Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Overview
When it comes to communicating skills, both intrapersonal and
interpersonal, there are many aspects that I would like to improve.
As a college student, I find myself involving in lots of conflicts while
doing teamwork, and one of the issues Im currently struggling with
is how to deal with conflict and give criticism effectively. Conflict is a
part of everyday life; it is unavoidable, especially when working in
teams or in big organizations. When efficiently dealt with, conflicts
not only can meet the needs of both parties, but can also increase
collaboration and integration. I like working with people, but Im
often afraid of involving in a dispute or to criticizing somebody else.
Im afraid of hurting other peoples feelings, so most of the time I
avoid conflicts as much as possible. But this is exactly where the
problem lies, as the more I try to avoid it, the more it makes my feel
uncomfortable. Therefore, I decide that I really need to change this
habit. I need to understand that its possible to face conflicts
effectively, and when managed properly, conflicts can actually bring
up benefits.
2. Description of the problem
Conflict is part of everyday life, especially in the workplace, as the
text says: In one study, human resource managers reported
sending up to 60% of their time dealing with employee disputes,
and more than half of the workers said they lost time at work
worrying about past confrontations or fretting about future conflicts
(Communication at work, pg. 125). There are two bad habits I find
myself violating when confronting a conflict: I either avoid or
accommodate. When working in team, I always try to keep a
harmonious and peaceful environment. Im so afraid to deliver
criticism and disagreement that most of the time I choose to stay
silent. My method sometimes works, but most of the time, it
doesnt. The text says: Avoidance may have a short-term benefit
of preventing a confrontation, but there are usually long-term costs,