Conflict resolution scenarios and activities

In the world of workplace conflict resolution, activities, and games are like friendly superheroes swooping in to save the day. They help team members work on communication, listening, and problem-solving skills — all without any uncomfortable tension!

In this video, I’ll be sharing five conflict resolution activities you can try with your group.

0:00 Intro
0:31 Role Reversal
1:32 Three-Word Check-In
2:17 Conflict Scenario Cards
3:26 Mediation Simulation
4:11 A Chat With Your Past Self

Our first conflict resolution activity is called ‘Role Reversal,’ and it’s all about understanding conflicts from different perspectives.

Before you play, prepare a list of workplace conflict scenarios, like disagreements over ideas or misunderstandings with your colleagues.

Then divide your group into pairs, and have each pair pick a conflict from your list. One person will be the ‘conflict initiator’ and the other the ‘conflict responder.’ Have each pair act out their chosen scenario together, letting the emotions fly! Then, switch roles and try again with a different conflict.

Afterwards, have each pair discuss how they felt in both roles, how it felt to instigate, and how it felt to respond. Come back together as a group and discuss your findings! This activity is a great chance to reinforce the importance of empathy in resolving conflicts.

Our next exercise is less of an activity and more of a daily practice. It's called 'Three-Word Check-In, ' and it’s an excellent tool for gauging a coworker's mood.

The premise here is very simple: encourage team members to express their emotions in just three words. For instance, Martin may be having a particularly bad day, where everything seems to be going wrong. When his co-worker asks how he’s feeling, he might say, “Agitated, frustrated, sad.”

In just three words, his colleagues now have a much better understanding of how Martin is feeling and can ensure that he’s supported in the right ways throughout the work day—and Martin didn’t have to share more than he wanted to.

The third activity I have for you today is called ‘Conflict Scenario Cards.’

To begin with, you’ll want to create a set of scenario cards. Each one should tell a story about a workplace conflict—perhaps a customer upset for being mistakenly overcharged on an invoice or a coworker who’s not following safety procedures.

Gather your team into small groups of four to six people, giving each group one card. Once each group has a card, tell them to read what it says without showing the other teams. Now it’s time to dive into the drama!

Have each group discuss their scenario: what’s causing it, what angles should be considered, and how can it be fixed in a positive, productive way?

After 10-15 minutes, come back together as a larger group and share what’s been discussed. You’ll quickly find common threads between many workplace conflicts, and everyone will walk away with some great new strategies and solutions to employ in the future!

Our fourth activity is called ‘Mediation Simulation,’ and it’s all about learning how to be effective mediators.

You’ll want to come prepared with a list of workplace conflicts similar to the ones we created for the ‘Conflict Scenario Cards.’

Divide into groups of three, giving each group a scenario. Assign one person to be Person A, one person to be Person B and one person to be the mediator.

Person A and Person B will act out their roles based on their scenario, while the mediator will help to facilitate a productive discussion through open-ended questions, and active listening. The goal is to have each group come to a resolution through communication and compromise.

And finally, our last game is all about reflection, it’s ‘A Chat With Your Past Self!’

Paper and pens are all you’ll need to complete this exercise. Have each person reflect on a workplace conflict they’ve faced before. Their task is to write a letter to their past self, describing the scenario, how they felt, how they reacted, whether or not the conflict was resolved — and most importantly, what could’ve been done differently for a more positive outcome.

Once everyone has written their letters, come back together as a group to discuss common themes, strategies, and any conflict-resolution lightbulb moments that occurred while writing!

And that’s it for our conflict resolution activities! I hope these exercises help your team find peaceful, positive solutions in the workplace. Now, before you go, can I ask you one small favour? If you enjoyed today’s content, please consider subscribing to our channel. Your support helps us to continue to create more videos, just like this one. So see you next time!