Communication & Conflict
Management
Jan. 23, 2014
Upcoming “events”
• Grades on J1 will be back by the weekend (I
hope!)
• J2-4 not due until Feb 17—BUT…
– Each one relates to the content from each week,
SO
– It is much easier to do them once a week, rather
than all at the end!
New approach to groups
• Everyone has a CLASS ID # -- It’s on the roster.
Write it down, remember it, put it on all your
group notes that you turn in!!
• Starting today, groups will be facilitated and
facilitators will get points for doing so.
• Recorders will also get extra points—if the
records are good.
Comments/Questions about Tues
???
My comments
• These techniques DO NOT feel normal.
• Neither does snowboarding—the first few
times you do it.
• It takes practice!!
• And there are bad ways to do it!!
• Example!
• And bad times to do it!!
My comments
• If you like what is happening, don’t worry
about these.
• If you don’t like it, what’s to lose?!
Tuesday foreshadows much of the
semester…as they influence your
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conflict style
Emotions
Sources of Power and Power Strategies
Negotiation strategies
Mediation strategies
Approaches to dialogue….
So Tuesday was a “foundational”
lecture.
• So is today!
• Today’s topic:
FACILITATION
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 1:
How many of you attend (or have attended)
meetings?
Who LIKES them?
Why?
Why not?
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 2:
Meetings
What makes meetings bad?
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 2:
Meetings
So why not skip them?
Why do we need meetings?
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 2:
Meetings
What makes meetings good?
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 2:
One way to make meetings good:
Facilitation!
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 2:
Facilitation
Facilitation is a process wherein a neutral party
helps a group work together more effectively
Choosing a Facilitator
• May be internal or external
• Must be acceptable to all members of the
group
• Remember: Facilitators are process
leaders only -- they generally don’t
contribute to the substance of the
discussion
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 4:
Role of the Facilitator
Helps the group
• Set an agenda for the meeting
• Establish ground rules
• Get to know each other
• Focus energy and thoughts of members
• Keep the conversation “on track”
• Keep conversation moving forward
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 4:
Ground Rules
Ground rules may cover
• the behavior of the disputants,
• the role or behavior of any third
party
(e.g., facilitator or mediator),
• the methods or process to be used
• the substance of the discussions.
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 5:
Key Facilitation Skills Include:
• Active Listening:
• Probing (using open-ended questions)without
provoking defensiveness
• Paraphrasing, summarizing
• Reframing (especially from positions to
interests)
• Highlighting areas of agreement/disagreement
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 5:
Other Facilitation Skills Include:
• Including all members
• Dealing with domineering participants
• Using non-verbal cues suggesting cooperation
• Reading/analyzing/responding to group
dynamics
• Recording techniques which include all parties
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 6:
Benefits of Facilitation
Benefits of Facilitation Include
• Increased motivation to support decisions
- Due to investment in the process
• Improved/more inclusive results
- Due to increased innovation/participation
• Everyone feels like an integral part of the
“team”
• People are encouraged to think and act for
overall group benefit
• A forum for constructively resolving
conflicts is developed
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 6:
Steps of Facilitation
• Greetings/introductions
• Review purpose of meeting
• Review/discussion of agenda
• Sequencing
• Discussion of ground rules
• behavior of participants
• behavior/responsibilities of the
facilitator
• procedural
• substantive
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 6:
Steps of Facilitation
• For each issue:
•Identify key issues, facts, interests,
commonalities and differences
• brainstorm options
• evaluate options
• make a decision
• move on to next topic
• At end of meeting
• Review progress
• Review agreements made
•Discuss next steps
• Assign tasks (as needed) before next
meeting
• After meeting
•Write up minutes/report/agreements
•Plan next meeting (if necessary)
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Slide 6:
Steps of Facilitation
• At end of meeting
• Review progress
• Review agreements made
•Discuss next steps
• Assign tasks (as needed) before next
meeting
• After meeting
•Write up minutes/report/agreements
•Plan next meeting (if necessary)
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Facilitation Exercise – Form 3 LARGE GROUPS.
• Each group should form a circle
• Choose a facilitator & a recorder.
• Facilitator does introductions – recorder records
names and ID#s (for credit)
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Facilitation Exercise
• Facilitator thanks everyone for coming and
describes the agenda.
• S/he then facilitates the discussion, while the
recorder records. No need to record who said what,
just main ideas!
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
So, what’s the agenda?
• First item: choose a topic
– Suggestions:
• Proposal to require conflict resolution
training to get a marriage licence!
• http://m.denverpost.com/denverpost/db_19
759/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=D4TuwC
Av
– Proposal to make college loans
contingent on majors…loans much
harder to get for majors that don’t
have good job prospects.
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
So, what’s the agenda?
• First item: choose a topic
– Third choice: should the US intervene
in Syria to:
• Impose a no-fly zone, so Assad can’t bomb
civilians
• Stop weapons shipments to Al Qaeda
• Protect IDP camps
PowerPoint Summary of:
Facilitation
Then facilitate a discussion and record key ideas.
Do this as “professionally” as
possible!!!