Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

A hypothetical case:

X, Y and Z were group mates for a project in a university. X and Y are best friends since Secondary School and are very close to each other. Y and Z knew each other from a previous module that they had taken before last semester. X and Z just got acquainted through Y. As the project required 3 in a group, the trio became group-mates. However, while Y and Z did their tasks well, X did not contribute much to the project. Individual task assigned to X was not completed on time for any meeting arranged beforehand. Therefore, the group often had trouble collating everyone’s work. Y and Z did try to remind X about the tasks she was assigned, but to no avail. Deadline to the project was near and Z could not bear with X anymore. She was annoyed and angered by X’s attitude towards the project. She decided to report to the lecturer about X and informed Y about her decision.

Z’s thought was that it was unfair that X be given full credit for the project when she had not contributed much.

X’s thought was that since Y is her best friend, she would definitely help her in the project and would not mind anything.

Y was troubled and confused. X might be given zero for this project! But X has been her best friend since Secondary School and was afraid that this incident could cause her to lose X’s friendship. However, she understood Z’s feeling and was annoyed by X’s behavior herself too.

What should Y do?

Why developing communication skills are important

We communicate with people from all walks of life everyday, hence developing communication skills are essential. Indeed, many problems or conflict that we experienced can be attributed to poor communication. Although we have been communicating with others since infancy, the transmitting of information to one another is still complex and prone to error. Even a simple communication can in reality be complex. This is due to the wide number of interferences that one can encounter in the communication process. This can happen when people do not know each other well and can also happen when people know each other too well. Perceptual bias indeed can play a crucial role in interfering in the communication process. Other barriers to effective communication can also include language and cultural differences. Often, we will also need to derive meaning from non-verbal cues too. This adds on to the complexity of a communication process.

As such, it is essential that we develop effective communication skills. This is especially important in the workplace where how and what we communicate can have consequences on the company profits and even our own job is at stake. Developing good communication skills will increase the value in us as employees and beneficial to our work experience. We will need to convey the correct intended message and ideas across to prospective employers and clients, both in writing and speaking, to avoid any misunderstandings and misinterpretations. Indeed, how can one be able to persuade successfully without effective communication skills?

Other than communicating in the workplace, good communication skills can be beneficial to inter-personal relationship as well. How many times have we heard that a couple or friends quarreled over some miscommunication? Indeed, poor communication seems to be the root of many conflicts and problems. From the many reasons, it is apparent that developing good communication skills are important.