The 14 best conflict resolution dynamics

Conflict resolution dynamics pose situations in which either a real conflict or an imaginary one occurs.. Whatever it is, the participants must find a solution, either through reflection or by debating and cooperating.

These activities are usually very fun, involving games that calm the situation generated by a group conflict or that prepare the participants to face tense situations in the future.

Next we will see different conflict resolution dynamics, suitable for all ages, with materials relatively easy to carry out and effective when it comes to fixing problematic situations between people.

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14 recommended conflict resolution dynamics

These are conflict resolution dynamics recommended to apply with groups of people, suitable for all ages, easy to carry out and with very affordable material.

1. steal the flag

The objective of this dynamic of conflict resolution is develop a better decision-making capacity as a team, in addition to making the participants see the need to cooperate.

The time that this activity takes can be highly variable, and there is no limit. The size of the group can be around 25 members and a more or less wide space will be required. Material will be needed something that simulates a flag, such as a pike fixed in a cone.

Steps to follow

The game begins by forming two antagonistic groups: the police and the thieves. The flag is placed inside the field of the policemen, a flag which the thieves have to get.

The idea is that the thieves manage to steal the flag and take it to their field, but without being intercepted by the police. If one is intercepted, the thief goes to jail and the flag returns to its place.

Although simple, with this activity groups can be made to plan strategies to prevent the opponent from winning, cooperating and distracting rivals.

2. piranhas in the river

The idea of ​​this activity is to succeed after resolving a conflicting solution, promoting cooperation and help among group members.

It only takes about 20 minutes since you are working with a medium group of 15 people at most. A large space is required, preferably an outdoor one. We are going to need cloth, chalk, books or other objects.

Steps to follow

The facilitator explains that you have to cross the river without leaving it, that it is delimited by the cloth, the chalk or any other object that could be found. In addition, they have to transport, from one place to another, a series of objects, one on the way there and another, different, on the way back. Each person will be assigned an object, which cannot be carried by the other classmates.

Who gets out of the way should start, right from the beginning, the activity. The activity will end when all the participants have made their way there and back.

At the end, time will be left to discuss how the activity has gone, what strategies have been developed so that everyone could transport things satisfactorily, which objects have cost more to transport and which more difficult.

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3. inflate like balloons

The objective of this activity is learn to calm down in a conflict situation.

It will require at most 15 minutes to carry it out, and it can be done with groups of very different sizes. The space should be large enough for the participants to form a circle.

Steps to follow

The facilitator begins the activity by explaining that when we find ourselves in a conflictive situation, this produces an emotional and also a physiological reaction. The explanation must be adapted to the level and age of the participants.

After this explanation they are told that we are going to inflate ourselves like balloons. First, deep breaths will be taken, standing up with eyes closed. As the lungs fill with air, they will raise their arms. This step is repeated several times, enough so that everyone has learned to do the exercise correctly.

Then they let out the air and begin to pretend to crumple up like balloons, deflating until they fall to the ground. This exercise is repeated several times.

When a few minutes have passed and they have relaxed, they are asked if they think they can do these exercises when they are angry.

It may seem like an ideal activity for children, which it is, but it also works for adults with anger management issues.

4. Barriers to solution

This activity is intended to teach participants to solve a problem, in addition to measure the capacities of the group in the face of a problematic situation and describe alternatives to find the solution.

It lasts approximately one hour and can be done in groups of between 15 or 20 members. It will be a large space and as material it is enough to have a blackboard, sheets of paper and pens.

Steps to follow

Each member of the group is given a sheet of paper to write down the problem that she has recently detected. Leaves are folded and stored in a bag.

In order, each participant will take a sheet from the bag and read it aloud, while another member of the group will write down what has been said on the blackboard. Once all the problems have been written down, one is chosen to solve by voting.

Once the topic has been chosen, they discuss what has happened and, under the chosen topic, on the blackboard, two columns are drawn. In one, the functional forces are noted, that is, advantages or positive aspects of the debated issue, while in the other the dysfunctional forces will be pointed out, that is, disadvantages or aspects negatives.

Once all this has been observed, the plausibility of the problem itself will be discussed, if it can be reformulated into something productive for the group or if it is an issue that must be resolved peacefully through other activities.

5. The referee

The objective of this activity is resolve a conflictive situation among all members of the group while promoting understanding and empathy.

About 40 minutes are required to do this activity, since you are working with large groups of 20 to 30 people. It is especially useful in the classroom, and can be done in class itself. Blackboard, pen and papers will be needed.

