MOVING THROUGH CONFLICT - Online Training for School Leaders

MOVING THROUGH CONFLICT

Online Training for School Leaders 

DAY 1:      Saturday 6^th February 2021, 9am to 3.45pm
DAY 2:      Tuesday 9^th February 2021, 3.30pm to 6.30pm
VENUE:    Online Zoom Meeting

COST:      €50 per participant with the remainder being subsidised by Clare Education Centre and Tralee Education Centre. 

This Training is suitable for Principals and Deputy Principals (Primary and Post Primary).

‘Moving through Conflict’ Online Training - Course Focus

The main thrust of this online training is to introduce a new way of understanding conflict so that you take a different approach to it that will lead to collaborative outcomes.  This understanding comes from over 35 years of experience in training and working with conflict, and from the research undertaken for my book: ‘The Mediator’s Toolkit: Formulating and Asking Questions for Successful Outcomes.’   

The training will be delivered online using animated presentations and filmed examples, with exercises and discussions. Pre-course reading and exercises are necessary for you to prepare for the sessions.

The training has three strands:

1. To understand
2. To be understood
3. To have a framework and steps for creating a way through conflict

1. Moving through Conflict’ – ‘To Understand’

This training will:

• Illustrate the factors that contribute to the deficit and distortion of the information.
• Help you understand and work effectively with emotional responses: what drives them, what happens in the brain, how to work effectively with someone who is emotionally charged?
• Illustrate how our values and beliefs can trigger conflicts and block us from solving them.
• Demonstrate how our paradigm influences our interpretations of events and our responses to them, with film demonstrate for exploring misperceptions and misunderstandings.
• Describe the theory behind Interest based negotiation so that the core of a conflict is identified, diagnosed and then matched with appropriate and effective solutions. A film will illustrate the understanding that can be created when using a specific questioning model.

2. Moving through Conflict’ – ‘To Be Understood’

This training will impart the skills necessary to:

• Manage a conflict situation effectively so that the complainant feels heard and understood and moves from feeling threatened to being able to think cognitively and hear your perspective, interests and needs.
• Ensure an appropriate process for managing a conflict using:

1. Appropriate Body Language
2. Signposting
3. Listening techniques to hear what is beneath the position that is presented
4. Open exploratory questions

• Communicate effectively and with respect so that the other person will understand you and you will not be deflected, but heard and understood.

3. Moving through Conflict’ – ‘Application of Learning and Framework & Steps’

• Explore your own conflict example – refer to pre-reading preparation
• Introducing your take-away comprehensive step-by-step framework manual for reference from which to create your way through any current or future conflicts 

Methodology

The training will be delivered online using animated presentations and filmed examples, with exercises and discussions.

Requirements from Training Participants

1. To each bring to the session an example of a conflict in which they were personally involved – this needs to be a conflict that is not very deep and traumatic as the trainer will be unable to support the participant adequately should they become deeply impacted during the training. The participant needs to have been actively involved in this conflict and not merely a third party to the conflict.
2. To undertake some pre-training reading and exercises (see attached document in this email)

Portfolio Gerry O’Sullivan, O’Sullivan Solutions

Gerry O'Sullivan has over 30 years of experience in facilitation, training and conflict resolution work in organizational and community settings. Internationally she has delivered training in Palestine, Cuba and the U.K.

Training Qualifications & Experience

Gerry holds a Diploma in Adult & Continuing Education from St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth:

• Contracted by N.U.I. Maynooth as (i) an assessor of trainers, (ii) to identify the training needs for participants in a project piloted by the university and (iii) to deliver training for a Master’s programme.
• Designed and delivered ‘Training for Trainers’ programmes in community settings
• Provided ‘Support and Supervision’ services for trainers for national bodies, such as National Parents’ Council, and for individuals
• Adapted training programmes for radio presentation

Mediation, Mediation Training & Conflict Resolution

Gerry O’Sullivan is an Advanced member of The Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) and delivers MII accredited Certified Professional Mediation Training. She is qualified in a range of mediation sectors: Community, Workplace, Organisational, Civil & Commercial and Separating Couples.

Gerry has authored ‘The Mediator’s Toolkit: Formulating and Asking Questions for Successful Outcomes’, published by New Society Publishing, Canada, 2018. She has designed and developed a two-day programme on the’ S Questions Model’ developed in this book.