Negotiation Skills Training
Classroom-based negotiation programs empower students to “act as their own mediator,” by teaching effective communication skills like active listening and familiarizing them with the negotiation process. The basic steps are similar to those used in mediation, but without the third party. These steps generally include: each party explaining their side of the story while the other party listens, identifying underlying needs, brainstorming solutions, and identifying and implementing a solution that works for both parties. To help students remain engaged and understand the concepts, these programs typically are interactive and utilize activities and role-plays that teach the skills and process steps. Rather than integrating the negotiation material into students’ regular coursework, many classroom-based negotiation programs are designed as a stand-alone series of lessons in which students are taught the negotiation concepts. Although it is beyond the scope of this chapter, it is important to note that the skills of negotiation may also be taught as one component of a comprehensive, school-wide CRE program.
Videos of Possible Interest
- Positions and Interests – Brief Overview
- On-the-Spot Mediation: how to use your skills in everyday life
- Workable Peace Teacher Guide Video
- Sesame Street – Robin Williams and the Two-headed Monster Illustrating Conflict
- What Play Can Teach Us – Jill Vialet on on the philosophy behind Playworks
- Sketch Video on Power Issues
- News Story about Cool School video game
- Outside the Box/Inside the Ring: CR Curriculum for Middle School
- Learn History Through Problem-Solving
See MORE VIDEOS...
Sample Catalog Resources
Below you'll find a randomized listing of up to 20 related items (we may have more...) drawn from our Resource Catalog.
Resource Title | Description | Links |
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Mediation@MIT Basic Mediation Training Trainers' Manual (Higher Education) | A mediation training manual for use in higher education settings. According to the developers, "this Manual is intended to serve as a guide for the trainer(s) leading a Basic Training in Mediation for participants with no prior mediation experience. It reflects the style of mediation and the style of teaching we use at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This version contains the changes and improvements we have made in training over 250 faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduates over the years." | |
Mediation@MIT Basic Mediation Training Slides and Scenarios | This document accompanies the Mediation@MIT Basic Mediation Training Trainers' Manual (Higher Education). It contains all the slides utilized by instructors in the Basic Mediation Training. The lectures are NOT continuous slide presentations but consist primarily of discussion and exercises. The slides are used at intervals to reinforce key points, and to alternate between aural and visual instruction techniques. Part Two also contains the instructions to parties in all role plays or simulations. The General Instructions are the same for both parties, the material they both know and know that the other knows. The Private Instructions contain material known only to that party, which may or may not be revealed during the course of the mediation, including information about motivation and personal style of the character. | |
Tale of two colleges, A: Diversity, conflict, and conflict resolution | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 5, Number 1, (Sept 2004), which shows, "how real people can achieve dramatically different outcomes depending on the strategies they devise and the methods they employ, the first chapter shows people digging in to their positions and trying to force the Other Person to give in, the second chapter shows similarly situated people using the problem-solving negotiation strategy popularized in the book Getting To Yes." | |
Cooperative Problem-Solving : A Guide to Turning Conflicts into Agreements | This 56-page pdf is a guide designed for people who want to know how to resolve conflicts with other people in a way that leads to mutual agreements and stronger relationships. It was developed as a workbook for a workshop of the same title, but it can be used independently. Based on the book Getting to Yes, the Guide addresses: - Treating conflict as a natural resource - How to attack problems while respecting people - Raising an issue in a constructive manner - Exploring opposing positions to discover shared interests - Generating options to address all parties’ needs - Crafting clear and healthy solutions - Dealing with differing perceptions - Managing emotions - Insuring two-way communications - Choosing when to use a cooperative approach - Being a peacemaker while resolving conflicts | |
Conflict resolution, negotiation & team building: Reviewing an impossible course that worked | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 5, Number 1, (Sept 2004), which presents the story of a "course teaching dispute resolution, negotiation and team building (ACS 201: Dispute Resolution and Team Building) [which] was designed to fit into the program's first year curriculum, this essay reviews the nature of the course and in some detail the student response to it." The course was taught at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. | |
