Welcome to the main page of our public service site - your free conflict help center

 

Welcome To The Free Conflict Help Center

Where ever people gather and interact there will be differences of opinion, conflict, disagreements, disputes and arguments. It's a normal part of human functioning. We all have a tendency to shy away from conflict or view it as a negative process. What's easy to forget is that conflict can be a negative thing, or it can be positive depending on the characteristics of the conflict, and how we manage and handle disputes and disagreements.

This public service site was built to help people improve their ability to manage conflict effectively once it starts, and to prevent unnecessary conflict and misguided conflict escalation

Features of This Conflict Site

• Read free articles, tips and hints about managing conflict, interpersonal disagreements, and arguments written by conflict author and consultant, Robert Bacal
• Find hundreds of free conflict management and resolution articles annotated and available on the Internet. This conflict material ranges from the abstract (models of conflict) to conflict style instruments you can take online, through to workplace violence. We've included hundreds of hints, tips and practical suggestions about how you can reduce the frequence and intensity and damage of conflict situations at home, and at work.
• Learn: We've produced an innovative book on preventing conflict, and some shorter tools called "helpcards" that will help you with anger management, thinking through conflict strategies and getting along with other people. They pertain both to conflict, and to communication, since communication is so often implicated in conflict situations. Free previews are available for all of these learning tools, and they are available in printed format or via electronic download.
• Subscribe free of charge to our Work911 newsletter that contains updates on new articles added to the site, and articles, tips and hints on all aspects of workplace success

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Suggestion: There is a huge amount of conflict management, resolution material on this site. We suggest that you take your time and explore using the links in the top menu, and/or the drop down menus at the top.

The Conflict Library on this site contains over 1,000 articles, resources and tools to help you understand and manage conflict more effectively. To access all categories about conflict click here.

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Newest Conflict Related Resources On This Site:

• Conflict Resolution Exercise: Help Me Out!

  By na - A basic training exercise to help participants identify conflicts that have occurred in the last week, and explore methods to resolve the conflict. 30 minute activity. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Conflict Management Exercise: Hidden Agenda

  By na - A thirty minute training activity that helps participants explore the negative effects of having hidden agendas, undisclosed as part of conflict situations. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• A case study in conflict resolution between roommates

  By na - An online conflict resolution case study and learning exercise to teach conflict resolution skills. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Conflict Resolution through Classic Storytelling Curriculum/Lesson Plans

  By Dyanne D'Angelo - See how one teacher has designed a teaching curriculum for teaching conflict resolution to young students through classic story telling. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Zero Tolerance, Safe & Responsive Schools Project, Indiana Education Policy Center

  By na - The message of zero tolerance is politically appealing, giving parents and communities the perception that schools are being tough on crime. Unfortunately, however, there is little or no evidence that zero tolerance can make a positive contribution to school safety or improved student behavior, and a good deal of evidence that the overuse of suspension and expulsion can be detrimental. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Decreasing Violence Through Conflict Resolution Education In Schools

  By Jeanne Asherman - Some good material that touches on reducing conflict and school violence through mediation, and a quick look at whether zero tolerance is really the way to go. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Education World: Conflict Resolution Education: Four Approaches

  By na - Teachers are at the forefront of anti-bullying efforts in the schools, in addition to helping children learn to resolve conflict in a peaceful manner. Excerpt: an article designed to instruct teachers on the four most common (and most effective) forms of in-classroom conflict mediation: Process Curriculum, Mediation Programs, Peaceable Classrooms, and Peaceable Schools. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• COMMON ERRORS IN SCHOOL CRISIS RESPONSE: LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES

  By Dewey G. Cornell Peter l. Sheras - This article describes five school crises involving alcohol-related fatality, self-injurious behavior, school homicide, racial/ethnic conflict, and community violence. In each case example, errors in crisis management by school staff exacerbated the crisis and resulted in deleterious consequences for the school, its students, and the surrounding community. We identify common themes of leadership, teamwork, and responsibility that are critical to successful crisis management. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at Schools

  By na - Those of us who are older probably don't think of children as being the victims of sexual harrassment by other children, but the numbers in this article are scary. Excerpt: "Based on findings from a nationally representative survey conducted in May and June, 2011, this report presents the most comprehensive research to date on sexual harassment in grades 7-12 and reveals some sobering statistics about the prevalence of sexual harassment and the negative impact it has on students' education." ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Cyber bullying: different solutions for a different problem?

  By na - Cyber-bullying is becoming a bigger and bigger problem as more children spend more and more time interacting online, and the effects can be traumatic. This analysis suggests that cyber-bullying can't be solved by technical means, because it's not a technical problem, but a human caring issue. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Cruel Kids, Tragic Ends | Video - ABC News

  By ABC news - An ABC News nine minute video on the sad affects of bullying of children, and in this video, a suicide chronicled. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence

  By Mark H. Moore et al - Pretty much the entire book of the same name that looks at what can be learned from the notable school violence incidents (i.e. Columbine) as to how it can be prevented. Note, that it can be hard to read online, so see if you can download the chapters in pdf format ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0

• Managing Conflict using Emotional Intelligence

  By Anthony Mersinno - Beyond looking at the levels of emotional intelligence in each of the conflict resolution approaches, we can use what we know to better manage conflicts. As you might guess by now, it starts with a focus on what each party is feeling. Conflicts involve both facts and feelings. It is usually easy to get the facts. That is the “he said-she said” part of the transaction. The facts are helpful as a starting point but they are only part of the story. We need to get beyond the facts to understand WHY those facts matter so much to the parties involved. That requires an understanding of the underlying feelings as well as the unstated wants and needs of each of the parties. ^new (Added: 15-May-2012 Hits: 0