ALL PARTS HAVE TO BE COMPLETED

Part 1 300-500 words

We come upon interpersonal communication situations every day whether we realize it or not. No doubt, you have had conversations that did not go the way you wanted them to go. People can often see things differently; the same message can be understood in many different ways.

Discuss one situation that didn't go as you had expected and consider why.

Your discussion should include the following:

• Summarize the situation:
  • Who were you talking to?
  • What was the subject?
  • How did it go?
• Explain the following:
  • How did the rules of conversation (ethics, listening effectively, patience, and non-verbal considerations) apply in this conversation?
  • How did opinions, both your own and the individual's that you were speaking with, influence the direction of the discussion?

Part 2 300-500 words

One of the most important ways to understand people is to get a sense of their self-concept. Self-concept refers to how people see themselves; it is a combination of self-awareness and self-esteem. Self-concept often will dictate how an individual interpersonally communicates.

Consider the following scenario:

You are advising new students here at CTU. Your goal is to have your students be self-confident and well-adjusted. To help encourage the development of these qualities, you decide that you are going to create a one-page resource that provides an overview of self-concept. Within this discussion, please provide information on the key points that you would discuss within this resource.

• Summarize the situation:
  • What is self-concept? Name all parts.
  • What are some of the dangers of negative self-concept?
  • What are some benefits of positive self-concept?
• Explain the following:
  • How can someone improve his/her self-concept?

Part 3 300-500 words

An underrated aspect of interpersonal communication is listening. Many times, the success of a conversation will depend on whether one person took the time to actually listen to what the other person had to say.

Think about a time in which you had a conversation with someone and although you heard the words that the person spoke, you did not really listen. Did you ever wonder why? Take the time to describe the incident and then discuss the following:

• Summarize the situation:
  • Who were you talking to?
  • What was the subject?
  • How did it go?
• Explain the following:
  • What is the difference between hearing someone and listening to someone?
  • Which style of listening was used in this example and why?
  • What are some of the barriers to effective listening in your example?

Part 4 300-500 words

With any personal relationship, there is the potential for conflict. Whether it is in the workplace or in a person’s home life, conflict often occurs. In fact, it should be seen as natural and unavoidable in some respects.

Because this is the case, think about a time in which you had a conflict with someone and reflect on the following:

• Summarize the situation:
  • What was the cause of the conflict?
  • Was it one of the fundamental causes that often lead to conflict?
  • How did you handle it?
• Explain the following:
  • Was it the best way to handle it, or are there techniques that you should have used instead?
  • Which technique that you have learned might have been helpful in this situation? Why? Use sources.

Part 5 300-500 words

For this assignment, you will read a scenario and use of the interpersonal skills you learned in the course to resolve the conflict and repair the relationships.

Consider the following scenario:

You have just been transferred to a new department at your place of employment. Your first task in this new department is to take a lead project management role on a project that has been taking longer than the company had anticipated.

You decide that a great way to get to know the team is to have a lunch meeting in a private room at a local restaurant. You want to have a nice lunch and an informal conversation about the project to get a feel for why the project seems sluggish. At the restaurant, people introduce themselves and you note the following:

• Marisa focuses on training and development. She seems confident and driven. She has a rich background in training and development.
• Joe is the subject matter expert on the new product. He is confident in his knowledge of the product. He is a perfectionist.
• Christopher is the information technology and programming expert. He is quiet and reserved. You are unsure about his country of origin, but it is clear that English is a second language for him. You have heard that he is very good at what he does.

During lunch, you noticed the following:

• Marisa blames Joe for the project’s lack of success. She says he takes too long to get her the information she needs. Marisa's role is to create the training plan for selling the new product. She needs Christopher to finish his work before she can begin training employees.
• Joe is defensive and yells at Marisa. He tells her he is not putting his name on the product until it is ready. He also tells Marisa that she is not smart enough to understand the product, so he has to dumb it down for her.
• When Christopher tries to offer his understanding of the situation, Marisa tells him that his job is simply to create what she tells him to create; then continues to argue with Joe. Christopher looks down at the table and stops talking.
• Things are really starting to get heated and it is clear that this informal lunch meeting is quickly getting out of hand.

The description of this scenario can be downloaded here for future reference: Unit 5 Discussion Board Scenario.

• Summarize the situation:
  • Write up a plan for resolving the conflict, getting the project back on track, and repairing the relationships of each individual involved.
  • Explain how interpersonal communication skills can be used to resolve the conflict between the teammates.
    • How would you address the situation with each of the three individuals in a respectful manner?
    • How do you take what they have said and done into consideration?
• Explain the following:
  • Where are patterns of conflict that are occurring with each individual?
  • How can these relationships be repaired using concepts of interpersonal communication such as power, listening skills, asking questions, cultural and personal sensitivity, empowerment, reframing, and any other conflict resolution strategies you find appropriate?