Elected boards and councils make public policy decisions at every meeting, with both pros and cons. Sometimes these discussions can get heated, tensions can flare, and emotions can easily hijack these debates. Such conflict dynamics can be anxiety-provoking at the least, and at their worst can be genuinely harmful to healthy board member relationships. Hearing from fellow local elected officials about their personal experiences in managing conflict is a great way to learn what works well and what to avoid.

In this highly interactive and quick-moving online class, Stephens will present brief tips and practical tools for dealing with conflicts in the moment. He will also moderate a roundtable discussion between peer elected officials and ambassadors from the ALC program. Each of our panelists will discuss a challenge they have faced and share strategies for managing the tensions, highlighting what worked well and confessing what might have worked better. Audience members will also be encouraged to share—through discussion or the group chat—their own conflict situations and seek pointers for possible approaches.

This course will earn you 2 education credits toward your recognition goal of a Practitioner, Master, Mentor, or Laureate within the Local Elected Leaders Academy. Please see the Local Elected Leadership Academy website for more information.