4 Common Communication Challenges that Hinder Compromise

When it comes to finding a compromise in an argument, communication is key. Unfortunately, many people fail to use effective communication strategies when disputing with someone else and the result is often that no resolution or compromise is reached. There are several common communication challenges which can hinder productive dialogue and make resolving disputes difficult: 

1. Not listening: In order for two parties to reach an agreement, both sides must be heard and given the chance to express their points of view without judgement or interruption. If one party is not actively listening to the other’s perspective, then this will create a barrier between them and prevent any meaningful discussion from occurring.  

2. Unnecessary criticism: Nobody likes being judged or criticized by another person, especially when it is unwarranted. Criticizing a person’s opinion or beliefs in an argument can be counterproductive as it may cause the other party to become defensive and unwilling to listen to any further dialogue. 
3. Lack of respect: Respect is essential in any kind of dispute resolution process and when it is not present, it can make the situation worse. If one or both people taking part in the discussion are not showing respect towards each other, then compromise will be impossible. 

4. Assumptions: Making assumptions about another person’s thoughts or intentions can prevent meaningful conversation from occurring since they are not always accurate and could lead to misunderstandings between parties. It is important for everyone involved to avoid making assumptions and instead focus on communicating their thoughts and feelings clearly. 

Overall, communication is a critical part of any dispute resolution process and if the parties involved do not take the time to address these common communication challenges, then it can be difficult for them to reach a compromise. Therefore, it is important for everyone to be aware of these issues and strive to communicate effectively to resolve disputes successfully. 

Careers & Workplace Environments : Power Words for Job Performance

Lack of Communication in the Workplace - Why We Don't Give Feedback at Work

Positivity Has Its Place

Being positive is a great attribute to have when it comes to discussing issues at the workplace. When a situation comes up, “looking on the bright side of things” is one of those catch phrases that is intended to encourage someone, but unfortunately for many, they say it to look good before others even when this advice doesn't always work or has little relevance to what is going on at the workplace.

One can be positive and be a fool too. A positive fool is that one who sees there is an ongoing fire at a friend's home. The poor friend is crying about losing everything, and before her tears are dried up, the optimist says something like, “Well, at least you and your family weren't there in the house when the fire started.  Don't worry, you will get your stuff back.” That isn't a very truthful or encouraging statement.  Family photos, keepsakes, and other valuables are lost forever--you can't get them back!There is a time and a place for everything. Being grateful for one's life is a good thing, but a statement like, “Here's a check to help you with your tragedy” sounds far better!
 

Sometimes positive statements are just used for selfish reasons at a workplace setting. Some employees use them to get out of speaking truth and to avoid adding details to a story or personal opinion. A positive phrase can be used as an escape out of a situation someone doesn't want to be in or is fearful of where the conversation might lead. For instance, you are asking someone a question about specific work events and he or she responds with, “All is well.” That doesn't say what anyone did, said, how much was done...it only communicates “no problems.” But then later, one's positive comment becomes more than meets the eye, the worker says, “Oh, that's right I forgot to tell you about...and I didn't do...I got someone else to do that...well, yes there was that issue...it wasn't that bad.”  Really?!
 

Workers will hide behind their positive phrases when they are doing the following: running from a situation that might make them feel uncomfortable, lack confidence in what they are doing, or are worried that what they say might be repeated to others. When one is honest with no worries, confident that things are managed well, and has nothing to hide, why avoid details when asked open-ended questions or why use feel-good phrases just because one doesn't feel like talking about a situation? Maybe you can get a way with such a strategy at home, but at work, different story.

When a leader is looking for open communication with details as to why something has or hasn't occurred, he or she doesn't want a response like, “Well, some people did what was asked, and others didn't, but there were no problems. That's just how things are. But we got things done. We can look at the glass half full or half empty in this situation.” What!? The manager is going to want to know, “Why were some people working and others were not?” The following is another fictional example except this person didn't bother to ask any questions about a challenge before blurting out something about being positive, “Well, people do things we don't like. I mean I didn't hear everything about what happened. I don't even know her personally. But I would like to think she meant nothing by her action. Oh, just try to be positive.” Meanwhile, the person is ignorant of the person and the details, but advises one to be positive. Huh!? It isn't any wonder why some so-called optimists end up overlooked for promotions, job offers, can't keep good relations with staff, etc. They don't know how to express positivity in such a way that will help them and others.  One should avoid saying too much of anything, including advising, when you don't know the facts. Sometimes all a speaker wants is a listening ear. A wise person would listen for the lesson in the conversation that might be beneficial to her or him. In the example, the listener should have been telling his or herself while listening to the concern, “If I ever encounter this person that supposedly gave her a hard time, I will watch what I say” instead of assuming that one's intentions might be positive. If so, why were there issues in the first place?

