Resolving Interpersonal Conflict (Post #2)

Conflict is a common phenomenon in most relationships. It can exist in myriad levels of analysis and one of the most popular levels is interpersonal conflict. Interpersonal conflict is a situation in which 2 or more individuals, each with incompatible perceptions, experiencing difficulty in a relationship. This kind of conflict is often inevitable among family members, friends and colleagues in the various stages of our lives. It is not always true that conflicts only inflict negative impacts on relationships. In fact, through the course of resolving a conflict, we can learn how to maintain, flourish and establish stronger interpersonal relationships making it longer lasting and rewarding.

Let’s discuss a hypothetical example illustrating an interpersonal conflict. In this example, I have Sean who was married with his wife, Amber, a year ago. Being newly- weds, he was extremely excited and thrilled about his very first wedding anniversary. He intended to go for a vacation with Amber on the big day and he had been planning it for weeks, hoping to have the best possible celebration that he could ever have with her. The reservation in a lavish hotel had been made, air tickets had been purchased, the perfect anniversary gift had been chosen and most importantly, as his anniversary fell on a Friday, his work leave had been approved so that he could enjoy a longer anniversary weekend with his dear wife.

Everything went according to plan until the moment when Sean was asked to meet his boss, Ms. Black, in her office on the day before his anniversary. Ms. Black demanded Sean to cancel his approved work leave on Friday in order to amend a very important proposal and present it to the client on Saturday. This proposal was very crucial for the company as the project was a multi-million dollar investment and it would contribute a large sum to the company’s income if the client were to accept the proposal. Hesitantly to Ms. Black’s command, Sean tried to refuse politely and state the reasons as to why he could not make it. However, Ms. Black flared in anger and raised her voice as she spoke to Sean harshly, insisting him to follow her orders no matter what as she was the one who was paying his wages. Leaving him no choice, Sean had to obey without questions and do as his boss commanded. As such, this incident left him feeling angry and frustrated as he felt that Ms. Black was not being fair to him and his rights were being violated. He was depressed because he was forced to cancel his vacation, and bearing the financial loss due to the cancellation of the hotel reservation and air ticket purchases. He also disappointed his wife for staying back for work.

In this scenario, the possible cause of the conflict was due to lack of communication between Sean and Ms. Black. This results in Sean feeling unhappy with Ms. Black’s inconsiderate demand and Ms. Black’s anger due to Sean’s reluctance in giving his co-operation to the company’s mega project. Insufficient understanding between the two parties stirred up a lot of negative emotions between each other and within themselves. Therefore, I hope that you could suggest some effective ways in which Sean and Ms. Black could settle the conflict more amicably or in what ways could this unpleasant episode have avoided in the first place. Besides that, what are the solutions that can amend the working relationship between Sean and his boss?

Effective Communication Skills (Post #1)

Effective communication comprises of the ability of a speaker to convey his messages in a clear, easy- to-be- understood manner and the equally important participation of the listener through active listening. As the saying goes ‘no man is an island’, everyone needs daily communication and interaction with one another at any level of an organization. Hence, developing effective communication skills are an essential aspect of everyone’s life as these soft skills hold one of the golden keys to success, be it in terms of personal relationship or career establishment.

In my opinion, effective communication is able to enhance and strengthen existing interpersonal relationship. With the appropriate skills acquired, it will definitely aid me in forming positive interactions and bonds with the people around me. Thus, ideas, thoughts, feelings and information can be conveyed and delivered effectively and at the same time, minimizing the chances of error, misinterpretation, misconception and misunderstanding. Effective communication is crucially needed when I am working on a group project or during practical sessions in the laboratory. In some instances, differences in terms of working habit or opinions and occasional misunderstandings are inevitable among group members as each one of us has different backgrounds, personalities, opinions, attitudes and values. As such, effective communication skills such as using the correct voice tone, right selection of words, appropriate facial expression and active listening are able to help me understand them better as well as reducing the occurrence of unwanted conflicts. For example, the usage of different voice tones for a particular sentence will bring different meaning to the listener and thus different messages will be delivered. A simple conversation can be complicated at times if communication is poor. Apart from that, it also helps me to understand other people’s messages not only through spoken words but also through nonverbal communication cues.

Another wonder of effective communication skills is that these skills can be used in every field in the working environment. Through this module, I hope to become a more effective and articulate communicator, enhancing my ability to market myself. These skills are important for me to convey my values or ideas regarding some research topics to my lecturers, employers, colleagues, or maybe clients. The difference between a good and a poor communicator is that the good one can stand out from the crowd, possessing a better chance of advancing in his career as compared to the latter due to his marketability. After all, this is what most employers are looking for in their potential employees apart from the other requirements. In addition, I believe that my self-esteem and confidence can be maximized when I know what to say, how to say it and when to say it and all these skills are apllicable when I am doing presentations or participating in meetings or discussions.

For those reasons above, I see developing effective communication skills as an essential investment that everyone should not miss as it is an investment that will grant us success.