Collaborative Conflict Resolution Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Line Managers, Project Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-IS-032

Before you join: Participants should have experience working with colleagues, managers, customers, suppliers or stakeholders where priorities sometimes conflict.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Unresolved workplace conflict delays decisions, damages working relationships and consumes management time. It can appear as recurring disagreement between business units, strained manager-employee relationships, supplier disputes, resistance to change or passive avoidance after difficult conversations. Collaborative resolution does not mean avoiding accountability or accepting poor conduct. It means addressing issues directly, separating people from problems, identifying legitimate interests and reaching commitments that can be monitored.

This course teaches participants to diagnose conflict patterns, regulate reactive responses and prepare for difficult discussions. Participants use the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, Nonviolent Communication, Principled Negotiation and interest-based problem solving to move from accusation and positional bargaining toward clear issues, tested options and agreed actions. They learn how to listen for concerns beneath stated demands, handle defensiveness, address power and status differences, and decide when direct dialogue, facilitation, mediation or formal escalation is appropriate.

Instructor-led delivery combines concise briefings with realistic cases, structured group work, role simulations and reflection on current workplace situations. Participants practise preparing conversations, framing joint problem statements, testing options against objective criteria and documenting commitments. The course runs over five days, from 08:30 to 16:30, with approximately 6.5 contact hours each day. It is available in classrooms in 50+ cities or live online. Participants receive a certificate of completion and leave with a conflict preparation canvas, conversation plan and 30-day application plan.

The course is suited to professionals who must resolve disagreement without relying solely on authority, including managers, project leaders, HR practitioners, client-facing staff and cross-functional specialists.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose conflict patterns using conflict maps, escalation signals and issue classification
  • Apply Thomas-Kilmann response modes according to the stakes and relationship needs
  • Prepare difficult conversations using interests, BATNA, risks and decision rights
  • Use Nonviolent Communication and active listening to reduce defensiveness
  • Generate and assess mutual-gain options using objective criteria and decision matrices
  • Address power, status and cultural differences while maintaining procedural fairness
  • Facilitate structured resolution meetings and document accountable agreements
  • Produce a 30-day conflict resolution application plan for a current workplace issue

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence initiating difficult conversations before conflict escalates
  • A repeatable method for preparing high-stakes workplace discussions
  • Clearer listening and questioning habits during emotionally charged exchanges
  • Stronger ability to distinguish solvable issues from conduct requiring escalation
  • Documented evidence of applied conflict resolution capability

For your organisation

  • Earlier resolution of disputes before they affect delivery, retention or customer service
  • More consistent manager responses to performance and relationship concerns
  • Better cross-functional decision making where priorities and resources conflict
  • Reduced reliance on informal escalation and senior-management intervention
  • Clearer agreements with owners, dates, review points and escalation triggers

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can identify conflict patterns and select an appropriate resolution route.

  • Conflict costs mapped across task, relationship, process and status dimensions
  • Thomas-Kilmann modes distinguished from situationally appropriate response choices
  • Escalation ladder signals identified before blame, avoidance or coalition building
  • Conflict maps separate parties, issues, interests, emotions and decision rights
  • Observable facts separated from interpretations, assumptions and attributed intent
  • Appropriate resolution routes selected: direct dialogue, facilitation, mediation or escalation

Participants can recognise reactive patterns and prepare themselves for constructive dialogue.

  • Trigger patterns recognised through body cues, thoughts and behavioural impulses
  • Pause-and-name technique interrupts reactive responses during charged exchanges
  • Window of Tolerance used to judge readiness for dialogue
  • BATNA, WATNA and reservation points clarify personal response boundaries
  • Emotional labelling reduces defensiveness without excusing harmful conduct
  • Preparation notes distinguish controllable actions from outcomes controlled by others

Participants can communicate concerns clearly while eliciting accurate information from others.

  • Active listening demonstrates attention through paraphrase, summary and accurate questions
  • Nonviolent Communication separates observations, feelings, needs and workable requests
  • Open, probing and checking questions surface meaning without cross-examination
  • Impact statements use facts, effects and needs instead of accusation
  • Reflective responses test comprehension before rebuttal or premature problem solving
  • Language choices remove absolutes, mind-reading and loaded character judgments

Participants can uncover interests and establish fair criteria for resolving disagreement.

  • Positions translated into underlying interests, concerns, constraints and desired outcomes
  • Principled Negotiation separates people, problems, interests, options and criteria
  • Interest questions reveal operational, relational, identity and procedural needs
  • Shared and divergent interests recorded in a joint issue inventory
  • Objective criteria tested against policy, data, precedent and contractual obligations
  • BATNA assessments prevent agreements that worsen either party’s alternatives

Participants can create, evaluate and document practical options for mutual resolution.

  • Joint problem statements frame issues without assigning fault or motive
  • Brainstorming rules generate options before evaluating feasibility, risk or fairness
  • Option packages trade variables rather than splitting every difference equally
  • Decision matrices compare alternatives against agreed interests and objective criteria
  • Contingent agreements manage uncertainty through triggers, review points and fallback actions
  • Commitment tests confirm authority, resources, timing and implementation ownership

Participants can manage relational dynamics that make conflict harder to address fairly.

