Conflict escalation and how to avoid it
Featured in the Managing Conflict training manual
By Caroline Love
Category: Conflict Resolution
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
At times we get caught up in the psychological games people play. Some play games deliberately, others play them unconsciously; generally they are unhelpful and often lead to conflict escalation. How do you recognise games? As important, how do you remain outside these games and how can you extricate yourself? This training activity introduces the drama triangle, a common ‘game’, and provides an opportunity to practise getting out and staying out of the game.
This training activity begins with the participants moving directly into a lively, competitive exercise – How many words? – and then use a review sheet to identify their feelings during the exercise. You introduce the drama triangle as a way of understanding and analysing the dynamics of a game. Following this input and a discussion on the role of games in promoting conflict, the participants, working in small groups, move on to develop and present two scenarios. One demonstrates the drama triangle in action, as material to be analysed by the other participants; the other demonstrates how to get out and stay out of the game. Strategies for getting out and staying out of the game and then noted and developed. The training activity closes with the participants completing a learning log to record their learning about games and how to avoid them.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to introduce the participants to ‘games’ and the drama triangle and provides a practice opportunity, so that the participants can get better or stay out of the game.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 20 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:35:00 |
| No of Pages: | 22 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers in a programme on managing conflict. It is quite a short activity and is lively, involving drama; use it to provide variety in a programme, perhaps after lunch. This training activity can also be used in programmes on team building, managing for managers, leadership skills, and personal development.
Download the training activity, Conflict escalation and how to avoid it as featured in the Fenman training manual; Managing Conflict