Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

John is the president of the student council. He had called for a meeting to finalise the details of a upcoming bazaar in school and told his committee that the meeting will only last from 7pm to 9pm. However till 10pm, the meeting still had not end. Jane had promised her parents she will be home by 10pm as her parents were unhappy that she had been returning home late for the past few weeks. Knowing that she was already late, she requested John to let her leave first. John did not accede to Jane’s request, reasoning that the meeting was important and everyone should be present. Jane was annoyed with his decision. When the meeting finally ended at 10.30pm, Jane was the first one to leave the room and on her way out, she slammed the door shut. Jane was clearly showing her displeasure to John. John was also infuriated by the attitude that Jane shown.

After this incident, the relationship between John and Jane became tense. For the subsequent meetings, there was not much said between the two. The other committee members are concerned that if this situation continues, meetings will be even less efficient. They tried to persuade them individually to apologize but both John and Jane were stubborn and refuse to budge.

How could John and Jane better handle the situation and possibly avoid the conflict?

Mad About English

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBFEgMqhOs4

Above is the link to the movie trailer of Mad About English.
I am really impressed by the learning spirit of the Chinese in China. In the effort to communicate efficiently to the foreigners coming to Beijing for the olympics, even those rather old people are learning English. It is really never too late to start learning.

Effective Communication Skills

L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, wrote that, ‘a man is as alive as he can communicate’. This statement highlights the importance of communication to every man as it is the means that connects each and every one of us together. In my opinion, effective communication is a two way process which involves expressing and understanding. One has to be able to put across his/her ideas to the audience and the audience must be able to interpret them correctly as intended.

Written communication may cover from simple emails to key business proposals. For fresh graduates, who are entering the workforce, writing a good resume is of utmost importance and will certainly increase the chance of landing an interview for a job. A resume that displays great organization of the contents can leave a good impression on the employer.

Verbal communication as compared to written communication is much more complex. It is dynamic and response from the other party is almost immediate. Thoughts must be put into words coherently and promptly. Furthermore in face to face interaction, non verbal cues like eye contact and body language are instrumental. Maintaining eye contact can show one’s interest in the conversation while constant fidgeting may reveal one’s nervousness. In the school or workplace, it is inevitable to come into contact with people from other countries. Their English accent can be quite distinct from our Singlish and active listening plays a significant role in understanding one another.

Be it in a small club and society or huge organization settings, effective communication will reduce misunderstandings and enhance the efficiency of the workings. A more cordial interpersonal relationship can then be established.