Interpersonal Communication - Essay Example

Define of Terms One of the most important conflict resolution skills is assertion. Assertion refers to the interpersonal communication technique whereby a person gives affirmative statements in a confident way without expressing the need for proof or validation of those statements. Personal feelings and interests are expressed confidently, logically and clearly without being aggressive. in an inherent characteristic. It is an important skill in conflict resolution. Nonverbal communication refers to the skill of passing on a message by use of body language.

Gestures, posture, facial expressions, dressing code, or even a combination of these skills makes it possible to communicate without verbal talk. Listening is arguably one of the most important interpersonal communication skills. It is said that a person has two ears and one mouth to “listen as twice as he talks.” This is very true for effective interpersonal communication especially in conflict resolution (Wood 8). Choice of Concepts Conflict resolution is a very challenging endeavor. It is the most challenging area of my interpersonal communication.

After personal evaluation in this field, I discovered that my main problem was caused by lack of assertiveness, poor nonverbal communication, and listening skills. . I discovered that I am hot tempered and as such, I would always find myself in conflicts with other people especially because of misunderstanding. I particularly noted that when angry, I could not listen, have control over my body language, or act assertively. I could not solve any conflict no matter how small it was due to anger.

One memorable situation prompted me to think critically about my ability to solve conflicts. I was at home with my two younger brothers. There was power failure in our neighborhood so we could not use our home telephone. Instead, we opted for my cellphone. I am not quite sure who used the phone lastly and misplaced it. I had an urgent call to make but the cellphone was nowhere to be found. A conflict ensued and I got so angry with my brothers that I could not listen to them. I lost control over my body language hence fuelling the situation.

When my parents came home in the evening, I could not stand on my ground due to lack of assertiveness and thus ended up feeling hurt as my parents tried to solve the conflict. I saw the need to work seriously on these three concepts. Practicing Opportunities I began working on assertiveness by engaging myself in solving conflicts whenever an opportunity presented itself. The best opportunity was when playing football during games time. I developed confidence by consciously controlling my assertiveness.

It was quite simple to develop listening skills since I would only practice listening patiently to any conversation. Family set up offered me a good practice for this concept. I learned to listen to my younger brothers whenever a conflict arose. I found television and movie celebrities a good source of training for nonverbal communication which I