Turning Conflict into Confidence: A Morning with Skipton BID

Turning Conflict into Confidence: A Morning with Skipton BID

Why Training Matters for SMEs in 2025 – Craven Consultancy Services
In today’s fast-moving business world, training isn’t just a “nice to have”—it’s a necessity. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), investing in the right training can mean the difference between thriving and merely surviving. As we move through 2025, the importance of upskilling staff, meeting legal obligations, and embracing cost-effective solutions like eLearning has never been more critical.

Understanding Mandatory & Statutory Training

Many SME leaders are still unsure about what training is legally required for their teams. The key terms to know are:

• Mandatory Training: Training an employer decides is essential for their staff to safely and effectively perform their roles. This may include induction, manual handling, or safeguarding.
• Statutory Training: Training required by law, such as fire safety, first aid, health and safety, and data protection.

Failing to deliver these types of training can result in legal consequences, reputational damage, and significant financial loss.

Craven offers a full suite of Mandatory & Statutory Health and Safety courses designed specifically for SMEs.

At Craven, we believe that conflict doesn’t need to be feared — when approached with clarity and confidence, it can become a powerful opportunity for growth.

That belief came to life in our recent interactive Conflict Resolution Skills Workshop delivered to the fantastic team at Skipton BID. In a half-day, face-to-face session, we explored what conflict really looks like in the workplace and how to handle it with confidence, calm, and clarity.

What We Delivered: From Insight to Action

This wasn’t a sit-and-listen kind of session. It was practical, engaging, and built around real workplace challenges. Here’s what we covered:

1. Understanding Conflict at Work

We started by breaking down the different types of conflict and what causes them — from clashing communication styles and unclear expectations to differences in values or workload pressures.

We explored:

• What “conflict” actually means in the workplace

• The difference between constructive vs. destructive conflict

• Common organisational risks when conflict is mismanaged

💬 Key takeaway: Conflict doesn’t have to be negative — if handled with respect and structure, it can lead to better outcomes, stronger decisions, and deeper trust.

2. Your Conflict and Leadership Style

Using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model (TKI), we guided participants through an activity to identify their dominant style:

• Competing

• Collaborating

• Compromising

• Avoiding

• Accommodating

We discussed the strengths and pitfalls of each style and how they show up in leadership and team dynamics.

Reflection prompt: “How does your dominant style help or hinder your ability to manage conflict?”

3. Conflict Resolution Tools That Work

Next, we focused on practical strategies teams can use to resolve conflict early and constructively.

We introduced the CLEAR Model:

• Calm the situation

• Listen actively

• Empathise with others’ views

• Ask open questions

• Resolve together

Participants worked through realistic scenarios, practicing the model in pairs and groups.

💡 Key insight: You don’t need to solve every problem immediately — but you do need to create space for dialogue and solutions.

4. Managing Team Conflict

We explored how group dynamics can amplify or reduce tension, and discussed proactive tools such as:

• Creating team agreements

• Recognising early signs of tension

• Practising de-escalation skills

• Encouraging psychological safety

We also looked at how inclusion, neurodiversity, and wellbeing are essential to conflict-sensitive leadership.

5. Action Planning & Embedding the Learning

We finished with a forward-looking reflection:

“What’s one action you can take this week to show you’re ready to approach conflict positively?”

Everyone left with a personal plan — and a better understanding of how to turn tension into teamwork.

💬 What People Said

“Thank you for a fantastic and invaluable morning!”

When people walk away from training not just inspired, but equipped — that’s when it’s worth it.

👏 Thank You, Skipton BID

A huge thank you to Sarah Howsen | LinkedIn at Skipton BID