Styles of Communication and Conflict Resolution Research Paper

Styles of Communication and Conflict Resolution - Research Paper Example To avert conflicts and optimize on their potential to deal with the problematic situations in the best possible manner in an organizational setting, it is imperative that both managers and team members are aware of the various styles of communication. The fundamental requisite of avoidance of conflicts everywhere in general and workplace in particular is to have empathy for the other people’s perspectives. People who believe that they are neither superior nor inferior to their colleagues at the workplace are able to keep their interactions free of negative influences. This paper explores different styles of communication and discusses the secrets of effective communication which is the fundamental prerequisite of conflict resolution. Continuums of Communication Styles According to M. R. Hammer, there are two continuums along which the communication styles about conflict lie. The first continuum is about the way people express their disagreements. In the indirect style, people tend to give other people clues about their opinions, and try to elaborate them with the help of metaphors or stories. This is called as the indirect style. The direct style lies at the opposite end of the very continuum. In the direct style, people overtly express their views so that the other person exactly knows what the point of concern is. There is a lot of difference between the body language of the direct and the indirect speaker (Hammer, 2005). While the indirect speaker tends to make use of subtle messages, the direct speaker confronts the other person by looking into the eyes. The second continuum is the continuum of expressiveness. Certain people express their emotions very overtly. These people are known as extroverted. They have very expressive faces as well as body language. People that lie at the opposite end of the continuum of expressiveness generally remain quiet, and are very introverted. They are very reserved, and do not feel comfortable or like to share their v iews with others, particularly to an unfamiliar group of people. Styles of Communication There are several styles of communication (CEDA, n.d.) which include but are not limited to accommodation style, discussion style, dynamic style, and engagement style. The different styles of communication emerge from different combinations of the levels of disagreement and expressiveness. They are discussed below: Accommodation Style People who have the accommodation style of communication are generally introverted, and want to control their emotions. They make effort to save the relationship from being tarnished by conflicts by using metaphors and such other techniques. Discussion Style People having a discussion style of communication generally control their emotions, but do convey their disagreement to the other person in clear words and understandable manner. To add weight to their opinions, they make use of objective facts. Dynamic Style People that have a dynamic style of communication op enly express their distress, though they tend not to talk about the underlying cause of distress overtly. The argument structure in the dynamic style of communication is associative, and mediators are required to facilitate the discussion. Engagement Style People that have an engagement style of communication express their feelings freely. Passion reflects in their