Steps to follow

This activity It is ideal to do it when there has been a problematic situation in the classroom that affects the development of the group. The teacher raises the situation in class, which is going to try to be resolved together.

One of the people involved is exposing the situation. If necessary, notes are taken of the facts and the people who have been involved in the blackboard to be able to return to those points later.

As names appear, the teacher will have to encourage the people involved to intervene and explain their point of view. The idea is that jointly and from the different opinions and testimonies a solution is reached.

It should be noted that here the teacher, or the facilitator involved, plays an important role, since he has to lead the debate and encourage the participation of the whole group, or at least of those who have been involved in the incident.

6. role play

This dynamic of conflict resolution aims to represent a situation, real or hypothetical, while developing empathy.

It will take about 30 minutes to carry it out, and you can work with a group of 20 people. The place should be large enough to be able to recreate the situation in question or, if a lot of movement is not required, a place where they can sit in a circle.

Steps to follow

The facilitator will present the conflictive situation, be it one that has really happened in the group or an imaginary one.

If the group size is large and not many people are involved in the actual situation, some volunteers will be asked to come forward.

The idea is that the volunteers will have to change roles, but first they will be given a few minutes to get to know the person they are going to play and put yourself in your role. Ideally, the facilitator has given them the characteristics of the character to be interpreted, orally or in writing.

These volunteers play their role, while the rest of the classmates pay attention and notice what they are doing. When it is finished, a debate is held between those who have changed roles and those who have not, in order to reach a common agreement.

7. Personal motivation

The objective of this dynamic is to demonstrate that each person has different motivations than others. others, in addition to learning to understand the opinion of others, even if it does not coincide with one's same.

This activity lasts about 40 minutes, and can be done in medium-sized groups, up to 30 people. A large place is needed in which two concentric circles can be formed.

Steps to follow

The facilitator will ask 6 or 7 people to volunteer to carry out the activity. In order to follow this step, it is necessary that the group is motivated enough to be able to volunteer.

They are asked to sit in a circle so that they can see each other's faces. Next, the rest of the classmates will form another circle around them.

The person in charge of the activity will introduce a question to be discussed. It must be a conflictive situation that either has happened in the group and that has generated tension or, also, an imaginary situation but that does not leave anyone indifferent.

The volunteers, that is, those who form the inner circle, will discuss this issue. Once the volunteers have finished debating, there will be a great debate with the whole group as a whole.

It is very important that during the course of the debate the facilitator conducts it in the appropriate way, avoiding that the subject is not changed or that there is violence.

At this point, the following questions will be analysed. The first, why volunteers offered to leave and the rest did not. They are asked what their motivation was for the activity.

The second is to ask What did they feel when they saw that their opinion did not coincide with the rest of the classmates?. It is very important to check if there has been respect between the opinions, if they have empathized, if someone has changed her point of view during the activity...

8. fantasy of a conflict

The objective of this activity is for each person to express their own way of resolving a conflict, identifying different strategies and developing a common plan. For this, it will be necessary for those involved to reach a good port, negotiating and respecting each other.

The activity lasts about 60 minutes with groups of between 20 and 25 people. The place where the activity takes place can be the classroom or a space where the participants are seated and can lean on something to write. For materials they will need sheets of paper and pens, as well as a blackboard.

Steps to follow

All the people will sit down. Next, the person in charge of the activity will explain the following situation:

“You are walking down the street and you see, in the distance, someone you think you know. You realize that this person is a person with whom you have many conflicts. As you get closer you get more nervous because you don't know how to react when you run into her. You can think of a few alternatives... decide now which one you choose and take a few minutes to recreate, in your imagination, what would happen."

After a while, the facilitator returns with these words:

“It's over, that person is gone. What do you feel? Are you satisfied with the way you have behaved?”

Participants are allowed 15-20 minutes to reflect on the alternatives they considered for action., which one they chose, what motivated them to choose it and how satisfied they feel.

A few minutes are allowed for groups of 3 people to discuss the activity. One participant from each group will act as spokesperson for the whole group discussion.

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9. The Yes and the No

This dynamic is aimed at promote rapprochement between different positions on a topic and encourage flexibility of opinions.

It will take about 40 minutes to carry out this activity, and you will work with groups of about 30 people. The space can be a classroom or a large place where the participants can move around. Material will be needed two large cardboard, in which a "YES" is written on one and a "NO" on the other.

Steps to follow

The "YES" and "NO" cards are placed in the classroom, facing each other. It is very important that, in order to ensure that there is free movement in the classroom or in the space that, there are no objects in between.

All participants are placed in the center of the space. The facilitator will say a statement and each person must go to a point in the classroom, depending on whether or not they agree with the phrase that has been said.

