Online Conflict Coaching Training
 An Introduction to the Philosophies, Principles, Skills and Practices of the CAOS Model of Conflict Coaching

Our 6-session online conflict coaching training is an interactive programme via Zoom, held weekly and covering the origins, skills, 'thinking' and practices of the CAOS Model of Conflict Coaching. 

Because it is held via Zoom, international attendees are welcome and have made up a large proportion of attendees on our previous courses.

Conflict coaching provides 1-1 support for people experiencing difficulties in any area of human interaction whether it is:

• At work with clients
• At work with colleagues/team members/managers
• In the family with partners, parents, siblings, children
• In the community with neighbours, friends
• With organisations that we have a complaint about and we struggle to pursue it effectively

The main source of stress in such situations is first and foremost not feeling listened to, and many approaches to 'listening' even by those supposedly 'trained to listen' are not always experienced as effective. 

But often it is also the day-to-day consequences of such conflicts remaining unresolved that are the most intense cause of stress rather than just the original issue itself. 

• Worry about a future at work
• Concerns about career progression
• Fears about future relationships with partners, ex-partners, particularly where children are involved, with parents, children, grandparents etc. How that will affect our peace of mind if the issue continues. How it might affect relations within the family in the present and future.
• Concerns about future living in our community if we have a difficulty with someone who also lives there.
• Difficulties in friendship groups if we have fallen out with someone else in the group
• Concerns about feeling bullied or being accused of bullying and how to address such issues for the future. 

All such issues will often not be recognised as the 'below the surface' consequences of our falling out with someone, and so others may offer us a 'fix' without understanding the depth of the emotional, practical and lifestyle challenge of the issue we are experiencing. 

Conflict Coaching first and foremost ensures a thorough listening to the person having a session. A reflective and, eventually, creative 'space' is provided in which they can fully explore the issue and its deeper and most relevant consequences and create a more acceptable future for themselves that recognises their fears about these wider consequences.  

Often, these emotional and circumstantial issues may not always have time to be shared with anyone and thus remain 'festering' underneath our day-to-day living challenges, or perhaps they remain unacknowledged until able to be 'put out on the table' to look at and recognise.

Conflict coaching provides the listening space in which this is possible. 

This Introductory Online Conflict Coaching Course gives an insight into the skills, practices, underlying ethos and practical principles of the CAOS Model of Conflict Coaching that support this being possible. 

As much direct practice of the skills as possible is provided within this reduced length course in order to take it beyond being a didactic 'lecture format' course into an experiential course, giving an insight into both the model itself and a taste of what the full 5-day course would involve, should attendees wish to progress on to that. 

Our 5-day course is the most comprehensive training in Conflict Coaching skills in the UK and trains you in the longest standing model, originally used in the first publicly available conflict coaching service which started in 2008 in London in the UK.

Please note: It is NOT required that you have a background in mediation or other practices such as therapy or counselling in order to attend this course, or to attend our 5-day full training course. 

Our next online course is starting in January 2025 and is being held on the following dates and times: 

Thursday 23rd January 2025 through to Thursday 27th February 

All sessions are from 6.30pm - 8.30pm UK time (London)

Fee: £330 for 12 hrs Session time plus optional 6 hours Review Forum time. See below for more details

Please register your interest in attending future courses using the form below.

Please read the details, terms and conditions and send us your booking after providing the relevant information.

If there are places on our next course we will send you the payment details in order to confirm your place.

What kind of situations can conflict coaching help with?

Check out this 2min video to see the wide variety of situations it has already helped with....

Are you from outside the UK? 

Please note that our Online Conflict Coaching Training Course is available to International Attendees via the 'magic' of Zoom and we have already had interest from Australia, China, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Nigeria and attendees from the Netherlands, USA and Canada. 

Online Conflict Coaching Skills Training (CAOS Model)

This Conflict Coaching model, 'The CAOS Model', derived from a related model of mediation, was developed and pioneered as the first ‘stand-alone’ conflict coaching service in the UK, and made available to the general public in London in 2008. 

Each weekly session of this online conflict coaching training course will be for 2 hours but attendees are asked to allow up to 2hrs 15mins because of the interactive nature of the programme sometimes leading to exploration requiring run-over. 

There will also be a free 1hr Review Forum available a few days after each session to allow for reflection, questions and discussion between participants if requested by course attendees.

Review Forums will not introduce new content but will focus on the preceding week's session to allow for questions and clarifications that may have arisen subsequent to attendance.

Review Forum attendance is not required in order to receive the course completion certificate but is highly recommended as an additional space for development of understanding of the topic and discussion of any session assignments that are provided for attendees to reflect more deeply on the content. 

