Home / Masterclasses / People and communication / Conflict Resolution: Handling the Tough Conversations at Work (3-hour online masterclass)
Quick Look Course Summary:Conflict Resolution: Handling the Tough Conversations at Work (3-hour online masterclass)
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Next Public Course Date:
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Length: 1 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 8,159 EX VAT 3 Person R 5,295 EX VAT 10 Person R 3,794 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Live online on Zoom or Microsoft Teams - for one person or a whole organisation, anywhere in South Africa.
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Conflict Resolution: Handling the Tough Conversations at Work (3-hour online masterclass)
Stop dreading the tough conversation: in three hours you get a clear process for raising a problem, cooling it down and agreeing a way forward that holds.
The conversations people avoid are the ones that cost the most: the colleague who keeps missing handovers, the two team members who no longer speak, the supplier call that turns into a shouting match. This three-hour conflict resolution masterclass is a focused, live online session for anyone who has to raise a problem with another person and get to an agreement without damaging the working relationship.
In one morning on Zoom, delegates learn where workplace conflict comes from and what sets it off, work through BOTI's seven-step conflict resolution process, and practise the de-escalation techniques that take the heat out of a conversation: naming the issue without blame, listening until the other person feels heard, and steering back to the problem when it turns personal. The practice happens in breakout rooms on situations drawn from South African workplaces – a missed deadline blamed on another department, a dispute over shifts, a client who has been promised the same thing twice.
It is the cut-down, hands-on version of BOTI's full-day conflict courses, built for people who need the method this week rather than a two-day workshop. Everyone leaves with a completed plan for one real conversation they have been putting off.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Disagreements settled between the people involved instead of landing on HR's desk
- Fewer grievances, less sick leave and fewer resignations that trace back to an unresolved clash
- Team leaders who step in early, while the problem is still small
- One shared way of handling disagreement that a whole team can learn in a morning
- Three hours away from work, not a full day, and no travel
For your delegates
- A seven-step process you can follow for any disagreement, large or small
- Words that calm a tense conversation, and the words to avoid
- Practice in a small breakout room before you do it for real
- A written plan for the one conversation you have been putting off
What delegates will be able to do
- Recognise the common triggers of workplace conflict and the early signs that a difference of opinion is turning into a dispute
- Separate the person from the problem and state the issue in one neutral sentence
- Apply the seven-step conflict resolution process from preparation through to follow-up
- Open a difficult conversation in a way that lowers the temperature instead of raising it
- Listen, acknowledge and question so that the other person feels heard before you respond
- Use de-escalation techniques when a conversation turns heated or personal
- Agree actions, owners and a follow-up date, and record them in writing
- Decide when a matter should go to a manager, HR or the formal grievance procedure instead
Who should attend
Team leaders, supervisors and managers who have to deal with friction in their teams; HR staff who end up with the complaints; project, procurement and customer-facing people who have to sort things out with colleagues, suppliers and clients; and anyone who would rather handle a tough conversation well than avoid it. No prior training is needed, and it works equally well for one person joining a public session or a whole team booking a private one.
Course outline
Live session – From the first tense email to an agreement that holds
Opening: what conflict at work really looks like
- Welcome, how the morning runs, and the one situation each delegate brings
- The everyday shapes of workplace conflict: roles, resources, workload, personalities and change
- What a disagreement costs when it is left to run
- Triggers: the moment a difference of opinion becomes a fight
- Poll: which conversation are you avoiding right now?
The seven-step conflict resolution process
- Steps 1 and 2: cool down and get the facts straight before you say a word
- Steps 3 and 4: pick the time and place, and open with the issue rather than the person
- Steps 5 and 6: hear their side, find the interest behind the position and build options together
- Step 7: agree who does what by when, follow up and keep a note
- Workbook exercise: map your own situation onto the seven steps
De-escalation: keeping a tough conversation calm
- Reading the signs that someone is about to boil over, starting with yourself
- Phrases that calm and phrases that inflame
- Listening and acknowledging without having to agree
- Bringing the conversation back to the problem when it turns personal
- Breakout practice in pairs: a tense conversation, with an observer giving feedback
Relationships that last, and your action list
- Rebuilding trust after a clash: what to say the next day
- When to involve a manager, HR, a shop steward or the grievance procedure
- Breakout practice, second round: your own real situation
- Your personal action list: the conversation, the opening line and the date
- Questions, one-page summary and close
How it is delivered
Live online on Zoom (Microsoft Teams on request), 2.5 to 3 hours – usually 09:00-12:00 with a short break halfway, or at a time that suits your team. From 1 to 500 delegates: the breakout practice works best in groups of up to about 25, and larger groups take part through polls, chat exercises and facilitator demonstrations. Handouts are electronic – a PDF workbook, the seven-step planning template and a one-page summary are emailed to every delegate before the session. Join a public session as an individual, or book it privately for your organisation on a date of your choice, with the practice situations drawn from your own workplace.
What our clients say
“We were particularly impressed by the quality of facilitation and the practical relevance of the content presented. The programme was delivered with professionalism, clarity, and a strong emphasis on real-world application”
“The facilitator who conducted the training was professional and tailored both the schedule and environment to ensure that learners had a safe space to share authentic, real-life experiences”
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
Frequently asked questions
How many people can join?
From one delegate to 500 on Zoom. Breakout practice works best with up to about 25 people; bigger groups still take part through polls, chat exercises and live demonstrations by the facilitator.
Do we get handouts?
Yes, electronically. A PDF workbook, the seven-step planning template and a one-page summary are emailed to every delegate before the session, so there is nothing to print unless you want to.
Can we run it privately for our team?
Yes. Pick a date and time that suit you, and send us two or three anonymised situations from your workplace beforehand; the facilitator builds them into the breakout practice.
What if the other person refuses to talk, or gets aggressive?
The session covers both. You learn how to open so that the other person does not feel ambushed, what to do when someone shuts down or shouts, and the point at which you stop and involve a manager or HR instead of pushing on.
Is this the same as the two-day conflict course?
No. The two-day Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Skills Training adds mediation between colleagues and a full day of negotiation practice. The masterclass gives you the core process and the de-escalation skills in a morning; many organisations start here and send team leaders on the full course later.