Interpersonal Communication Skills in Conflict Resolution

Imagine a situation in which an important person in your life of the opposite gender has a conflict with you and you with them. From what you have learned about interpersonal communication; discuss the ways in which you would try to resolve the situation

The application of interpersonal communication skills varies in accordance with the communicating parties involved and the situational context at which its application is required. Another important factor to put into consideration during interpersonal communication is the principal objective for initiating communication with another person. In this particular context, the object is conflict resolution with a communication partner of the opposite gender who is deemed significant (Adler and Protocor II, 2011).

Resolving the conflict with a person of the opposite gender requires the deployment of effective interpersonal skills in order to aid in the resolution of the underlying conflict between the involved parties. The following section outlines the interpersonal communication strategies that I will apply with the principal objective of conflict resolution with a person of the opposite gender.

The most effective strategy for resolving conflicts with important people of the opposite gender is collaboration, which reveals a high degree of concern for both parties in a conflict. This approach involves a win-win strategy whereby the interests of every conflicting party are put into consideration by working together to arrive at the solution of the conflict. This requires the identification of each party’s problems and needs that are resulting in the conflict, describing your own needs and problems, taking into account the needs of the other party. This requires the deployment of effective interpersonal skills in such a case (Adler and Protocor II, 2011).

A fundamental conflict resolution requirement is effective communication. Interpersonal communication is termed effective if the messages of the communicating parties are passed across in a manner that the underlying objective behind engaging in communication is not impaired. One such strategy of ensuring that interpersonal communication is effective in conflict resolution with a person of the opposite gender is through having an understanding of the self.

A personality profile of the self is essential in evaluating the most effective communication strategy, in the sense that it provides a framework for evaluating the causation factors of the existing conflict with another person. It is evident that personality factors affect people’s communication. For example, personal traits such as argumentative, shyness, and self-control have a significant impact on the way we connect with others.

As such, a person should be able to identify key personality profile features that serve as a hindrance to effective communication that is open and provides room for opinions from a communication partner. In the situation involving conflict with a person of the opposite gender, facilitating an open-minded communication strategy is an effective strategy in conflict resolution. This means that I will access my personality profiles that significantly hinder positive communication, for instance, shyness and being over argumentative when communicating, resulting in less room for opinions from the other partner (Adler and Protocor II, 2011).

Apart from identifying the key personality factors that hinder my effective communication abilities, I will access my personality for my significant strengths in effective communication and focus on their enhancement during effective communication strategies.

Communication strengths such as flexibility and effective decision-making skills are key strategies in conflict resolutions of any sort. In communication situations with people of the opposite gender, it is of ultimate importance to analyze the self, if one was born of that opposite gender. This serves to establish one’s identity, which plays a vital role during conflict resolution with individuals of the opposite gender. This because our sense of identity determines the ways in which we communicate with people of the opposite gender (Adler & Protocor II, 2011).

Another important strategy when deploying interpersonal communication in conflict resolution with people of the opposite gender is to have an understanding of the principal cause of the conflict at hand with the other person. This plays an important role in establishing effective communication strategies in order to address the conflict at hand. With this regard, the cause of the conflict can either be from oneself, the opposite gender person, or due to external influence.

Depending on the source of causation factor for the conflict, one can be able to determine the plan of approach to solve the conflict with the other person of the opposite gender who is deemed important. For example, if the principal cause of the conflict is within oneself, then one can adjust some elements of the self to address the conflict at hand. If the principal cause of the conflict is from the other person, it is vital to adjust one’s personality to have room for dialogue with the other person.

External influences on the onset of conflict between people of the opposite gender who have significant relations can be solved through the identification of the external influence and then establishing effective communication strategies to address the issue at hand. It is important to accept that relationships are dynamic and affected by factors such as culture; this implies that communication in relationships involving people of the opposite gender is subjective to such dynamics, as such this could be a possibility causing conflicts between people of opposite gender in a relationship.

Taking into account such communication dynamics is an important conflict resolution strategy since it can help in identifying the root cause of the conflict, which is a milestone in attempting to resolve a conflict with an important person of the opposite gender (Adler & Protocor II, 2011).

It is also important to put into consideration the opinions of the partners when developing an effective conflict resolution strategy. This plays an integral role in facilitating dialogue. The next phase involves negotiating for a solution, taking into account the needs and problems of each of the conflicting collaborate, after which the proposed solution is put into action as an implementation strategy.

In conclusion, resolving a conflict with an important person of the opposite gender requires the deployment of effective communication skills, analysis of the self, and the personality profile in order to ascertain the barriers and strengths of one’s effective interpersonal communication (Adler & Protocor II, 2011).

