You can take real AITA scenarios and act them out, with the same analysis and judgment at the end. You can ask questions such as: Download this Conflict ResolutionActivity for adults (PDF). Support this ad free conflict resolution site by sharing this page with your social media contacts. Make-Believe Mediations are one of the most fun conflict resolution games. This activity is great to disarm all participates from a we know it already stance to actually join in and actively participating. 2. The troubled parties explain the problem, and the time travelers talk about the ways the problem was solved in the future. Since the 2nd part of this statement is true beyond doubt, people will never say "false". Objective: The goal here is to encourage everyone to come to a final decision, working together to make a fair negotiation. Bad Resources Removed Dec. 10, 2012. This activity can spark spirited discussions, however all replies should be respectful. By reading out the story it is clear that people make assumptions to what the answers should be rather than actually listening to the facts. Time Traveler Troubles is a fun roleplaying game. LinkedIn You can modify each activity to meet the specific needs, abilities and interests of those in your group. 2. - Great starting point for conflict management exercises. What I particularly like about this exercise is that it can be adapted to use in a variety of different sessions. Content Expert at teambuilding.com. 288 lessons. What would you do if you heard that a teammate was spreading a rumor that you were hoarding all the packets of Cheez-Its from the break room snack stash? gcse.src = 'https://cse.google.com/cse.js?cx=' + cx; You found our list of the best conflict resolution ideas. 1. Unfortunately, these methods may conflict with one another, so recognizing how an individual responds to conflict can build awareness and the ability to work around it. Time:This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. Everyone will know how much he contributed individually but no one will know how much anyone else, from their own team or the other, contributed. How would you define conflict management? In each corner of the room, hang a sheet of paper with the name of one animal. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion. Most unique | 3. 5. When it came time to read the story of Goldilocks it at first raised a few smurks and frowns, however it went down well. Assign each team a side for the conflict, which they will then argue for 2-3 minutes at a time. Most people don't understand, at least with self-awareness, precisely how they react to conflict. Were a trusted brand and you will be in safe hands. 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. All rights reserved. An activity called " Knot or No Knot " is great for goal conflicts. 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. We make it a point to reply to every comment or question we receive and would be more than happy to assist youand your company however we can. A good, quick exercise. Paul helps the team at Symonds Training build and focus on providing high-quality training materials packages and programs for trainers, classroom teachers and HR departments. 7. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Some of the delegates didn't listen when I read the story, as they thought they knew it (as it is a popular children's tale). Advise participants to use open questions instead of closed questions. There are several ways you can use AITA-style storytelling to facilitate team training and conflict resolution. No-one has ever got all the questions correct yet! Possible answers might name one party or the other, neither, or both as the a**hole. 30 minute activity. Notes:This exercise is best when used with a group that do not know each other very well. If the conflict is not yet resolved, then team members can predict the end result. It comes from Reddit, where the r/AITA subreddit is dedicated to people telling stories of conflicts and scenarios in their lives. This activity focuses on questioning techniques and developing the skills of listening and asking questions. I read the story and encourage delegates to take notes (perhaps after a session on speed writing). Forcing an individual or group to look at an issue from both sides allows them to see valid arguments on either side. Many thanks for another great activity. 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. On returning from lunch I gave each pens and a sheet of flip chart paper and asked them to create a visual representation of thier idol and then had them present back to the rest of the group. By clarifying desired outcomes from their work together, participants can begin to build an agenda that seeks to affirm those desires in practice.". Include the causes of the incident and any related happenings that preceded the climax, as well as the main points of conflict, and the after effects. For example: "The king was an old man who could no longer walk." 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 made a considerable difference to the atmosphere and energy levels within the group. Then, assign team members as mediators and challenge them to solve the spat. 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. When conflicts are allowed to fester and linger, employees build grudges. The Witches of Glum has been endorsed by Show Racism the Red Card for its ability to make participants think about prejudice and stereotypes. 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. The response was great, stimulated lots of discussion about stereotyping and gave way for a fantastic reflection session. I would probably give the activity a 4.5. Students will brainstorm to contrast positive conflict resolution and negative conflict resolution and then learn steps to positively resolve conflicts with friends. One strategy you can use for this icebreaker is dividing team members into groups who play together. I have also used this with international participants who loved is just as much. Each team member has a pen and a piece of paper. Ask them to write 4 words down that they associate with the word "conflict" Step 2: You will have chosen person A to take an opinion on the topic and person B another opinion on the topic. