Trainer Kathy Galleher on Using Style Matters

Consultant Oma Drawas on Using Style Matters

What Trainers Say About Style Matters

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Download free "Trainers Guide to Successful Conflict Styles" by Dr. Ron Kraybill.

So Much to Teach


More Teachable Moments in Less Time at Half the Cost

Style Matters is a low-cost alternative to the Thomas Kilmann with more features and greater user-friendliness.
 - Designed for use with people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
 - Scores for Calm and Storm conditions, reflecting up-to-date understandings of impact of stress.
 - Online version with detailed 10 page score report $6.50-$7.95 per user.   Paper version for $6.95-$9.95.
 - Trainer Dashboard to manage users, track score reports and communicate. 

Trainers say about Style Matters:

"It's a great success....  I've been using it for years with everyone from commodity traders to public works employees to teachers and police officers, and find it much more 'meaty' than Thomas-Kilmann or others."  
                      Fran Sepler, President, Sepler & Associates
                      Minneapolis, MN

"...much more helpful than the Thomas-Kilmann instrument which I had used before and lacks distinction between anxious and non-anxious settings." 
                    Jonathon Eilert, Lead Pastor, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
                    Loveland, Ohio

"This has been a great instrument for the groups we have trained, especially with cross-cultural teams."
                    Larry Gay, Leadership Consultant and Coach

"We were previously using the Thomas-Kilman and have received a lot of positive feedback since the switch."
                    Michael E. Rhodes, LCSW, CPHQ, Director of Quality Improvement                   
                    Preferred Behavioral Health of NJ, Brick, NJ

"As an HR consultant team we found your inventory tool and trainer's guide to be very effective.  Thanks for developing such a great tool."
                    Naomi Shivelly, Shivelly L.L.C., Canton, GA

"We are extremely pleased and plan to use the tool whenever we train this particular workshop. We are also considering use in leadership and customer service training."
                   James Reynolds, Organizational Development and Training
                   Department of Consumer and Business Services, State of Oregon

"I use Style Matters in my basic mediation classes and in seminars for experienced conflict resolution professionals. Every time I use the inventory, participants become thoroughly engaged. In evaluations, they frequently write that they will use the information learned through the inventory."
                   Walter Wright, Associate Professor
                   Legal Studies Program, Department of Political Science
                  Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 

Check it out now!

Compare to Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, point by point.Arrowbutton

HowTrainersUseStyle MattersDashboard4

Try out the inventory and get a score report!
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Working things out doesn't get easier at a distance.  

The Style Matters conflict style inventory helps individuals and teams improve conflict resolution skills.  With a detailed 8 page score report that's easy to understand without trainer input,  it's perfect for online training.  Our free support materials make it easy for anyone with basic facilitation skills to lead groups and teams in an engaging learning experience, reflecting together on insights from the inventory.   

Sign up now for a free webinar on training with Style Matters, with developer Dr. Ron Kraybill!

Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 4pm
(Eastern time)		          Thursday, Sept 17, at 10am
(Eastern time)

 

 

 

About Style Matters

Style Matters is similar to the Thomas Kilmann and other conflict style instruments based on the Mouton Blake Grid.

It stands out from others in that:

  • It works in cross-cultural and same-culture settings, thanks to a unique design feature based on Hall's concept of High Context/Low Context cultures.
  • It provides separate scores for Calm and Storm conditions, reflecting up-to-date understandings of how stress changes behavior in conflict.
  • It's team-oriented, and includes a section with suggestions for partners or team members of the user. 

 

What Trainers say about Style Matters:

"It's a great success....  I've been using it for years with everyone from commodity traders to public works employees to teachers and police officers, and find it much more 'meaty' than Thomas-Kilmann or others."  
                      Fran Sepler, President, Sepler & Associates
                      Minneapolis, MN

"...much more helpful than the Thomas-Kilmann instrument which I had used before and lacks distinction between anxious and non-anxious settings." 
                    Jonathon Eilert, Lead Pastor, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
                    Loveland, Ohio

"This has been a great instrument for the groups we have trained, especially with cross-cultural teams."
                    Larry Gay, Leadership Consultant and Coach

"We were previously using the Thomas-Kilman and have received a lot of positive feedback since the switch."
                    Michael E. Rhodes, LCSW, CPHQ, Director of Quality Improvement                   
                    Preferred Behavioral Health of NJ, Brick, NJ

"As an HR consultant team we found your inventory tool and trainer's guide to be very effective.  Thanks for developing such a great tool."
                    Naomi Shivelly, Shivelly L.L.C., Canton, GA

"We are extremely pleased and plan to use the tool whenever we train this particular workshop. We are also considering use in leadership and customer service training."
                   James Reynolds, Organizational Development and Training
                   Department of Consumer and Business Services, State of Oregon

"I use Style Matters in my basic mediation classes and in seminars for experienced conflict resolution professionals. Every time I use the inventory, participants become thoroughly engaged. In evaluations, they frequently write that they will use the information learned through the inventory."
                   Walter Wright, Associate Professor
                   Legal Studies Program, Department of Political Science
                  Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 

Compare to Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, point by point.

HowTrainersUseStyle MattersDashboard4 

 

 

 

Test from article 142

Prepare.

We’ve crafted Style Matters for trainers, consultants, and educators who bring particular commitments to their work.

Is this you? We’d love to hear from you!

Optimize for learning

Train with tools designed by trainers and optimized for learning. Direct attention beyond numbers to strategic choices and opportunities for growth.

Prepare for diversity

Build conflict resolution skills in settings where managing differences is challenging. Use training tools with built-in cultural flexibility. Provide opportunities to discuss how diverse backgrounds shape habits in conflict.

Be practical

Ground learning in affirmation of existing strength. Give clear, simple feedback on areas of concern. Provide detailed suggestions for options to improve.

Separate Calm from Storm

Build from current research on stress. Recognize response to conflict as dynamic and not a single state. Give tools to manage the Storm Shift.

Be where they are

Provide multi-platform delivery of training. Support groups and teams scattered physically and working together online. Use time-saving web tools to facilitate learning for individuals, teams, or groups, in face-to-face workshops or online.

Work with Limits

Price training materials in reach of all who need them. Reduce prep, coordination, and delivery time with trainer-friendly online tools. Deliver rich learning, on location or online, in less time, with less travel.

Take a long view.

Expand window of learning with resources for reflection before, during, and after workshops. Support rich discussion in pairs, small groups, and large group. Encourage on-going reflection with resources on blog and online tutorial.

INTRODUCTION TO CONFLICT STYLES

For best display: Click green Print button on upper left, send to printer or PDF, and then view report.  You'll see much better graphics.

This report tallies your answers to describe your patterns in conflict. It’s designed around two key choices:

Goals Relationship

How hard do we push for things we want? We can have high focus on goals (regarding an issue, decision, or task) or low focus.

How hard do we try to please others and keep relationships strong? We can have low focus on relationships or high focus.

These two factors interact to give five styles of responding to conflict.  Note how they interact and the five styles that result in the circle chart below. Each style has important benefits; each also has significant costs if over-used.  In conflict you use one or more of these styles, depending on your focus. Your scores below indicate the styles you use most and least.  If you're online, you can view a short visual presentation of the styles here and review the benefits and dangers of each style here.

YOUR RESPONSES IN CALM

Now we turn to settings of Calm, when differences are apparent but emotions are not yet greatly stirred. Here we pay special attention to your lowest scores. These suggest “low-hanging fruit” for expanding your options and sense of control in the midst of differences.

Each of the five styles has a valuable role to play in the life of every person. When you score low in a style, you may be under-using that style.

The Calm stage of conflict is a great time to experiment with responses different from your usual ones. We normally function “on autopilot” in this stage and respond from habit. Yet since we are not highly stressed we have access to our best inner resources of reflection. Change is relatively easy when we switch off autopilot  and consciously choose our response. By experimenting with greater use of styles you are less comfortable with, you can increase your sense of control in the midst of differences.

More Articles ...

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  2. About the Combination of Harmonizing and Avoiding in Storm Settings
  3. About the Combination of Directing and Compromising in Storm Settings