CTC Communication Skills & Conflict Resolution 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CTC coach working with a team in conflict avoids taking sides and instead focuses on the process of dialogue. This role is best described as:
- Arbitrator
- Mediator (Correct answer)
- Advocate
- Evaluator
Correct answer: Mediator
A mediator is a neutral facilitator of dialogue who does not impose decisions or advocate for either party.
Question 2: The 'ladder of inference' model is most useful in conflict coaching because it helps team members:
- Develop persuasion strategies against opponents
- Trace how assumptions escalate into conclusions and actions (Correct answer)
- Document conflict history for formal review
- Rank conflicts by organizational impact
Correct answer: Trace how assumptions escalate into conclusions and actions
The ladder of inference shows how people move from raw data to beliefs and actions, often skipping steps that fuel misunderstanding.
Question 3: A team coach encourages members to express their 'underlying interests' rather than their 'positions' during a dispute. This approach is central to:
- Positional bargaining
- Interest-based negotiation (Correct answer)
- Distributive conflict resolution
- Authoritative decision-making
Correct answer: Interest-based negotiation
Interest-based negotiation, associated with the Harvard Negotiation Project, focuses on underlying needs rather than stated positions.
Question 4: When coaching a team through interpersonal conflict, which question best helps members develop empathy for each other?
- Who is responsible for this situation?
- What outcome do you need from this conflict?
- What might the other person be feeling and why? (Correct answer)
- How long has this conflict been going on?
Correct answer: What might the other person be feeling and why?
Perspective-taking questions build empathy by directing attention to the other party's emotional experience.
Question 5: A team member repeatedly uses 'you always' and 'you never' statements during a conflict discussion. A coach intervenes by coaching the member to use:
- Stronger declarative statements for clarity
- Specific behavioral observations with 'I' statements (Correct answer)
- Third-party quotes to support their position
- Written summaries instead of verbal communication
Correct answer: Specific behavioral observations with 'I' statements
Replacing generalized 'you' accusations with specific 'I' statements reduces defensiveness and focuses on observable behavior.
Question 6: In team coaching, 'psychological safety' most directly supports conflict resolution by:
- Guaranteeing that no team member will be penalized for any action
- Allowing members to raise concerns and disagreements without fear of reprisal (Correct answer)
- Ensuring conflict is always resolved in favor of the team's majority
- Protecting team members from all organizational pressures
Correct answer: Allowing members to raise concerns and disagreements without fear of reprisal
Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, enables honest communication of concerns without fear of negative consequences.
Question 7: A coach helps a team recognize that their conflict has a 'pattern of escalation.' The most effective first step is to:
- Separate the conflicting parties permanently
- Map the pattern together so the team can interrupt it consciously (Correct answer)
- Identify who started the escalation cycle
- Reduce team contact to prevent further escalation
Correct answer: Map the pattern together so the team can interrupt it consciously
Making the pattern visible to the team creates shared awareness, which is prerequisite to changing the dynamic.
CTC Communication Skills & Conflict Resolution 3
A CTC coach working with a team in conflict avoids taking sides and instead focuses on the process of dialogue.
This role is best described as: