Page 192 - Essentials of Human Communication

Conflict Management Strategies 171

Summary of Concepts and Skills Study and Review materials for this chapter
are at MyCommunicationLab

Listen to the Audio Chapter The skills covered in this chapter are vital to managing
Summary at MyCommunicationLab interpersonal conflict. Place a check mark next to those skills
This chapter looked at the nature of interpersonal conflict and you want to work on most.
at how best to manage conflict. 1. I seek to derive positive benefits from interper-
preliminaries to interpersonal Conflict sonal conflict and to avoid conflict’s possible
negative outcomes.
1. Interpersonal conflict (in face-to-face situations and in cy- 2. I engage in conflict with an understanding of the
berspace) is a disagreement between or among connected cultural and gender influences present.
individuals whose positions are to some degree both inter-
related and incompatible. 3. I understand the consequences of different con-
flict styles and adjust my style of conflict depend-
2. Conflict can be content or relationship oriented but is ing on the specific circumstances.
usually a combination of both.
4. I look for win-win rather than win-lose strategies.
principles of interpersonal Conflict 5. I engage in conflict actively rather than avoid the
problem.
3. Conflict can have both negative and positive effects. 6. I talk conflict differences through rather than try
4. Conflict is heavily influenced by both culture and gender, to force my way of thinking on the other person.
and any effective management of conflict needs to consider
these influences. 7. I express support rather than encourage defen-
siveness.
5. Conflict styles (competing or win-lose, avoiding or lose-lose,
accommodating or lose-win, collaborating or win-win, and 8. I use I-messages (rather than you-messages)
compromising or win-lose/win-lose) have consequences. and assume responsibility for my thoughts and
feelings.
Conflict Management strategies 9. I use face-enhancing rather than face-attacking
tactics.
6. Conflict management strategies are influenced by the goals
you seek, your emotional state, your cognitive assessment 10. I express empathy rather than try to blame the
of the situation, your personality and communication com- other person.
petence, and your family history. 11. I facilitate open expression rather than try to
7. Conflict management strategies include making decisions silence the other person.
between avoidance and active fighting, force and talk, 12. I focus on the present rather than gunnysack.
defensiveness and supportiveness, face-attacking and 13. I use the skills of argumentativeness rather than
face- enhancing strategies, silencers and facilitating open verbal aggressiveness.
expression, gunnysacking and present focus, and verbal
aggressiveness and argumentativeness.

key Word Quiz

the language of Conflict Management d. gunnysacking (168)

Match the terms about interpersonal conflict management e. beltlining (167)
with their definitions. Record the number of the definition f. collaborating style (167)
next to the appropriate term. g. verbal aggressiveness (169)
a. interpersonal conflict (157) h. neutrality (166)
b. accommodating style (167) i. content conflict (158)
c. face-attacking strategies (167) j. argumentativeness (169)