Improving Communications and Managing Conflict

1
CHAPTER 4

• Improving Communications and Managing Conflict

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Barriers to Communication

• Lying is a major barrier.
• Lying is deliberate deception of others to their
  detriment or your gain.
• Sometimes it is possible to detect when a person
  is lying.

cont.
3
Barriers to Communication Lying

• Facial indicators
• Eye contact.
• Blink rate.
• Pupil dilation.
• Facial expression balance.
• Blushing.

• General indicators
• Sweating.
• Expression duration.
• Expression initiation.
• Nonverbal communication initiation.

cont.
4
Barriers to Communication

• Perceptions past experience, current mood, and
  attitudes.
• Emotions saying things we dont mean.
• Overeagerness to respond thinking about your
  response rather than what the other person is
  saying.
• This shows that your are not listening to the
  sender.

cont.
5
Barriers to Communication

• Snap judgments an instant conclusion made
  with insufficient data.
• Closed words words that eliminate the
  possibility of exceptions.
• Attacking the individual criticizing people or
  their appearance, rather than what they have to
  say.

cont.
6
Barriers to Communication

• Judging stating opinions, rather than facts.
• Rank withholding communication because of the
  other persons status or station in the
  organization.
• Credibility gaps when a person is not
  believable, or is untrustworthy.

cont.
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Barriers to Communication

• Gatekeepers individuals who control access to
  someone else.
• Noise loud sounds or other types of
  interference.
• Wasting the thought-speech rate differential
  people think faster than others speak. What do
  they do with that time? Listen or daydream or ???

cont.
8
Barriers to Communication

• Poor listening hearing, but not listening
  (attending to) communications.
• Verbal cocoons being isolated from
  communications.

9
Listening

• Five listening concepts
• People perform better when they know others
  listen to them.
• Listening to little complaints now can avoid
  having to listen to big complaints later.
• Important decision-making facts can be obtained
  through listening.

cont.
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Listening

• Five listening concepts
• Not listening and then jumping to conclusions can
  cause you to lose the respect of others.
• Listening requires concentration listening means
  you are consciously attending to what you hear.

cont.
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Listening

• Listening is a skill that can and should be
  developed.
• You can show you are listening by using nonverbal
  responses.
• Examples of nonverbal responses include nodding,
  a casual remark, or the echo.

cont.
12
Listening

• Open-ended questions can be used to solicit a
  response.
• A closed question allows someone to answer with a
  yes or no.
• An open question requires the person to
  elaborate, giving you more information and
  showing that you are willing to listen.

cont.
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Listening

• Do...
• Show interest.
• Express empathy.
• Be silent when necessary.
• Eliminate distractions.
• Allow adequate time.

• Dont...
• Argue.
• Interrupt.
• Engage in other activities.
• Pass judgment too quickly.
• Jump to conclusions.

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Breaking Communication Barriers

• Encourage upward communication.
• Have an open-door policy.
• Use face-to-face communications whenever
  possible.
• Avoid credibility gaps.
• Write for understanding.

cont.
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Breaking Communication Barriers

• Watch your timing.
• Be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others.
• Identify and manage conflict.

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Conflict Management

• Positive conflict conflict ending in mutual
  satisfaction.
• Negative conflict conflict in which one or more
  parties will be unsatisfied with the way the
  conflict ends.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Negative conflict characteristics
• Feud mentality.
• Going for broke.
• Me syndrome.
• You syndrome.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Positive conflict characteristics
• Problem-solving mentality.
• Going for mutual satisfaction.
• Everyone syndrome.
• Just the facts.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Negative conflict
• Feud mentality The conflict pits one group
  against another us versus them thinking.

• Positive conflict
• Problem-solving mentality All involved are
  trying to solve a problem, rather than fight the
  other side us versus them problem thinking.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Negative conflict
• Going for broke Each side wants it all. No
  compromise our way is the only way. Winner takes
  all, but even the winner may be bitter after the
  experience.

• Positive conflict
• Going for mutual satisfaction All sides work to
  solve the problem for everyone. Everyone wins,
  rather than compromises.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Negative conflict
• Me syndrome Each side can only see their side.
  They dont see the point of view of the other
  side at all.

• Positive conflict
• Everyone syndrome Each side sees the needs of
  the other. All concerns are presented and the
  solution handles them all.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Negative conflict
• You syndrome The conflict occurs at a personal
  level. Individuals are attacked people are
  criticized.

• Positive conflict
• Just the facts The discussion is on the facts,
  not on the feelings of the people involved in the
  conflict.

cont.
23
Conflict Management

• Conflict resolution guidelines
• Treat others with respect, even if you disagree
  with them.
• Be convinced that everyone has enough in common
  to make a satisfactory resolution possible.
• Concentrate on the problem.

cont.
24
Conflict Management

• Conflict resolution guidelines
• Avoid name-calling, ego-involvement, and closed
  words.
• Report facts, not your own value judgments.
• Use descriptive terms avoid strong,
  emotion-laden words.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Conflict resolution guidelines
• Be specific avoid generalities.
• Discuss issues most open to change, avoiding
  those with little or no chance of change.
• Discuss one issue at a time dont bring up
  unrelated issues.

cont.
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Conflict Management

• Conflict resolution guidelines
• Project a positive image. Walk in totally
  convinced that everything can be worked out to
  everyones satisfaction.

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Conflict Perspectives

• The conflict demand what you are asking for.
• The conflict threat what happens if your
  conflict demand is not met.
• The conflict offer what you have to give if
  your conflict demand is met.
• Mutual Conflict - results in mutual
  satisfaction for all involved

cont.
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Conflict Perspectives

• Seven situational elements
• Interests the primary cause of the conflict,
  often unstated.
• Options alternatives that will resolve a
  conflict.
• Legitimacy support from an outside source that
  an option is fair.

cont.
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Conflict Perspectives

• Seven situational elements
• Relationships those that exist before, and
  especially after, the conflict resolution must be
  taken into consideration.
• Communication clear, direct, and proprietary
  communications are needed.

cont.
30
Conflict Perspectives

• Seven situational elements
• Commitments prior commitments and those needed
  to resolve the conflict may make resolution
  difficult.
• Alternatives the consequences of not resolving
  a conflict, like creating a remembered pain.