Week 7: Negotiation and Conflict Management

Negotiation skills are useful in all walks of life. As they apply to business, they entail the successful navigation and settlement of the wants and needs of multiple parties, aka stakeholders. To put it into my own words, I would say that negotiation is a form of positive conflict resolution in which the outcome is mutually beneficial for all parties. Successful negotiation takes a dedication and practiced skill for all of the interpersonal skills previously discussed on this blog, especially active listening, non-verbal communication, and situational knowledge.

A new skill that I learned in relation to negotiation skills is managing argumentativeness versus verbal aggressiveness. Per the textbook Strategic Communication in Business and the Professions, “An inclination to argue or a fondness for arguing is called argumentativeness…the tendency to attack other people instead of other points of view is termed verbal aggressiveness” (O’Hair, Friedrich, & Dixon, p.323). To find out where I fell on this spectrum, I personally completed the Argumentativeness Scale and Verbal Aggressiveness Scale Assessments available in the text. I found that my argumentativeness rating was a -3, corresponding to a moderate-low level of argumentativeness. My verbal aggressiveness rating was 15, corresponding to a moderate level of verbal aggressiveness. I learned from this exercise that I am very much down the middle when it comes to conflict, and this is true in the sense that I don’t enjoy conflict but also don’t strive to avoid it. I recognize the benefits of conflict when it is leveraged constructively, but I am not the type that will argue for the sake of the art. Mastering negotiation and conflict management skills will help me use the inevitability of conflict to the greatest advantage.

References

O'Hair, D., Friedrich, G. & Dixon, L. (2011). Strategic communication in business and the            professions (7th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.

Week 6: Meetings

I learned several highly applicable concepts on the topic of meetings this week. In my future as a manager at Boeing, meeting s comprise a significant part of the workload. Making the most of each and every meeting is therefore extremely important as a way to efficiently and satisfactorily solve problems collaboratively.

Properly preparing for meetings is Step One. Agendas, Goal Setting, and establishing suitable facilities are all a part of this process. It’s also important that getting to know the group in advance and establishing rules of order are done right from the start. Though meetings are called for myriad purposes, our focus here is on problem-solving meetings, and as such, critical thinking skills are of primary importance. My own prior knowledge of analysis, reasoning, interpretation, and evaluation, gathered and reinforced from past experience and education, will inform my ability to successfully run and contribute to problem-solving meetings in the future.

I also find the Reflective Thinking problem-solving method to be of particular use to my career. The method is straightforward and efficient, and leverages the advantages of face-to-face, cohesive communication. It is a five-step process of introducing the problem, defining and analyzing the problem, establishing criteria for the solution, generating possible solutions, and finally evaluating possible solutions. Since meetings involve multiple people gathered for a unified purpose, they provide an ideal forum for collaborative problem definition, analysis, and especially solution generation. I plan to use this method wherever appropriate to accomplish meeting goals.

Week 5: Interviewing

I learned a number of useful facts about interviews this week.

When one hears the term "interview", an employment interview is usually the thing that instantly springs to mind. This was precisely the case for me when I began this week's studies. I was somewhat bewildered to find that the term "interview" covers many more broad but also specific forms of communication, especially as they relate to business. In addition to employment interviews, there are also orientation interviews, research interviews, appraisal interviews, grievance interviews, problem-solving interviews, and persuasive interviews, just to name a few. I learned that interviews are not simply one person asking questions of another, but specifically are communications that are "planned, dyadic, and interactive" (O'Hair, Friedrich, & Dixon, p. 212).

I found the discussion of anxiety management to be particularly useful. I have had anxiety on both sides of the interview process, even as many times now as I have had to sit in on one. The most important aspects of managing anxiety in an interview setting are being prepared, conducting research prior to the interview, creating a comfortable atmosphere (if you are the interviewer), and to practice techniques for increasing self-confidence.

Many professional interactions qualify as interviews. Therefore, strategic and effective communication in the form of strong interview skills is very important to success in business. Interview skill development is high on my list of priorities.

Week 4: Mentors and Proteges

This week, I will focus on what I find to be an important but frequently overlooked topic: the professional relationships between mentors and their proteges. I personally have always sought out these sorts of relationships as I have developed my own career. At my current age of twenty-nine, I have mostly been on the protege side of the equation, seeking out the lessons to be drawn from the knowledge and experience of my more seasoned counterparts. As I look forward to the rest of my career, particularly my chosen specialty of management, I aim to prepare myself to take on the mentoring aspect.

From my own diverse work experiences in aerospace, across many disciplines such as maintenance, assembly, and quality assurance, I am able to personally confirm that the benefits outlined in the textbook are very real. The textbook lists the following benefits available to any protege driven enough to seek out a willing mentor:

• Receiving support from the mentor
• Having the mentor influence others on behalf of the protege
• Getting public recognition from the mentor
• Having the mentor as a friend and role model
• Obtaining greater knowledge of the politics of the organization
• Being promoted by the mentor

 (O'Hair, Friedrich, & Dixon, p. 195)

Mentors also stand to gain from these relationships, as they demonstrate the value to the organization of the mentors abilities and skills to lead. Mentorships are not always available to every employee, but new employees should always seek out the opportunity to become a protege. When and where possible, the benefits for all parties, including the company itself, are immense.



O'Hair, D., Friedrich, G., & Dixon, L. (2011). Strategic communication in business and the professions (7th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.