Knowing how to resolve interpersonal conflicts in a timely and constructive way is an important skill for shelter staff, managers, and volunteers.  Participants in this one-day workshop will be introduced to mediation principles and skills that will enhance their ability to respond to conflicts as they arise between clients, staff, colleagues and others.   They will learn the St. Stephen’s Quick Intervention model, a mediation technique that “puts out fires” by improving communication and building understanding between people in conflict. By the end of this workshop, participants will: know that conflict can be an opportunity for learning and beneficial outcomes, understand the nature and dynamics of anger and conflict escalation, understand mediation and the role of the mediator, learn techniques to remain calm in the face of anger and conflict, learn the core mediation skills of needs-based problem-solving and active listening, develop skills to de-escalate people in conflict and identify their underlying needs, have strategies to build understanding between disputants and engage them in problem-solving, learn how to apply mediation principles and skills to resolve conflicts “on the spot” using St. Stephen’s “Quick Intervention Model”.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the principles of third-party intervention in a conflict situation.
• Understand the steps involved in needs-based problem solving.
• Understand how to de-escalate two angry people at the same time.