A three lesson exercise for learning negotiation skills

The conflict resolution simulation

Tampere, Finland

Conflicts can be resolved by teaching negotiation skills to young people. The Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) is an organisation founded by President and Peace Nobelist Martti Ahtisaari. It strives to resolve world conflicts and wishes to teach the skills required for resolving conflicts to youth.

Conflict resolution, Crisis Management Initiative, negotiation skills, Role Play, simulation

Introduction

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Introduction

What is it all about?

“Schools want to have a better understanding of conflict prevention and solution. Through the simulation, students get to practice solving conflicts through dialogue. The same practices that can be used to create dialogue in school also work in international crises. The roleplay aims to show that all conflicts can be solved peacefully if you have the will and the skills.”

Suvi Tuuli, CMI

Conflicts chip away at the foundation of society: poverty and corruption increases, refugee streams grow, and political disputes and confrontations become more common. The conflicts of today cannot be solved through aggression – sustainable peace will always be created through political negotiations and dialogue.

Conflicts have become more and more complex: they are rooted in various political interests that touch numerous different parties and the consequences often spread over national borders. Each context and conflict is unique: each dispute has its own history, root causes, and dynamics.

The Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) is a Finnish conflict resolution organisation that seeks solutions to world conflicts through dialogue and mediation. This is the core skillset of the CMI and it is known to be the most efficient way to solve conflicts. As an independent party, the CMI can promote unofficial processes of peace mediation and dialogue.

Trust is built through dialogue between different sides of the conflict. Dialogue offers a way to build trust between the conflicting parties by bringing them together as equals in a safe environment and with a mediator or mediators who are viewed as impartial. Once mutual trust has been reached, it is time to search for solutions that all parties can commit to.

In this simulation exercise, participants get to experience a realistic conflict situation in a tense community and practice solving the conflict with dialogue.

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Steps

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Teacher preparation 30–45 min

The teacher will act as the facilitator of this exercise and will ensure that the simulation progresses smoothly and in a structured manner.

Assigning roles and preparation for them 60min

You can ask students to familiarize themselves with the role during class or at home.

Simulation 45 min

The first scene happens on a sidewalk outside of the school just as the school day is ending and students are leaving through the school gate.

Debriefing and final discussion 45min

It is important to debrief all participants immediately after the exercise ends, so that it is clear to everyone that the exercise has ended, and students can return to being themselves and continue their relationships as they were before.

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