Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

I was in the committee in my school band. When my committee stepped down, elections were held to search for the next batch of leaders. My teachers and committee had to interview the juniors running for the elections to enable us to understand the positions they were interested in and roughly gauge if they are suitable for the job. After the elections, eight juniors with the highest votes would form the next committee. My teachers and committee, together with the newly elected juniors, gathered to discuss the structure of the committee. This was when the conflict occurred. For the post of President, my teachers had a different person in mind from my committee members. My teachers were impressed by A’s confidence during the interview but my committee felt otherwise. To us, confidence is not the only characteristic that defines a good President. We agreed that B was more suitable for the role because she was firm and mature. There was a long argument over this matter, thus we decided to let the new committee vote. A had the highest votes, so she was elected as the President.

The conflict arose mainly because there were different opinions among my teachers and my committee members over the roles of the new committee members. There was probably a lack of active listening because the teachers and my committee did not listen to each other’s comments in an objective way. I felt frustrated and disappointed that the teachers insisted on choosing A as the President despite our objections. I also thought they were not respecting my committee’s suggestions and it seems like there was actually no need for us to participate in the discussion.

Is there a better way to resolve this conflict so that there will be a win-win situation?

Effective Communication Skills

Communication skills are essential as we need to communicate with people in daily life. Developing effective communication skills is vital in dealing with different people in different situations. Effective communication ensures the exchange of accurate information, efficiency in work and formation of a wide network of friends. Misunderstandings may easily arise if there is a lack of effective communication and therefore lead to dire consequences.

There are many different forms of communication. In my opinion, developing skills in active listening, interpersonal communication and oral communication is very important. Active listening allows us to obtain information in the workplace or provide advice for troubled friends, and it is also a form of respect for the speaker(s). Without active listening, inaccurate information may be obtained thus affecting work progress, or friends may feel neglected as they have no one to confide in. Interpersonal communication is another useful skill because when we enter the workforce, we will meet many people whom we need to build a network with. Having a wide network, it enables us to expedite work processes or to obtain a recommendation letter for a scholarship application. People with different job positions, status, or character will require us to use different communication channels. Lastly, oral communication applies greatly in the workplace when we give presentations. Being able to speak confidently and clearly in front of our audience is essential in convincing and conveying our ideas and details to them. When I gave a presentation for a school project, I realised that speaking confidently captures the audience's attention and it enhances their understanding of the content. Effective presentations may also leave a good first impression in the audience.

Effective communication is much needed to maintain the relationships with our family members, friends, schoolmates or colleagues. Developing effective communication skills is important when we enter the workforce, and these skills will still be used even when we are not working because we constantly meet new people in our lives.