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 25 minutes for completion. (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 9287 ) 4-word-build, A Conflict Resolution Exercise and Teamwork Exercise What Would You Do? You'll Need:Nothing, other than the materials provided. You'll Need: To prepare flipcharts containing ACAS definitions of bullying and of harassment if you dont wish to use the PowerPoint slides provided. Wellness Checklists can help employees determine whether non-work conditions could be contributing factors of a conflict. Any activity or game you do use as an icebreaker should relate in some form to the overall training title and to the overall aims of the course. However, they soon learnt what a trap that assumption is when they then couldn't correctly answer the ensuing questions. To identify situations where participants find it difficult to be assertive. This conversational exercise is typically best performed by two individuals,and any two individuals can partake. For the sake of variety, you can give teams different prompts. The M&M's challenge 1. Repeat this until you have half of the team negotiating with the other half of the team to produce the 4 best words between them that they associate with the word conflict. 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 read the questions out from the materials and this worked just as well as writing them all out on the flip chart. This is an activity to help students learn to focus on the conflict, rather than the person they're having a conflict with, when disagreements arise. 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. 2023 teambuilding.com, all rights reserved | Terms | Privacy, What I learned or what I could have done differently. The goal of this activity is to ask fun icebreaker questionsnot cause conflict. Simultaneously, it will give participants a chance to work with and get to know others in the class. This simple activity requires one prop: a colorful, distracting rope. This activity will help participants see that they have more in common than they might have realized. So the pair will have 4 words at the end. Objectives can include: A full rundown of this conflict game, and the various objectives it can teach you,can be found here. Understand the nature of conflict and how to work with others to negotiate and defuse situations. Have you tried our Free Samples? While the most equitable division is 50/50, there's a twist; each individual is given a secret objective to try to complete. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. I have used it in communication courses, management programmes and Diversity sessions. })(); Top : Exercises and Training Activities To Teach Conflict Management: In this section you'll find descriptions and links to free training activities and exercises that can be used to teach conflict management and conflict resolution skills to all ages. Goldilocks is by far my favourite listening activity. Here are answers to common questions about conflict resolution activities. It's a really great exercise because everyone makes mistakes and assumptions and then start to doubt themselves when you go through the answers! What a lovely exercise. s.parentNode.insertBefore(gcse, s); There were some real light bulb moments for delegates with this. This is accomplished through . Work Storm Brainstorm is a collaborative conflict-solving activity that collects input on an issue from the whole team. Simply make a timeline, then add each relevant event. You'll Need: A printed copy of the large (A3) Trainer version of the Word Search grid provided, affixed to a flipchart. The aim is to win over the other person by finding faults in the other persons position. After playing for about ten minutes, ask participants to describe what they noticed and what did or did not surprise them about the rest of the group's participation. Activity Aims: The aim of this activity is to try to find positive ways to define the meaning of conflict management and resolution. Notes:A great exercise to demonstrate our role in conflict with others. I have used it in small groups of 6+ and more recently I used it as part of a large event on commissioning / co-creation where we had 50+ so it is very versatile. Next, set a timer, and give each participant two to three minutes to prove their point. 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. What would you do if your boss took credit for your work during a meeting? As well as using this exercise to illustrate assumptions and stereotypes, I use it in my 'Minute Taking with Confidence' course. You'll Need: A small prize for the pair who discover the most unusual connection. Pages Updated On: Want to bargain their $1 for something else, such as a water bottle or a positive reputation. Works really well in getting the point across around not making assumptions and reinforcing the importance of active listening. Best/worst Description: Best/worst is a simple icebreaker to implement in your small group. I have used this activity for over 10 years now. I used it recently when the rather cocky 'I'm a brilliant manager' delegate got only 3 right, and the rather shy, newly promoted manager got 11/12. 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. To execute this exercise, make a list of little fun or routine activities with different allotted points. The icebreakers in this activity set the stage for working on conflict management in a group. Company Number: 06680497 VAT Number: 422947194. Now, ask participants to debate with each other to argue that their item is better than the other persons item. Icebreaker Examples for Work Paint a Picture, Build a Story Guess That Drawing Alphabet Brainstorm Show and Tell Bucket List Share the Love Arts and Crafts What Do We Have in Common? In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion. Andrew Pickin, Director, Motiv8 Development Ltd. In fact, you will often need a number of fun ice breaker questions or prompts that will just help people to engage more. Luckily, rage rooms are all the rage these days. His comment was - guess I wasn't really listening! Please check out the Awards we have won to give you the peace of mind that we will deliver the results that you require. I used the Idol exercise this week as an afterlunch icebreaker