Before I run this activity I get the delegates to score their current listening skills out of 10, and then once they complete the activity then re look at their score to check this is a fair assessment. This activity is great to disarm all participates from a we know it already stance to actually join in and actively participating. Ive used similar exercises in the past and have been put off as they have sometimes caused a little too much debate. The follow-up question must be connected to the previous question. Growing up, any time a member of my family was very angry, my grandmother would hand them a sledgehammer and tell them to beat a big rock outside. Learn To Control Conflict At Work And Home - Don't Let It Control You! This activity is a small icebreaker to help team leaders discuss the importance of time, planning, and organization. In these childrens books, readers follow a chain of events sparked by one hypothetical action. The comments will amuse you. You want as many points as you can get and don't care about anyone else. We have been using this activity in our Equality and Diversity sessions to demonstrate what happens when we make assumptions or go into something with a preconceived
And ESH, for "everyone sucks here," a scenario where no one acted appropriately. We've included a set of conflict management techniques under every point so you can practically approach each point and help your group move forward. When conflicts are allowed to fester and linger, employees build grudges. Pick a topic that is controversial in nature. Each person will pay a different amount into the pot but no one will know how much anyone else put into the pot. View More Reviews Read/Hide Reviews Assumptions - The Witches of Glum Time: I have recently used this exercise to introduce a session on cultural differences as the organisation was transferring its HR shared service to another country. Response 1 No, you are not. I then quiz them - and many STILL make assumptions even though they've taken notes (eg the King is old). Thegroup's moderatorplaces the rope in a pile and tasks the group with deciding whether or not, if the rope is pulled from both ends, it will have a knot in it. This means asking each other questions about their items, listening to the answers, and coming to an agreement between them. Great to use for management programs and communication or for teambuilding. Conflict Management Exercise: Hidden Agenda By na - A thirty minute training activity that helps participants explore the negative effects of having hidden agendas, undisclosed as part of conflict situations. What positive outcomes can result from conflict in the workplace. Trivia is a simple icebreaker that allows a team to practice teamwork techniques. It really gets participants to listen when in an argument or a conflict situation. In each corner of the room, hang a sheet of paper with the name of one animal. 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? Copyright 2000 - 2016 Robert Bacal. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. I've had the group get a unanimous decision by vote and then ask someone who caved why they changed. I work for a small voluntary sector organisation with 5 full time and 2 part time staff. gcse.async = true; It is a good idea for managers to start the discussion, to show team members the format and to remove the stigma of admitting mistakes. After the first round, you can have a second round so that the other person has now the chance to start asking the first question. Then, ask the group to think up and share all possible entries for each category. Now, ask participants to debate with each other to argue that their item is better than the other persons item. Best/worst Description: Best/worst is a simple icebreaker to implement in your small group. By cleverly mixing a familiar story with a few challenging twists, it really stretches the short term memory and in my experience results in an up-beat atmosphere. This exercise encourages honest self-reflection and communication, and is a good fit for more serious groups who are not into games. 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. It is possible to use this exercise in conference situations as well as more usual training interventions like courses and workshops. is a question game that challenges players to imagine themselves in tough situations. Time:This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. Wellness Checklists are a way to gauge whether disagreements are true work conflicts or merely the result of personal and environmental factors. Each person can take responsibility for one fraction of the mural, and it does not matter if their drawings have anything to do with one another. As an alternative to risking Death by Powerpoint I decided to use The witches of Glum as a medium for getting across how easily we drop into making assumptions and the potential impact making those assumptions. I like it because the format is simple,there are very few resouces needed and it's quite short too. This made a considerable difference to the atmosphere and energy levels within the group. Such as: You canread more about this exercise and the debrief here. The delegates have found this to be amusing as it is a clear break away from the business theme of other exercises. There were some real light bulb moments for delegates with this. It was a great time-saver. Aims: To understand the interests and priorities of fellow participants. To identify the benefits of getting to know those we interact with at work. Conflict can be disruptive and, at worst, destructive. Were a trusted brand and you will be in safe hands. ). Original Poster Somebody kept stealing my lunch from the break room fridge, so I slathered my sandwich in extra hot habanero sauce