Principled negotiation | Powerpoint presentation outlining the steps of negotiation, from a cooperative and interest-based perspective. | |
Strengthening undergraduate mediator competency via the Ntl Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 3, Number 3, (May 2003), which discusses the role of the National Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament in the development of mediation skills in students. | |
Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators - High School Edition | The Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators is designed to support the work of educators as peacebuilders. It is a resource developed by and for educators, to help introduce peacebuilding themes and skills into the classroom. The Toolkit can help develop students’ understanding of, and interest in, global peacebuilding, and develop their skills and capacities to act as peacebuilders. It can help teachers develop their own understanding of key concepts and skills, and enhance their capacity to teach about global peacebuilding themes and issues. There are two volumes of the toolkit––one for middle school and one for high school. The High School Edition of the toolkit is designed for a general audience of students in grades 9–12 (ages 14–18). The content can be modified for older students and some of the content can be modified for younger students. High school students are at an ideal stage to talk about peace and conflict, to view the world as an evolving system of relationships, and to prepare themselves to make a positive impact through their choices and actions today and in the future. The lessons have been developed with great detail to be useful for educators who are new to the methods employed that engage students in experiential learning and critical thinking. The toolkit is organized around basic themes within the field of international conflict management. Theme 1: Conflict is an inherent part of the human condition. Theme 2: Violent conflict can be prevented. Theme 3: There are many ways to be a peacebuilder. The 15 lessons in the toolkit are interactive and encourage students to work collaboratively to understand concepts and solve problems. The lessons are designed to be detailed enough for a new teacher or a teacher unfamiliar with interactive or experiential methods to pick them up and use them as intended. | |
New directions and issues in the teaching of conflict resolution | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 2, Number 2, (Feb 2002), which "explores the issues related to understanding the effectiveness of the process and content of conflict resolution (specifically negotiation) teaching and training, it asks whether or not the right approach to training is being used and if the training "sticks," it also questions how the content of the field is evolving and if teaching methods are tracking the evolution." Includes bibliography. | |
IREX Conflict Prevention and Peer Mediation Toolkit | The Conflict Prevention and Peer Mediation Toolkit provides the training notes, handouts, sample agendas, and resource templates needed to initiate a peer mediation program for youth. IREX and partner organization Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI) created the Conflict Prevention and Peer Mediation Toolkit to support the creation of peer mediation programs at schools in Kyrgyzstan as part of the Youth Leadership for Peace Project funded by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). After receiving training on conflict prevention, peer mediation, and use of the Toolkit, teachers and youth from the Batken and Chui regions of Kyrgyzstan initiated peer mediation programs at 16 schools. From January – June 2013, peer mediators held more than 60 mediations, with 90% of mediations resulting in a signed mediation agreement. | |
Conflict Resolution Education: A Guide to Implementing Programs in Schools, Youth-Serving Orgs | A manual in pdf format providing an overview of various models for conflict resolution education program implementation. The first chapter defines conflict as a natural condition and examines the origins of conflict, responses to conflict, and the outcomes of those responses. It introduces four approaches to implementing conflict resolution education. Each of the next four chapters discusses one of these approaches and presents examples of programs that use the approach. One chapter describes an approach to conflict resolution education characterized by devoting a specific time to teaching the foundation abilities, principles, and one or more of the problemsolving processes in a separate course or distinct curriculum. Another chapter describes an approach in which selected, trained individuals provide neutral third-party facilitation in conflict resolution. A chapter presents an approach that incorporates conflict resolution education into the core subject areas of the curriculum and into classroom management strategies, and another chapter presents a comprehensive whole-school methodology that builds on the previous approach. The next two chapters address conflict resolution education in settings other than traditional schools. The final three chapters address more overarching topics: conflict resolution research and evaluation; a developmental sequence of behavioral expectations in conflict resolution; and the process of developing, implementing, and sustaining a conflict resolution program. | |
