Stressed Out: How to Handle Conflict, Difficult People and Challenging Situations
Learn the causes and symptoms of workplace conflict, five conflict management styles, how to stay calm in the moment, and six tips to resolve disputes so the fix lasts.
Speaker
Marcia Zidle
Executive and career coach · Board-certified executive coach
Overview
Poorly managed conflict costs organizations time, customers and good employees. A CPP Inc. study found that 85% of employees experience conflict and spend an average of 2.1 hours a week dealing with it, and that half of HR staff spend one to five hours a week managing disagreements.
This 60-minute conflict management training focuses on handling conflict, difficult people and challenging situations so they lead to positive outcomes. You'll separate myths from facts, learn the symptoms and causes of conflict, and see how one real-world conflict was resolved.
You'll also learn five conflict management styles, how to keep your cool, positive language that reduces anger, and six tips for resolving conflict so it stays resolved.
Why attend: Conflict can divide people and drain energy, or it can improve communication, strengthen teamwork and lead to better decisions. The difference is how it's handled, which makes conflict skills a core leadership skill. The session suits executives, HR leaders and professionals, directors, project and operations managers, supervisors, team leaders and new managers.
What’s covered
- Myths and facts about conflict
- How conflict can be constructive or destructive
- Symptoms of conflict: what you see and hear
- The differences that cause conflict: perceptual, informational, procedural, goal, role and personality
- The iceberg concept of conflict
- Five conflict management styles: shark, turtle, teddy bear, fox and owl
- Keeping your cool and using positive language
- A real-world conflict and how it was resolved
- Six tips to resolve conflict so it sticks
- Action planning and implementation
Who should attend
What you get
About the speaker
Marcia Zidle, the Smart Moves Coach, is a board-certified executive and career coach, business management consultant, and keynote speaker, with over 25 years of management, business consulting, and international experience in a variety of industries including health care, financial services, oil and gas, manufacturing, insurance, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, government and nonprofits.
She has expertise in strategy and alignment; executive and team leadership development; social and emotional intelligence; employee engagement and innovation; career and organization change management; employee relations and talent management.
Marcia has been selected as one of LinkedIn Profinder’s top coaches for the past 7 years. Check out the 200 + LinkedIn articles she’s authored on Leadership, Management, and Human Resources topics that have facilitated organizations to leverage their leadership and human capital assets generating greater effectiveness and profitability.
Marcia’s claim to fame is as a world traveler having a multi-cultural spirit and perspective. She has lived as an expatriate with her family in Scandinavia and Australia. In fact, one of her children is an "Aussie". She’s traveled to over 30 countries throughout Europe, Middle East, Far East, and the South Pacific.

