Conflict Coaching

Conflict coaching is a one-on-one process to develop the client’s conflict understanding, interaction strategies and/or interaction skills. Conflict coaching can be a benefit to anyone facing an important workplace or personal conflict. It can also be useful for those adapting to a new organizational setting or developing as leaders. While in-person conflict coaching sessions are appealing for capturing the nuances of verbal and nonverbal communication, conflict coaching over the phone, videophone (Skype), or other electronic media may be attractive for their efficiency.

Individual – Single Session

• Single coaching sessions are available in order to try out the process or do a relatively quick exploration of a conflict situation and strategies and skills that may be considered. Single coaching sessions are billed at a fixed rate for any session length within the first hour. Additional time is billed in half-hour increments.

Individual – Series of Sessions

• A series of four or more sessions is generally recommended for clients managing complex conflict dynamics that may include addressing antagonistic others, reshaping long term negative communication patterns, or initiating transformational change. Committing to a series of sessions gets you a better rate, makes long term success more likely, and ensures that you get the pre-scheduled coaching sessions you want.

Individual – Retainer Agreement

• Retainer agreements are customized to suit your needs. These highly flexible arrangements guarantee you on demand coaching. Response times, total number of possible coaching sessions, total possible coaching time, and retainer time period are negotiable at the initiation of the agreement.

Organizational Sponsor (Multiple Individuals) – Single Session, Series of Sessions, and/or Retainer Agreement

• Organizations that are committed to developing the conflict competencies of individual team members can get custom conflict coaching solutions. Whether it is working on a human resources or organization development referral basis or systematically working with emerging leaders, we look forward to collaborating with you to find the right fit.

Training to Become a Conflict Coach

We offer open enrollment and organization-exclusive conflict coaching training sessions so that you or those you lead can become conflict coaches. Get started by signing up for The Conflict Coaching Training Program. For those who are serious about using conflict coaching on a regular basis, we recommend following the initial training with The Advanced Conflict Coaching Training Program and The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate. Note that if you are already an accomplished conflict practitioner, you can simply complete The Conflict Coaching Training Program and move directly onto The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate.

The Conflict Coaching Training Program

• Our main training is a three-day workshop that introduces the Comprehensive Conflict Coaching model and provides you the opportunity to apply the principles and approaches from each stage in role play and feedback situations. Learn how to introduce the process and determine appropriate cases. Become familiar with the model by putting it into action. Explore issues of customization for your unique professional setting. Those who complete the entire training are presented with a Certificate of Conflict Coaching Training Participation. All participants receive a copy of Conflict Coaching: Conflict Coaching Strategies and Skills for the Individual as well as a bound copy of the training program materials.

The Advanced Conflict Coaching Training Program

• Our advanced training is a two-day workshop for those who have already completed The Conflict Coaching Training Program. Most of our time is focused on preparing participants to successfully complete the formal conflict coaching role play assessment so that they can earn The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate. We intersperse role play, self-reflection, and constructive feedback with exploration of special topics such as identifying and shaping your unique coaching style, handling difficult coaching scenarios, and the ethics, management and marketing of conflict coaching in not-for-profit and for profit environments. Those who complete the entire training are presented with a Certificate of Advanced Conflict Coaching Training Participation. Participants have the option of recording their coaching work on the final afternoon and submitting it along with a reflective paper in order to earn The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate.

The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate

• Candidates for the certificate must have completed the The Conflict Coaching Training Program (but are not required to have completed the The Advanced Conflict Coaching Training Program). The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate is awarded to individual coach-candidates who have submitted a one-hour digital audio-video file and accompanying reflective paper and are evaluated as demonstrating competency in conflict coaching. Each candidate receives written feedback from two Conflict Coaching Matters partners or one partner and a previous recipient of The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate (the former as selected by Conflict Coaching Matters). The candidate fee for The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate includes the opportunity to submit a second audio-video file and reflective paper submission at no additional cost, if the candidate is evaluated as not demonstrating reasonable competency in the first submission.

The Coach-the-Coach Program

• We offer the possibility of working one-on-one with coaches of all ability levels in order to explore and develop their coaching strengths. This can be done in person or via electronic media.

The Train-the-Trainer Program

• If you are an experienced training development specialist and have earned The Conflict Coaching Competency Certificate, consider contacting us about our train-the-trainer program. Whether you work inside an organization or market your services to others, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with you.

Organizational Dispute System Design Consulting (integration of conflict coaching in a new or existing organizational system)

• Conflict coaching works best when it is integrated with other available dispute resolution and human development processes. We partner with organizations to design conflict coaching capabilities that enhance the existing dispute resolution and human development systems.