The COVID-19 pandemic brought about numerous changes, including people around the world working from home instead of going to an office or other place of business. Zoom and similar platform usage skyrocketed, with many personal trainers, doctors, wellness experts, mediators, and other professionals providing their services virtually.
Advantages of Online De-Escalation & Conflict Management Training
These trends have continued and plenty of people in the de-escalation industry provide their services through such means. So why does online de-escalation and conflict management training remain an increasingly-popular option for businesses of all kinds and sizes? Learn about the advantages this type of training offers.
1. Accessibility
Online conflict coaching and related resolution services are typically accessible with a few mouse clicks. No matter where a business or the training service is located, parties from both sides can easily connect.
The ability to access a de-escalation training service from any location eliminates several hassles that in-person meetings can cause, such as traveling significant distances to meetings and getting stuck in traffic. Trying to coordinate with different parties so that everyone arrives at the training around the same time can also become challenging.
Online services generally mean everyone involved can attend regardless of their current location. If participants do not feel comfortable sitting in front of a computer or other device camera for any reason, such as anxiety over looking “disheveled,” they can keep said cameras off.
2. Flexibility
Since getting to and from an office, convention center, or other conflict management training location is not an issue with online services, all parties enjoy flexible scheduling. Perhaps meeting virtually in mid-morning is ideal or scheduling a call after lunch is better because everyone is not distracted by hunger.
Maybe mid-afternoon calls are best in light of different work schedules. No matter what is ideal, online calls provide greater scheduling flexibility than in-person meetings to the delight of all involved.
3. Cost-Effectiveness
When a company opts for virtual conflict resolution training, they get the benefits they want without the correlating bank account stress. There is no need for employees to expense gas, tolls, meals, or beverages. There is additionally no reason to pay for management, event preparation, and other travel expenses, such as bus and rideshare fares. Instead, team members can simply join the virtual meeting and conserve company money.
The business subsequently pays for the services exclusively, allowing managers to utilize the saved funds in other ways. For example, perhaps training sessions made it clear that an office common area stacked with snacks is necessary or a meditation space that allows everyone to take spare minutes to decompress.
Providing team members with more perks and incentives helps them maintain cheerful dispositions at work, thereby decreasing the chances of negative interactions. If a team member does feel agitated or burned out for any reason, they can use the tools and resources provided to them to soothe their nerves.
Small companies arguably benefit the most from online training sessions, as they might not have the funds and other resources to host in-person meetings.
4. Increased Honesty
It is not always easy to be forthright to a manager or fellow employee following a workplace dispute. Many team members want to be 100% honest yet feel self-conscious and nervous. Online conflict resolution meetings reduce if not eliminate these worries, since everyone is not face-to-face. Again, if one or all parties feel more comfortable with their cameras turned off, they can do so without the uncomfortable component.
When employees get to speak without feeling like they are being “watched” or “glared at”, it helps them stay honest. They often feel more relaxed and able to express themselves minus assorted judgments.
Depending on the nature of the conflict in question, it might be helpful to remind everyone attending that they are in a judgment-free space and that expressing their concerns or issues is strongly encouraged.
5. Easy Access to Online Resources
Professionals who specialize in conflict resolution often provide a wide variety of connected resources, such as:
- podcast recordings;
- case studies;
- books;
- workplace conflict and diversity statistics;
- free eBooks;
- and YouTube channels, among others.
Online support provides employees, managers, and business leaders who want to learn more with the opportunity to do so. They can hone their skills, reach out to professionals through social media channels, and enjoy the advantages that follow.
Online assessments are yet another resource that can prove invaluable. It allows participants to test their abilities in stress-free settings and re-take tests as needed.
Participants gain a deeper understanding of workplace conflict subjects and reap the rewards, such as feeling proud of their research and ability to comprehend different work environment issues. Most people prefer to work at their own pace anyway, as they feel less stressed and more focused.
