On many occasions, conflicts can only be resolved through people’s creativity to find the best way out.. Which must also be effective, fair and simple. This, with the purpose not only to leave the problem behind, but to relieve the tension between the parties involved and to obtain a learning from it that they can use to avoid falling into such conflict again, to know how to face future disagreements and finally to overcome them.
Disparities and clashes among peers is very common and to some extent expected in any environment. Because each person has his or her own opinion and vision on how to achieve a goal that often does not agree with that of others. In addition, other factors such as competitiveness, the desire to excel and the comfort of the work environment are involved, which can complicate teamwork and generate even more problems among members.
- You may be interested in: “The 10 types of violence (and their causes and consequences)”.
Thinking about it, in this article you can find the best dynamics for conflict resolution that are effective and easy to apply in any environment. and simple to apply in any environment.
What are conflict resolution dynamics?
Conflict resolution dynamics refer to creative and experiential tools.This is a team building exercise, where the capabilities of several people in a group are put to the test, with the purpose of bringing the problem they are having to a coalition, facing it and overcoming it. This helps to strengthen the team as a joint force and to reinforce the individual capabilities of each member.
In these dynamics various elements are worked on, such as communication, interaction, inequalities, motivation, empathy or as an analysis to detect a future problem of any kind that may affect the group.
Effective dynamics for conflict resolution
These dynamics are guided by a facilitator who is an expert in group dynamics to correctly address the objective of each one.
1. Role-playing
This is one of the best known and used activities for conflict resolution, due to its effectiveness and its degree of impact on people. The procedure is very simple: each person in the group will have a specific role, usually one that is very different from their daily role or one that is far from their personality, which they must use to solve a fictitious problem that will be presented, which may reflect the real situation.
The important thing in this dynamic is that they commit to their role and that their performance is as serious as possible. Once the conflict and the roles of each member are established, the facilitator will guide each member to contribute to the solution of the problem. At the end, a meeting should be held where everyone shares the lessons learned, the feelings experienced and how they will apply these to their lives.
2. Know your motivation
This dynamic is applied when there is a lack of group motivation to achieve a goal or when performance is declining. Both personal motivations and the set of strengths obtained from the group are worked on.
It starts with the facilitator asking for a few volunteers who will form a small circle inside another circle formed by the rest of the people, so that everyone can see each other face to face. The facilitator gives a conflict that the volunteers must resolve with the help of the opinions of the rest of the audience.
The purpose is to get to know the opinions, aspirations and strengths of each individual in order to generate empathy and commitment.
3. The planets
This is a more creative and fun dynamic. It consists of imagining ourselves as beings from other planets, but not just any beings, but rulers and high diplomats who represent their civilization. Usually they are divided into large groups of 3 and a maximum of 5 people and whose ruler will have a distinctive role in the universe that helps to keep it in order.
But the challenge here is how to work together with the rest of the planets, and that is the goal, to reach a diplomatic agreement and design a plan that benefits all of them and of course, the universe. This can help people to better observe their communication skills, leadership and cooperation with each other.
4. Steal the flag
Another super fun activity that tests leadership skills, teamwork, communication and decision making. It strengthens the bonds between peers and helps them to recognize skills in others that may go unnoticed.
For this, the facilitator divides the participants into two large groups, who will have with them a distinctive flag that represents them along with ‘weapons’ to protect themselves from the enemy and which will also be used to protect them from the enemy. must choose a leader who will propose the strategy and who will decide the rest of the roles: watchers (who will guard the flag), defenders (who prevent the other team from approaching the flag) and attackers (who will try to steal the flag).
The game ends with the first team to steal the other team’s flag. .
5. Active listening
This technique is not entirely considered a conflict resolution technique, but more of a mediation technique. However, it is used to improve communication channels, eliminate misunderstandings, clarify opinions and create a better empathetic environment among members.
It is very simple to perform, the facilitator places two people in front of each other where one of them will communicate something that the facilitator proposes. It may be a concern, proposal or change that he/she would like to comment on and the other person will then relay the message through paraphrasing.
6. The spider’s web
One of the most active and demanding dynamics, it may seem like a game but it takes commitment and firm direction to meet the challenge effectively.
The facilitator will create a huge spider web with holes wide enough for people to pass through but disguised so as not to be so obvious to the naked eye. The point is that everyone has to go through it – easy, right?
