Conflict Resolution and Mediation Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Line Managers, HR Professionals 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-033

Before you join: Participants should have experience working with colleagues, stakeholders, customers or suppliers where disagreement can affect decisions or relationships.

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 conflict consumes management time, delays decisions, damages working relationships and can create formal employee-relations risk. Professionals often face disagreement between teams, competing priorities, performance concerns, customer complaints or conduct issues without a clear process for separating facts from assumptions, addressing emotion or reaching workable agreements. This course develops a disciplined approach to resolving disputes before they become entrenched.

Participants learn to diagnose conflict sources, select an appropriate intervention and conduct structured conversations with people who hold different interests, levels of authority or accounts of events. The course covers the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, interest-based negotiation, active listening, assertive communication, de-escalation, difficult conversations and workplace mediation. Participants practise preparing parties, identifying issues, generating options, testing agreements and documenting follow-up responsibilities.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with sector-relevant cases, facilitated group work, structured conversation practice and mediation simulations. Cases reflect common workplace situations such as disagreement over project ownership, employee performance concerns, resource allocation, service failures and cross-functional delivery disputes. Each participant develops a conflict diagnosis, conversation preparation plan, mediation process map and written agreement template for use in their own role. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

The course is suited to managers, HR professionals, project leaders, team leaders and staff who must address disagreement constructively without relying solely on formal escalation. It is delivered over five days in the classroom in 50+ cities or live online, with training running from 08:30 to 16:30 each day and approximately 6.5 contact hours daily.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose conflict causes and escalation patterns using a structured conflict analysis
  • Select appropriate responses using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
  • Prepare difficult conversations using issue, interest, impact and request statements
  • Apply active listening, reframing and questioning techniques during contentious discussions
  • De-escalate emotionally charged interactions while maintaining boundaries and procedural fairness
  • Facilitate a workplace mediation using an interest-based mediation process
  • Draft clear settlement agreements with actions, owners, deadlines and review arrangements
  • Create a personal conflict-management action plan for recurring workplace situations

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence addressing conflict before positions harden
  • A repeatable preparation method for difficult conversations
  • Stronger listening and reframing under emotional pressure
  • Practical mediation skills for disputes between colleagues
  • Clearer boundaries between informal resolution and formal escalation

For your organisation

  • Earlier resolution of disputes that delay operational decisions
  • Reduced management time spent on recurring interpersonal tensions
  • More consistent handling of employee and stakeholder complaints
  • Better cross-functional cooperation during resource and priority conflicts
  • Documented agreements with accountable follow-up actions

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can diagnose the causes, patterns and escalation risks within a workplace conflict.

  • Conflict triggers, task issues, relationship issues, values and structural causes
  • Conflict escalation mapped through Glasl's nine-stage escalation model
  • Constructive disagreement distinguished from bullying, harassment, discrimination and misconduct
  • Cost-of-conflict analysis covering delay, rework, absenteeism, turnover and safety
  • Observable behaviours separated from assumptions using the ladder of inference
  • Early intervention choices matched to issue severity and party readiness

Participants can choose a conflict response that fits the issue, relationship and decision context.

  • Thomas-Kilmann modes: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating
  • Mode selection assessed against urgency, stakes, power and relationship value
  • Competing used appropriately for safety, ethics and non-negotiable decisions
  • Avoiding assessed where cooling-off periods or further evidence are needed
  • Collaboration planned for recurring interdependence and high-value working relationships
  • Personal conflict-style patterns identified from typical workplace responses

Participants can prepare a focused conversation that addresses issues without personal attack.

  • Facts, interpretations, feelings, needs and requests separated before discussion
  • SBI feedback structure: situation, behaviour and impact stated precisely
  • Conversation purpose defined through desired outcome, boundaries and next steps
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies interests, influence, concerns and decision authority
  • BATNA, WATNA and reservation points prepared before consequential discussions
  • Neutral opening statements reduce blame while naming the issue directly

Participants can surface concerns, test assumptions and reframe positional statements constructively.

  • Active listening combines attending, paraphrasing, summarising and emotion labelling
  • Open questions uncover interests, constraints, priorities and unstated concerns
  • Closed questions confirm facts, commitments, timelines and decision rights
  • Reframing converts accusations into neutral descriptions of needs and impacts
  • Ladder of inference questions test evidence behind strongly held conclusions
  • Strategic silence creates space for reflection without conceding the issue

Participants can state needs, decline unreasonable requests and maintain respectful professional boundaries.

  • Assertive communication distinguished from passive, aggressive and passive-aggressive responses
  • DESC script structures descriptions, effects, specifications and consequences
  • I-statements communicate impact without assigning motive or character judgement
  • Boundaries stated through acceptable conduct, limits and escalation consequences
  • Broken-record technique maintains a clear position under repeated pressure
  • Power differences addressed through process, evidence, options and support

Participants can lower emotional intensity and maintain constructive dialogue during difficult exchanges.