6. Sense of Community
Online training does not necessarily mean there is no sense of community. Employees might want to join work environment conflict forums led by their trainers to further their education on the subject or join workplace wellness programs to continue their mindfulness journeys.
Being able to exchange ideas, discuss concerns, and connect over shared interests helps create a strong online community that can have lasting benefits, such as happier and more productive team members.
7. One-on-One Follow-Ups
In addition to group online training sessions, many professional mediators who work in digital spaces provide one-on-one follow-up services. Meeting with each participant to discuss what they gained from the mediation session(s), what they felt could use improvement, and how the training has helped them perform at work provides necessary insights. Follow-up sessions also help team members remain on positive paths and make adjustments as needed.
Why Conflict Resolution and Management Training is So Important
This type of training is essential to successful workplaces for many reasons, each of which contributes to healthy commercial environments. Some of these reasons include:
1. Helps Reduce “Common Cognitive Errors”
Several “cognitive errors” contribute to unproductive and tense work environments, such as overconfidence, blaming, and avoidance.
Overconfidence when disputing an issue can prove infuriating, while avoidance involves repressing emotions and changing the subject when the current issue is discussed. Blaming is perhaps the most self-explanatory, as it concerns one party absolving themselves of all responsibility relating to the issue. Conflict resolution training helps reduce these common errors through educational means, team-building exercises, and self-reflection.
2. Promotes Active Listening
Unfortunately, not everyone is a great listener. This can prove especially detrimental in the workplace since it can cause team members to think about their responses rather than what the person in front of them is saying.
Active listening is about focusing on what the other individual says and incorporating their messages or themes into responses. Such listening skills can include:
- decisiveness;
- articulation;
- emotion management;
- stress management;
- and negotiation.
3. Emphasizes Emotional Regulation
Arguably part of active listening, emotional regulation prevents workplace dispute-related problems such as insulting other parties and creating a volatile environment.
Improving emotional regulation skills reduces the risk of insults that hurt feelings and increase workplace tension. Emotional regulation skills that help foster more harmonious, healthy work environments include:
- empathy;
- sincerity;
- self-awareness;
- patience;
- understanding;
- staying calm;
- and (once again) stress management.
4. Boosts Communication
Improving the above skills and focusing on clear communication helps avoid workplace conflicts in the future. Issues are resolved quickly because team members can better understand one another.
Communication skills include articulation, persuasion, and both verbal and nonverbal communication. Effective communication contributes to a more productive workplace, because team members can easily express their needs, feelings, and concerns, then move forward in the best way possible.
Those with poor communication skills can stall production because employees might not understand what the project instructions are or what certain tasks involve.
5. Improves Creativity
Successful training in conflict and de-escalation topics can boost creativity. Team members may feel inspired by others’ feedback, different views, and questions. This can result in new, more effective ways of approaching tasks and projects, as well as other fresh ideas that contribute to higher conversion rates, foot traffic, brand awareness, and revenue.
6. Enhances Self-Awareness and Self-Control
Learning about conflict resolution techniques and tools helps team members handle issues in more positive ways. They often enjoy greater self-control and self-awareness from such training, which can bolster their self-confidence.
Employees feel great about themselves when they deal with unpleasant situations in a calm and respectful manner instead of letting their emotions take over. Office-wide self-confidence and self-esteem also contribute to a happier workplace because everyone’s mood is improved. Feelings of professional and personal growth also add to healthy work environments.
Begin Experiencing the Benefits of Online De-Escalation Training in Your Business Today
Online de-escalation training helps businesses around the country do what they do best: increase productivity and enjoy happier, healthier workplaces. The right virtual training schedule for your business can reap advantages for years and years, allowing everyone to enjoy the resulting success.
If now is the perfect time for this type of training for your office or other workplace, reach out to Peaceful Leaders Academy today! Our professionals will help you create a training package that works for your company’s needs exclusively. Get started now!