Never assume anything about anyone's intentions especially when you haven't personally had an encounter with them or don't know them or details.  From parents to CEOs, people have their reasons for why they do or don't do. Better to be quiet than to carelessly say something without doing a thorough investigation on a matter.
 

Positivity has its place. As crazy as it seems, it can also be used as a weapon. If I refuse to say anything negative, even when there are those moments where I need to speak up and tell the truth about a situation, then I could be fueling a fire. Some employees will refuse to help managers because they are more concerned about friendships with co-workers, so when a workplace challenge comes up, they rather stick with a list of nice phrases for everyone involved while ignoring facts and how their actions or in-actions might have contributed negatively to a situation. For example, a nervous contractor responds to a manager's question about a certain worker's frequent tardiness that has been witnessed by others, “I wouldn't say that she is always late...I mean she does stay late too...she's a good worker.” The individual in question just so happens to be a very good friend of the contractor. In another fictional example, a supervisor talks to a worker about not being clear on a directive given to a group of employees and he responds with, “Well, I told them that, I mean I know what you told me to tell them, but I thought it would be better if... besides everything turned out good.” Meanwhile, little does the employee know that the supervisor's paperwork says otherwise and things aren't “good.”
 

We can all go too far with all our flattery, niceties, and optimistic outlook on this person, that issue or that thing. There is always the story that one tells you and the story that goes on behind closed doors. There is the face you see at one's workplace and the one that he or she has away from work and it isn't always “great, wonderful, friendly...”

In closing, consider the following advice when it comes to being positive. 

• For every statement that makes one feel uncomfortable or has a negative tone to it, one should refrain from shooting everything down with positivity so as to protect one's reputation.  Instead, speak truth, don't sugarcoat.  Avoid offering your opinion unless asked.
• Before reaching an assumption that one, who is telling a story must “calm down, be nice, be good, look on the bright side...,” consider the speaker's point of view. 
• Look beyond the scope of your personal experience.
• Ask questions first, save commentary or advice when the person is willing to receive. 
• You can't build a quality relationship with anyone whether at work or at home if you choose to defend someone or something while using an assortment of feel-good statements. We must all keep in mind an old piece of wisdom, “Think, before you speak.”

Nicholl McGuire maintains this blog and other blogs including one for apartment and home renters.  She is a former property manager, former supervisor, and has held other leadership positions in the past in a variety of industries.

How To Start A Conversation With Celebrity Fans To Get What You Want

How To Start A Conversation With Celebrity Fans To Get What You Want

How To Improve Your Lousy Writing Skills In The Workplace

If there’s one important reason why you need to write effectively in the workplace, it is this: the quality of your writing imprints a lasting impression on the reader. This reader may be your boss, a client, or a person who is ready to make a billion dollar business deal with you.

Have you ever read a poorly-written document that made you lose interest right away? It was so poorly-written that you lost trust in the author and asked yourself why the author was wasting your time? How about those junk e-mails that sneak into your junk box like annoying cockroaches? You know the ones I’m referring to: the ones pitching vitamins, software, and sex aids. These e-mails are the biggest showcase of writing blunders, stricken to death with grammar mistakes, misspellings, and sloppy sentences. I doubt these e-mails pull a sale because their poor writing style immediately alienates the reader.

What impression does your writing leave on your boss, clients, or co-workers? Does your writing alienate readers, cause you to lose sales or clients, or cost you job promotions? Or does your writing build streams of loyal readers, increase sales for the company, and help you earn six figures a year at your job?

