We've developed a rich set of resources to help you design and implement an effective learning experience with Style Matters Online. If you prefer video or audio resources, start with those sections, then refer to the trainers' guides and other resources as needed.
Download Trainers Big Guide to Successful Conflict Styles Training. This free 45 page guide to conflict styles training explains the five styles of conflict, the concepts of Calm and Storm, how to work with the cross-cultural aspects of Style Matters, and provides step-by-step guidance through a workshop. In addition you need...
Download Trainers Small Guide to Style Matters Online. This free 10 page supplement builds on concepts in the big guide above and applies them to training with the online version. If you’re just facilitating a conversation, you can get by with just this supplement to design your discussion. If you’re feeling ambitious and expecting to give inputs in an active trainer role, you should have both.
View Intro to Conflict Styles slide show, available in either traditional Powerpoint format or dynamic Prezi format. This short slide show, free for online viewing and available for purchase offline, introduces core concepts of the five styles of conflict and serves as a great prelude to discussion of score reports.
Videos. There are several short videos to help users interpret their scores on our site. You might want to encourage your users to review one or several of them before a workshop. You'll find them useful to you as a trainer as well; they'll give you ideas for presenting key concepts clearly.
Audio. Your students can easily download a 10 minute conversation about their score report. It's AI-generated and so real it's hard to believe these two experts are bot-created! Instructions and suggestions for use here.
Handouts. If you like handouts, download these. They’re not required for training with the online version. But if you have time for them, they’re a solid addition to a workshop.
Blog. If you've requested training materials from us, you're automatically enrolled in the Trainers category of the blog, but you might want to take a look now at things already posted there.
Tutorial. The tutorial on our website packs a lot of info about conflict styles into a few pages, on topics like the cross-cultural feature of Style Matters, the Storm shift, interpreting scores, anger management, and more. We'll be updating the format of presentation in 2025.
Assignments. If you have students writing papers, see this blog post by Ron Kraybill with several ideas for assignments you could give.
Followup. Conflict responses are habit-based. Learning new patterns requires repetition. You can expand the impact of conflict styles learning by spreading it across time, with followup activities and/or homework. See this blog on followup activities for ideas. You can multiply the impact of the whole experience by encouraging people to engage in conversation with those they live or work with. There's fantastic AI resources now available. See this blog post on our favorite. See also this essay for ideas for discussion between individuals.
You need to be comfortable in a coordinating or leadership role but you do not need prior experience as a trainer. Style Matters Online harnesses digital power to do interpretation that required an expert in the past. The algorithm combs a user’s scores for insights and presents them in a detailed, 8-10 page report that provides the key insights. Links in the report to audio and video resources fill in any gaps. With this score report and resources, anyone with ordinary leadership or facilitation skills can be the catalyst for an engaging and illuminating learning experience.
You can organize the learning to fit your situation. Any of these can work well:
Solo study - Each user studies the Style Matters materials on their own (but see Homework and Conversation below).
Solo study plus conversation with a coach or supervisor.
Solo study plus conversation in small groups, discussing reflection questions (see suggestion in Training Materials).
Solo study plus large group reflection on learnings.
Solo study plus small group discussion plus large group reflection on learnings.
Whichever option you choose above, meaningful homework will deepen it. Such as:
"Discuss your score report with someone you trust who knows you well - family, friend, or colleague. Present key findings in the report to them, either by giving an oral summary, letting them read the whole report, or sending them an Audio Summary for them to listen to. Invite their feedback. Do they think the report is accurate? What skill areas do they think could expand your repertoire of responses? Be prepared for this to be a longer and more enjoyable conversation than you might expect!"
Find other suggestions for assignments in this blog post.
Whatever learning approach you use, try to figure out a way to help users "take it home". Expanding our conflict resolution skills with the people we interact with on a daily basis is the foundation for improvement in all areas of life. If we can do it there, we can do it anywhere!
An unusual feature of Style Matters is suggestions for partners of the user. Most conflict style assessments address the user only: "Here’s your scores, here's what your numbers mean."
That's like clapping with one hand. Conflict happens in relationships. True, one person can do a lot to make things better. But the potential is higher when people work together on it. Here's where the "aha moments" come.The Style Matters report includes sections like the example below. People who live or work together can review these together, and proactively negotiate patterns of communication for times of difficulty. It's surprisingly easy and rewarding!
From conversation like this comes the realization that we need not be victims of conflict. Diversity, disagreement, even conflict can be beneficial resource rather than a destructive force. But like keeping a clean house, this doesn't happen on its own. We have to make it happen.
If there's no cooperative partner available, a coach, colleague or trainer can also help a learner to have a useful conversation about this section. Self-knowledge is power. You empower a learner simply by helping them think about their requirements for best functioning. See my post on using Notebook LLM as a powerful resource to quickly generative support materials for such conversations.But don't be daunted by all the flashy options. Don't under-estimate the power of simply being a thoughtful listener. Invite the learner to reflect out loud on the suggestions offered for others who live or work with them. Eg: "What do you think about these suggestions for someone living or working with you?" Your best role may not necessarily be advising or teaching. First and foremost, be a deeply interested and supportive listener. Even if their personal relationships are too dicey to discuss this report directly with those they live or work with, when you create a safe space for people to "think out loud" about these deeply personal questions, you empower them to handle conflicts in ways that could be lifechanging.
