That is lamentable and a reason why most people do not want to get involved.īut when conflict is about real business or organisational issues, it deserves our attention. Sometimes conflict is about egos and personalities. Giraffe: Holds the head up high and says: “This is far beneath me…” Tries to bring some lightness to the day, but also gets the group nowhere. Monkey: Fools around, chatters, and prevents the group from concentrating on serious business. Mouse: Timid and does not always speak up. Owl: Looks very solemn and pretends to be very wise, always talking in long words and complicated sentences. Very common with politicians standing for election! Will say one thing to this group and something else to another. I can think of some of our politicians who really are like ostriches at this time.Ĭhameleon: Changes colour according to the people he or she is with. Ostrich: Buries its head in the sand and refuses to face reality or admit there is any problem at all. This sometimes may mean switching quickly to another topic. Rabbit: Runs away as soon as it senses tension, conflict or any unpleasant job. Lion: Gets in and fights whenever others disagree with their plans or interferes with their desires. This helps nobody, because no one is moving. I have a relative or two who fall into this category, and I can think of a few other acquaintances as well.Įlephant: Blocks the way, and stubbornly prevents the group from continuing along the road they desire to go. Find it at: the animal conflict styles, where do you fall?ĭonkey: Very stubborn, and refuses to change his or her point of view. There is a free, age adjusted conflict styles quiz that can be taken online or downloaded for printing from the Peace and Justice Support Network of the Mennonite Church. Have each group perform their skit and the remainder of the class identify the conflict style portrayed. Have each group make up an original skit which illustrates the style assigned to their group.
Privately assign a different conflict style to each group. Having each student make a mask or puppet of a style can be a fun art project.Īnother activity idea: divide the class into five groups. Discuss why this is an appropriate image? What other animals could have been chosen? (NOTE: Wildlife posters, stuffed animals, masks or puppets are all good visual aids. Here's the basic styles and commonly associated animals:Ĭompeting/Forcing (I Take Charge)– Lion or Shark Īccommodating (I Give in)– Chameleon or Teddy Bear Ĭompromising (We Meet Half-Way)– Zebra or Fox Ĭollaborating (We Both Win)– Dolphin or Owl Īctivity Idea: Learn the characteristics of each style and an associated animal image. Exploring these styles is a good activity for a variety of different age groups. Five very different styles for resolving conflict are common, each with it's own preferred approach toward handling conflict.
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