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My work in schools
Introduction
After
many years of teaching managers in the corporate world how to resolve conflict
and repeatedly being told by course participants that I should present this
workshop in our schools, I finally relented and started working with
in the class room and have found this work
emotionally very rewarding and fulfilling.
I
realised, almost immediately that children, at the age of twelve, were already
living with a whole pile of conflicting issues in their short lives. And what
really impressed me was their eagerness to share openly with the whole group,
the issues they were currently experiencing in their homes,
with one or other parent, a sibling or other
members of their families. And often, of course negative interactions occurring
on the playground were also brought into the discussions.
For
Teachers: A full day’s workshop –
(Or three separate 3-hour
sessions)
Workshop
content
This
is an interactive, highly practical workshop demonstrating how to resolve
conflict on a win/win basis, in any situation.
In essence, there are five components to the full workshop:
1.
Assertiveness: the essence of
effective conflict resolution – what it is and what it is not
2.
Role of self knowledge and the
need to learn why you react to conflict situations the way you do
3.
Confront others’ unacceptable
behaviour constructively and overcome the need to avoid conflict.
4.
How to turn aggression or
belligerent uncooperative behaviour into a problem-solving dialogue
5.
How to handle unreasonable demands
and say “NO” without rejecting the other’s real needs
Shorter
version of this workshop for pupils in the classroom – a dialogue driven by
questions
§
What is conflict – let’s define
it?
§
Is it good or bad? Discussion follows each question
§
What happens if there is never any
conflict in the group – is that a good sign?
§
How do people react to conflict –
what are the options – which of them work and which do not?
§
How do you
feel in each case; how
does the other person feel
about both him/herself and you?
§
Relationships: – essentially, what
are they?
§
What is the essence of a really
good relationship? Are there “bad people” in the world today?
§
How can a person improve his
relationship with a “significant other” person in his or her life?
§
The “Drama Triangle” – what it is
and how to stay out of it!
§
How to stand up for yourself and
win – without having a fight.
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Offers of real-life conflict
situations from the group and discussion on how to resolve them
§
Role plays to demonstrate the
principles presented
Tailor-made
versions of this presentation
It
is also possible to tailor this presentation to fit the requirements of groups
with special needs such as the residents of a retirement village, a church
or other specialised groups.
If
you would like to organise a presentation on this important topic to a group of
yours, do please contact me at
keith@keithedmeades.com
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