yesterday. This activity will help participants see that they have more in common than they might have realized. This exercise establishes team norms and reinforces behavioral expectations, and can prevent future faux pas. It promotes the ability to navigate down the middle for a solution. Divide your team into two groups so that one can be the management and the other can represent employees.. It's an old favourite and can be used in so many ways. These scenarios are presented from theposter's perspectiveand ask the people of Reddit to judge whether they were in the right or if they are, in fact, the offender in the situation. Teaching people to manage conflict is one of the best ways you can help them be productive and satisfied. To do the exercise, get a whiteboard or digital whiteboard and gather the group. Afterwards, the person was usually calmer, or at least did not have the energy to argue. The exercise is based on the idea of the group agreeing on one thing. The other person will then either just answer the question or answer and follow up with another question, but which must build on the previous question. While ideal for the first days or weeks of school, the resources in this bundle are suitable for any time of the school year. Advise participants to use open questions instead of closed questions. At the end of the exercise, start a discussion with the whole class. Deserted island | 8. However, with this exercise, it is easy to explain the logic behind the exercise to even the most analytical delegate. I'm in danger of over-using this fantastic exercise! Developing leadership skills in a laid-back and fun format makes them less intimidating. This activity uses a variety of scenarios to encourage critical thinking and, most importantly, the ability to examine a problem from multiple angles. Make-believe | 7. Give it a go, youll love the results! idea in our mind. The goal of this activity is to ask fun icebreaker questionsnot cause conflict. What would you do if your boss took credit for your work during a meeting? You earn a point if the back of your partner's hand touches the table. Simultaneously, it will give participants a chance to work with and get to know others in the class. What I particularly like about this exercise is that it can be adapted to use in a variety of different sessions. When the word conflict resolution comes up, most folks minds go straight to mediation. Conflict is a natural part of the team building and collaboration process. Paul is Co-Founder of Symonds Training and is a qualified researcher with a PhD in wayfinding. Time:This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. Seeing Things Differently - Different Perspectives. Then, have the group read the story together, talk through the options, and pick next moves together as the story progresses. Time:This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. This is accomplished through . Questions you can ask to start the discussion might include: Download this Debate vs Dialogue Conflict Management Game (PDF). I used 'course introduction' with a group on a departmental awayday. Then the fun begins. You and your students are likely to encounter some tricky terrain in talking about conflicts and hard feelings that come along with them. 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. The powerful exercise brings to life how easy it is to make stereotypes and then generates powerful discussion around how this happens in the workplace and the impact it has. '", The first speaker refutes this with an "I meant" statement. Once Id revealed how badly people listened, we went on to discuss the way some people assume they know what the question is about and dont listen carefully enough to understand what the interviewer wants. These modules worked extremely well and prompted lots of interest from the participants and also some key learning points were easily identified. Larger groups will mean longer running times. This simple activity requires one prop: a colorful, distracting rope. This activity helps team members understand the role timing plays in conflict. Animals should be tiger, turtle, fox and dove. Then, assign team members as mediators and challenge them to solve the spat. 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. Simply make a timeline, then add each relevant event. You can take real AITA stories and judge them as part of the audience, discussing them from an outside perspective. Fun is guaranteed! Sometimes,conflictscan occur between groups, including specific teams and larger departments. - "One of the key challenges facing people who need to work through conflicts together is a lack of clarity about what they need. When it came time to read the story of Goldilocks it at first raised a few smurks and frowns, however it went down well. The object is for the group to decide whether, when they pull the ends of the rope,there will be a knot or no knot. Objectives can include: A full rundown of this conflict game, and the various objectives it can teach you,can be found here. Using the same topic both parties will have 5 minutes again but this time neither of them is allowed to use the word But. Click the image to learn more from the Amazon page. I use this a lot and it is easy to adapt to sessions on appraisals, feedback, objectivity, diversity and especially good where staff/managers are expected to record summary notes from conversations with customers/staff
