Interpersonal Skills & Self-Development
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations is a five-day programme that helps professionals resolve disagreement before it harms performance or relationships. It builds the practical skills to give difficult feedback, negotiate fairly, and mediate disputes with confidence.
Introduction
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations addresses how professionals resolve disagreement before it damages relationships or performance. This Training Course explores the sources of conflict, the emotions behind them, and the conversation skills that turn tension into progress. Participants examine active listening, assertive communication, negotiation, and mediation techniques. Furthermore, the programme connects theory to practice through role-play, feedback, and structured rehearsal. As a result, delegates leave able to raise hard topics early, stay calm under pressure, and reach agreements that hold.
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations Course Objectives
- Identify the root causes of workplace conflict and its early warning signs.
- Distinguish constructive disagreement from destructive and personal conflict.
- Apply the Thomas–Kilmann conflict modes to real workplace situations.
- Use active listening skills to uncover interests behind stated positions.
- Deliver difficult feedback using the SBI and DESC communication models.
- Separate facts from interpretations when emotions run high.
- Apply interest-based negotiation to reach workable agreements.
- Manage strong emotions and remain composed during tense exchanges.
- Mediate disputes between colleagues fairly and without taking sides.
- Build a personal action plan for handling recurring conflict patterns.
Course Methodology
- Interactive workshops using realistic workplace conflict scenarios.
- Structured role-play with coached feedback and peer observation.
- Facilitated discussion of personal cases and recurring patterns.
- Self-assessment of conflict style using the Thomas–Kilmann instrument.
- Practical rehearsal of feedback, negotiation, and mediation scripts.
- Action planning that converts each session into a workplace commitment.
Who Should Take This Course
- Line managers, team leaders, and supervisors.
- Human resources and employee relations professionals.
- Project managers and cross-functional team leads.
- Customer service and client-facing staff.
- Internal mediators and workplace wellbeing champions.
- Senior individual contributors handling peer disputes.
- Learning and development specialists.
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations Course Outlines
Understanding Conflict and Your Personal Style
- • Defining conflict, disagreement, and destructive escalation.
- • Common sources: resources, goals, values, roles, and communication.
- • The conflict escalation curve and its warning signs.
- • Thomas–Kilmann conflict modes: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating.
- • Personal conflict style assessment and its strengths and limits.
- • Emotional triggers and the fight-or-flight response at work.
- • Mapping current workplace conflicts and their real causes.
Communication Skills for Difficult Conversations
- • Active listening: paraphrasing, summarizing, and reflecting feeling.
- • Questioning techniques that open dialogue instead of closing it.
- • Assertive communication versus passive and aggressive styles.
- • The DESC scripting model for raising sensitive topics.
- • Managing tone, body language, and virtual meeting dynamics.
- • Handling interruptions, deflection, and defensive reactions.
- • Rehearsing opening lines for a difficult conversation.
Giving and Receiving Difficult Feedback
- • The SBI model: situation, behaviour, impact.
- • Separating observable facts from assumptions and labels.
- • Delivering feedback that preserves dignity and motivates change.
- • Receiving feedback without defensiveness or justification.
- • Addressing repeated performance and conduct issues.
- • Documenting conversations and setting follow-up dates.
- • Practice lab with coached feedback exchanges.
Negotiation and Mediation Skills
- • Interest-based negotiation and the concept of BATNA.
- • Positions versus interests in workplace disputes.
- • Principled negotiation steps from the Harvard Negotiation Project.
- • Mediation stages: intake, joint session, caucus, agreement.
- • Maintaining neutrality when both parties are colleagues.
- • Building durable agreements that both sides can honour.
- • Case simulation of a two-party workplace dispute.
Managing Emotions, Culture, and Lasting Resolution
- • Staying composed when challenged, blamed, or provoked.
- • Techniques for de-escalating high-temperature exchanges.
- • Cross-cultural differences in conflict expression and resolution.
- • Escalation routes: HR, ombudsman, formal grievance procedures.
- • Repairing relationships after a difficult conversation.
