Can Life Be Lived Without Conflict

Communication skills are key to successfully interact. According to Stephen Covey, Communication is the most important single activity of man (n.d). Reflecting throughout the day, communicating seems to dominate. The author manages her own real estate rentals and is continually communicating with tenants. Communication is what helps deliver her rental income. Most people continually communicate so communicating effectively is important, which takes work, practice, and effort (Janasz, Dowd, Schneider, 2015, p. 136). The author has one tenant who has recently started paying their rent late so she had to talk to the tenant. In order for the communication to be effective, the author strategically planned the conversation. The author used oral …show more content…
Unfortunately, conflict is a part of life because this world is filled with different people that have diverse views and personalities. So it is imperative that people learn how to manage conflict. There is positive conflict and negative conflict. Positive conflict is functional and benefits main objectives, while the negative conflict is dysfunctional and hinders main objectives (Janasz, Dowd, Schneider, 2015, p. 267). Obviously, positive conflict is the best way to deal with conflict. The author experienced positive conflict with her son Sergio who wanted to play video games for several hours throughout the day. The author began the conversation using increased involvement and both voiced their opinions, which allowed for each other to gain insight of one another (Janasz, Dowd, Schneider, 2015, p. 267). The author was concerned Sergio was not being productive throughout the day and Sergio felt video games brought him enjoyment. The author and Sergio used creativity and shared ideas to help the situation (Janasz, Dowd, Schneider, 2015, p. 267). They both agreed to limit video games an hour a day but Sergio would also ride his bike or swim an hour a day since these were activities he also enjoyed. There was a positive change and both were able to share their ideas and understand one another’s view. If the situation would have been approached with negative conflict, high emotions would have surfaced and there would not have been a …show more content…
281). When the author had a meeting with her tenant for paying the rent late, she used a strategy, effective communication. The author took responsibility and used “I” instead of using “you” when communicating with the tenant. Then the author watched the body language and facial expressions of the tenant to make sure they understood to pay the rent by the fifth of every month or they would be charged a ten percent late fee. When the author worked at the bank the manager used the strategy, managing others’ expectations. This manager lets all the employees know what was expected of them. All employees were to arrive on time, work efficiently, helps one another, and help the customer to the best of their ability. Focusing on others first was a strategy the author used when communicating with her son Sergio about spending too much time on video games. The Author focused on Sergio’s desire to have enjoyment, so she proposed to add another outdoor activity that Sergio enjoys and reduce the video game time. The author used another strategy, planning for and having difficult conversations when the tenant did not pay the rent on time. After the fifth of the month, without attacking the tenant, the Author contacted the tenant to discuss the unpaid rent issue. The Author