Sessions will be for a maximum of 6 participants. 

Course sessions and Review Forums may sometimes be recorded for participants who are unable to attend to catch up. 

Attendees of the online conflict coaching training course will also be able to join the LinkedIn group – CAOS Conflict Coaching and Mediation Support Group – to continue practice related discussions with other members of the CAOS Learning Community of Mediation and Conflict Coaching Practitioners. 

"The online conflict coaching training was a massive success for me. I learned a tool through which I can support my clients.

I love the CAOS model simplicity and ease to use. On the other hand, it challenges me and requires a lot of self-reflection.

Alan is an inspiring instructor who demonstrated all the CAOS principles. Therefore, it was easy to learn from him. He gave a lot of practical examples and answered all questions.

Sessions were well structured. I’d do it again. Highly recommend it!"

Diana Vermeul (Mosonyi) – Organizational Ombuds, Mediator, who attended our February/March 2021 course.

Dear Alan,

I wanted to say thanks for the Online Conflict Coaching training course.  I enjoyed it and actually used it in a community case for a mediation service for whom I volunteer – with some great results!

It was a neighbourhood dispute where the complainant was the one reluctant to do a joint meeting. 

I just applied what we learnt in conflict coaching - a couple of 1:1 meetings with them and bingo … issues ceased.  Been ok for three or so weeks now and the complainant said to me yesterday “we have come so far in such a short time.”  WOW! This had been an issue for 4 years with many complaints to the housing provider! 

Tracy Weight who attended the first run-through of our online conflict coaching training course in July/August 2020

*********

What aspects of the course worked well for you? Why?

The practices in breakout groups and in the whole group. I really love the principles not prescribed method approach, and found the referring back to the principles (and the reasoning behind the principles) throughout really helpful. 

I would have struggled to attend in London in person because of family commitments, having an online session suddenly made this accessible to me. I realise it’s a pared down version of the face to face but it was still very valuable.

The Thursday sessions were useful for the wider context, having Suzy give snippets about her work was really inspiring.

Would you recommend the course to other people?  
Absolutely

Kim Balmer - MESH - Mediation Sheffield

Check out this article 'What IS Conflict Coaching' to find out how this approach to conflict coaching was originally developed in West London, UK in 2008/2009.

You might also want to watch this video that is used for clients to gain an initial understanding of the process:

When is the next online conflict coaching training course?

Please contact us using the link below to find out if there are places available on our next course. 

The dates of our next course are:

Thursday 23rd January 2025 through to Thursday 27th February 2025 (6 x 2hr sessions)

All sessions are from 6.30pm - 8.30pm (UK - London time) with an optional  1 hour Review Forum during the intervening week if requested by participants.

If you attend this online course you are entitled to a £300 discount on our original 5-day CAOS Model Conflict Coaching Training Course.

Online Conflict Coaching Training via Zoom  Session Themes and Content:

Session 1 

How do YOU see/experience 'conflict'? How does Conflict Coaching (CAOS Model) look at it? How is conflict responded to ineffectively and what are the features of an effectively resolved conflict - ‘The 3 Cheers for Conflict’?

Session 2 

Why the CAOS model of Conflict Coaching is a ‘stand-alone’ process designed for use by individuals wanting to work one-to-one with a Conflict Coach to reconsider how they are responding to their conflict situation(s).

Unlike many approaches to conflict coaching it is not constrained to being an adjunct to mediation but alongside particular considerations this is also a role it can play. 

Conflict Coaching as a ‘creativity supporting’ process. 

Session 3 

The Principles and Underlying Philosophies of the CAOS Model and how they provide a framework to inform Conflict Coaching practice.

Why Conflict Coaching is offered for a maximum of 3 sessions. 

Session 4 

Practising Conflict Coaching (1) – an introduction to the communication skills of listening and summarising as used in the model. 

Participants are encouraged to find ‘guinea pig’ clients to practise with after this session is completed. 

Why practices such as ‘reframing’ and ‘body-language interpretation’ are NOT included in the process. 

Session 5 

Practising Conflict Coaching (2) – an introduction to the use of open questions as used in the CAOS model. Alongside listening and summarising introduced in Session 4 this covers the communication skills used in the process. Again, participants are encouraged to find 'guinea pig' clients to practise the skills with beyond the session. 

The challenge for all practitioners is to maintain the discipline of the practice via reference to the Principles and Underlying Philosophies and not digress into fixing – the most common challenge that all mediators and conflict coaches face, and yet often do not acknowledge where it is happening.

