Conflict is inevitable; it doesn't have to be destructive.

Join our online Managing Conflict with Colleagues and Patrons course starting Tuesday, November 12, to learn essential strategies for handling conflicts at work, both with colleagues and patrons. This interactive course will provide you ample opportunities to role play and workshop real-life challenging scenarios asynchronously with peer groups over two weeks. You will leave this course with the practical skills and confidence to maintain calm during tense situations, adapt to challenges as they arise, and know when, if, and how to engage with conflict at work.

Course Program

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Foundations of Conflict Management

Where do disagreements come from and how does it escalate? How can you stay prepared to address and de-escalate conflict? This opening session will dive into ways you can grow self-awareness and manage your own emotions as a first step to proactive conflict management and relationship building. You'll learn how communication and conflict styles, power dynamics, and cultural humility can impact difficult interactions. Leave this session with conflict resolution methods that will give you tips and tools to communicate with others directly, kindly, and confidently. 

Session 2 | 3:00-4:15pm ET

Preparing for and Managing Difficult Patron Interactions

How do you maintain excellent customer service while dealing with a stressed out or disgruntled patron? And how do you manage these interactions while maintaining your personal boundaries? This session will focus on community and patron relationships and give you strategies to manage challenging interactions with the public. You will learn communication skills to help when initiating and responding in difficult conversations with the public, as well as simple, tangible tactics for de-escalating situations.

Workshop Explanation & Q&A | 4:15-4:30pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Session 1 | 2:00-3:00 pm ET

Managing Challenging Interactions with Colleagues and Staff

How do you effectively work with resistant or challenging colleagues or staff members? What do you do if your direct supervisor or other leadership is creating challenges? How do you have difficult conversations at work? This week will focus on internal work relationships and teach you practical ways to have tough conversations, give and receive difficult feedback, and overcome or prevent grievances at work. We will also discuss ways to "manage up" and advocate for yourself or your team, including how to build or find support systems where you might not have them.

Break | 3:00-3:15 pm ET

Session 1, Continued | 3:15-4:15 pm ET

Managing Challenging Interactions with Colleagues and Staff

Workshop Explanation | 4:15-4:30pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Join as a Group 

Group Rates

Request a discount for groups of 3 or more and work with your colleagues on a project for your library.

Credit Packages

Dedicate a portion of your annual PD budget towards seats in our courses and receive 25% off our lowest price for each seat. 

Allocate seats to staff as needs arise over a 12-month period of your choosing.  

Click here to request more information.