Whatever type of writing you do in the workplace, always know this reality: readers believe the quality of your writing reflects your skills, work ethics, and integrity as a person. If you write eloquently, clearly, and lively, the reader trusts you and you are able to build rapport quickly. If your writing is sloppy, disorganized, and riddled with errors, the reader assumes the rest of your work is flawed, your work ethics are flawed, and perhaps as a person you are flawed. Why should this reader waste his time reading the rest of your junk or even do business with you?

This article provides fail-safe strategies to help refine your writing and help you to communicate with clarity, simplicity, and impact so you will never write junk again. You will learn five masterful steps to guide you in planning, writing, and refining an article; and you will learn how to avoid common writing mistakes.

AIM! FIRE! FIRE!

To become a superb writer, your first task is to establish your aim.

Yiddish novelist, dramatist and essayist, Sholem Asch, once said, “Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.”

What message do you want to convey with your writing?

To establish your aim, ask yourself:

1) “Why am I writing this document?”
2) “What do I want to communicate?”
3) “Do I want to inform, educate, report, persuade, challenge, or entertain?”

Developing your aim will help you to adopt the best writing style for your reader. For example, an educational document will likely be more formal than one written for entertaining.

CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS

To write effectively, you need to connect strongly with your readers. Ask yourself:

1) “For whom am I writing this? Will I be writing for colleagues, my supervisor, my team of employees, or our clients?”

2) “How much information do my readers need?”

3) “How familiar are my readers with the topic?”

4) “How much time do my readers have? Would my readers prefer a short, succinct presentation of facts and statistics, or more narration and exposition?”

Knowing your audience will allow you to write content in a way that appeals to your readers.

SHAPE YOUR DOCUMENT

You know your aim. You know the people who will likely read your document. Now plan your document. What information will it contain? What information will most likely grab the reader and hold their interests? What points do you need to get across? Start with a rough outline of ideas. Then go through the outline and add more information and more detail. An outline will create the structure for your document. Soon enough your writing will come more easily, quickly, and with greater clarity.

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW BEST

At this stage, read over your outline and write the first draft. Establish the main idea of the document and support your argument throughout. If a blank white page glares back at you like headlights, just start writing on whatever topic you know best. According to American novelist Jack London, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Don’t worry about the sequence if the ideas come to you out of order. You can cut and paste later.

WORDY WEIGHT LOSS

If you have time, step away from the document. Come back to it later with a fresh mind. Now add material where needed. Trim away unnecessary sections. Refine the text to communicate what you want to say. Remember: less is more. Try not to repeat ideas. Repetition, unless necessary, is tiresome for the reader. Keep the piece moving along. Use a lively pace. Progress through your points efficiently.

The following sections address some of the most common writing problems. Use these tips to write more clearly, effectively, and lively.

I.) PUNCTUATION

a) Apostrophes

Do not use an apostrophe in the possessive form of “it.”

Incorrect: Our department submitted it’s reports for 2005 last week.
Correct: Our department submitted its reports for 2005 last week.

Do not use apostrophes in the possessive forms “his,” “hers,” and “ours.”

Incorrect: The window office is her’s.
Correct: The window office is hers.

Do not use apostrophes in plural nouns.

Incorrect: How many new computer’s are we getting?
Correct: How many new computers are we getting?

b) Commas

Do not connect two complete sentences with a comma.

Incorrect: The meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early.
Correct: The meeting was cancelled, so I finished my work early.
Correct: Since the meeting was cancelled, I finished my work early.

II.) MECHANICS

a) Split Infinitives

Do not insert words between “to” and the infinitive form of a verb.

Incorrect:I was told we needed to slightly tighten the deadline.

Correct:I was told we needed to tighten the deadline slightly.

III.) SPELLING

a) “A lot” is always two words.

Incorrect: I have alot of work to do.
Correct: I have a lot of work to do.

b) “To” is a function word often used before the infinitive form of a verb (to go).

c) “Too” is an adverb that means “excessively” (too difficult).

d) “Two” denotes the number 2.

Incorrect: This file cabinet is to heavy for me to move.
Correct: This file cabinet is too heavy for me to move.

e) “There” is an adverb indicating a place (over there).

f) “Their” is a possessive word that shows ownership (their computers).

g) “They’re” is the contraction form of “they are.”

