B5: “Putting Out the Fire”: Mediation Skills for Quick Intervention
Interpersonal conflicts are an inevitable part of organizational life, so a key leadership skill is knowing how to resolve them in a timely and constructive way. This workshop will introduce Executive Directors to mediation principles and techniques that will enhance their ability to respond to conflicts as they arise, and to “put out fires” by improving communication and building understanding between people in dispute.
Workshop participants will explore the nature and dynamics of conflict, the role of the mediator, and learn the core mediation skills of interest-based problem solving and active listening. They will then learn how to apply these principles and skills to resolve conflicts “on the spot” using a “Quick Intervention Model.” By the end of the workshop, participants will have a technique they can use to intervene as a neutral third party in conflict situations that may arise between staff, board members, colleagues, clients, partners and others.
Conflict Resolution Service (CRS) workshops are participatory, interactive, and tailored to participants’ contexts. We teach our approach to conflict resolution through short presentations, discussions, exercises, and role-play and skills practice.
Nancy Slamet is the coordinator of Training and Organizational Services at St. Stephen’s Conflict Resolution Service. Over the past 15 years, she has worked for a number of non-profits in Toronto and overseas. She has also studied workplace learning and organizational change, with a focus on social justice organizations.
