The University Ombuds Office has created a series of workshops, called the Student Conflict Coaching Series (SCCS), to help Virginia Tech students become more successful in managing conflict in the workplace and beyond. In alignment with Virginia Tech’s Beyond Boundaries, this series of workshops support the ideal of the VT shaped student - transdisciplinary knowledge, interfaced with informal communal learning and guided experiential learning. Workshops will include, in part, how conflicts occur, our different conflict styles, how to approach communication and tools & strategies for better interactions. Below is a description of the first 3 sessions that will be offered in the Fall semester 2021.

The Power of Conflict: The I of the Storm

Ever wonder where conflict really begins? The source of any conflict is triggered not by the words or actions of others but by our brain. Join us for this session that will focus on how we can be more responsive to conflict by looking at research in neuroscience and behavioral science that sheds light on how our brains and conflict interact. By understanding how and why our brains react to conflict we can “hack” our minds such that we can create a center of balance for when the storms of conflict hit. Review the session details and register below:

Thursday October 14, 2021
11am via Zoom  |  Limited to 25 students 

Tuesday October 19, 2021
3pm In-person, Location TBD |  Limited to 15 students
(for workshop location register by emailing ombuds@vt.edu)

Register via Email

 

Additional Sessions:

Whether we are conscious about it or not we all have specific ways that we respond to Conflict. Depending on the circumstances we sometimes develop a pattern of behavior, specifically “Conflict Styles”, which we use to attempt to deal with the conflict. By creating an awareness of these different styles we can become better equipped to employ different behaviors so that we can influence a challenging situation much better.  

The power of questions is the ability to take control of our mind and emotions and guide what we focus on. When conflicts arise, that event is something that typically is completely out of our control. Think about it, in a conflict have you ever planned or decided when conflict is going to happen? Of course not. But what is within our control is how we experience that conflict.  By becoming mindful of the questions we consistently ask we can begin to influence how we experience conflict and how we may ultimately manage it. 

Space is limited to 15 students in-person or 25 students via video. Free and open to all Virginia Tech graduate or undergraduate students. Sessions might be recorded for those that can’t attend in-person or via video. Register by emailing ombuds@vt.edu

Certificates of Participation will be issued to all that attend all 6 sessions.