Download Conflict Resolution in the Workplace Sample

UNIT 1
DIFFUSING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE
Introduction
Anger is a normal human emotion and most people are able to control their anger,
and any subsequent aggressive behaviour, to some extent. However there may be
a wide variety of different reasons why some people do on occasions, become
aggressive or violent. The anger or aggression displayed could be the result of
numerous factors, such factors could include, individuals emotions or feelings,
unrealistic expectations not being met, alcohol or drugs, cultural differences, or
possibly mental health issues to name but a few. We will generally have a choice of
how we interact with the individual who is or is becoming aggressive, the way that
we respond to a situation can be vitally important to our own personal safety. The
importance of effective communication in identifying the cause of a difficult situation
can not be over emphasised, it’s importance in attempting to resolve the conflict is
key.
Communication
Communication is the made up of the both the verbal message, the words we use
and the non verbal message, which is made up of, our body language and the
tonality of the words we use. The old expression “it’s not what you say, it’s how you
say it” sums this up very well. In the following paragraphs we will now look at the
process of communication and how that communication can be important in dealing
with and managing conflict.
Body Language (Non Verbal Communication or NVC)
Surprising as it may seem, it is a commonly held belief that 93% of communication is
non-verbal (body language) in as much that it is not what is spoken but how we
actually appear, the positioning of the body, the eyes, mouth and facial expression
are all very important factors when identifying an individual’s mood or intentions.
Language is concerned with the expression of thoughts, ideas and feelings and its
function is to allow communication to take place. Therefore communication doesn’t
have to be in the form of words providing that we understand the message and grasp
the meaning of what is being conveyed.
On first meeting someone it takes on average 30 milliseconds to decide if they have
a trustworthy face or not, this reaction is linked to the fight or flight response and the
amygdala in the brain, commonly known as the fear centre.
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"Personal achievement in life is a function of the ability to
communicate."
On first meeting with others we form immediate impressions
of them, these impressions count, we assess people and their
intentions by what we first see. It must be remembered that
others also consider their first impressions of us, our body language and dress can
trigger violence in others. This can be demonstrated by the importance of the first
meeting with someone who we do not know, the rule of tens is said to be important,
that is to say that we have, 10 Steps, 10 Seconds, and 10 words to make a good first
impression, if we do not make a good impression it could take up to a further 21
meetings to turn around that initial poor first impression.
Certain cultures also have rules about touching and whether it is seen as appropriate
or not, for instance some will not shake hands as touching others is not accepted.
Touch can trigger a range of messages and reactions such as love, affection, anger
or sympathy.
The amount of space that we have between ourselves and another is known as
personal space; this is space is also known as proxemics, the proximity of one
individual to another, how ever it is termed, this space is important to us. There are
varying degrees of personal space:
•
•
•
Intimate space zone
Personal space zone
Public space zone
-
touching to 50 centimetres away
50 centimetres to 4.2 metres
4.2 metres and beyond
If we enter a zone without consent this can raise the conflict and may well result in
aggression and violence. The old saying “keep someone at arms length” is often
appropriate for people that we do not know, or know very well, as this is generally
outside the 50 centimetre range as explained above. Another saying “I wouldn’t
touch them with a barge pole” further adds to this sentiment, in as much that people
who we do not trust we prefer to have lots of space between us and them in order to
have time to react to them should the need arise. The safe boundary that we each
require in order to feel comfortable will differ for each of us, but the intimidation that
we feel when someone breaches that zone without permission is very real.
We will read another persons non verbal signals when deciding how close is close
enough. It is important to be sympathetic to the reactions of others so as not to
provoke a conflict.
We can say a lot to others without using words, we have to ensure that our body
language gets across the same message as our words so that the message is
congruent. If there is a mismatch between the words used and the body language
displayed,
yed, we will instinctively trust the body language that we see, often this is a
subconscious process and we are not aware of the importance we place on the
non-verbal
verbal messages we see and react to.
We display body language via our facial expressions, posture
ture and our gestures.
Examples of positive body language can include, a smile, appropriate eye contact,
nodding your head in support of what is being said.
Negative body language displays could include, standing with your arms crossed,
standing too close
e to the other person, yawning or frowning or finger tapping.
When asked to describe a smile we tend to concentrate on the mouth and describe
those features, exposed teeth and the raising of the corners of the mouth.
Describing the smile is difficult, however
h
subconsciously we are able to recognise it
instantly and differentiate between a genuine expression and a false expression
expression.
There six main types of facial expressions found in all cultures.
cultures
•
Happiness (round eyes, smiles, raised cheeks)
•
Disgust (wrinkled nose, lowered eyelids and
eyebrow, raised upper lip)
•
Fear (around eyes, open mouth)
•
Anger
er (lower eyebrow and stares intensely)
•
Surprise (raised eyebrow, wide open eyes, open mouth)
•
Sadness (area around mouth and eyes)
Conflict often arises out of misunderstanding; being able to understand what is being
asked of you is a key skill, you need to listen carefully to everything that others say
and try to remember all the details. In light of what we have just covered in the
previous paragraphs we must also consider the importance of the non verbal
message when communicating with others and the impact that this can have in any
communication we have with other people.
Verbal Communication
The way we communicate is very important in determining how others interact with
us. If there is a breakdown in communication this can lead to frustration or anger
and could ultimately lead to a difficult situation. We have already mentioned that
non-verbal communication makes up 93% of the process and the remaining 7% is
made up of the words we use.
As discussed earlier there are different ways we can communicate, but there can be
interference or blocks to the communication process which can create barriers to the
communication flow as displayed in the model below.
Basic Communication Model
Message
Transmitter
or Sender
Receiver
Message
Blocks such as:
Stress
Anger
Alcohol
Cultural Differences
Confused State
Language differences
Stereotyping
Blocks such as:
Background Noise
Weather Conditions
Too Loud
Too Quiet
Non Verbal and Verbal Mismatch
"Everybody can get angry, that's easy. But getting angry at
the right person, with the right intensity, at the right time, for
the right reason and in the right way, that's hard." (Aristotle)
Unit One: Diffusing Difficult Situations in the Workplace
Activity 1
Provide three examples in your own words of different uses of body language and
when you may use to best affect. An example maybe smiling or shaking hands when
first meeting someone.
Activity 2
Certain cultures have specific rules about touching, research and provide three
examples of different cultures and their customs
Activity 3
Detail as many aspects of negative body language that you can identify
Activity 4
Think back to a situation where you were involved in a misunderstanding or conflict
situation. What skills did you use to either resolve the misunderstanding or extradite
yourself from the conflict?
Activity 5
Tommy works in a Call Centre and deals with negative and aggressive customers
occasionally. Explain how Tommy should deal with these callers to ensure that they
are dealt with professionally. NB. Putting the phone down is not an option!