Communication Skills & Conflict Resolution Flashcards

A team member refuses to engage in conflict resolution, saying 'this is just how I am.' A CTC coach's response best demonstrates which coaching competency?

Answer: Exploring the belief with curiosity and connecting it to the member's goals

Coaches explore limiting beliefs by connecting them to the coachee's stated goals, creating internal motivation to shift rather than external pressure.

In a team conflict scenario, 'hot button' triggers refer to:

Answer: Specific words, behaviors, or topics that provoke strong emotional reactions

Hot buttons are personal or cultural triggers that bypass rational processing and escalate conflict intensity quickly.

A coach working with a team uses the 'both/and' framing instead of 'either/or' thinking during a conflict. This is intended to:

Answer: Expand perceived options and reduce polarization

'Both/and' framing is a polarity management tool that treats tensions as ongoing polarities to leverage rather than problems to solve.

A team coach notices that conflict in the team decreases substantially after role clarity workshops. This outcome suggests the conflict was primarily driven by:

Answer: Ambiguous responsibilities creating overlap and competition

Role ambiguity is a structural source of conflict; clarifying responsibilities removes the conditions that generate competition and friction.

Which of the following best describes 'generative dialogue' as a communication approach for teams in conflict?

Answer: A conversation that produces new shared understanding beyond initial viewpoints

Generative dialogue, rooted in David Bohm's work, aims for collective thinking that transcends individual positions and creates new meaning.

A CTC coach is working with two team leads whose conflict has begun to affect their respective sub-teams. The coach's priority should be to:

Answer: Address the dyad conflict while monitoring its ripple effects on the broader system

Team coaching considers the whole system, so addressing the lead dyad while tracking impact on sub-teams reflects systemic awareness.

A team member who consistently uses the 'avoiding' conflict style may cause long-term harm to the team by:

Answer: Allowing unresolved issues to accumulate and resurface as larger crises

Chronic avoidance suppresses issues that fester and typically resurface with greater intensity, damaging trust and team cohesion over time.