Holidays and Conflict

This week, I'm in Phuket! No, I am not working here, and my hope is that there will be no conflict to resolve, except for the inevitable conflicts that will occur within our family. I know I'm not alone here, but international vacations certainly have a way of creating family conflict. Have you ever wondered why? Especially when we are all meant to be so relaxed, having fun and being grateful...

Well, in general, we are more likely to get into conflicts and arguments when:

1) we are stressed or anxious;

2) we are uncertain of our surroundings, particularly in relation to our health, safety and security;

3) the reality of our situation does not meet our expectations;

4) there is a change of plan or circumstance;

5) lack of communication or different understandings of the same information; and

6) there are hard limits in terms of time and resources.

I suspect that most families and couples that go on holidays together, experience all of the above and if you are anything like me, this starts with getting to the airport in the first place! Here's an excellent article I found on the topic. How to stop fighting on vacation - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com) I actually read this with my kids before we go. It helps them to understand why their parents are so stressed, and hopefully it reminds me to calm down.

Anyways, back to the point of this newsletter - I'm not here to give you parenting advice. That is DEFINITELY not my forte.

What I am here to tell you is that over the last 3 months I have been building a collection of my most requested content on my website blog. I have shared my learnings about everything from vicarious trauma to good faith, to the conciliation process and many things related. I have also provided a treasure trove of other resources, books and articles that you can access to broaden your knowledge and understanding of constructive conflict management.

So, while I'm on holidays (hopefully relaxing), I encourage you to have a look at the free, invaluable content I've included on my blog here: BLOG | Shiv Martin

Managing Challenging Interactions - an inclusive approach

As a trainer and workshop facilitator, the content I am most requested to share with workplaces and government agencies is my ideas around managing challenging interactions, de-escalating hostile communications and responding to unreasonable conduct. Having now curated and compiled inhouse training on this topic for over a decade, I am excited to present a public course on this topic later this year.

Drawn from my experience in mediation, law, cultural awareness and mental health, this workshop provides all staff with the skills to manage challenging interactions in an inclusive and effective way.?I also draw on my own lived experience, particular in the space of mental health and conflict.

My training is founded on principles of safety, fairness and inclusion. I focus on the strategies we can use to understand and connect with others in the midst of challenging interactions, as well as de-escalate and limit the impact of unreasonable conduct or our day-to-day work, and our own wellness as conflict managers.

This training covers?important mediation and communication approaches, alongside a conversation about human rights and procedural?fairness principles.?It is designed to address the hardest part of work for many complaints officers, HR practitioners, people leaders, legal practitioners and government officers. Please get in touch if this will be of interest to you or your team in the next financial year!

More information here: Managing Challenging Interactions | Shiv Martin

Is there anything else I can help you with?

As a conflict management specialist, I work with government and business teams and provide services in mediation and conciliation, customized conflict skills training, facilitation of meetings and workshops, conflict coaching and workflow and policy design. If there is anything I can assist you with, please get in touch here: www.shivmartin.com/contact