- • Building team norms that prevent recurring conflict.
- • Personal action plan and follow-up accountability.
Conclusion
By successfully completing Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations, participants will have acquired a practical command of conflict analysis, assertive communication, feedback delivery, negotiation, and mediation. They will know how to identify root causes, keep difficult exchanges constructive, and reach agreements that both parties honour. In addition, the course prepares delegates to repair relationships and prevent recurrent disputes. As a result, they return to work ready to handle tension with composure and clarity. Gentex Training Center delivers this Training Course with a practical, standards-based approach.
FAQs for the Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations course
— What is the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course about?
It is a five-day programme that explains why workplace conflict arises and how to resolve it constructively. It covers conflict styles, active listening, assertive communication, difficult feedback, interest-based negotiation, mediation, and de-escalation of high-temperature exchanges.
— What are the key benefits of the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course?
Participants gain the confidence to raise hard topics early instead of avoiding them, fewer escalated disputes, and stronger working relationships. They also learn to protect their own composure under pressure, reduce HR escalations, and reach agreements that last rather than resurface weeks later.
— What skills will I gain from the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course?
Conflict analysis and root cause diagnosis, assertive communication and active listening, difficult feedback delivery with the SBI model, and interest-based negotiation and workplace mediation.
— What tools, methods, or standards are covered in the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course?
The course covers the Thomas–Kilmann conflict mode instrument, the DESC scripting model, the SBI feedback model, principled negotiation from the Harvard Negotiation Project, BATNA analysis, interest-based bargaining, formal mediation stages, and structured grievance and escalation procedures.
— How is the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course applied in real-world practice?
Delegates apply it through one-to-one feedback conversations, performance and conduct discussions, peer dispute mediation, team conflict norms, client complaint handling, and escalation decisions. They also use it to document agreements and coach colleagues through their own difficult conversations.
Scheduling in Progress | Training Arranged Around Your Needs
Our team can coordinate this program based on available dates and locations. Contact us to explore training options that best fit your needs.
Introduction
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations addresses how professionals resolve disagreement before it damages relationships or performance. This Training Course explores the sources of conflict, the emotions behind them, and the conversation skills that turn tension into progress. Participants examine active listening, assertive communication, negotiation, and mediation techniques. Furthermore, the programme connects theory to practice through role-play, feedback, and structured rehearsal. As a result, delegates leave able to raise hard topics early, stay calm under pressure, and reach agreements that hold.
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations Course Objectives
- Identify the root causes of workplace conflict and its early warning signs.
- Distinguish constructive disagreement from destructive and personal conflict.
- Apply the Thomas–Kilmann conflict modes to real workplace situations.
- Use active listening skills to uncover interests behind stated positions.
- Deliver difficult feedback using the SBI and DESC communication models.
- Separate facts from interpretations when emotions run high.
- Apply interest-based negotiation to reach workable agreements.
- Manage strong emotions and remain composed during tense exchanges.
- Mediate disputes between colleagues fairly and without taking sides.
- Build a personal action plan for handling recurring conflict patterns.
Course Methodology
- Interactive workshops using realistic workplace conflict scenarios.
- Structured role-play with coached feedback and peer observation.
- Facilitated discussion of personal cases and recurring patterns.
- Self-assessment of conflict style using the Thomas–Kilmann instrument.
- Practical rehearsal of feedback, negotiation, and mediation scripts.
- Action planning that converts each session into a workplace commitment.
Who Should Take This Course
- Line managers, team leaders, and supervisors.
- Human resources and employee relations professionals.
- Project managers and cross-functional team leads.
- Customer service and client-facing staff.
- Internal mediators and workplace wellbeing champions.
- Senior individual contributors handling peer disputes.
- Learning and development specialists.
Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations Course Outlines
Understanding Conflict and Your Personal Style
- • Defining conflict, disagreement, and destructive escalation.
- • Common sources: resources, goals, values, roles, and communication.
- • The conflict escalation curve and its warning signs.
- • Thomas–Kilmann conflict modes: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating.
