About this session
Conflict at work can begin with something small — an unclear expectation, competing priority, missed commitment, communication difference, or disagreement about how work should be done.
When these issues are not addressed effectively, assumptions build, positions harden, and the original problem can become mixed with frustration, mistrust, and personal interpretation.
Participants learn to diagnose conflict before trying to solve it. They separate facts from assumptions, positions from underlying interests, and the practical issue from the emotional layer surrounding it.
They practice listening under tension, de-escalating conversations, raising difficult issues clearly, identifying common ground, generating options, and creating agreements with clear follow-through.
The session also helps participants recognize when a conflict can be handled directly, when facilitation or manager involvement would help, and when the issue requires a formal organizational process rather than an informal conversation.
What your people take away
- Understand what is actually driving a workplace conflict before choosing how to respond
- Separate observable facts, interpretations, positions, interests, and emotional reactions
- Use listening and questioning to uncover what each person genuinely needs from the situation
- De-escalate difficult conversations without avoiding the underlying issue
- Generate and evaluate resolution options around shared interests, constraints, and responsibilities
- Create clear agreements, repair damaged working relationships, and reduce repeated conflict
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- What each length covers, 30 minutes to full day
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Understand What the Conflict Is Really AboutA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Understand What the Conflict Is Really About: diagnose before you solve, separate facts from interpretation and move from positions to interests.
- Diagnose before you solve
- Separate facts from interpretation
- Move from positions to interests
Covers 3 of 4 points in Understand What the Conflict Is Really About.
60 minutes
Handle Workplace Conflict More ConstructivelyA focused introduction to conflict resolution. Participants learn to diagnose what is driving a disagreement, distinguish facts from assumptions and positions from interests, and use a practical structure for approaching one difficult workplace conversation.
- How workplace conflict develops
- Facts vs. interpretations
- Positions vs. interests
- Conflict response patterns
- De-escalation basics
- Conflict Resolution Self-Check
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Understand What the Conflict Is Really About.
90 minutes
Diagnose, De-Escalate & Resolve ConflictThe extended session takes participants through the complete conflict-resolution process: diagnosis, regulation, listening, interests, solution generation, agreement, and appropriate escalation.
- Conflict diagnosis
- Positions and interests
- Emotional escalation
- Listening under tension
- Neutral problem statements
- Resolution options
- Clear agreements
- Conflict Conversation Planner
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Understand What the Conflict Is Really About and De-Escalate & Understand Different Perspectives.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Understand What the Conflict Is Really About, De-Escalate & Understand Different Perspectives and Work Toward a Resolution.
Full day
Workplace Conflict Resolution Skills LabA practical full-day workshop covering all four modules. Participants work through realistic workplace conflicts, practice difficult conversations, analyze competing interests, generate resolution options, build agreements, and respond to situations where trust has been damaged.
- Module 1 — Understand What the Conflict Is Really About
- Module 2 — De-Escalate & Understand Different Perspectives
- Module 3 — Work Toward a Resolution
- Module 4 — Repair Relationships & Prevent Repeat Conflict
- Conflict Diagnosis Lab
- Position-to-Interest Mapping
- De-Escalation Practice
- Listening Under Tension
- Difficult Conversation Role-Play
- Resolution Options Workshop
- Agreement Builder
- Relationship Repair Scenario
- 90-Day Conflict Resolution Plan
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Understand What the Conflict Is Really About
Every length- Diagnose before you solveThe visible disagreement is not always the real conflict.
- Separate facts from interpretationConflict intensifies when assumptions about another person's intent are treated as established facts.
- Move from positions to interestsPositions describe what someone says they want.
- Identify the conflict patternSome people avoid conflict, some accommodate quickly, some become highly competitive, and others repeatedly seek compromise or collaboration.
De-Escalate & Understand Different Perspectives
90 minutes and longer- Regulate before you respondWhen tension rises, people may interrupt, defend, withdraw, repeat themselves, or stop processing new information effectively.
- Listen for the need behind the messageListening during conflict is harder because people are often preparing their defense while the other person is speaking.
- Acknowledge impact without inventing intentA useful conflict conversation can acknowledge that something had a negative impact without immediately deciding why the other person did it.
- Lower the temperature without dropping the issueDe-escalation is not the same as becoming agreeable or abandoning the concern.
Work Toward a Resolution
3 hours and longer- Define the problem togetherResolution becomes easier when both parties can agree on a workable description of the problem even if they still disagree about why it happened.
- Identify shared & competing interestsSome priorities will overlap and others will genuinely compete.
- Generate more than one solutionConflict discussions can become stuck when each person arrives with one preferred solution and negotiation becomes a battle over which one survives.
- Make the agreement specificA conversation can feel resolved while the original conflict quietly returns because nobody defined what will actually change.
Repair Relationships & Prevent Repeat Conflict
Full day only- Repair what the conflict damagedResolving the practical issue does not automatically restore trust.
- Learn from recurring conflictWhen the same conflict keeps returning, the cause may sit in roles, processes, incentives, decision rights, workload, communication norms, or organizational structure.
- Know when to involve someone elseSome conflicts benefit from a manager, neutral facilitator, HR, mediation, or another appropriate source of support.
- Know when informal resolution is not appropriateNot every workplace issue should be handled as an ordinary interpersonal conflict.
Tools and materials
- Conflict Diagnosis Map
- Position & Interest Canvas
- De-Escalation Guide
- Conflict Listening Planner
- Difficult Conversation Opening Builder
- Resolution Options Canvas
- Agreement Builder
- Trust Repair Planner
- Conflict Facilitation Guide
- 90-Day Conflict Resolution Plan
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Conflict Resolution Skills
How long is Conflict Resolution Skills?
Conflict Resolution Skills runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Understand What the Conflict Is Really About: diagnose before you solve, separate facts from interpretation and move from positions to interests. A 60-minute session covers Understand What the Conflict Is Really About in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds De-Escalate & Understand Different Perspectives. A 3-hour session adds Work Toward a Resolution. A full-day session adds Repair Relationships & Prevent Repeat Conflict. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Conflict Resolution Skills be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Conflict Resolution Skills?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Conflict Resolution Skills to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.