Conflict Is for the Birds! Understanding Your Conflict Management Style

In life, love and work, there are times when conflict is inevitable.

Yet, for most of us, our negative attitudes toward conflict are deep-seated and long-standing. We may do anything we can to avoid it; we may fear it; at the very least, we have come to expect an unpleasant experience every time we have a conflict—whether that conflict is with a loved one, a friend, a co-worker or a perfect stranger. Sadly, our negative and fearful responses to conflict can be self-fulfilling—because we are expecting the worst, that’s often what we experience.

In this new edition of their best-selling guide to managing conflict, authors Gayle and Nabil Oudeh share the positive potential of conflict—potential that derives from making appropriate choices in how we respond to conflict. They reveal five distinct conflict management styles—the Woodpecker, the Parakeet, the Ostrich, the Owl and the Hummingbird—and explain the unique strengths and challenges of each.

Rich with candor and humor, Conflict Is for the Birds! offers a hands-on, solutions-oriented approach to turning conflict into an opportunity for problem solving and growth.

Gayle Wiebe Oudeh (B.Ed, M.Div.) and Nabil Oudeh (M.A., Chartered Mediator) are the principals of, and senior consultants for, the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) International Inc., an Ottawa-based consulting firm specializing in conflict management and training. In addition to their combined experience of 30 years in the conflict resolution field, Gayle and Nabil credit their 17-year marriage for enhancing their understanding of conflict management theory and practice! Their entertaining and positive approach to the subject of conflict has made them sought-after facilitators and speakers.