Incorrect: There results for this quarter were excellent.
Correct: Their results for this quarter were excellent.

Incorrect: Their working very hard today.
Correct: They’re working very hard today.

IV.) STYLE

a) Sentence Variety

To write more lively, vary sentence structure. Use alternate ways of beginning, and combine short sentences to create different sentence lengths.

Before:

I organized the files for all the new accounts this week. Then I created a more efficient labeling system. I color-coded everything. I made sure all paper files had been documented electronically. I put these files in the empty file cabinet.

After:

This week I organized the files for the new accounts and created a more efficient color-coded labeling system. After I documented all paper files electronically, I put these files in the empty file cabinet.

V.) ACTIVE VOICE vs. PASSIVE VOICE

The English language has two "voices": active voice (the subject performs an action); and passive voice (the subject is acted upon). In business communication, all good writers write in active voice. Lazy writers write in passive voice. Writing in active voice shortens your sentences and makes your writing sound more direct and formal.

Examples:

PASSIVE: The recipe book is read by her.
ACTIVE: She reads the recipe book.

PASSIVE: The radio announcement should be listened to by everyone.
ACTIVE: Everyone should listen to the radio announcement.

PASSIVE: The photo is being taken by the photographer.
ACTIVE: The photographer is taking the photo.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

To learn more about fixing common writing mistakes, check out The Electronic Writing Course ( http://www.ElectronicWritingCourse.com ). It’s a program that teaches the basics of good writing and editing. If you want to check your document against 36,000 style and usage mistakes, check out StyleWriter ( http://www.StyleWriter-USA.com ). It’s a style and usage Plain English checker. If you want to write more lively and creatively, check out WhiteSmoke Software ( http://www.WhiteSmokeSoftware.com ). It’s a program that fixes and enriches your text.

If you follow these guidelines, you’ll stop yourself from writing lousy in the workplace. Your writing will be lively, clear, and concise, and you will build rapport with readers. Perhaps it’s now time to e-mail your boss a perfectly-written e-mail requesting a salary raise?

Brian Konradt has been a professional freelance writer for over ten years. He is founder of http://FreelanceWriting.com ( http://www.FreelanceWriting.com ) and http://LiteracyNews.com ( http://www.LiteracyNews.com ).

Sites to Help Employees with Conflicts that Arise at Work

Workforce Managment Conflict Resolution

People Management Tips

Conflict 911 Help Center

Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Solving Generational Conflict in the Workplace

Workplace Communication

Communication is a two-way process. Communication is successful only when the receiver understands the message intended by the sender.
Effective workplace communication is very essential for smooth and efficient functioning of an organization. The manager should have proper communication with his subordinates, else it will lead to absenteeism amongst workers, lower productivity, development of grapevine networks in an organization. There should be two-way communication in an organization. Manager should have personal contact with his subordinates. He should clearly communicate goals and policies of the organization to his subordinates and should get feedback on these goals and policies.

Feedback plays a very important role in the communication process. It enables us to evaluate the effectiveness of our message. Giving the subordinates chance to provide feedback is important for maintaining a open communication climate. The manager must create an environment that encourages feedback. For example: after communicating a job assignment, he should ask "Do all of you understand?", "Is that clear?", "Do you have any doubts?", etc. This will ensure that whether his message is understood or not.

Both upward and downward communications are important. Upward communication will keep manager informed about employees job satisfaction, employees feelings for their peers and about organization in general. Downward communication is important so that manager can give job instructions, explain the roles and policies and explain the issues which need immediate attention. Similarly we have horizontal communication in an organization which is also very important. It is essential that people working at same level should have effective communication amongst them so that there is co-ordination between them. Communication at workplace should be clear, concise and specific. There should be effective use of body language at workplace. Body language reflects the position of a person in the organization. A manager should make effective use of his body language while communicating with his subordinates.

Communication at workplace is mainly of two types - Verbal (Meetings, Speech, One to One feedbacks etc), Non Verbal (Written, printed, emails etc).

A healthy communication at workplace is good and essential for every business. Author is publisher of www.managementstudyguide.com/business_communication.htm, which provides more information on business communication.