List ten new things you have learned about your personal commutation style, five positive, and five negative. For the five areas, you hope to improve, describe what you need to do to become a better communicator. For the five areas in which you feel successful, describe what is working for you and why

Interpersonal communication skills can be positive or negative depending on their effectiveness in fostering interpersonal communication. It is important to have knowledge of one’s positive and negative interpersonal communication skills in order to deploy appropriate improvement strategies to develop interpersonal communication skills (Adler & Protocor II, 2011). The following section outlines my positive communication skills and the appropriate strategies required to make me an effective communicator. In addition, it outlines the positive traits of my personal interpersonal skills, and how the positive traits are working, and the reasons why they contribute to effective communication.

Negative traits of interpersonal communication

1. Inability to overcome psychological barriers associated with effective interpersonal communication. This barrier is inclusive of such characters as being shy and embarrassed. Prejudging someone leads to someone having a certain altitude that affects the information that the other person is providing. In order to overcome this barrier, it is wise to ensure that the altitude a person may have towards the party involved in the communication process is kept apart to avoid any hindrance to the communication process (Adler & Protocor II, 2011).
2. Cultural barriers also can be a barrier to communication. It is notable that different societies have different ways of applying gestures especially physical ones. Some communities do not accept touching when communicating especially when it comes to people of the opposite sex. Dealing with such people when one has no problem with using physical gestures may raise concerns and even hinder communication as touching is suggestive of what the communicator may be intending to say. Overcoming this barrier therefore calls for people to be in knowledge of the culture of the people who they are communicating to avoid barriers relating to gestures (Adler & Protocor II, 2011).
3. Increased emotional attachments to issues: emotions serve as barriers to effective interpersonal communication. This is due to the fact that maintaining emotions in a communication context bars limits one’s thinking capacities and the way one responds to communication contexts. Increased emotions can also hinder effective interpersonal emotions due to mistrust and suspicion of the other communicating partner. In order to overcome emotions in interpersonal communications, it is vital to avoid increased levels of perceptions and the way we relate to certain situations in life. Psychological intervention is also an important strategy in the regulation of one’s emotions during communication contexts (Adler & Protocor II, 2011).
4. Interruptions during interpersonal communication; this is due to the increasing need to play a key role during interpersonal communication. Increased interruptions and interludes result in to lack of attention during interpersonal communication, therefore, impairing effective communication during interpersonal communication. In order to overcome interruptions and interludes during interpersonal communication, it is vital for a person to maintain his/her attention in cases involving interpersonal communication. Increased attention can make the whole communication process to become interesting and worthwhile (Adler & Protocor II, 2011).
5. The constant referral to myself; impairs effective interpersonal communication since it entails upholding personal opinions during communication. This hinders the use of appropriate communication statements because we are constantly speaking on behalf of our personal ideologies. In order to overcome this negative trait of interpersonal communication, it is important to hold diverse perceptions and take into account the views and opinions of others during interpersonal communication.

Positive traits of interpersonal communication

1. Possession of a diverse range of behaviors; is a key requirement for effective communication, in the sense that it facilitates the choice of actions that are appropriate in a particular communication context. A large communication repertoire implies that one can formulate his language in a manner that fits the context without offending other parties during communication. For example, one can determine the types of jokes to use depending on the other communicating person. In addition, having a diverse range of behaviors implies that one can fit in any communication scenario and a person can choose the most effective communication strategy according to the nature of interpersonal relationships. For instance, one can command, use jokes to pass a message, and decide to keep quiet in situations whereby utterances may result in unwanted consequences.
2. Self-monitoring abilities help in understanding oneself during communication ordeals. This is achieved by paying attention to one’s behavior when communicating in order to determine if the communication methodology suits the context. Self-monitoring is important for fostering effective communication because it forms the basis for evaluating the levels of effectiveness during communication. It entails accessing the relevance of one’s behavior during cases of interpersonal communication. In addition, exercising self-monitoring fosters the ability for one to control his/her participation during interpersonal communication.
3. The ability to exercise open-mindedness; helps in fostering effective interpersonal communication with people from different backgrounds in terms of culture, ideologies, and opinions. Open-mindedness in interpersonal communication provides a framework for two-way interpersonal communication and plays a vital role during cases of conflict resolution. Taking into account the opinions and views of other people during interpersonal communication increases one’s interpersonal communication skills.
4. Ability to choose the most appropriate behavior during interpersonal communication: this helps in making an appropriate choice from a wide range of alternatives pertaining to the most effective interpersonal skills and behavior that will work effectively in a particular context. Appropriate communication behavior is determined by the communication context and purpose, time and place, and personal goals during communication, and knowledge of the other communication party.
5. Increased commitment to benefit from interpersonal communication; commitment is a significant requirement for effective interpersonal communication. Having concern for the other person plays a significant role in ensuring information exchange during interpersonal communication. This means that a person is bound to deploy effective communication if he/she is committed to the success of interpersonal communication and having a concern for the other person. In addition, concern for the other person implies that their views and opinions are put into consideration during interpersonal communication.

Reference

Adler, R., & Protocor II, R. (2011). Looking Out, Looking in. Boston, MA: Wadswort: Cengage Learing.