For Conflict Coaching to be supportive of clients experiencing unresolved conflict this discipline and self-awareness or 'mindfulness' is essential if the process is to offer any realistic support. 

Session 6

Offering and providing Conflict Coaching, practical challenges, playful opportunities. 

Exploring the flexibility of the approach in terms of where and how it is provided. 

Looking at the many different ways in which clients may express their conflict challenges and how the model supports that possibility. Eg. Images, physical models, mind maps, social media exchanges etc.

Participation in the full 5-day training course. 

The CAOS Online Conflict Coaching Training Course Structure and Learning Approach 

Sessions will be interactive throughout to promote discussion of content and connection with other attendees. Further questions can be raised between sessions at Review Forums and other questions and discussions can take place via the CAOS Conflict Coaching Support Group on LinkedIn – a private group for CAOS-trained practitioners.

Sometimes snippets of questions from Review Forums may be shared in the LinkedIn group for wider discussion.

Some questions you may have about the CAOS Online Conflict Coaching Training Course….

Is it possible to attend individual sessions rather than the whole course?

No, the aim of the course is to develop a group of co-learners who may choose to continue to support/interact with each other beyond the course finishing. CAOS has a strong learning community of mediation and conflict coaching practitioners which course attendees will be able to join beyond the course (and interact with during the course via the LinkedIn group)

Is there a Course Certificate?

Yes, you will be sent a course completion certificate at the end of the course to say you have attended our Introductory Online Conflict Coaching Training Course.

How do I go on to attend the full 5-day CAOS Conflict Coaching Training Course?

All attendees will be entitled to a discounted rate attendance at the full 5-day CAOS Conflict Coaching Training course if taken up within one year of attending the online course.

This Introductory course gives a taster of many of the aspects of the full course.

If you attend this online course you are entitled to a £200 discount on our original 5-day CAOS Model Conflict Coaching Training Course.

How much is the course?

The course fee is £330

If two places or more are booked and paid for together then a reduction of 10% is applied. 

How do I book?

Download this booking form for your online conflict coaching training registration. Please read the terms and conditions, fill in your details and send a scan of it back to us. We will then notify you if there are places available on our next course and send payment details. 

Our 5-day course is the most comprehensive training in Conflict Coaching skills in the UK and trains you in the longest standing model, originally used in the first publicly available conflict coaching service which started in 2008 in London in the UK. 

Some testimonials from people who attended the 5-day Conflict Coaching training course: 

"I would highly recommend this training course to anyone wishing to train as a Conflict Coach. For me this was more than just a training course. It involved much self-reflection and open-mindedness and I felt inspired and energised throughout. What struck me most was the utter simplicity of the technique and then how very challenging that is to put into practice. I felt I was unlearning certain habits or methods I had previously used, as well as adding new skills to my tool box along the way. Alan is an inspiring teacher. The way he runs the sessions is so natural and relaxed whilst at the same time packed with information, examples, exercises, discussion and challenges to yourself. If you're thinking about doing this training, just do it! You'll be pleased you did." Marcelle Samuels, HR Manager at Global Journey and now also a Conflict Coach.

"I have found the course totally absorbing and interesting on many levels. As a senior manager in a local authority there are many useful insights that I have gained about my own personal approaches to conflict. As a trained mediator the skills taught on the course have definitely enhanced my practice" - Tim Branson, Senior Social Work Manager, Bournemouth. 

"I’m a teacher specialising in working with challenged and challenging young people. Over the past few months I have been getting good results from quietly putting into practice the underlying philosophies of CAOS in everyday interactions with students (rather than in explicitly conflict coaching sessions).

Many of the young people I deal with are vulnerable in various ways, and most have grown used to being the subject of interventions. The experience of being gently given ownership and empowerment can – once trust has developed – bring massive increases in how and what they communicate.

Impartiality and a no-blame approach add another dimension in building what to the young people can be novel working relationships. And consistently working towards an adult-to-adult dialogue, even with those in their early teens, can develop confidence and self-worth.

Students who were reluctant to engage, or who displayed inappropriate behaviour when given an opportunity to express themselves, have developed communication skills far beyond what others around them expected. 

The conversational topics can be startling, too: the CAOS philosophies have supported me to develop dialogues about how young people feel after a violent outburst, what they really think about difficult relationships, or the actual roots of school refusal. I know that sometimes my colleagues can be uneasy about tackling such difficult conversations, but, as in a conflict coaching session, leaving the other person to lead the way is rarely risky and offers massive dividends." -Clive Osborne, Special Educational Needs/Disability Practitioner