Whether in our private or professional lives, most conflict situations have to do with misunderstandings and communication problems. The earlier we tackle a conflict and ideally resolve it, the easier the process is. However, this requires a willingness on both sides to not let the conflict escalate, to listen to each other and to try to understand the concerns of the other party. If this is not successful, it can lead to an escalation that is usually not resolvable without mediation.
It should be noted that conflict itself is not a bad thing. On the contrary, we need friction, disputes and criticism to develop and to change things. However, this exchange should be constructive. Unfortunately, however, this is all too often not the case. And that is why there is an ever-increasing need for training on conflict issues in a society that is increasingly polarised and less willing to listen to each other.
Due to the high demand, we have extensively revised and expanded our concept for these training courses over the course of the year – the starting point for this was the workshops ‘How to talk about it’ at the Hertie School in December 2023, which we reported on in detail in a blog post. But the numerous workshops on dealing with right-wing, racist and other discriminatory statements have also given us valuable food for thought for the further development of our training.
We have developed four central building blocks for the training:
- How can I talk productively about conflicts and conflictual issues?
- How do I deal with problematic statements and/or angry people, and how do I avoid escalation?
- When should I enter into a substantive discussion and what do I need to consider when doing so?
- What strategies and instruments are available for balancing interests?
We devote a great deal of space to the general rules, models and tools for productive conflict communication with numerous practical exercises. We also invite participants to consider how they would react in certain conflict situations.
Afterwards, we ask the participants to name their own examples of specific conflict situations. Together, we then look for possible solutions and strategies for dealing with the given conflict situation. The solution is not always obvious, but the suggestions for personal reflection and the practical tips at least provide approaches to dealing with the situation.
What is special about these training sessions is that no two are the same. Particularly when it comes to conflict, the events draw on the experiences and topics that the participants bring with them. There are usually no simple answers, but we hope that we can at least make a small contribution to finding a better way of dealing with conflicts at a personal, professional and social level.
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