Conflict and Community

The presentation of "Conflict and Community," went very well and the somewhat taboo subject of "conflict" within a community/workplace was introduced in a workable and realistic manner. The pacing was appropriate and the balance between personal stories, dialogues and giving of information was enough to hold the audience’s interest, which in turn led to the buzz within the Lab Groups being constant and full of inquiry and energy. The over arching message of “conflict is necessary for collaboration” was put out there and introduced, and can easily be referred to in further meetings. Two more of the 7 Norms were also mentioned – Providing Data and Putting Ideas on the Table (third point / three way communication) Although there were instances where the presenters could have paraphrased, we felt that there was not a need to, as the feedback after the dialogue regarding the three quotes and first impressions, was quite clear and obvious. We were therefore trying to avoid “parrot-phrasing,” and keep the momentum of the meeting going at an appropriate pace. On a personal note, we worked really well and efficiently as presenters (no conflict!) and if one thing were to change, maybe we could consider utilizing a classroom for future presentations, where the IT resources and banners etc. could easily be accessible and seen?