on a junior management course I was running. Copyright 2000 - 2016 Robert Bacal. Group Sports mixetto / E+ via Getty Images Ive used it in induction courses. '", The first speaker refutes this with an "I meant" statement. Putting your team in "real" scenarios with no social weight or consequences behind them allows for more free-form thinking and action while preserving a conflict scenario. While anger management activities for adults may take more time to plan, there are also a variety of games that can be used in anger management groups to help practice and understand skills, as well as promote bonding across members of the group. Ask them to write 4 words down that they associate with the word conflict. Successful eyeopener about the danger of making assumptions. The Big Book of Conflict-Resolution Games - Washington State University Debate topics can be large scale problems, such as global warming or dealing with waste within your industry, or more specific scenarios, such as whether there should be a dress code for Zoom calls. Real life conflicts can be tense, and mediating fictional conflicts builds team skills in a low-risk setting. idea in our mind. I could also work on what the activity could offer much more. Aims: To identify things participants have in common with each other. To explore the impact on relationships of finding common ground. One participant remarked afterwards: "I have just realised what a dreadful listener I am", which was a great learning point for all. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses. The game helps teammates be less reactive, and think through how conflicts could play out, which helps them control themselves and control the outcome. You can have participants talk through the scenario, or act it out. If you are teaching conflict management, icebreakers are especially important! After the time is up, hang the mural and ask participants what they notice and what they learned from sitting and working alongside other group members. A review has not been posted for this item. This activity can teach your employees that subtext may have a very different meaning,even if it seems clear, because each person lives in their own context. . Respondents typically give reasoning behind their judgements. Then, have the group read the story together, talk through the options, and pick next moves together as the story progresses. Copyright 2008 - 2023 SymondsResearch.com is a part of ProMarketingOnline Ltd. Want to "give" their $1 out in exchange for a promise of a favor later. Download it NOW! It's a great way of illustrating that we're not as good at listening as we think we are. Then, give participants an issue to debate. Dizzy Debates are perspective exercises. Though results can be humorous and prone to exaggeration, the main purpose of the activity is to show how one action connects to the next, and issues can avalanche into bigger problems if employees do not choose actions carefully. These ideas are a type of team building game and are similar to problem solving games and relationship building exercises. Explain to the group that you are going to read a set of sentences. The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate that everyone has had times where they've been wrong or unreasonable and how they've handled conflict in the real world. It served a couple of purposes it fulfilled the aims outlined on the site, but also helped new starters to recognise that no matter what their previous experience they still have opportunities for learning new things and that they may have a black spot here and there in which they assume knowledge that they may not possess. Aims: To test listening skills. To illustrate the dangers of making assumptions. To encourage participants to think about how they can check their understanding of information they receive. It has allowed us to use a fun exercise to identify the pitfalls of assumptions and stereotypical situations. Just because they look scruffy doesnt mean that they may be poor. The activities and assessments above all help do this in various ways. Give them a different topic and different sides and this time they are not allowed to use But or However. 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). This is Learn More>>. Then hell want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesnt have a milk mustache.. I used 'course introduction' with a group on a departmental awayday. Goldilocks really stresses the message of the dangers of making assumptions, but it does that in a fun and different way which gets participants engaged and sometimes a bit fiery when discussing the answers to the questions about the story. Get-to-know-you questions | 5. - Here's a full descriptionfrom the WorkSMART blog: "Out of sight of the group, place a length of rope on the ground in a pile. Group Size:This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 20 participants. Useful For:Everyone who interacts with others at work. Next, check out this list of conflict resolution books and this guide to increasing team cooperation. 1. Inform the teams that they must answer the 3 questions: 3. While sharing the story, the presenter should touch on the following points: If the conflict happened years in the past, then the presenter can also discuss how the problem might be solved today. Time:This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. Seeing Things Differently - Different Perspectives. Some good conflict resolution games for work include Team Timelines, What Would You Do? 