Conflict Happens: Skills for a Healthy Workplace

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Conflict resolution skills are highly transferable, and trainees have expressed their usefulness in all areas of life, both professional and personal. Acquiring these skills can save financial and human resources by empowering people to resolve conflicts themselves without turning to more costly and adversarial processes such as grievances and court proceedings. They contribute to effective teamwork, enhance respect for diversity, build morale, and increase the quality of customer service.  Mediation skills are critical in bridging the different viewpoints to successfully reach a consensus.

TOPICS
Will include:

• Active listening
• Asking open-ended questions
• Summarizing
• Defusing anger
• Acknowledging
• Dealing with difficult behavior
• Reframing underlying needs and values
• Mediation training

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

County elected officials, department heads and senior management staff.  This course is offered as an “Elective Course” for the Certified Public Official Program (CPO).  Four (4) elective credits will be given to those completing the course.  All county officials are encouraged to attend any CPO course that meets you individual training needs even if you do not plan to pursue certification.

INSTRUCTOR

Dispute Resolution Center - In Washington State, legislation was passed in 1984 (Court Reorganization Act, Revised Code of Washington 7.75) that enables county or city governments to authorize the establishment of a DRC (Dispute Resolution Center) in that jurisdiction. Since the law was passed, 20 DRC's covering more than 90% of the state's population have been established under the legislation. Most are not-for-profit agencies, and a few are departments of municipal or county government. DRC's offer mediation services to any residents who have disputes. DRC's also offer training in conflict resolution skills to community members including householders, students, and workers.

In Thurston County, residents interested in creating a DRC went about an organizing effort between 1989 and 1991. In March of 1991, the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County was authorized by the County Commissioners under RCW 7.75 and opened for business. The DRC has grown much in the intervening years, from one part-time employee to 8 part-time employees, from a small attic office to a professional office space in downtown Olympia. Our annual budget has grown from $40,000 to over $200,000. Our case load of mediations has expanded from 50 mediations per year to over 300 per year.

The DRC is the largest provider of conflict resolution services and training in the South Puget Sound area. The DRC trains over 500 people per year in mediation, conflict resolution and communication skills. We offer a wide variety of standard courses, including our 40-Hour Professional Mediation Training, our 20-Hour Advanced Family Mediation Training, our 20-Hour Advanced Multi-Party Mediation Training, our popular Facilitating Effective Meetings Training and our Victim Offender Mediation Training. We also offer custom-designed trainings for groups, faith communities, businesses and governmental agencies that range from 1 hour to several days.

Our Instructors

Evan Ferber is the Director of the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center (DRC).  He does both training and mediating through the Center.

Kathy Baros Friedt is a trainer and mediator with the Thurston County DRC.  Kathy also has a private practice as a trainer and mediator.

Michael Fraidenburg is a trainer and mediator with the Thurston County DRC.  Michael also does training and consulting in conflict resolution for the resource management community.