LESSON 3.3: STRATEGIES RESOLVE CONFLICTS

Prompt
Including at least 3-4 cited references to the reading, explain several strategies that can be used to prevent, manage, or resolve interpersonal conflicts without harming self or others. Then, describe a situation in which you or someone you know personally did not prevent, manage or resolve an interpersonal conflict. How could you/he/she have handled the situation better?

HELPFUL STRATEGIES

• Don't look at the problem from your perspective, put yourself in the other person's shoes.
• Try to be more understanding and connect with the other person, building a stronger bond can help to work out misunderstandings
• Try to act more interested in what the person is saying.
• Don't have high expectations this could lead to false assumptions or stereotyping
• Try to understand where the person came from, their background.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

• The use of jargon. Jargon is very complicated unfamiliar and technical terms.
• Lack of attention, interests
• High expectations and prejudices
• Cultural differences.

PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS

• The psychological state of communicators will influence how the message is sent, received and perceived.
• Psychological behaviors may result from the receiver' physical state.

LANGUAGE Barriers

• Language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to communication.
• Regional expressions may be misinterpreted or even considered offensive.

PHYSICAL BARRIERS

• Geographic distance between the sender and the receiver

SYSTEMATIC AND ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS

• Systematic barriers may exist in organizations where there are ineffective systems and communication channels
• Attitudinal barriers are behaviors or perceptions that prevent people from communicating effective

Someone I Know....
One time at the place I work my coworker had to serve a person who wasn't very fluent in English so both of them couldn't understand each other. My coworker then got frustrated and left the customer who felt very misinterpreted. The manager had to later come out and help the customer who had by this point said he would never comeback due to the rude service. Instead of walking out on the customer, my coworker should have been patient and gotten a staff member who knew the language.