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. Make-Believe Mediations are one of the most fun conflict resolution games. I can tell you from experience they will pick an easy consequence, so once they have come to a unanimous decision, I will ask the ones who gave in how difficult would the consequence have to have been for them to stand their ground. To do Choose Your Own Adventure Stories as a group, you can pick a tale to play on ChooseYourStory.com, or write your own script with multiple outcomes. Clio has taught education courses at the college level and has a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. Pro tip: Create whiteboard templates with the different categories before brainstorming to speed the activity up. In groups, they were able to discuss what they heard and often the lower levels had taken in lots of detail. (function() { Aims: To help participants learn something about their fellow participants, including something about what is important to them. - Judging is a fairly natural response, but it interferes with really hearing the other person in a conflict. Each pair has 5 minutes to win the argument. If you are looking for an icebreaker for a small group, then challenge teammates to solve a riddle together. These modules worked extremely well and prompted lots of interest from the participants and also some key learning points were easily identified. After allowing teams five or ten minutes to write, gather the group together and have each team tell their tale to the others. Time:The exercise in this module can be completed in about 30 minutes. Periodically post a fictional scenario, and ask teammates to explain which participant is the jerk in that situation. We teach new starters that they should not make assumptions on a customers appearance. Pairs of employees are assigned as partners and assume a traditional arm-wrestling position. ZIP (11.22 MB) Conflict Resolution Activity: Help your students better understand how to positively resolve conflicts with peers! Divide your team into two groups so that one can be the management and the other can represent employees.. Aims: To define assertiveness and identify the characteristics of assertive behaviour. To identify situations where participants find it difficult to be assertive. The Goldilocks exercise is a valuable method of demonstrating to candidates the way they make assumptions. Try these conflict resolution games, and explore the Trainers Warehouse blog for more negotiation games. The follow-up question must be connected to the previous question. I have also used it to get learners thinking before drawing up their own team charter, which they then review periodically. Try to keep the atmosphere in the room friendly. Interesting games that are mostly new to me. ). Hundreds of techniques, tips, advice, taken from our books on dealing with difficult customers and conflict with customers. Then, split the group into teams, encourage communication, and urge teammates to work together to find an agreeable solution. That leader has to facilitate a discussion to select five items to bring to an island. Group Size:This module can be used with groups of almost any size. For this game, employees are paired off into groups of two. Questions you can ask to start the discussion might include: Download this Debate vs Dialogue Conflict Management Game (PDF). Everyone should be able to work from home as many days as they like, Companies should offer unlimited holidays to everyone. Some examples: "The king could no longer walk". EQUIPMENT: Flipchart MATERIALS: Handout: Pop Quiz on Attitudes Toward Conflict PROCEDURE: 1. When you give him the milk, hell probably ask you for a straw. 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 team member starts by making a statement. - Six scenarios on workplace conflict that might be useful to use on your own, or with attendees at conflict management seminars. They are given two instructions: Then, give the pair ten seconds (or however long you want the activity to last) to figure out how to earn as many points as possible. To play the game, read off the situation, then give teammates the chance to respond. Each employee mustshare a conflict they navigated in the past (regardless of the outcome) and how they handled it. And Am I the A**hole? Explain to participants that people often come to a conflict-resolution Ask each pair to stand facing each other and hold out one of their fists (like in the game rock, paper, scissors) and say together: Nothing, something, anything! Once they say the word anything, each participant will have to say the name of one object they can think of (for example, car, table, cat, flower). Response 2 Yes, you are. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; 1. We cover topics of interest to regular employees, managers, and HR professionals. 2. This week I ran a seminar for members of the local branch of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in Shropshire. Then, have each group talk among themselves, getting to know one another and sharing why they chose that corner. I solved this by reducing the statements to only one fact. Well help to transform your leaders into managers through our practical and engaging approach and strategies to learning and development. 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. This is great to use for Presentation skills, Train the Trainer, Assertiveness and Selling Skills. 3. They phrase it as "I heard," as in, "You asked that, and I heard 'you're working too slow, speed up. Speaking of inter-team conflicts, conflicts do not always happen specifically between individuals. Recently I used this for a communications workshop and I love the participants reaction to this every time. This gives participants time to really think about their choices. How challenging did you find this activity? Having now used this as my first resource from Trainers' Library I certainly have confidence in using more. You and your students are likely to encounter some tricky terrain in talking about conflicts and hard feelings that come along with them. The trainers notes are very well laid out and it is what all exercises should be, simple and yet effective. Task: Step 1: Each team member has a pen and a piece of paper. How could this questioning technique help during a conflict? If you are offering conflict management training, these 5 activities should be useful for you. Lay out 5 items criss . This means asking each other questions about their items, listening to the answers, and coming to an agreement between them. My favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate. These sheets of paper can be taped to a board or somewhere in the classroom. It Takes A Village To Teach A Child Check out our mini-guide on how to fight fair, and stop letting badly handled conflict cause pain in your relationships. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 15 minutes for completion. Top 10 Ice Breaker Activities for Meetings, Training, and . I have used this a couple of times now and think its fab.