On Tuesday, April 15, the College of Central Florida’s business department hosted a webinar on conflict resolution for students. The event aimed to help students prepare for the workforce and teach them important communication skills.  

The webinar was conducted by Bekah Langley, a certified conflict resolution coach. Her advice and guidance could be especially effective for students who are graduating. She had a similar path as the students, earning an A.A. in Liberal Arts from CF before continuing to earn a B.S. in event management from UCF. This experience, combined with 14 years in HR and operations, helped her show real-life examples of difficult situations that many future employees may be facing in the workplace. 

Students learned to recognize the two types of conflict through the prism of different life-case scenarios. As the webinar survey showed, 92% of attending students face exactly the destructive conflict that undermines trust, reduces employees’ engagement and suppresses initiative, leading to a decrease in team productivity.  

The speaker suggested turning it into a productive conflict that could build trust, increase employee engagement, and improve organizational performance. This came through practicing activities to build a professional tone of speech. Moreover, they talked about their plans for the future, sharing them with others to expand communication skills and trust. 

The Business department will hold another event, a conference for administrative specialists, on April 25 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Any student who would like to participate should visit the CF events calendar for more details.