Lehi Planning Commission Conflict Resolution Training - September 4, 2025
Lehi Planning Commission Conflict Resolution Training
The Lehi Planning Commission held a work session on September 4, 2025, at 5:30 PM in the Lehi City Council Chambers. The sole agenda item was a conflict resolution training led by Professor Donya Romori from the University of Utah. The session focused on foundational skills for navigating conflict productively, including understanding interests versus positions and effective listening. The training was part one of a two-part series, with the second session scheduled for October 2, 2025.
Conflict Resolution Training
Professor Romori introduced the training by defining conflict as the intersection of different needs, wants, or perspectives that are in tension. She emphasized that conflict is normal and that the key is how it is handled. She led an interactive thumb-wrestling exercise to illustrate how people often default to competitive, zero-sum thinking, but can create value through collaboration and trust. She also told the story of two children fighting over an orange to explain the concept of interests versus positions – the underlying needs (e.g., wanting to do something nice for Mom) versus the stated demand (e.g., "I need the orange").
Participants practiced identifying their own interests using the "nine whys" technique, peeling back layers to uncover core needs. Professor Romori stressed that curiosity and effective listening are superpowers in conflict. She outlined key components of effective listening: intention to understand, being attentive, non-judgmental, asking open-ended non-leading questions, clarifying, confirming, and pausing. She noted that most people speak at 125–175 words per minute but can process 400–800 words per minute, which often leads to distractions. She also highlighted that anger often hides fear, and that self-regulation (nervous system management) is critical for productive conflict engagement.
The session included a brain break and small group discussions. Professor Romori assigned a listening self-assessment for participants to complete before the next session on October 2, 2025. She also provided additional resources from the University of Utah’s Environmental Dispute Resolution program.
Key Outcomes
- The planning commission received foundational training in conflict resolution, including the concepts of interests versus positions, effective listening, and the importance of self-regulation.
- Participants were assigned a listening self-assessment to complete and bring reflections to the second session on October 2, 2025.
- The meeting was adjourned after the training, with a motion and second carried.
Meeting Transcript
Just kind of concentrated, not you know, people in the back and otherwise wherever you're comfortable. So we do. I think I thought she'd be like, that was the message I just think. Yeah, sound more. I'll try to hang it over here. Oh, look at that. You make make link happen. Okay, here I'll come in. Can we do one more? You think you got one more? All right. Welcome to Planning Commission. This fine September 4th, 2025. Officially called or move the agenda item number two. Professor. Take it and go. All right. Hi everyone. Thank you so much for being here. It's fun to get to join one of your planning commission meetings. My name is Donya Romori. I'm actually here in my personal capacity, but in the rest of my life, I'm a professor at the University of Utah where I run the environmental dispute resolution program. I'm also a professor in the College of Law and in the city metropolitan planning department. And since this is potentially relevant to this audience, I have a PhD in planning. So I am one of the planning folks, although I work in a law school. So I got invited to come talk to you about conflict. It's my favorite topic. Everyone loves conflict. And then just one word you think of when you think of conflict. And I encourage everyone just to say the first thing that comes to mind. Don't overthink it, there's no right or wrong words. So let me give you 20 seconds to think about that, and then we'll go around and do a quick round of introductions. Okay, hopefully that gave everyone a chance to think of something. I'm going to start over here if that's okay. I am on the planning commission as an alternate. And uh a couple of words I thought it was like resolution and also discussions. Okay, resolution and discussions. Run every planning commissioner. And opportunity. Opportunity. Um Greg Jackson, I'm the chair. War. War. Mm-hmm. Hi scenario on the planning commission and I kind of perspective. Perspective. Some good words. Yeah. Okay, I'm Gary Ellis. I'm with the Lee ICD engineering department here.
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