Course description and syllabus

Failure to prepare for conflict is one of the big reasons intentional communities struggle and eventually fail. Most groups don’t explicitly discuss how they want to work with reactivity and the expression of strong feelings. Lacking a common understanding about how to handle these moments, most groups are paralyzed by their occurrence and bad things happen (work gets stopped, feelings get suppressed, fights break out, and relationships are damaged). It’s not pretty..

But there is no reason for your group to break down in the face of conflict. Get prepared and skilled up to handle whatever is coming your way. In Working with Conflict in Community, you will learn the tools and techniques that can support you and your members in moving through conflict.

Distilled from more than three decades of working as a professional facilitator and trainer for cooperative groups, Laird Schaub will cover what you need to know to move through conflict with as much grace as possible. And come out the other side stronger than before.

Classes and topics in the Working with Conflict in Community syllabus include:

1st Class: Why working with conflict is awkward, yet needs to be done

• working with feelings
• emotions and how they relate to conflict

2nd Class: How relationship damage intersects with problem solving

• distress and distortion
• clearing the air
• intersections of diversity, ambiguity, leadership and conflict

3rd Class: How and when to work with conflict

• working a dyad
• working conflict in plenary

4th Class: The case for establishing a care team and how to do it

• recommended care team mandate

5th Class: Necessary conversations that you can anticipate conflict in

• limits of diversity
• accountability and critical feedback
• personal choice and participation

Your instructor

Testimonials

“Laird is an amazing resource in terms of experience, presentation and facilitation style, and ability to effectively connect with individuals under challenging circumstances. This is a great opportunity for thinking about how to handle conflict in community. Laird offered very practical suggestions for the kind of agreements that need to be in place for a community to tackle this in a way that ensures both accountability and safety for all members. Talking about conflict can sound scary, but having it organized into concrete steps made it seem not only possible, but absolutely worth doing.”

-Leslie Thomsen

“I just like how Laird delivers, upbeat and tells it how it is. His experience communicates well and I come away seeing conflict both as inevitable while also something not to be afraid of. His approach to work with the emotions and to focus on the energetic level feels like something that I can adopt and practise right away.”

-Priska Stabel

“Laird brings a wealth of practical examples, well-considered guidance, passion, and energy when he runs a training. He made sure to give us a range of ways to engage, from written materials to review ahead, to presentation and discussion, and roleplays with debrief. If you want to be both informed about the dangers (and ways to address them) and also inspired by the possibilities, this is a great course.”

-Georgia Handforth

“This course is for any community that finds itself confounded by conflict. Laird presents a different way of defining conflict, demonstrates how to work constructively when conflict arises in a group setting, and provides participants with tools for equipping a community to meet conflict without fear, and move forward restoring broken relationships. Time well spent with a teacher who has an incredible amount of wisdom and experience to share!”

-Susan Clark

You might also be interested in

• Navigating Conflict and Restoring Connection (Inside Community Podcast episode with Alyson Ewald)
• Governance and Decision Making (Inside Community Podcast episode with Diana Leafe Christian)
• Consensus for Communities (10-hour pre-recorded course)