When the people are already situated, they should say, one by one, the reasons why they have gone to "YES" or "NO", arguing them.

The facilitator says another sentence again and the participants go back to where the cards are, according to their point of view.

10. spider web

This activity aims to resolve a conflict in a group, while promoting trust and cooperation among its members.

The activity lasts about 20 minutes, and the group must be small, about 15 people maximum. The ideal age to work with is from 12 years old.

It is necessary that it be done outdoors, in a place where there are posts or trees where to put the spider web, made with a long enough rope.

Steps to follow

First, the group is explained what the activity consists of, which is to cross from one side of the spider web to the other, without touching or moving it.

When all the members of the group have been able to pass to one side, they will discuss and analyze how the activity has developed.. That is, they will be asked what cooperation and help mechanisms they have formed, how they have felt throughout the activity, if they believed they were going to achieve it...

To complicate the activity a bit, you can set a time limit to carry out the activity, depending on the number of members that the group has, or also tell them that they are not allowed to speak, that they must communicate through gestures.

11. turn the sheet

The objective of this dynamic is to work among colleagues, collaborating. Besides, the facilitator will seek to stimulate the search for solutions in the face of a new conflictive situation.

The time needed to carry out this activity is about 45 minutes, although you work with a small group of between 10 and 15 people. It will be done in a large space, preferably outdoors. As its name indicates, a large sheet will be needed.

Steps to follow

The person in charge of the activity will put the sheet on the floor and ask all the participants to stand on top of it.. They should occupy half the space.

When they are settled, it will be explained to them that they must all turn the sheet around, without anyone getting off the sheet, but they must not step on the floor either.

Once the action has elapsed, a debate will be promoted in which the strategies that have led out the members of the group, how they have come to turn the sheet, if they have needed to change the plan original...

12. my personal map

With this dynamic of conflict resolution, it is intended make participants differentiate between subjective and personal elements that appear in the course of a problematic situation, in addition to promoting creativity.

It takes at most one hour and you can work with groups of 30 people. The place must be a wide space. Material will need photocopies, images or photos.

Each participant is given an identical sheet of a photograph, newspaper clipping, or any image. They are then asked to look at it and draw what that image suggests to them.

Once everyone has done it on a separate sheet, each one will show her drawing, explaining that she has moved them to draw it that way. Meanwhile, the facilitator is pointing out the different ways of seeing that photograph that the participants have had.

After everyone has explained their interpretations, they discuss and reflect on the results, making them understand that everyone has their own way of seeing things.

13. The escuadron

The objective of this activity is to develop creativity while encouraging teamwork and intergroup communication.

Time is unlimited and you can work with a group of 25 people. The space must be wide, and materials will be needed A4 sheets and a ring of 50 cm in diameter. Steps to follow:

Groups of 3 to 5 people will be formed and the papers will be given to them. The idea is that they have to use these papers to make a ship or plane that, when thrown, manages to fly until it goes through a ring located at a height suitable for the age of the participants.

Each group passes the test if they get their ship through the hoop, having three attempts for each group. ANDThese attempts cannot be consecutive, that is, touch one attempt per group in each turnThis is how everyone gets to participate.

14. cooperative chairs

With this dynamic it is intended encourage cooperation among group members while they are solving a problem situation together.

It takes about 20 minutes to do the activity, working with a medium group of about 15 people, although you can work with larger groups but requiring a little more time.

Since we are going to make a large circle of chairs, we are going to need a wide place. Regarding the materials, we need a chair for each participant, some device to play music and that is set to a sufficient volume.

Steps to follow

The activity itself is a version of the classic chair game.. The chairs will be placed forming a circle with the seats facing towards them, that is, that the faces are seen.

The music plays, and when it stops, everyone must sit down. In the next round, a chair is removed, and the same as in the first is done again. Nobody can stay standing. But since there are no chairs, there will always be someone who will remain standing.

The funny thing is that, since no one can stay standing, they have to debate who gets the coveted free chair. As more chairs are missing, the more difficult it will be to find a solution together. The game ends when it is impossible for everyone to sit down.

The important thing about the activity is that everyone helps each other, and that no one is discriminated against. The idea that they can extract from the dynamics is that no matter how we are, we can all be victims of some lack.

Bibliographic references:

• Kreidler, W. J. (2017). Creative conflict resolution. Recovered from http://centroderecursos.educarchile.cl/bitstream/handle/20.500.12246/1157/201103.OEI%20La_resolucion_creativa_de_conflictos.pdf? sequence=1.