Conflict Resolution Dojo
August 14, 2013 6:10 PM   Subscribe

The Conflict-Resolving Game is a new and challenging alternative to the traditional Debate. It can be played by adults and by children and by teams of very mixed age groups. To succeed in this game you should know the difference between debate and dialog. You will need to master the Twelve Skills. You may want to consult a 270 page training manual.. This longer one will work also - even mentioning the principles of Aikido. Oh, and mastering the game is not just for adults.
posted by storybored (9 comments total) 45 users marked this as a favorite
 
This is very interesting, but I'm not sure how practical it is. In a non-game conflict the opponent isn't going to refrain from "fouling" because it won't detract from their score but, at least in their minds, add to it. That being said, as an old 1A I'm all for anything that reduces the use of spread in competitive forensics.
posted by ob1quixote at 6:22 PM on August 14, 2013 [2 favorites]


Sounds suspiciously anti-American.
posted by fredludd at 6:32 PM on August 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


What's missing from this is stakes. Debating fouls are not the main barrier to reaching consensus.

Issues for focus...Global significance: "Development and Environment". Specific conflicts emerge around "logging"

OK. Now add a role-playing element. Team 1 represents loggers in the Pacific Northwest. Team 2 represents environmentalists interested in protecting the habitat of endangered species, etc. That would be a much more difficult and interesting game.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 6:51 PM on August 14, 2013


...and that's exactly how the game is supposed to be played. Oops.

So, consensus may require that all parties be well informed. Literacy helps.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 6:53 PM on August 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


Everyone's a winner! The score is fun-to-fun!
posted by strangely stunted trees at 8:07 PM on August 14, 2013 [4 favorites]


This reminds me of a game that some teachers used to lead at an environmental ed program I taught at. I never taught the game myself, so I don't know exactly how it was conducted. But the central frame was this: there were two teams, and there was a [game] ton of oranges. And both teams want the oranges and have to negotiate to get them.

So, in the game, there were any number of turns where negotiations happened until things just stalled out -- unless someone asked the crucial question "What do we want to do with the oranges?" And only then would the game leader reveal that one team wants the oranges to extract juice, while the other team wants the orange peel to extract orange oil. Which leads to a resolution and resource sharing.

I've never forgotten that because I thought it sounded like a pretty elegant game, and wouldn't mind finding out what it was.
posted by Miko at 8:16 PM on August 14, 2013 [3 favorites]


Oh, that didn't take lone. The Orange Game. Another version here. I guess the only problem with the Conflict Resolving Game is that it's not really new, except maybe as an alternative to traditional forensics. These are variations on lots of similar group-work materials that have been around and in use in education settings at least since the 70s.
posted by Miko at 8:20 PM on August 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


I hadn't heard of the Orange Game before but came across it in the manual (the second one from crnhq linked in the FPP) in the chapter on Win-Win. The chapter has two other similar games: The arm-wrestling exercise and the Hand-Shaking exercise.

Finding win-win solutions is a bit of a cliche but when you actually manage to find one, it's a nice little high!
posted by storybored at 11:47 AM on August 15, 2013


Yeah, I think it's all cool stuff. Not necessarily new, though people are always rediscovering it.
posted by Miko at 11:56 AM on August 15, 2013


« Older Beach Bells   |   All the worst-rated videos in one handy place. Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments