1. Practical tools for conflict resolution
Conflict & Mediation

2. Conflict is…
An active disagreement between people with opposing opinions or principles
Not the end of the world!

3. Where does conflict come from?
The majority of conflict arises from:
Poor communication
Unfair/unclear expectations
Different personalities
Loss of trust

4. Poor Communication is…
The most common cause of conflict
Thinking others will know what you’re doing, and your reasons without you explicitly explaining
Being secretive
How can I help?:
Don’t assume people know what and how you’re doing something
Keep your committee updated with what you’re planning to do, and the outcomes once they’ve happened
Make sure people are clear what their role is and how they fit in

5. Unfair Expectations
Expecting others to do things you wouldn’t do yourself
Giving a disproportionate amount of work to some, whilst side-lining others
For example: Asking a committee member to take on extra work when they have deadlines approaching, even though others on the committee have more time
How can I help?
Communication – ask your committee if they feel they are able to achieve their tasks or if they will need help
Chat with your committee about what they consider realistic expectations, and check in with them throughout the year to see if they are coping

6. Different Personalities
People on your committee may come from different backgrounds and life experiences, so they may not always see eye-to-eye
How can I help?
Accept each other’s differences – you will not always agree, and that’s OK!
Don’t take things personally – encourage open discussion as soon as conflict happens so problems don’t worsen
Find a way to compromise – for example let each person do it their way at different times, so they feel they are being heard

7. Lack of trust
Not believing someone will keep their part of the agreement
Not believing others motives
Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose
How can I help?
Do what you say you’re going to do, when you said you’d do it
Don’t gossip about other committee members
Be honest with your reasons for doing things

8. How can I help if conflict does occur?
Mediate!

9. What is mediation?
Giving people the tools to solve problems themselves, instead of doing it for them
Acting as the unbiased middle ground
Facilitating the resolution process
Face-to-face discussion with equal opportunity to speak and be heard for both parties

10. What is mediation?
You can do this within your committee, or the SU can help you!
Please come and see us in the SU office, or if you’d like to chat about conflict in your club or society, and what we can do to help

11. The 6 stages of mediation
Parties agree to mediate
Storytelling & gathering points of view
Talking focused on interests & needs of the conflicted parties
4. Create win-win solutions 5. Evaluate each solution 6. Create an agreement

12. 1. Parties agree to mediate
Mediation only works if both groups agree to mediation
Both groups must want to come to a solution and be willing to come to a possible compromise

13. 2. Storytelling & gathering points of view
Ensure both groups have a space to tell their version of the story with no interruptions from the other side
Helpful ground rules for this section include:
Don’t interrupt others
Discuss actions not people
Be open to understanding others’ reasons, even if you don’t agree

14. 3. Talking focused on interests & needs of the two people
Ensure the interests and needs of both parties are clarified
What does each party actually want the outcome to be?
Do their reasons have anything in common?

15. 4. Brainstorm possible solutions
Together, create a list of multiple solutions that take each parties’ interests into account
Each possible solution doesn’t need to benefit both parties as you will be evaluating each one individually to see if they work well

16. 5. Evaluate each solution
Go through all the solutions you’ve come up with one by one
Consider
Does this solution benefit both people?
Which solution benefits both the best?
Is this realistic?

17. 6. Create an agreement
Once you have chosen the solution that works best, create action points to help put the plan into action
If you think it would be helpful, you can write a formal agreement that all parties will sign
Consider whether another meeting to check how effective the agreement has been

18. Further Info: