Conflict & Cultural Differences: Tools for Greater Effectiveness

Cliff Jones, Senior Consultant, Nonprofit Association of Oregon

Teri Pierson, Facilitator, Trainer & Mediator

Many of us struggle with conflict across cultural differences in our interpersonal relationships and within our organizations. Common-sense approaches to resolving conflict often fail because the person(s) with whom we have conflict does not share the same beliefs and expectations about how conflict is best handled. Despite our best intentions, we may find ourselves stuck and confused and inadvertently make the conflict worse. Each attempt to fix the problem “digs the hole deeper.” We may walk away with impaired capacity to communicate and work together.

This training is an opportunity to build skills that will enable you to move from well-meaning—but often ineffective—approaches to more flexible, thoughtful, responsive, and productive approaches.

We’ll utilize an exciting framework and curriculum to share concrete tools for increasing your ability to manage and resolve cultural-based conflict. Together, we will:

• Learn five strategies for working effectively across cultural differences
• Delve into a case example using gender—a familiar, yet complex, aspect of culture
• Practice applying these strategies to your own real-life examples of intercultural conflict

This workshop provides an opportunity to increase your ability to assist yourself and others in both thinking and acting. Learn how to move beyond the framework of a sole, objective reality to the perspective of understanding multiple valid realities—and the more accurate analysis this provides for making meaning of complex human interactions.

About the Presenters

Cliff Jones is a human rights activist with over 30 years’ experience in social services, community education, and human rights advocacy. He has experience as a frontline staff, supervisor, project manager, and executive director. He is co-founder of Tools for Diversity, a comprehensive curriculum led by a multi-cultural team that addresses problems caused by discrimination and prejudice and supports building culturally competent organizations.

Cliff has served on the Boards of McKenzie River Gathering Foundation, Funding Exchange Foundation, Oregon Minority AIDS Coalition, Multnomah Legal Service Workers Union, and Peer Counseling Community. He has been a trainer for the Black Leadership and Community Development Institute and is a recipient of Nordstrom’s Cultural Diversity Community Service Award.

Teri Pierson is a facilitator, mediator, and trainer in private practice and the Facilitation Program Coordinator at Resolutions Northwest. She is a member of the new Northwest Collaborative for Mindful Facilitation and a volunteer facilitator for inter-group dialogues on race with Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Relations. Teri has trained on topics including mindful facilitation of intercultural conflict, race and mediation, and interrupting oppression. Her graduate studies focused on intercultural conflict resolution and included an internship with NAO to develop training materials for this topic.

Preparation

Please take a moment to reflect in advance about one or two examples of conflicts related to cultural differences that you have struggled with. Cultural differences could include—race, class, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, and age, as well as differences in politics, profession, generation, region, urban/rural, and similar areas of difference.

Participant Comments

"It was great! Thought-provoking, powerful, yet gentle."

"I enjoyed the emphasis on how cultural barriers affect us daily. Good balance of information and activities; multiple images of culture were very helpful."

"No real expectations coming in, but found this much more dynamic and interesting on gender/communication conflict than I've previously attended."

" I will apply this info in the workplace, in doing the work of our organization, and personally."

"The pocket reference is gold!"

Additional Information

Event fee includes continental breakfast.

If you are registering offline, please indicate on your registration form if you would also like to purchase one of the lunch options.