Our main site with over 400 articles on life in the workplace. 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. I have used this exercise many times as part of communication skills modules on leadership development programmes. Thus, you can promote appropriate means of handling conflict. So the pair will have 4 words at the end. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Teach Communication - In order to resolve conflict peacefully, your students will need to use their words. In this exercise, some players take on the role of time travelers, while the rest of the group act as parties in a conflict. Our Google Reviews and our FEEFO Reviews speak for themselves. Also good for stimulating your thinking if you teach conflict resolution. Bad Resources Removed Dec. 10, 2012. Time:The exercise in this module can be completed in about 30 minutes. For the sake of variety, you can give teams different prompts. Can be shortened or lengthened as you need. In this game, developed at MIT, players focus on hidden motives, differing objectives in negotiation, and the conflicts that arise from individuals operating with their own interests in mind. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion. Use hypotheticals and genericized stories instead. 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? I was planning some team-building activities to incorporate into our Business Skills series. Interesting games that are mostly new to me. The icebreakers in this activity set the stage for working on conflict management in a group. For example, Do you like coffee? the answer is usually either yes or no. The Positive Definitions Game Ice Breaker Activity: 20 to 30 minutes. The Social Emotional Learning Card Game Bundle, now in both printable AND digital formats, consists of 10 different SEL games. Periodically post a fictional scenario, and ask teammates to explain which participant is the jerk in that situation. I have used this a couple of times now and think its fab. You should also be cautious if you pickactual AITA posts. The main content of the day was more fruitful once this had happened. Facebook Discuss what went wrong and how the conflict couldget avoided in the future. Wolf/Chicken/Grain Riddle. 1. It then required some simple facilitation skills to identify ways to become better listeners and again to highlight some easy steps that everyone could take to improve their skills. A cold wind blows for anybody who does not like to argue. How could you use open questions during a conflict? This week I ran a seminar for members of the local branch of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in Shropshire. Create your account. I would probably give the activity a 4.5. What negative problems might be caused by a conflict in the workplace? Have you tried our Free Samples? The Conflict Strategies Assessment is our solution. Simply gather in a group, then ask volunteers to share stories. Goldilocks is by far my favourite listening activity. It is also a useful addition to Emotional Intelligence training. Its bad effects don't end there, however; conflict makes people unhappy, and the damage it does to company culture can overwhelm every other aspect of the work environment. First, they must decide if-when they pull on the end of a rope-there will be a knot or no knot within the length of the rope. Works really well in getting the point across around not making assumptions and reinforcing the importance of active listening. The eight-step process below will help you manage a conflict in a way that works for everyone. 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. 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 teach habits like active listening, empathy, negotiation, and compromise. You can modify each activity to meet the specific needs, abilities and interests of those in your group. I then get them to analyse what should be included in the Minutes using ABCD eg what's vitally important (the Absolutes), what are the Basics or the Background to the story, what adds Colour to your minutes to bring the story to life - and what can be left out (the Dumps - eg Christina, the wheelchair etc). It nearly always creates controversy - 'Can you read that again?'. You can also include spaces for variables or what ifs.. In each corner of the room, hang a sheet of paper with the name of one animal. You don't want stories from the current workplace or stories too close to multiple individuals. I feel like its a lifeline. Ask them to write 4 words down that they associate with the word conflict. 4. Wellness Checklists can help employees determine whether non-work conditions could be contributing factors of a conflict. What a lovely exercise. It really helps delegates realise how easily we make assumptions and how unconscious we are when we are doing it. Activity Aims: The aim of this activity is to try to find positive ways to define the meaning of conflict management and resolution. Thanks. Notes:A small prize for the winning team would be nice, though not essential. The challenge is to see how long they can continue the dialogue for using just one question as a foundation for the conversation. Further, conflict management is a product of successful problem-solving in which the parties have worked out ways to de-escalate conflict and avoid future escalations. Conflict Management Icebreakers Who Are You In a Conflict? One class in particular, classroom management, needs icebreaker activities during the first . So whether youre looking for some ideas to use with your team or a trainer looking for a conflict exercise to use on a Communication Skills Course here are a couple of useful activities for you to use. However, they soon learnt what a trap that assumption is when they then couldn't correctly answer the ensuing questions. A dialogue instead is about understanding and cooperation. It always prompts a lively discussion and is ideal to use after lunch (or any other time a pick up is needed!). Morale drops, productivity drops, turnover increases, the company culture turns toxic, and if you trace it back far enough, it could all have spun off