Managing Conflict and Negotiation

Conflict is a part of life. But well-managed conflict can produce benefits and positive changes, both in productivity and relationships. Communication skills, specifically the ability to communicate assertively, are among the best skills to acquire for dealing effectively with the demands of people in conflict with us, whether they are employees, colleagues, our managers or our clients. In the workplace, whether we are in a position of authority or not, we need to manage our interactions with people. We need to know what power is and how to use it: to negotiate, to express our ideas clearly so people will listen to us, even if they don’t agree with us; to stand up for our convictions, even when they are unpopular; and to deal with the emotions created by situations of conflict. At this workshop you will practice what you learn to enable you to apply the skills more readily when you return to your workplace. You are encouraged to bring examples of situations you would like to resolve.

Whether you’re delivering bad news, giving a negative performance evaluation, challenging a colleague or client, objecting to additional workload, presenting options in the midst of a crisis, or simply letting people know that the direction on a certain project is changing — communicating difficult subject matter can be an emotionally charged event. Understandably, many people would do anything to avoid that situation. Yet avoiding critical and difficult conversations or mishandling them can result in many negative consequences. Learn how being assertive, open, honest and fair in your critical conversations, and fostering others to do the same, can develop alignment and agreement within your organization. Encouraging open and honest dialogues around important, emotional, or risky topics – at any level – can significantly reduce and resolve conflict, nurture relationships and boost productivity and efficiency. This workshop is designed to help individuals, teams and organizations improve the way they approach their critical conversations, with confidence, and manage the conversation skillfully so that feelings are spared and the organization’s best interests are kept front and center.

Learning how to deal with difficult people at work starts with better judgment: What is actually happening, what work standard is being strained, and what response fits your role? When difficult behaviour is left unclear, teams start working around it, participation drops, decisions slow down, and time is lost to avoidable friction. This course helps participants recognize repeated behaviour patterns, assess the impact on the work, and decide whether a direct conversation, raising the concern, or a pause-and-consult approach is the right next step. Participants leave with practical language for resetting expectations clearly and fairly, helping teams reduce workarounds, protect follow-through, and keep the work moving.

Most professionals don’t think of their day as a negotiation, but it is. Every time priorities compete, deadlines shift, scope expands, or expectations are not fully aligned, a decision has to be made. When handled with a soft yes, rushed compromise, or unclear commitment, the impact often shows up later as rework, missed handoffs, strained relationships, and avoidable escalation. Designed for Canada’s public, private, and non-profit sectors, this practical workplace negotiation course focuses on the everyday decisions that shape how work gets done. Using PMC Training’s MOVE framework, participants learn to define the outcome they need to protect, understand what may be driving the other side, identify realistic trade-offs, and build clear if/then agreements that prevent one-sided concessions. Through practical scenarios involving competing priorities, timeline pressure, changing requirements, and pushback, participants develop the judgment to respond deliberately instead of reacting. They leave better prepared to create clearer agreements, reduce rework, improve accountability, and support consistent follow-through across teams.

It’s easy to forget the “manager” part of your “project manager” title among the other range of activities you are responsible for. However, your management skills are an important part of your success as a project manager, so it is crucial that you grow both of those skill sets. There are also some advanced project management techniques that you can master to help bring your projects to successful completion. This workshop presumes that participants have a thorough understanding of project management, including topics such as preparing a statement of work, setting project goals, scheduling, budgeting, managing project risks, and executing a project.

While many companies promise to deliver an incredible customer experience, some are better at delivering than others. This two-day course is designed around six critical elements of customer service that, when the company lives them, bring customers back to experience service that outdoes the competition.

This 2-day program equips experienced sales professionals with the tools and frameworks to approach negotiations strategically, handle challenges effectively, and drive better outcomes. Participants will develop a structured approach to preparing, guiding, and closing negotiations while maintaining strong client relationships and profit margins.

Your organization’s success depends on the professionalism of its customer service people. Do you know how to deal effectively with difficult or angry customers? Can you confidently turn a negative situation into a positive one? Do you always create a good first impression? Do you build rapport effortlessly with your customers? This workshop will help you become a model of professional behaviour and skill. You’ll develop a system for staying calm, motivated and enthusiastic regardless of pressures and problems. Learn techniques for dealing effectively with angry or difficult customers, and for being creative in dealing with challenges and the unexpected.