Module 6: Final Reflections

Prompt #1: In Module 1, you watched "Invictus," a clip from the movie "Gandhi," and a 60
Minute Segment on Mindfulness. The idea was to have you look at attitude and a mental
model about conflict, review the attitudes of two powerful leaders, and consider your own
approach to conflict. Did this Module help set a foundation upon which to develop the rest of
the course? What worked and didn't work?

Yes, this module helped set the foundation for the rest of the course. Mandela and Gandhi were
very different leaders however, both were able to influence others in a positive way. This was a
great foundation for the rest of the course because both were examples of how to deal with
conflict as a great leader. Watching the Invictus movie really helped me to understand how a
leader can bring a group of people together despite conflicts within. What was difficult was the
60 minute segment on mindfulness because it was hard for me to sit quiet and reflect without
having intrusive thoughts.

Prompt #2: In Module 2, you were introduced to the martial art, Aikido. The purpose of this
module was to use a martial art that deals with "physical conflict" in a different way, a way
that provided a metaphor for how to deal with conflict in the workplace. What did you take
away from this Module? Did you see a connection between the principles of Aikido and the
principles of dealing professionally with workplace conflict?

I took away how to deal with conflict in the workplace. Specifically, I learned to center myself
before acting on the conflict. When I was centered I was able to have a new outlook on the
conflict at hand. From this module I took away the importance of being centered and how being
uncentered can make conflict worse. I saw a connection between the principles of Aikido and the
principles of dealing professionally with workplace conflict in that the Aikido exercise, the hand
on the wall represented the conflict and when dealing with workplace conflict you should focus
on centering yourself before taking action.

Prompt #3: In Module 3, you were introduced to the first conflict transformation skill,
"Spitting Out the Hook." Did you learn the skill? Will it help you deal with conflict? Was
this quiz (and were the quizzes} fair, too hard, or too easy? Did the quizzes help you gain more
from the text?

Yes I learned the spitting out the hook skill and it will help to deal with conflict by listening to
others thoughts and opinions without trying to justify or explain my own thoughts. The quizzes
were fair and did help to gain more understanding from the text.
Prompt #4: In Module 4, you were introduced to the second conflict transformation skill,
"H.E.A.R." Did you learn the skill? Will it help you deal with conflict? Some of you already
use an active listening skill; was learning H.E.A.R. too redundant or was it valuable to
review?

Yes I learned the HEAR skill and it will help me deal with conflict in my future. I have used
similar listening skills before using this model however, the HEAR skill helped to reiterate the
importance of understanding another person’s side while communicating.

Prompt #5: In Module 5, you were introduced to the third conflict transformation skill,
"BURN CLEAN." Did you learn the skill? Will it help you deal with conflict? Will it help
you express your "wants" without throwing out hooks?

Yes I learned the skill and it will help me with conflict in the future. However, this skill was the
hardest to learn because of the possibility of “throwing out hooks''. Using the burn skill properly
will help to express my wants without throwing out hooks because I will use “I” statements more
effectively by recognizing they are 100% my reaction.

Prompt #6: In Module 6, you were introduced to the fourth conflict transformation skill, "SAY
YES." Did you learn the steps in this skill? Will you be able to use it to help you transform
conflict? How confident do you feel about using the SAY YES Model?

Yes I learned these steps in the SAY YES skill and I will be able to use them to transform
conflicts. This conflict transformation skill was the most in depth to learn but is important to
know for the future. I feel this skill will help me to be a better mediator in situations of conflict
especially in the workplace. I am confident in using the SAY YES model after practicing my
own mediation session for the discussion board.

Prompt #7: Is there something you wish you had learned or some topic we needed to spend
more or less time on? Add any final thoughts you think would be helpful in improving this
course. Overall, was the workload fair and manageable, light or too much?

I feel that all the topics were well covered with enough time for each module. I really enjoyed
this class and felt the workload was fair and manageable. I learned a lot from all the assignments
but still was able to complete each assignment on time.