About

COURSE OBJECTIVES
• Develop effective conflict management skills in challenging behavioural situations
• Confidently engage in challenging conversations to address sensitive or challenging issues
• Stand strong in challenging work place situations

Challenging workplace situations are inevitable. They can stem from a variety of reasons ranging from pressures of the workday to different personalities and challenging behaviours.

While disagreements and differing opinions are normal in work relationships, conflict can cost your team and company productivity, revenues and employee satisfaction.

As a manager and leader, it’s imperative that you stand strong and steer your team towards creating a workplace environment that allows people to thrive. Instead of avoiding conflicts or challenging situations, a more proactive and positive approach to managing and resolving conflicts productively will ensure continual effectiveness and success.

In response to mounting pressures and workplace demands, Mastering Challenging Interpersonal Management Situations – How to deal with Conflicts, Feedback and Challenging Conversations has been designed to help managers and leaders to address various aspects of behavioural management, constructive feedback, trust and credibility. You will come away from the course with greater confidence in managing people and situations effectively – before they blow out of proportion into crises.

Outline

DAY ONE

Exploring Underlying Causes of Workplace Conflicts and Differences
•  What is conflict?
•  Exploring various conflict management styles
•  Why and how conflict can be positive
•  Barriers to managing conflict

Dealing with Challenging Behaviours
•  Types of personalities
•  Understanding personality types and sources of motivation
•  Understanding and learning to handle angry and aggressive behaviour
•  Understanding and learning to handle passive behaviour
•  Understanding and learning to handle passive-aggressive behaviour
•  Identifying triggers that may provoke an incident

Managing and Resolving Conflict Productively
•  Identifying your personal conflict management style
•  Identifying personal barriers that can stall you in a conflict situation
•  Factors to consider in matching conflict resolutions to situations

Day Two

Delivering and Receiving Feedback
•  Develop the ability to listen for thoughts and feelings in a conversation
•  Discerning the difference between feedback and criticism
•  Techniques that you can use for delivering constructive feedback
•  How to deliver messages on sensitive issues
•  Giving feedback to people above you or in other departments
•  Increasing awareness of non-verbal communication
•  Enhancing questioning skills

Reducing conflict with Generation Y
•  Investigating how conflict can arise between different generations
•  Understanding Generation Y’s point of view
•  Tips for mimizing conflict between generations

Managing Challenging and Sensitive Conversations
•  Identifying what makes some conversations challenging or sensitive
•  Adopting a more flexible approach to create more open and productive communications
•  How to deal with challenging conversations pertinent to performance
   - Useful words to use/avoid in challenging conversations
   - Timing when to have the conversation
•  Emotional control – How to hold your own in an emotionally charged situation
•  Tools for de-escalating conflict

Moving On Beyond Conflict – Developing Trust & Credibility
•  The role of trust in an organisation and how trust leads on to commitment
•  Exploring and understanding the dynamics of trust between managers and colleagues at the workplace
•  Identifying behaviours and actions that develop trust or tear down trust
•  Cultivating a climate of trust

Facilitator

Dr Ruth Jillings

Dr Ruth Jillings is a Registered Occupational Psychologist who works in private practice on Auckland’s North Shore. Currently Ruth works with a wide variety of individuals to assist with both workplace and personal issues.  In her one-on-one work Ruth is flexible but primarily uses a cognitive behavioural approach.  In addition, Ruth conducts workshops and runs training programmes covering a selection of topics including, stress resiliency, work-life balance, performance management, mentoring and motivation. Ruth has conducted workshops for many New Zealand organisations including Telecom and Solid Energy.

Ruth is also Clinical Supervisor for Raeburn House, a non-profit organisation widely recognised for the excellent work it does in the community.  Ruth provides supervision and psychological assistance to all the facilitators as well as key staff.

Ruth completed her Ph.D at Massey University and is now focusing on stress, coping, dysfunctional attitudes, resiliency and well-being. In addition, Ruth taught Social Psychology at Massey for many years.  She still returns to Guest Lecture every year.

In-house Training