What to Expect
Conflict at work rarely comes out of nowhere.
It’s the same conversations that stall. The same tensions that resurface. The same patterns that play out across different people, roles, and teams.
We tend to treat these as isolated issues or personality clashes, something to fix, manage, or move past as quickly as possible. But when conflict keeps repeating, it’s usually pointing to something deeper.
In this one-hour panel discussion, we’ll explore why workplace conflict gets stuck on repeat.
Through different areas of expertise, our panel will unpack what’s happening beneath the surface in moments of tension: how pressure shapes our responses, the patterns that keep communication broken down, where boundaries get blurred, and what causes certain dynamics to escalate instead of resolve.
This isn’t about quick fixes or one-size-fits-all strategies. It’s about understanding the patterns that keep conflict in motion, so you can approach these moments with more clarity, intention, and effectiveness.
Whether you’re leading a team or simply trying to survive one, this session will help you see workplace conflict through a new lens – one that opens the door to creating lasting resolution, stronger communication, and more psychological safety for all.
What We'll Be Talking About
Why Some Issues Get Stuck in Endless Loops
Understanding the cycles that keep team and interpersonal issues looping through the same tensions again and again.
Strategies For Mediating Conflict Between Team Members
Practical ways to facilitate team members working through conflict that has nothing to do with you.
The Inherited Communication Patterns That Aren't Serving Us
Common ways we communicate with each other that are actually leading to disconnection, and prolonged conflict.
Commonly Missed Opportunities to Get Back on Track
How to identify and act on opportunities to resolve & repair conflict before it ends up in HR.
The Nervous System Lens on Conflict
How our human physiology contributes to "difficult" relationships and ongoing conflict.
Looking Beneath Behaviour
How to identify the unmet needs driving conflict – and why reacting to the surface rarely solves the problem.
Meet Your Panelists

kim van ryn
Trauma-informed leadership & neurodiversity expert
Kim Van Ryn
Kim (she/her) is a trauma-informed care and nervous system expert with a background in foster and adoptive care, attachment theory, and supporting people with neurodiversities. Her work with The Expert Talk centers on understanding how trauma and nervous system states shape communication, regulation, and support at work.

tiffany smye
human resources expert & consultant
Tiffany Smye
Tiffany (she/her) is a Canadian HR leader with over 15 years of experience shaping talent strategies that strengthen culture, leadership capability, and performance. A certified coach and trusted executive advisor, she partners with organizations to deliver practical people solutions aligned to business outcomes.

CHARMAINE HAMMOND
CONFLICT NAVIGATION expert
Charmaine Hammond
Charmaine (she/her) has an MA in conflict management, and has spent more than 25 years working in mediation, negotiation, and crisis response. This former Corporate Dispute Resolution Expert has an extensive background facilitating collaborations and workplace/team relationships when they go sideways.

Jill McPherson
collaborative communication expert
Jill McPherson
Jill (she/her) is a former elementary school teacher with nearly three decades of experience, whose work centers on mental health, collaborative communication, and navigating conflict in human systems. Drawing on her training in Nonviolent Communication, she now supports educators, leaders, and teams in building trust, reducing burnout, and creating cultures where people genuinely want to show up.

Jennifer Prendergast
host & ceo of The expert talk
Jennifer Prendergast
Jennifer (she/her) founded The Expert Talk in 2020 in response to the growing need for new approaches to training in areas that surround organizational culture, and interpersonal communication within teams. She has a background in sales and media, and an Honours degree in Communications, Philosophy, and Psychology, as well as her Trauma Certificate – all from Wilfrid Laurier University.
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June 12th @ 1pm EST
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