  • Threat responses recognised through fight, flight, freeze and appease behaviours
  • Emotional labelling acknowledges feelings without validating inaccurate claims
  • PACE method: pause, acknowledge, clarify and explore options
  • Ground rules set for interruptions, tone, confidentiality and respectful conduct
  • Time-outs used to prevent reactive statements and restore productive discussion
  • Safety concerns escalated through appropriate workplace reporting and support channels

Participants can negotiate workable agreements by moving from positions to underlying interests.

  • Principled Negotiation separates people, interests, options and objective criteria
  • Positions distinguished from interests, fears, constraints and desired outcomes
  • Objective criteria drawn from policy, data, precedent and service standards
  • Option generation expands choices before parties evaluate proposed settlements
  • Package proposals trade across issues rather than conceding issue by issue
  • Reality testing examines feasibility, authority, risks and implementation barriers

Participants can facilitate a structured mediation from initial contact through agreement.

  • Mediation suitability assessed against consent, safety, power and formal requirements
  • Pre-mediation meetings establish confidentiality, expectations and participant readiness
  • Opening statements explain mediator role, process, ground rules and neutrality
  • Joint sessions identify disputed issues, interests and common areas
  • Private caucuses manage impasse, confidential concerns and option development
  • Mediator impartiality maintained through balanced attention, language and process control

Participants can respond to deadlock, unequal power and challenging behaviours without abandoning process.

  • Impasse diagnosed as information gaps, value conflict, mistrust or limited authority
  • Bracketing separates resolvable issues from matters requiring formal determination
  • Shuttle diplomacy carries proposals while preserving confidentiality and informed consent
  • Power imbalances reduced through preparation, support persons and equal speaking time
  • Difficult behaviours addressed using process reminders, boundaries and consequences
  • Formal escalation criteria identified for misconduct, safeguarding and legal risk

Participants can document agreements, monitor commitments and apply course methods to current conflicts.

  • Settlement terms specify actions, owners, deadlines, evidence and review dates
  • Agreement wording tested for clarity, realism, consent and delegated authority
  • Follow-up meetings review commitments, barriers, changes and unresolved concerns
  • Conflict records distinguish confidential mediation notes from formal workplace documentation
  • Escalation pathways align with grievance, disciplinary and safeguarding procedures
  • Personal application plans prioritise upcoming conversations, mediation opportunities and support

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

What you take back to work

  1. Conflict diagnosis worksheet
  2. Difficult conversation preparation template
  3. SBI and DESC communication prompt cards
  4. Interest-based negotiation planning canvas
  5. Workplace mediation process checklist
  6. Settlement agreement and follow-up template

Who should attend

  • Line Managers — address team disputes, performance tensions and competing priorities promptly
  • HR Professionals — support fair informal resolution before formal employee-relations processes
  • Project Managers — resolve cross-functional disagreements affecting scope, resources and delivery
  • Team Leaders — build productive norms for disagreement within operational teams
  • Employee Relations Specialists — facilitate structured conversations and workplace mediation
  • Client-Facing Professionals — manage complaints and relationship breakdowns constructively

Skills and tools covered

Conflict diagnosisDifficult conversationsInterest-based negotiationWorkplace mediationDe-escalation techniquesAgreement drafting

Tools and standards

Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, Glasl's Nine-Stage Model of Conflict Escalation, Principled Negotiation, Ladder of Inference

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce conflict models and mediation stages, followed by case analysis, paired practice, small-group work and facilitated simulations. Participants prepare and conduct difficult conversations, observe communication patterns and receive structured feedback against defined criteria. Mediation simulations develop skill in opening sessions, surfacing interests, managing impasse and recording agreements. Individual application planning links course methods to current workplace situations while protecting confidential details.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience working with colleagues, stakeholders, customers or suppliers where disagreement can affect decisions or relationships. Familiarity with workplace communication, team meetings and basic organisational policies is useful. Participants should be prepared to discuss realistic, non-confidential conflict situations from their work. No prior mediation qualification, legal training, psychology background or formal HR experience is required. The course does not assume authority to impose decisions; it is suitable for professionals who influence outcomes through conversation, facilitation and structured agreement.

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 need experience working with other people in a professional setting and a willingness to examine realistic conflict situations. No previous mediation qualification, HR certification or legal training is required.

Bring examples of non-confidential workplace situations where communication, priorities or relationships have become difficult. You will use these examples to prepare conversation and resolution plans without sharing sensitive names or records.

The course is designed for managers, HR staff, project leaders, team leaders and client-facing professionals. It is particularly useful for people who need to resolve disputes but do not hold formal decision-making authority over every party involved.

Negotiation training concentrates mainly on reaching agreements between parties with differing interests. This course includes negotiation but also addresses conflict diagnosis, emotion management, difficult conversations, workplace mediation, impasse and formal escalation boundaries.

Participants leave with templates for diagnosing conflict, preparing conversations and documenting agreements. The methods can be used in team disputes, performance discussions, customer complaints, project disagreements and stakeholder relationship issues.

The five days move from conflict diagnosis and communication foundations to negotiation, mediation, impasse and agreement follow-through. Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides approximately 6.5 contact hours through briefings, cases, group work and simulations.

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

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