Not at all, here’s the catch, no one can touch a single strand of the web and for every time someone touches it, each member must go back and do it all from the beginning. So it is necessary to have a strategy to execute.
7. The referee
This is widely used in classrooms, from elementary school to universities (each with different degrees of difficulties) with this, you can solve any friction, enmities, misunderstandings or to make known each person’s opinion, including their strengths.
The facilitator divides the room into large groups (2 and maximum 4 groups) and will present a series of conflicts for which each group will give an effective solution, where each participant will have a turn to expose it. In a way that is equitable and fair.
8. Turn the sheet upside down
This can also be used in the classroom to strengthen the union of people and work on decision making. It can also be used in different environments.
The facilitator places a large sheet, tablecloth, blanket, paper or any other large element where the participants will stand, leaving half of it empty. In the meantime, they must find a way to turn the whole sheet upside down, that is, to turn it upside down, without slipping off its end.
It requires a lot of work and commitment, but we assure you that it is not impossible and when you achieve it you will see how the team renews its strength.
9. The positive and the negative
This is a very nourishing activity, but at the same time demanding and delicate because it touches sensitive fibers and in a certain way exposes people’s emotions. This works on the form of expression, communication, recognition of strengths and weaknesses and the ability to act.
In this one, the facilitator places a very serious problem that affects the whole group. At the beginning, the facilitator asks each participant to point out what he or she does not like about his or her peers that has facilitated the problem.
Then, once all the possible origins of the conflict have been raised. Each person should come up with an effective solution and again, state the strengths of that opinion and how it will resolve the conflict.
10. The communications game
Also known as ‘How do you communicate?’ it contains entertainment and delicacy in equal measure that will help the group learn about their particular ways of communicating and what they need to work on to improve them and strengthen the group’s union.
In this, the participant will create different problems and ask each person to respond to them with the 4 types of communication: aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive and assertive. In this way, each person can see his or her own form of expression and how it affects his or her daily interaction.
11. The piranhas of the river
If you are looking to get your team in shape and strengthen them both physically and emotionally, this is the ideal dynamic for you. This is a work on mental agility, team cooperation, assertive communication and the union of skills.
To begin, the facilitator will draw a straight line wide enough for their feet, but not too big, on the floor where each member will stand side by side, which they must walk along without stepping out of the line. While passing each other a series of different targets from start to finish and vice versa. They will try to distract them to reach their goal.
12. Conflicting fantasy
Thanks to this dynamic, the creative and functional capacities of the people to face diverse problems and complex situations can be known. Both with the help of their peers and with their individual skills.
To do this, the instructor can take each participant, divide them into groups or take everyone and lead them into a fantasy designed to reflect everyday life, but adding a different problem as the day progresses. For which solutions should be offered that are best suited to each particularity.
13. The cooperating chairs
This is a very entertaining game but with a high degree of difficulty that participants will be able to see as the game progresses. To do this, the facilitator will divide people into medium-sized groups of 10 or 15 people, where chairs will be placed around them to form a circle, very similar to the chair game you already know.
The difference is that each time a chair is removed, instead of eliminating a member of the group, everyone must find a way to stay seated. So each time there are fewer chairs, the game becomes more complicated, until it is impossible to keep all the chairs.
This promotes teamwork and cooperation so that together they can achieve the same goal.
14. order on the bench
Continuing with a chair theme, in this activity it is necessary to have a long and wide bench to sit on, a table, a board or draw a line on the floor where you need to keep your balance. In it, the facilitator will ask everyone to climb onto the bench and there arrange themselves according to different categories (age, skin color, month of birth and anything else you can think of) without anyone falling off.
Like the previous one, this one promotes cooperation and group work, where in order to achieve the objective they must help each other.
15. Inflate like balloons
In this dynamic the objective is to work on the emotions that produce a conflict, in order to have a better management of these emotions, understanding of their origin and consequences if they are not worked properly.
For this, any conflict that represents a serious problem for the participants is presented and they must react emotionally to it. Then they will use this emotion to ‘inflate themselves like balloons’ for this they should exhale deeply and raise their hands and stand on tiptoe as if they were rising and then let the air out and slowly collapse to the ground.
Then, each person will explain what their emotion was, their thoughts and what they felt when they let it go with the air.
It is important to emphasize that not all problems are negative or represent an insurmountable obstacle. Rather, they can be a fun challenge to overcome.