A Fighting Chance - Learning the Art of Conflict Resolution

Conflict sucks, right? We all just wanna get on with our jobs and get things done. The problem is, working with people in complex environments (like software) is always going to involve conflict. It's a natural part of the system, regardless of your role. If you know Sophie and Alex, you might be wondering why these two people in particular are talking about conflict. We're probably more well known for our desire to harmonize than do conflict.

And that's why we're the right guides! We've had to learn this like a foreign language! We're not the only ones though - in our observations, almost no one comes to the workplace with training in how to do conflict in a good way. Some people are more conflict-keen than others, but that doesn't mean they're good at it! And whether you're conflict-averse or conflict-keen, you probably want to be liked and respected by your peers even during and after conflicts.

So how do we do that?

In this keynote, we'll show you what we've learned about conflict - through avoiding it, through facing it and through resolving it. We'll go into the reasons conflicts arise, why we are so bad at them, and how we can get better at working through conflict. You will learn to identify patterns, react adequately and what to do when everything goes wrong. Maybe you'll even leave believing that "conflict is a chance for change".