Customer Reviews

The Conflict and Communication Activity Book: 30 High-Impact Training Exercises for Adult Learners

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The "Conflict and Communication Activity Book" is an excellent resource for trainers and facilitators in any organization. I particularly liked how Withers and Lewis formatted the book, defining up front the purpose as well as the equipment, prep and time needed for each specific exercise. The clear instructions and helpful advice provided for each activity make them a breeze for any professional to use. Well done!! As I read through it the first time, I found myself book-marking several of the activities to make a point of trying in the near future. I long ago arrived at the conclusion that no organization will EVER stop dealing with conflict and communication issues. They're universal. Thanks for giving me thirty more creative exercises to include in my bag of tricks!!

I recommend this book to people using experiential exercises to teach. I used one of the exercises from this book in a workshop and the students both had fun and got the insights. I have read many of the exercises and plan to use them as I develop workshops that center around conflict. In any case, the exercises are well designed. You'll get the purpose of the exercise and what it's intended to teach, equipment needed (e.g. handout or flipchart), precise directions for the students, what to expect, and insights to share for group learning. The book errs on giving you more information that you probably need to carry out the exercise.

I was expecting more concentration on verbal, non verbal skills used in communication and conflict between the parties involved rather than puzzles, centering, diversity, and teamwork, although I realize all those could be involved in the title mentioned. There were a few that focused on the actual dialogue that I did find helpful. Also, many involved anywhere from an hour to a full day's participation. In my 4-12-hour presentations, I am looking for shorter, such as 15-30 or 45-minute activities to emphasize points I have made and let the attendees actually particpate using those. It is easy to hear someone say something works; much harder to "do it yourself." I think activities are important in training sessions and rely on them a great deal for a total integration of the subject matter and diversion of presentation, but most of the ones in the book were way too long and not on the points I needed.

I have bought many books with hundreds of business games. Unlike the rest of the books I have read, it goes beyond the games, it gives you not only the materials and explanation on how it works but tells you what you may say and the theory behind the game. It also has different options for putting your own agenda depending on the time you have available and give you external resources.

If you want something practical and useful, this is the one

I looked at a lot of books before I ordered this one from Amazon, and I'm glad I did. The training exercises are great and exactly what I needed to complement my planned training. The exercises are well explained, interesting, and provocative. The only thing I'd add is that as an HR professional, I'd make some slight changes to one or two exercises to not focus on physical characteristics.

Worth the investment and a great source even if you're just looking for icebreakers for other types of training.

The book is well written and nicely printed and bound; however the content is rather bland. Perhaps I misunderstand, but in my experience most people are pretty well versed in understanding the need for communication in conflict. I just don't get it. I am actually pretty good at conflict resolution but still find some situations challenging which is why I continue to read to find alternatives. If Gandhi had used this book India would still be under British rule.

Conflicts are often pretty easy to resolve IF the parties want to communicate and this book does not really address that.

Make no mistake, this book is full of 30 great activities, covering various topics pertinent to communication, including cultural diversity, sending effective emails, using body language and much more. The book includes short sessions and full-day workshops, designed and written thoroughly, so that an individual or group could facilitate a communication workshop almost instantly! Having been to a lot of professional development workshops, I have to say that the activities in this collection are original, thought provoking and relatively easy to reproduce.
It seems as though the intended audience for this book is adults, and more specifically adults who work together, but most activities could be adapted to multiple audiences with little effort. When I purchased this, I was looking for communication exercises for teenagers, and found that the material, while not wholly appropriate for that age group, was still very relevant. I especially liked the "Drawing a House" exercise, where partners have to draw a house without speaking and then explain how they communicated and why they chose to work together as they did. It seemed really eye-opening for young people who had probably never considered whether the way they work with others is a more dominant, cooperative or submissive communication style.
Not only is this book great because of the sheer number of communication activities it holds, but also because it is thorough: The back third of the book includes handouts and flipchart models related to the book's activities. It also has a brief section on creative ways to break into groups to eliminate the time and hassle of partnering up randomly, or the gym class regiment of counting-off. This is a handy resource for the bookshelf of an educator, a human resources manager, a diversity trainer, or any other person who regularly works to help personalities mesh in the workplace and beyond.

Excellent book with valuable exercises for classroom experiences. I recommend this book to help design communication and leadership curriculums.

I work in a former refugee community in Northern Uganda with returning child soldiers and was looking for some simple conflict resolution activities I could adapt to this population. Because it is a pretty remote location, I need activities that require very little in the way of materials. This book provided a number of excellent training workshops that were understandable even in this very different population. I really liked it.

The exercises are easy to follow and communicate a lot about conflict and communication. It is a very good resource for use with adults and children.