The second day of the conference was very dynamic and full of insights. We had a great time with 7 keynote speakers and 3 panelists who talked about Conflict & Crisis.

We started with an explanation of negotiation tactics and techniques and had the unique opportunity to hear real stories of unpredictable and complex situations from the working life of an experienced hostage negotiator – Pete Morgan.

Eleni Tsechelidou, our next keynote speaker, questioned the necessity of eliminating all conflicts and highlighted the importance of achieving understanding between team members who perceive reality from different angles.

From Silvia Drahoshova we learned how to become brave for a conflict although it requires a bit of one’s temporary safety and temporary standards, and how to anticipate and manage conflicts and upcoming crises.

Afterward, with Deanna Landers, we discussed how project management can contribute to world social projects and make the world a better place by improving the impact of humanitarian organizations.

After a short break we gained insights into the Water Resilience Programme, managed by Barend Daniёl (Ben) Peters and Mark Cawood, which was dealing with acute water shortages in the city of Cape Town in late 2017.

Right after that Susanne Madsen shared her personal story and provided tips and insights on how to overcome stress. Among other things, we learned about a need to set boundaries, ask for help, and focus on activities outside of work.

We closed the conference with a very interesting panel discussion. Elizabeth Harrin, Ruth Pearce, and Kamil Mroz under the facilitation of Vladimir Polkovnikov shared their points of view on 3 questions:

How to keep teams in emotional balance during a crisis?

Which competences should managers develop in their team members to achieve antifragility?

What can team members do to keep sustainable relations in their teams in times of crisis?

The second day flew like a blink of an eye. The knowledge and experience shared during the conference was a real treasure.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the sessions live, you can listen to the recordings: bit.ly/PMDays_passes