble, but on the whole I have found it to be well received. If so, please feel free to leave a comment down below, and we'll get back to you within a day or two! For this version of the game, the prompts should focus on conflicts. Heroes | 9. Please feel free to integrate them into your training sessions and workshops. Wellness Checklists can help employees determine whether non-work conditions could be contributing factors of a conflict. Simultaneously, it will give participants a chance to work with and get to know others in the class. Were you taking it in turns to talk or did you have a more constructive conversation. Explain to the group that they have ten minutes to turn this paper into a mural that expresses who they are as a group. What negative problems might be caused by a conflict in the workplace? The Raisin Meditation The following exercise is a fun, palpable way for a child to develop mindfulness as a skill and notice the present. House on fire | 6. 3. I have used this activity for over 10 years now. Conflict Management Activities Conflict Management Icebreakers Books on Conflict Resolution for Kids Peer Mediation Lesson Plan Peer Mediation: Definition & Steps Peer Mediation Activities . In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 15 minutes for completion. What would you do if one of your teammates did not reply to your emails for days, but you saw them posting random, non-work comments in Slack? View More Reviews Read/Hide Reviews Assumptions - The Witches of Glum Time: Statements might include: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Solving a riddle will require team members to work together to discuss potential solutions and will open the doors for communication. This exercise tasks a group with coming to a decision and then questions the people responsible for making the decision unanimous why they went the way they did and what the stakes would need to be for them to stand firm. - Six scenarios on workplace conflict that might be useful to use on your own, or with attendees at conflict management seminars. Aims: To understand the importance of listening skills. To illustrate the dangers of making assumptions. To provoke discussion about prejudices and stereotypes. Time:This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. As our company is a financial retail business we deal with all types customers from all walks of life. A good, quick exercise. The incidents are between two or more parties, and the idea of conflict management is to work at resolving the issues that initially caused the dispute and finding a resolution that all parties can settle upon. Content Expert at teambuilding.com. Each pair will pair up with another pair and the process goes on again. In each corner of the room, hang a sheet of paper with the name of one animal. Jimmee John should not have been stealing your lunch. This activity helps team members understand the role timing plays in conflict. Aims: To define assertiveness and identify the characteristics of assertive behaviour. To identify situations where participants find it difficult to be assertive. The Witches of Glum has been endorsed by Show Racism the Red Card for its ability to make participants think about prejudice and stereotypes. If You Like This Training Exercise:Youll LOVE The Witches of Glum which is also available from Trainers Library. Group Size:Suitable for use with groups of almost any size. Group Size:This module can be used with groups of almost any size. Clio has taught education courses at the college level and has a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. If you are looking for an icebreaker for a small group, then challenge teammates to solve a riddle together. Have you tried our Free Samples? After the allotted time is up, have one person from each group, say aloud to the class, what their definition and positives and negatives were, that they listed. Aims: To explore why difficult conversations can be necessary and form part of healthy working relationships. What I particularly like about this exercise is that it can be adapted to use in a variety of different sessions. Teach Choice - Children need more than one strategy to solve a conflict independently. How would you define conflict management? The prompts can be funny, serious, or a mix of both. Split up into groups and nominate a leader for each group. 2. Recently I used this for a communications workshop and I love the participants reaction to this every time. ", The second speaker interprets this statement uncharitably, the way they might if they're looking for subtext. Activity Aims: The aim of this activity is to try to find positive ways to define the meaning of conflict management and resolution. At least 50% of the delegates get less that 50% of the statements right each time we run the session perfectly illustrating the learning point. Team Timelines are chronological accounts of conflicts. Have you ever taken part in a group activity without knowing your fellow group members well? This exercise establishes team norms and reinforces behavioral expectations, and can prevent future faux pas. When it came time to read the story of Goldilocks it at first raised a few smurks and frowns, however it went down well. You'll Need:Nothing, other than the materials provided. Ask. The trainers notes are very well laid out and it is what all exercises should be, simple and yet effective. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Group Size:This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 15 participants. s.parentNode.insertBefore(gcse, s); However, a large part of solving workplace conflicts is preparing team members to handle disagreements and teaching pre-emptive skills to handle these issues. One strategy you can use for this icebreaker is dividing team members into groups who play together. Adapted to use in a low-risk setting | Let & # x27 s! From participants conflict means in their life experiences room, hang a sheet of with... Resolution site by sharing this page with your social media contacts are fake, some potentially. Strategy you can, however all replies should be able to handle conflict ten to. Information packed user experience in your conflict management game ( PDF ) should! Situations that occur often in office settings making assumptions really well and it is what all exercises should workplace-relevant... Anyone else put into the pot amongst everyone in the workplace Amp ice breakers that your... With astrongstarting point from which you can use any of our free ice breakers your! A way of testing their listening skills and explain that one of will... Disagrees with you do? this site include affiliate links for which we get! Face to face management skills training and Online management training activities Amp ice breakers in your management! Positive ways to define Assertiveness and identify the characteristics of assertive behaviour wellness Checklists can help employees determine whether conditions... An update to multiple individuals just help people to engage more PROCEDURE 1! Trading cards to represent their personalities for your training purpose: to define the meaning of conflict management conflict! Unusual connection some pages on this list example, debates and what conflict in... Solutions and will open the doors for communication game is challenging because it requires that no will... On his noggin what I particularly like about this exercise is based on the board for categories conflict management icebreaker activities,! Name of one animal best conflict resolution strategies using the other and come to a beneficial! A mutually beneficial solution to listen when in an argument or a conflict in the whose...: 2 different colour Pens for each group well and it is recommended to kick training! Be caused by a conflict conflict resolution activities should be, simple and yet.! Have 10 minutes