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?

Watching Invictus and the following assignments for Module 1 helped set a fairly

reasonable foundation for the course. I liked the comparison and contrast in leadership styles

represented in the film. It helped me see how different styles can be successful even at high

levels of leadership. There’s no “right answer” but there are good answers to conflict.

Sometimes, leaders have to make choices based on their subordinates’ needs rather than finding

the perfect solution based on a textbook.

The only revision I would make to this module would be supplementing it with examples

of different types of conflicts. In this film, racial conflicts are one of the primary premises. I

think we see so much racial conflict in media and current politics it’s good to know how to

address it, but there are other conflicts just as demanding. Smaller scale conflicts, for example,

are more likely encountered in my day-to-day life. How do I descale the concepts of

sociopolitical conflicts into my work conflicts I face every day? The big picture is good, but

what about the smaller things? We addressed it in later modules, but as a foundation, it would be

nice to see more examples of how to do this.

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?
 Aikido is a great metaphor for conflict management. I think this course has been aptly

chosen and aptly named. To me, this module sets up a better introduction to the course than

Module 1. I learned more about how to transpose the conflicts I encounter into Aikido terms and

then retranslate them back into my workplace conflicts. The Aikido foundation serves as a good

outline for me to follow in my future conflicts. There’s a lot of “redirection” in these concepts.

Take the direct attacks and redirect them to the proper avenues. This is a good module. I

wouldn’t change it.

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?

Spitting out the hook is probably the best skill in this course. I found it’s very easy to get

“hooked” into conflicts in the very first few seconds. It’s a fight or flight response and it’s

important for leaders and individuals to recognize this about themselves and about conflict in

general. Many conflicts can be deescalated or avoided altogether if we take those few seconds to

spit out the hook. It reminds me of what mom used to say before we wanted to say something

angry or hurtful, “Take a deep breath. Now, say what you wanted to say.” Those deep breaths are

just like spitting out the hook. It helps realign our minds and emotions in their proper places.

This quiz and the others were reasonable for the majority of students. I’m a strong

quizzer so they felt very easy to me, but I don’t have any other examples or data on how the

other students fared. Most of the answers felt obvious to me. I would like more questions asking

what’s the best answer rather than a simple “right or wrong” style. Also, choosing the best
responses to a scenario could be a helpful way to apply what we’ve learned throughout the week

to an actual example/story.

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 active listening skills; was learning H.E.A.R. too redundant or was it valuable
to review?

The HEAR model served more as a reminder than a new, innovative skill. I’d guess that

most students (including myself) have had some previous exposure to “active listening”. This

module may have served some benefit to refocus and reenergize students toward active listening.

I don’t think the module was “redundant” per se, but I think more examples and scenarios would

be helpful to identify what active listening actually looks like. I’d say I’m a good listener, but I’ll

be honest, that usually means I’m just good at not talking rather than actively listening to what

other people have to say. The distinction is important. A helpful addition to this module could

include an incentive to explain why we would want to actively listen. Why do I care about what

the other person has to say if I’m “right”?

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?

Burn Clean was the most difficult skill for me. It’s hard for me to express what I want

during a conflict, so this module helped solidify strategies and the why I need to say what I

want/need. I think we often skip the first few steps and go straight to this step during conflicts.

We get hooked and immediately want to defend our position. We start saying what we want and

what we think should happen. More emphasis on this could help students realize the need for the
first two steps. I know I could use more practice in this step and will try to utilize it more in my

future conflict management scenarios.

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?

I like this step. I feel pretty confident in using this model, but I think practice ultimately

makes this skill stronger. The more conflict we encounter, the better we are at managing our

emotions, our listening, our opinions, and how we want to solve the conflict. The best part about

this module is the name: SAY YES. We want to say yes in our conflicts and get to a place where

each party agrees and wants to move forward. It’s easy to say no and focus on negative things,

but the more we say yes, the more opportunity we have in our life and organization for growth

and achievement. In conflict, it’s about moving forward and not just brushing over and covering

the spat. I like this and would emphasize it even more in this module.

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 wish there were more examples for us to identify our best response. Our practice

consisted of using partners who weren’t necessarily invested in conflict management, so the

practicum was potentially subpar. I like hearing stories from others in leadership about their

approach to conflict and how they see the solution amidst the noise of the situation. I took

Socrates, the Super Worker this past summer and the book held several fantastic examples

throughout it of large companies finding ways to boost employees and grow their organization.

We had concrete ways to see how the concepts we learned were applied by others. This class had
fewer of these until the last module. Even reading news stories or something like them would

help immensely.

Lastly, the workload was very manageable. I’m grateful for the consistency across all

modules and the easing into the semester at the very beginning. Sometimes, with these online

courses, professors try to cram a lot of work into the very earliest week and me, as a student, gets

disheartened and behind from the very beginning. Overall, it is a great course, and I would even

encourage adding more reflection/writing to help students process what they’re learning and

seeing in their individual world beyond surface discussion boards. Thanks for preparing and

teaching this course.