Conflict Management Skills 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which skill involves setting and enforcing ground rules at the beginning of a conflict resolution session?
- Spontaneous facilitation
- Process structuring (Correct answer)
- Reactive management
- Agenda avoidance
Correct answer: Process structuring
Process structuring establishes a safe, predictable environment that helps parties engage more productively.
Question 2: A mediator summarizes the key points of agreement at the end of each session. This skill is called:
- Session recapping (Correct answer)
- Premature closure
- Agreement manufacturing
- Positional reinforcement
Correct answer: Session recapping
Session recapping consolidates progress, ensures shared understanding, and builds momentum toward a final resolution.
Question 3: Which skill helps a conflict manager distinguish between a party's position (what they demand) and their interest (why they want it)?
- Position-interest analysis (Correct answer)
- Demand escalation
- Positional bargaining
- Competitive framing
Correct answer: Position-interest analysis
Position-interest analysis uncovers the underlying motivations that, when addressed, enable integrative agreements.
Question 4: When a conflict manager keeps parties focused on the future rather than relitigating past grievances, this demonstrates:
- Temporal reframing toward solutions (Correct answer)
- Historical suppression
- Blame deflection
- Avoidant facilitation
Correct answer: Temporal reframing toward solutions
Focusing on future solutions prevents unproductive cycles of blame and keeps conversations action-oriented.
Question 5: Which skill requires the ability to manage multiple parties' emotions simultaneously in a group conflict?
- Single-party counseling
- Multi-party emotional management (Correct answer)
- Sequential listening only
- Group suppression
Correct answer: Multi-party emotional management
Managing emotions across multiple stakeholders prevents one party's reaction from derailing the entire process.
Question 6: A conflict resolver helps parties evaluate each proposed solution against their shared criteria before choosing one. This is an example of:
- Arbitrary decision-making
- Criteria-based evaluation (Correct answer)
- Random selection
- Authority-imposed choice
Correct answer: Criteria-based evaluation
Criteria-based evaluation ensures the chosen solution is measured against agreed standards, increasing buy-in from all parties.
Question 7: Which skill involves checking in with parties after a resolution to ensure the agreement is being honored?
- Surveillance monitoring
- Follow-up and accountability (Correct answer)
- Re-escalation review
- Punitive auditing
Correct answer: Follow-up and accountability
Follow-up reinforces commitments, identifies implementation challenges early, and signals that the resolution process is ongoing.
Which skill involves setting and enforcing ground rules at the beginning of a conflict resolution session?