MWI’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Workshops enable students to:

• Gain an introduction to, and an understanding of, the fields of conflict management and negotiation
  
• Use what they learn as a model for everyday behavior as they live, study and work on diverse college campuses
  
• Learn to manage and resolve conflict on campus that arises around heated topics such as race, gender, gay/lesbian/bisexual and other issues
  
• Take advantage of important leadership opportunities by serving as Teaching Assistants for recurring Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Workshops on campus
  
• Network with experienced dispute resolution professionals
  

By providing students with MWI’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Workshops, university administrators can:

• Proactively help to eliminate unnecessary conflict, and manage inevitable conflict on campus by enabling students to effectively address conflict situations
  
• Provide students with the opportunity to discover new and expanded career opportunities in the fast-growing, interdisciplinary field of conflict management

HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE CONFLICT RESOLUTION INITIATIVE

Over the past four years, MWI has designed and delivered numerous successful negotiation and mediation programs on campuses around the country, including Brandeis University, Clark University, Connecticut College, Harvard University, MIT, Tufts University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  The workshops are praised by administrators and popular with students.  Students learn analytic negotiation frameworks and also receive hands-on experience negotiating and resolving conflict with others. They build proficiency in interpersonal problem-solving practices that create successful and productive relationships on campus, in the community, and in their future workplace environments.

MWI’s NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION WORKSHOPS

MWI’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Workshops build each student’s capacity to transform adversarial approaches to conflict into problem-solving collaborations, producing better outcomes for all parties while enhancing long-term relationships.  Each training workshop is designed to:

• Stimulate students’ awareness of the complexities of negotiation and conflict resolution
  

• Equip students with a framework for understanding, diagnosing and leading the process
  

• Enhance students’ skills through hands-on experience and feedback
  

• Provide students with a process for continued improvement and learning

CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATION OF THE WORKSHOPS

MWI's Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Workshops build on the ideas and frameworks developed by Professor Roger Fisher and his colleagues at the Harvard Negotiation Project.  Based on the best-selling book Getting to Yes, the training workshops feature the key elements of Fisher's model, widely known in the field as “principled negotiation.”  Representing a landmark shift in how negotiation is understood and conducted, Fisher's ideas have been implemented throughout the world in all sectors of society, from community-based disputes to intra-organizational conflict to public policy debates.  For years, experienced practitioners have reported that training in principled negotiation has increased their confidence and competence.

WORKSHOP METHODOLOGY

Following the teaching model of the Harvard Negotiation Project, MWI uses a hands-on, interactive, skill-centered method of teaching negotiation and conflict resolution.  Each day of the workshop, core concepts and frameworks are presented in an interactive style to students.  Building on the interactive presentations, each day centers on case simulations and role plays in which the students apply the theory they are learning.  Case simulations are drawn from the teaching materials developed and used by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.  Cases and role plays may also be written expressly for each college to reflect the particular issues facing students on campus.  After completing each case, instructors lead students through a systematic analysis of the negotiation or conflict situation.  Through interactive exercises, students also learn new communication skills.  The exercises are aimed at enabling students to continue to improve and implement their communication skills on campus after they leave the workshop.

Portions of the training workshop are spent learning a new systematic framework for preparing for, conducting and reviewing negotiations; participating in exercises designed to enhance and highlight particular skills; watching demonstrations of new techniques; and debriefing exercises in small group discussions.

PREPARATION FOR THE WORKSHOP: DIAGNOSTIC PHASE

In order to provide the most relevant training possible for students on a particular campus, MWI conducts “diagnostic” interviews by phone and/or in person prior to the workshop with a cross-section of students who will be participating in the workshop.  The goal of conducting the diagnostic interviews is for MWI to gain a better understanding of the types of issues students are facing on campus, whether they are campus-based, community-based, academic, family-related, or personal and gain a broader understanding of the structure of the university and student body in order to:

• Effectively address campus-specific negotiation and conflict management challenges in the workshop; and
  
• Create campus-specific cases and role-plays for the students in the workshop.

WORKSHOP STRUCTURE

To accommodate varying institutions’ academic calendars, MWI offers negotiation and conflict resolution workshops for students on weekends, during winter and spring breaks, fall and winter orientations, the period preceding commencement, “January Term” and over the summer.

Typical programs vary from one to five days in length.  The shorter programs (one-day workshops) provide students with a basic awareness of their current assumptions about negotiation and conflict.  They offer a conceptual understanding of a systematic framework for dealing with conflict effectively and an introduction to skill-building.   The longer programs (three to five-day workshops) offer students the opportunity to practice and improve skills by preparing, conducting and reviewing multiple cases and role plays, in addition to learning the theory of negotiation and conflict management.  Longer programs expand to include a range of modules depending on the particular campus’ needs, including but not limited to: managing conflict on a diverse campus; communicating effectively; influencing and persuading others; managing differences in perceptions; and understanding the field of conflict management.

A PARTIAL LISTING OF MWI’s NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION TRAINERS

Bob Bordone
Dina Beach-Lynch
Charles Doran
Erica Fox

STUDENTS' PRAISE FOR MWI'S NEGOTIATION SKILLS WORKSHOPS

“Everything was top-notch.  The facilitators were outstanding. Our working group was incredible.”

“During the course of the week I have not only learned negotiation tools, I have used them, and become very interested in the field.  The teaching staff kept me on my toes and inspired me to get involved with negotiation in the future.”

“Humor in the lectures, active role-playing and creative activities kept us interested and focused on the subject matter.”

“The teaching staff was incredible.  They planned thoroughly and their efforts showed.  They were relaxed and able to roll with the flow. The actual skills we practiced were the best part."

• Click here to read two articles from "The Fletcher Ledger," Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
  

• Click here to review an article from "The Source," Connecticut College; and
  

• Click here to review praise for MWI’s workshops by an Associate Dean of Connecticut College
  

• Click here to review praise for MWI’s workshops by an Associate Dean of Skidmore College

Please contact Charles Doran, Executive Director at 800-348-4888 x22 or cdoran@mwi.org to learn more about the College Conflict Resolution Initiative and to discuss how MWI can design a program based on your campus’ particular needs and concerns regarding conflict management.

Click here for MWI's Customized On-Site Conflict Resolution Skills Workshops

Click here to return to the top of the page.