The Conflict and Communication Activity Book: 30 High-Impact Training Exercises for Adult Learners

By Bill Withers, Keami D. Lewis
Publisher: AMACOM
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2003-06-02
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0814471676
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780814471678
Binding: Paperback

Every workplace has its share of conflict, and one of training's universal goals is to help organizations resolve it in a way that brings benefit to everyone involved. This timely activity book offers 30 ready-to-use exercises trainers can use to help workshop participants communicate more effectively and create positive outcomes from conflict situations. The Conflict and Communication Activity Book features:
* Field-proven exercises from the authors' worldwide experience * Easy-to-follow instructions for preparation, additional reading, and Q & A processes * Valuable essays on handling conflict situations * An Exercise Matrix to sort activities by type, length, and other parameters
It also includes a jam-packed Trainer's Toolbox containing more than sixty handouts, flipcharts, and overheads; workshop agendas; instructions for breakout sessions; and tons more. From the quick-fix solutions of the "My Workshop Starts in Five Minutes" section to fully developed sessions, this book will be every educator's best friend.
Summary: Great resource!Rating: 5
I looked at a lot of books before I ordered this one from Amazon, and I'm glad I did. The training exercises are great and exactly what I needed to complement my planned training. The exercises are well explained, interesting, and provocative. The only thing I'd add is that as an HR professional, I'd make some slight changes to one or two exercises to not focus on physical characteristics.
Worth the investment and a great source even if you're just looking for icebreakers for other types of training.
Summary: Experiential LearningRating: 5
I recommend this book to people using experiential exercises to teach. I used one of the exercises from this book in a workshop and the students both had fun and got the insights. I have read many of the exercises and plan to use them as I develop workshops that center around conflict. In any case, the exercises are well designed. You'll get the purpose of the exercise and what it's intended to teach, equipment needed (e.g. handout or flipchart), precise directions for the students, what to expect, and insights to share for group learning. The book errs on giving you more information that you probably need to carry out the exercise.
Summary: Finally a good book in business gamesRating: 5
I have bought many books with hundreds of business games. Unlike the rest of the books I have read, it goes beyond the games, it gives you not only the materials and explanation on how it works but tells you what you may say and the theory behind the game. It also has different options for putting your own agenda depending on the time you have available and give you external resources.
If you want something practical and useful, this is the one
Summary: Training and OD Professionals: Get This One!!Rating: 5
The "Conflict and Communication Activity Book" is an excellent resource for trainers and facilitators in any organization. I particularly liked how Withers and Lewis formatted the book, defining up front the purpose as well as the equipment, prep and time needed for each specific exercise. The clear instructions and helpful advice provided for each activity make them a breeze for any professional to use. Well done!! As I read through it the first time, I found myself book-marking several of the activities to make a point of trying in the near future. I long ago arrived at the conclusion that no organization will EVER stop dealing with conflict and communication issues. They're universal. Thanks for giving me thirty more creative exercises to include in my bag of tricks!!

Conflict and communication : a guide through the labyrinth of conflict management

Shapiro, Daniel, 1971-Conflict and communication : a guide through the labyrinth of conflict management/Daniel Shapiro.p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN0-9720541-9-7 (alk.paper)

1. Conflict management — Study and teaching. 2. Social conflict — Study and teaching. 3. Conflict management — Study and teaching — Activity programs. 4. Social conflict — Study and teaching — Activity programs.

I . Title. HM1126. S532004303.6’9’071 — dc222004010121

FOREWORD :

Among the ubiquitous dangers facing humanitythese days, only one threatens extinction of thehuman race: modern war. Until the advent of nuclear,chemical, and biological weapons, recurring conflictshave been compatible with survival and indeedhave provided stimuli to scientific and technologicalbreakthroughs, leading to major advances in healthand welfare, albeit at great temporary cost in livesand human su ering.As the last two world wars have shown, wars canescalate until combatants attack each other with themost destructive weapons at their disposal. Untiltoday, even the worst of these weapons could causeonly regional damage. With the abrupt emergenceof weapons capable of worldwide destruction, anywar waged by modern industrialized nations couldendanger humanity, and indeed all life.!ose struggling to contain this unprecedentedthreat work toward achieving two interacting andmutually reinforcing goals: verifiable, enforceableuniversal disarmament and substitution of e ectivenonviolent for violent methods of resolving conflicts.!e search for disarmament, although making alittle progress periodically, has always been frustratedby the underlying belief of all contending parties thatsuperior destructive force still is the ultimate arbiterof international quarrels, as it always has been.Superior destructive power, however, has become achimera, no longer achievable by industrially and scientificallyadvanced nations.!is realization forces those working for humansurvival to develop e ective nonviolent means forresolving group conflicts. A major obstacle towardachieving this goal interacts with reliance on superiorviolence. It is that humans as group creatures regardsurvival of the group, not its individual members, asthe paramount good. Witness the worldwide posthumousacclaim of heroes who have sacrificed theirlives in battle for their comrades or their country.Another aspect of psychological primacy of thegroup has been termed ethnocentrism. Membersof each group typically regard its values, customs,and achievements as superior to all others. Whentwo groups come into conflict over territory, food,or other limited resources, as well as for other reasons,each combatant sees its own goals and behaviorsas the only legitimate, praiseworthy ones. Eachdemeans and ridicules its opponent who becomesthe “enemy.”Each contender justifies its own atrocities by theatrocities of the enemy and seeks revenge. !esemutual images and behaviors are powerfully supportedby value systems, traditions, and codes ofconduct. In consequence, armed conflict, often lastinggenerations, typically leads to escalation of violenceuntil each combatant seeks exterminating theother, often including women and children, as asacred duty. In a nuclear-armed world, this is a recipefor mutual extinction.Two available and mutually reinforcing ways ofbreaking out of these traps are to work simultaneouslyfor disarmament and nonviolent conflict resolution.!e hope that this goal can be achieved restson the workshops in conflict resolution and communicationskills burgeoning throughout the world.To be sure, one must be cautious in drawingconclusions as to the success of these workshops. Incomparison to the enormous extent of the problem,the number of participants in them is still minuscule,which limits the generalizability of the results. Moreover,the conditions under which the workshops arebeing conducted and evaluated contain many inevitablesources of bias.What makes this particular program especiallyappealing is that it is no armchair exercise. !e participatingteachers and students are living in some ofthe most conflict-ridden parts of the world, and thedesigner of this curriculum has spent months in theseregions organizing and participating in the exercises.!e curriculum is methodologically and conceptuallysophisticated.Since production of basic change in culturallyingrained attitudes is di cult and slow, humanitywill have to live under the Damocles sword of civilization—destroying weaponry for a long time. Until thesword drops, however, there may be time for humansto achieve the massive psychological transformationeventually leading to exclusive reliance on nonviolentmethods for resolving group disputes. A dauntingtask indeed, but there is no other alternative.Hopefully, programs of conflict managementlike this one will in time become sufficientlywidespread and sophisticated to mitigate andeventually replace violence in domestic and internationalconflicts. Only a distant hope, to besure, but in the wise aphorism of Krishnamurti,an Indian philosopher: “A pebble can change thecourse of a river.”!is curriculum is such a pebble. As more andmore such pebbles accumulate, we may hope theywill grow to form a dam mighty enough to divert thecourse of human events from its present destructivechannels.In the meanwhile, I heartily recommend seriousperusal and implementation where possible ofConflict and Communication: A Guide rough theLabyrinth of Conflict Management to all who cherishhopes for the future of humanity.