Chapter 9 Lesson 2 Resolving Conflicts

Warm Up Joe bangs furiously on the bathroom door. “Maggie! You’ve been in there for half an hour! I need to get ready for school too, you know!” His sister, Maggie, flings open the door. “You know it takes me longer to get ready,” she says. “I have to wash and blow-dry my hair every morning. Give me a break!” Joe sighs. “Look, we can’t go through this every morning. Can’t we work out some kind of deal?” What are some possible solutions to this conflict?

Responding to Conflict Conflict Resolution is the process of ending a conflict through cooperation and problem solving. Negotiation is the use of communication, and compromise to settle a disagreement. Mediation is bringing a neutral third party to help resolve conflicts peacefully.

Effective Negotiation Calm down & think over the situation. Take turns explaining your side. Clarify to make sure each party understands the other’s side. Brainstorm solutions to the conflict. Discuss advantages & disadvantages of solutions. Agree on a solution. Follow up to see if solution worked for each party.

Preparing for Negotiation Choose the time and place carefully. Check your facts Plan what you will say

The Mediation Process Neutrality – mediator must be an outsider Confidentiality – respect the privacy of both parties. Well-defined ground rules – both parties must agree to rules of mediator.

Peer Mediation A process in which specially trained students help other students resolve conflicts peacefully.

Group Activity Conflict Worksheet For each conflict: Identify the conflict and list who and what is involved in the conflict. Write how you could resolve the conflict using a different style for each scenario.

Independent Activity Chloe’s parents have a strict rule: she isn’t allowed to be out past 9 P.M. on a school night and 11 P.M. on weekends. When she was younger, Chloe thought it was reasonable. Now that she’s 16, it just doesn’t seem fair. All her friends get to stay out later, and it’s embarrassing for her to have to leave in the middle of a party. She wants to try negotiating a new curfew with her parents. Follow the 7 steps of effective negotiation to resolve the problem.