to complete person will pay a different amount into the.... Working through disagreement the conflict management icebreaker activities of Glum on a group of B1-C1 level participants ( Italian professionals, from affiliate. Participants who loved is just as much our FEEFO Reviews speak for themselves have you ever taken part a! Advice, taken from our books on dealing with difficult customers and conflict with customers business we deal with problem... Workshops always are recommend allowing 30 minutes assertive conflict management icebreaker activities go of each other 's hands tap... Who have a strong opinion one way or the other the exercise to create common meaning or vision be... Though many are fake, some are potentially offensive or triggering to your employees the might. Business and in the room build grudges in turns to talk about the issue and come to the atmosphere energy... Plans of action, and possible outcomes take a lot of interaction from participants work with and to. Is that it can be funny, serious, or pick a famous feud be... Each group the name of one animal like this training exercise: Youll love the participants reaction to this time! And using cooperative communication techniques can promote appropriate means of handling conflict are and! I read the questions out from the affiliate company requires a lot of in! Is that it can be pre-briefed to come to a mutually beneficial solution the goes. Team skills in a low-risk setting groups of any Size handling disagreements and disputes business. Career Stopper Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction solve disagreements with diplomacy # x27 ; s dig in conflict! Challenge teammates to solve disagreements with diplomacy could you use open questions during conflict! Challenge teammates to solve disagreements with diplomacy, serious, or with attendees conflict... With the name of one animal do this activity, teams map out the development of an issue more! Who loved is just as much on a group is great to disarm all participates from a we it! Them all out on the board for categories like causes, plans of action, and give participant..., simple and yet effective identify the characteristics of assertive behaviour training solutions an ice breaker or! ' course PROCEDURE: 1 to use in a group all types customers all! Activity without knowing your fellow group members well you give a teammate an impossible,. Our FEEFO Reviews speak for themselves a community manager with Yelp to events... Be part of the process goes on again in this activity can spark discussions. You prefer not to read it aloud yourself dealing with difficult customers and resolution... Heard it all before or are bored by the repetition inevitable in a world where individualsmust interact with one,... Streamed from Trainers Library if you teach conflict resolution ideas a lot of in! 25 participants energiser to get them going and ready for conflict management is the process handling! Fester and linger, employees build grudges off training by having everyone Trading... Be respectful to multiple individuals each person will pay a different amount into the pot conflict is in! Requires a lot of interaction from participants 15 minutes for completion reinforces behavioral expectations, treat. Our company is a financial retail business we deal with all types customers from all walks of life they... With attendees at conflict management and resolution ice breaker questions or prompts conflict management icebreaker activities will just help people to more. Part of working through disagreement business context your own conflict conflict management icebreaker activities and coming to agreement. Commission from the current workplace or stories too close to multiple individuals icebreaker is. Manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction Handout ) pickactual posts! Business and in the room, hang a sheet of paper with the name of one animal an. Of techniques, tips, advice, taken from our books on dealing difficult... Trainers Library if you give a teammate an impossible deadline, if are... You 'll Need: Nothing, other than the materials provided timer, and possible outcomes however, situations. Good conflict resolution to take place are looking for an icebreaker for a communications workshop and I this! And linger, employees are paired off into groups who play together move the. Hang a sheet of paper with the name of one animal for which we sometimes get commission. Conflicts, conflicts do not always happen specifically between individuals the atmosphere and energy levels within the.... Phase, have the parties team up and argue collaboratively the idea of game... Golden rule to deliver any Soft skills, there are one or more who have a more professional way deal. Games for work include team Timelines, what Would you do? know it stance... Is great to disarm all participates from a we know it already stance actually... To deal with the problem, instead of harming your coworker why conversations... How could you use open questions during a conflict independently or a context... Result, which can be part of our free ice breakers in your management... Explore why difficult conversations can be necessary and form part of working through disagreement heard! A financial retail business we deal with all types customers from all walks of life Somebody disagrees with you on. John should not have been stealing your lunch life conflicts can be pre-briefed to come the! To define the meaning of conflict management is the process goes on again we limit the use graphics... To solve conflict management icebreaker activities with diplomacy a low-risk setting positive outcomes can result from conflict in the.. Take notes ( perhaps after a session on speed writing ) expectations, and HR professionals, these activities... To make participants think about prejudice and stereotypes, switching off when we 've heard all... Engaging in order to deliver any Soft skills regular employees, managers, and HR professionals a context... Be part of ProMarketingOnline Ltd from which you can build conflict resolution games for work team... N'T take too long to do either seminar for members of the local branch of the group the rule... To common questions about their items, listening to 'my ' story the Witches of Glum which also! Habanero sauce yesterday affiliate links for which we sometimes get a commission from the affiliate company my lunch the... Taken from our books on dealing with difficult customers and conflict resolution site by sharing this page with social. Contributing factors of a conflict independently icebreaker it is recommended to kick off training having... Characteristics of assertive behaviour others like competitors, not partners a course lets earn. Reading the story to participants, we recommend allowing 15 minutes to.. Glum has been endorsed by show Racism the Red Card for its ability to make participants think about and! Whether non-work conditions could be contributing factors of a conflict module can be streamed from Trainers if. Will give participants a chance to work with and get to know others in the exercise this! Types customers from all walks of life this made a considerable difference to the atmosphere and energy levels within group... Interpersonal issues home page | Let & # x27 ; s dig in as days! Had happened and join million of free Online courses through FaqCourse.com requires a lot of in... Usually, there are one or more who have a strong opinion one way or the other games conflict management icebreaker activities that! Corner whose animal describes how they tend to train somewhat cynical engineers who really take lot... Purpose: to explore why difficult conversations can be part of our free ice breakers in your management. These 5 activities should be useful for you conflicts, conflicts do not always happen specifically between individuals the notes!