Preparing pre-service educators to break up fights -- before they happen | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 4, Number 1, (Oct. 2003), which discusses a project by the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention -- Center for the Prevention of School Violence (DJJDP Center), to prepare future teachers to effectively manage conflict. | |
Model for resolving conflict | 1-page pdf flow chart which diagrams a model for resolving conflict based on a similar model in "Skills for Resolving Conflict," by E. Wertheim, A. Love, C. Peck, and L. Littlefield. | |
Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators - Middle School Edition | The Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators is designed to support the work of educators as peacebuilders. It is a resource developed by and for educators, to help introduce peacebuilding themes and skills into the classroom. The Toolkit can help develop students’ understanding of, and interest in, global peacebuilding, and develop their skills and capacities to act as peacebuilders. It can help teachers develop their own understanding of key concepts and skills, and enhance their capacity to teach about global peacebuilding themes and issues. There are two volumes of the toolkit––one for middle school and one for high school. The Middle School Edition of the toolkit is designed for a general audience of students in grades 6–8. The content can be modified for older students and some of the content can be modified for younger students. Engaging young audiences in conversations about peace and conflict is important. It is the authors' hope that young students will engage in these topics and continue to reflect on them as they progress through high school and move into the world. The lessons have been developed with great detail to be useful for educators who are new to the methods employed that engage students in experiential learning and critical thinking. The lessons are intended for traditional and alternative education settings. The toolkit is organized around basic themes within the field of international conflict management. Theme 1: Conflict is an inherent part of the human condition. Theme 2: Violent conflict can be prevented. Theme 3: There are many ways to be a peacebuilder. The 15 lessons in the toolkit are interactive and encourage students to work collaboratively to understand concepts and solve problems. The lessons are designed to be detailed enough for a new teacher or a teacher unfamiliar with interactive or experiential methods to pick them up and use them as intended. The middle school lessons include teacher direction, guided practice, and independent practice. | |
Suggestions for handling surface behavior | Pdf document that outlines the ways in which a teacher can direct or redirect student behavior, with suggestions for responses when confronted by a student, with material from Nicholas A. Seta and Allen N. Mendler. | |
Simplified conflict resolution model: The 2 minute model | 1-page pdf flow chart which shows a simplified diagram for conflict resolution based on a model from "Skills for Resolving Conflict," by E.H. Wortheim, A. Love, C. Peck, and L. Littlefield. | |
Multi-party roommate conflict | Pdf article from Conflict Management in Higher Education Report, Volume 5, Number 1, (Sept 2004), which presents a "roleplay for a graduate course in interpersonal and small group conflict resolution, while it could be used for a mediation roleplay, it's written to be a 4-5 person small group conflict with no formal, outside intervenor, the expectation is that students can represent the characters and still demonstrate conflict resolution skills." | |
Conflict negotiation skills for youth | 186-page PDF training manual on Conflict Negotiation Skills for Youth. The manual is directed at government and nongovernmental organization personnel working with young people. It presents a variety of participatory training methods and exercises. Users are encouraged to refine and adapt the materials. The contents are organized as follows: Conflict Negotiation Skills for Youth: Facilitator's Guide Section I: Youth and the conflicts they face in daily life, Session 1: Understanding youth, Session 2: Understanding conflict, Section II: Techniques for resolving intra-personal conflicts, Session 3: Self-awareness, Session 4: Communication, Session 5: Negotiation, Session 6: Mediation, Section III: Techniques for resolving group conflict, Session 7: Group building, Session 8: Team building and cooperation, and Session 9: Advocacy for youth development References. | |
Two minute model, The: Helping students learn more about solving problems and resolving conflict | 4-page PDF document which presents the two minute model for conflict resolution. This includes a flow chart diagram of conflict resolution based on a model from "Skills for Resolving Conflict," by E.H. Wortheim, A. Love, C. Peck, and L. Littlefield, and two role play examples. | |
A negotiation between Stan and Susan | This 7-page scripted role-play illustrates the six-steps of the Negotiation process. It is designed to be used in the classroom with middle school age youth. It is based on scenario wherein Stan tripped, saw Susan laughing with her friend Misty, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that Susan was making fun of him. He called her a bad name in revenge. |