- • Personal conflict style assessment and its strengths and limits.
- • Emotional triggers and the fight-or-flight response at work.
- • Mapping current workplace conflicts and their real causes.
Communication Skills for Difficult Conversations
- • Active listening: paraphrasing, summarizing, and reflecting feeling.
- • Questioning techniques that open dialogue instead of closing it.
- • Assertive communication versus passive and aggressive styles.
- • The DESC scripting model for raising sensitive topics.
- • Managing tone, body language, and virtual meeting dynamics.
- • Handling interruptions, deflection, and defensive reactions.
- • Rehearsing opening lines for a difficult conversation.
Giving and Receiving Difficult Feedback
- • The SBI model: situation, behaviour, impact.
- • Separating observable facts from assumptions and labels.
- • Delivering feedback that preserves dignity and motivates change.
- • Receiving feedback without defensiveness or justification.
- • Addressing repeated performance and conduct issues.
- • Documenting conversations and setting follow-up dates.
- • Practice lab with coached feedback exchanges.
Negotiation and Mediation Skills
- • Interest-based negotiation and the concept of BATNA.
- • Positions versus interests in workplace disputes.
- • Principled negotiation steps from the Harvard Negotiation Project.
- • Mediation stages: intake, joint session, caucus, agreement.
- • Maintaining neutrality when both parties are colleagues.
- • Building durable agreements that both sides can honour.
- • Case simulation of a two-party workplace dispute.
Managing Emotions, Culture, and Lasting Resolution
- • Staying composed when challenged, blamed, or provoked.
- • Techniques for de-escalating high-temperature exchanges.
- • Cross-cultural differences in conflict expression and resolution.
- • Escalation routes: HR, ombudsman, formal grievance procedures.
- • Repairing relationships after a difficult conversation.
- • Building team norms that prevent recurring conflict.
- • Personal action plan and follow-up accountability.
Conclusion
By successfully completing Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations, participants will have acquired a practical command of conflict analysis, assertive communication, feedback delivery, negotiation, and mediation. They will know how to identify root causes, keep difficult exchanges constructive, and reach agreements that both parties honour. In addition, the course prepares delegates to repair relationships and prevent recurrent disputes. As a result, they return to work ready to handle tension with composure and clarity. Gentex Training Center delivers this Training Course with a practical, standards-based approach.
FAQs for the Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations course
— What is the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course about?
It is a five-day programme that explains why workplace conflict arises and how to resolve it constructively. It covers conflict styles, active listening, assertive communication, difficult feedback, interest-based negotiation, mediation, and de-escalation of high-temperature exchanges.
— What are the key benefits of the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course?
Participants gain the confidence to raise hard topics early instead of avoiding them, fewer escalated disputes, and stronger working relationships. They also learn to protect their own composure under pressure, reduce HR escalations, and reach agreements that last rather than resurface weeks later.
— What skills will I gain from the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course?
Conflict analysis and root cause diagnosis, assertive communication and active listening, difficult feedback delivery with the SBI model, and interest-based negotiation and workplace mediation.
— What tools, methods, or standards are covered in the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course?
The course covers the Thomas–Kilmann conflict mode instrument, the DESC scripting model, the SBI feedback model, principled negotiation from the Harvard Negotiation Project, BATNA analysis, interest-based bargaining, formal mediation stages, and structured grievance and escalation procedures.
— How is the "Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Conversations" course applied in real-world practice?
Delegates apply it through one-to-one feedback conversations, performance and conduct discussions, peer dispute mediation, team conflict norms, client complaint handling, and escalation decisions. They also use it to document agreements and coach colleagues through their own difficult conversations.
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Our Partners in Learning include leading companies and organizations that trust Gentex Training Center for high-quality training courses and professional development programs. Together, we deliver impactful training programs that support skills growth, leadership development, and organizational excellence.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Gentex provide this training course in-house training?
Yes. Gentex Training Center can deliver this course as an in-house training program for your organization. The course content, schedule, and delivery can be customized to meet your team’s specific needs and business objectives. Learn more about our In-House Training solutions.