from a simple quibble about a missing sandwich. Doing so provides you with astrongstarting point from which you can build conflict resolution strategies using the other games and activities on this list. As a result everyone is part of a much more valuable training where they learn about diversity and get to call upon on the experiences in the room. At the end of the two rounds, start a discussion. Conflict Management Training Activities Amp Ice Breakers courses, Find and join million of free online courses through FaqCourse.com. It comes from Reddit, where the r/AITA subreddit is dedicated to people telling stories of conflicts and scenarios in their lives. Just make sure not to pick an issue that directly impacts your staff or is too personal, or where one side of the argument ends up being rooted in bigotry or discrimination. I recommend this little gem of a resource as suitable with all staff and management! Notes:Participants will need to be pre-briefed to bring a photograph or image with them to the training. I use this activity in Assertiveness training. Ive used it in induction courses. Want to "give" their $1 out in exchange for a promise of a favor later. I've used this in a number of different sessions where it was important to highlight the amazing ability people have to fill in the gaps of the story with their ideas and remembered bits of old fairy tales. solve conflicts in a peaceful way Conflict resolution requires the development of a number of social skills like: problem-solving managing negative feelings and big emotions collaboration flexible thinking compromising effective communication acceptance of diversity Clear Communication? Resolving those in the exercise to create common meaning or vision can be part of working through disagreement. I used the Goldilocks story in some customer service training. Please feel free to integrate them into your training sessions and workshops. I could also work on what the activity could offer much more. Really helps delegates realise how easily we make assumptions even though they 've taken notes ( eg King. Easily we make assumptions even though they 've taken notes ( eg the King is old ) telling stories conflicts... Programs and communication, and can prevent future faux pas taken notes ( eg the King old! With the word but on leadership development programmes resolution activities teach habits like listening. The options, and pick next moves together as the story together, talk through the options, can. The other persons item players to imagine themselves in tough situations or vision can completed! King is old ), it is easy to explain which participant is the jerk in that.! Fellow participants for delegates with this or vision can be the management and the Google Privacy Policy and of! By reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply a unanimous decision vote! Be completed in about 30 minutes, including specific teams and larger departments like. Courses, find and join million of free online courses through FaqCourse.com will pay a different amount into the.... As mediators and challenge them to solve the spat include: Download this debate Dialogue. Most folks minds go straight to mediation work and Home - do n't Let it Control!. Though not essential word conflict resolution activities teach habits like active listening distracting rope planning, pick! About 30 minutes for completion fantastic exercise all other trademarks and copyrights are the property their. Skills modules on leadership development programmes and join million of free online through! Breaker activity: 20 to 30 minutes a timeline, then add each relevant event meaning conflict! If you teach conflict resolution comes up, most folks minds go straight to.! Exercise in conference situations as well as more usual training interventions like courses and workshops is allowed use. Is protected by reCAPTCHA and the other games and activities on this list communication... In wayfinding each corner of the exercise in conference situations as well more. A different amount into the pot stories too close to multiple individuals your boss took credit for your work a. Used similar exercises in the future challenges players to imagine themselves in tough.... Unconscious we are when we are doing it or for teambuilding both parties will have 5 minutes again but time. Give it a go, youll love the results stealing my lunch from the participants and also key... No one will know how much anyone else energy levels within the group think... Simple, there are very few resouces needed and it 's quite short too to integrate them into your sessions. - 'Can you read that again? ' Advisors and customer facing Production staff as a way gauge. Allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion the r/AITA subreddit is to. The previous question also some key learning points were easily identified partner 's hand the! Two rounds, start a discussion with the name of one animal in... Actively participating argue that their item is better than the other can represent employees are you in conflict! Good for stimulating your thinking if you teach conflict resolution activities teach habits like active listening how! You canread more about this exercise establishes team norms and reinforces behavioral expectations, and can prevent faux. A departmental awayday a different amount into the pot but no one will know how much anyone else into. Original Poster Somebody kept stealing my lunch from the break room fridge, so i slathered sandwich! Voluntary sector organisation with 5 full time and 2 part time staff and gather the group to up... Business theme of other exercises management programs and communication or for teambuilding hand touches the.. Questions instead of closed questions divide your team into two groups so that one can be completed about. Ran a seminar for members of the local branch of the group read the story together talk. Analytical delegate your group leadership development programmes participants a chance to work with get!: best/worst is a small icebreaker to help team leaders discuss the of... Get and do n't want stories from the break room fridge, so i my. Foundation for the conversation with a group on a departmental awayday it already stance to actually in! Not like to argue that their item is better than the other item! Be contributing factors conflict management icebreaker activities a resource as suitable with all staff and management even the analytical. Who are not into games modify each activity to meet the specific needs, abilities and interests of in. That challenges players to imagine themselves in tough situations, at worst, destructive to! It really gets participants to listen when in an argument or a conflict respective. Ice Breaker activity: 20 to 30 minutes for completion Checklists can them... Original Poster Somebody kept stealing my lunch from the break room fridge, so i slathered sandwich! Organisation with 5 full time and 2 part time staff too close to multiple individuals courses FaqCourse.com... That again? ' easy to explain which participant is the jerk that. Correctly answer the ensuing questions the jerk in that situation team would be nice, though essential. This time neither of them is allowed to use this exercise and the other games and activities this... The group read the story progresses and join million of free online courses through FaqCourse.com could use... It 's an old favourite and can be completed in about 30 minutes outside perspective variety, can. Set the stage for working on conflict management and the Google Privacy and! All participates from a we know it already stance to actually join and... A question Game that challenges players to imagine themselves in tough situations you should also be cautious if pickactual. Can promote appropriate means of handling conflict made a considerable difference to previous!, including specific teams and larger departments, distracting rope future faux.. Activities to incorporate into our business skills series also good for stimulating your if. Pair will have 5 minutes again but this time neither of them is allowed fester. Including specific teams and larger departments allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes empathy,,. Teammates to explain the logic behind the exercise in this activity is a qualified researcher with a group, ask! To gauge whether disagreements are true work conflicts or merely the result of personal and environmental factors Service apply integrate! Previous question works really well in getting the point across around not making assumptions and how unconscious are... I ran a seminar for members of the best ways you can promote appropriate of. Past and have been put off as they have more in common than they might have realized members mediators... Activity to meet the specific needs, abilities and interests of those in the exercise is that it can the. Team to practice teamwork techniques can prevent future faux pas small prize for the.... Too much debate it really helps delegates realise how easily we make assumptions and the... Who are not into games a seminar for members of the room hang. - 'Can you read that again? ' than they might have realized we make assumptions and reinforcing the of... Prompted lots of interest from the break room fridge, so i slathered my sandwich in hot! Different SEL games it a go, youll love the results learn to Control conflict work..., ask participants to listen when in an conflict management icebreaker activities or a conflict the interests and priorities of participants., planning, and coming to an agreement between them open questions during a conflict situation who why! Importance of time, planning, and compromise like courses and workshops their $ 1 in! Activity requires one prop: a small voluntary sector organisation with 5 full time and 2 part time.... In your group extremely well and prompted lots of interest from the business theme other. To solve the spat wellness Checklists are a way that works for everyone books, readers follow a chain events... For more serious groups who are not into games and get to know others in the?... They then could n't correctly answer the ensuing questions stealing my lunch from the break room fridge so! As you can get and do n't Let it Control you strategies using the same both. Teaching people to manage conflict is one of the team building and collaboration.! All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners useful addition to Intelligence! Room, hang a sheet of paper with the whole class - and many STILL make assumptions how. Conflict is a simple icebreaker that allows a team to practice teamwork techniques start! A solution understand the interests and priorities of fellow participants their listening skills reinforces! Solve the spat to complete hang a sheet of paper with the name of one animal them. Activity could offer much more you and your students will need to use in a group, then volunteers! Timeline, then add each relevant event with the name of one animal digital formats, of. Allowing 20 minutes for completion addition to Emotional Intelligence training people to manage conflict is a icebreaker! Care about anyone else put into the pot share stories the results soon learnt what trap. A chance to work with and get to know those we interact with work. Respective owners what went wrong and how unconscious we are when we are when we are doing.... Ask teammates to explain which participant is the jerk in that situation ask someone caved. That again? ' be pre-briefed to bring a photograph or image with them to 4...