  • Power analysis identifies formal authority, expertise, dependence and informal influence
  • Status threats addressed through voice, respect, recognition and procedural fairness
  • Cultural assumptions tested without stereotyping communication, hierarchy or disagreement preferences
  • Psychological safety conditions support candour, dissent and error reporting
  • Conflict roles diagnosed: pursuer, withdrawer, rescuer, critic and bystander
  • Appropriate escalation preserves accountability when collaborative resolution cannot proceed

Participants can conduct direct conversations about harmful conduct, performance and repeated concerns.

  • SBI feedback structures observations, effects and requests for changed behaviour
  • Conversation contracts establish purpose, confidentiality, time boundaries and decision authority
  • Acknowledgement statements validate impact without conceding disputed facts or intent
  • Defensive responses redirected using naming, reframing, pausing and choice questions
  • Apologies distinguish regret, responsibility, repair commitments and future safeguards
  • Boundary statements address repeated conduct, consequences and formal reporting routes

Participants can structure resolution meetings when two or more parties are in conflict.

  • Facilitation designs keep parties speaking directly while managing process
  • Mediator neutrality differs from organisational responsibility for safety and policy
  • Opening statements establish confidentiality limits, participation rules and shared purpose
  • Separate meetings assess safety, readiness, information and possible settlement options
  • Reframing converts accusations into issues suitable for joint discussion
  • Written agreements specify actions, owners, dates, reviews and escalation triggers

Participants can select appropriate methods for common workplace conflict scenarios.

  • Workplace conflict triage distinguishes performance, conduct, grievance and relationship issues
  • Remote disagreements managed through channel choice, response norms and documentation
  • Cross-functional disputes analysed through handoffs, priorities, incentives and service levels
  • Manager-employee conflicts address role clarity, feedback, workload and accountability
  • Supplier and stakeholder disputes apply interests, criteria and documented commitments
  • Harassment, discrimination and threats referred promptly through formal safeguarding channels

Participants can plan, conduct and review a conflict resolution intervention after the course.

  • Conflict preparation canvas integrates parties, interests, risks, options and next steps
  • Dialogue agendas sequence facts, interests, options, commitments and review dates
  • Personal conflict patterns reviewed against feedback and recent workplace incidents
  • Stakeholder communication plans assign messages, channels, timing and responsible owners
  • Thirty-day application plans define conversations, support, measures and review points
  • Peer accountability arrangements sustain preparation, reflection and agreement follow-through

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Conflict diagnostic map
  2. Conflict preparation canvas
  3. Difficult conversation agenda template
  4. Interest and options matrix
  5. Written resolution agreement checklist
  6. Thirty-day application plan

Who should attend

  • Line Managers — resolve performance, workload and relationship disputes fairly
  • Project Managers — address competing priorities, handoffs and resource disagreements
  • HR Business Partners — support early resolution before formal grievance processes
  • Team Leaders — establish constructive norms for disagreement and accountability
  • Account Managers — manage client concerns without damaging commercial relationships
  • Cross-Functional Specialists — resolve recurring disputes between operational teams

Skills and tools covered

Conflict diagnosisDifficult conversationsInterest-based negotiationActive listeningResolution facilitationAgreement design

Tools and standards

Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, Nonviolent Communication, Principled Negotiation, SBI Feedback Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce models, followed by case analysis, paired practice, group problem solving and facilitated simulations. Participants apply methods to realistic situations such as manager-employee tension, project delivery disputes, client complaints and cross-functional priority conflicts. Feedback focuses on preparation, language choices, listening accuracy, option generation and agreement quality. Individual reflection and application planning help participants transfer the methods to current workplace conversations while respecting confidentiality and formal reporting requirements.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience working with colleagues, managers, customers, suppliers or stakeholders where priorities sometimes conflict. They should be prepared to discuss workplace situations in a professional, non-identifying way and to receive feedback on their communication approach. Familiarity with basic management, HR or project terminology is useful but not essential. No prior mediation qualification, psychology background, legal training or formal negotiation course is required. The course does not train participants to investigate misconduct, make legal findings or replace formal grievance, safeguarding or disciplinary procedures.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have experience working with people whose priorities, expectations or working styles sometimes differ from your own. No prior mediation, legal, HR or negotiation qualification is required.

Bring a current or recent workplace conflict situation that you can discuss without sharing confidential names or sensitive facts. You will use it to build a preparation canvas and application plan.

The course is designed for managers, project professionals, HR practitioners, client-facing staff and specialists who work across teams. It is particularly useful for people who need to resolve disagreement without formal authority over every party involved.

Negotiation courses often focus on reaching commercial or transactional agreements, while this course addresses recurring workplace relationships, communication and accountability. It also introduces informal facilitation and mediation methods, but it is not a professional mediator certification programme.

Participants can use the conflict preparation canvas before a difficult meeting, apply listening and reframing methods during discussion, and record actions in a written agreement. The final module creates a 30-day plan for applying these methods to a real workplace issue.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides approximately 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between instructor input, case work, simulations, feedback, group discussion and individual application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

More courses in Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal Skills Advanced Mediation Skills Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Interpersonal Skills Conflict Management Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Interpersonal Skills Conflict Management and Emotional Intelligence Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Interpersonal Skills Conflict Resolution and Adaptability Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Interpersonal Skills Conflict Resolution and Mediation Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Interpersonal Skills Relationship Management Skills Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Interpersonal Skills Social Intelligence Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Interpersonal Skills Team Collaboration and Wellbeing Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov