Topic 1
Effective communication, conflict theory and ways to resolve them
What effective communication is?
Effective communication is something more complex than simply exchanging information as it allows you to understand the emotion and intentions behind the information.
It is a way of communicating, where the sender or the person transmitting the message must do so in a very clear and understandable way for the receiver, making sure there is no confusion, doubt or misinterpretation.
Effective communication is a communication that can take place between two or more people and in which the given message is understood in its entirety, i.e. when both the sender and the recipient attribute the same meaning to it and in which the recipient has listened carefully to everything and the sender is listened to and understood.
Principles of effective communication
There are several principles on which effective communication can be based: they describe how to structure a communication channel in which one can understand each other in a natural way.
The principles can be summarized in the so called 4C:
Cooperation
Compassion
Complicity
Co-Creation
Cooperation
All communications in principle have the objective of being effective through cooperation between 2 or more parties and to be effective all parties must understand the literal and implied meaning of the words.
According to Herbert Paul Grice, an English philosopher and linguist who died in 1988, a conversation begins where there is cooperation between the subjects.
He argued that "it is necessary to conform one's conversational contribution to what is required, when it occurs, by the accepted common intent or by the direction of the verbal exchange in which one is engaged".
To have cooperation in communication, each interlocutor must contribute to the communicative exchange by conforming to the following four maxims:
Quantity: the contribution to be given to the information must be adequate for the purposes of the speech without providing more information than necessary
Quality: it is not necessary to communicate false things and of which there is no adequate proof
Relevance: the contribution must be relevant to the topic in question
Modality: we must be clear, avoid ambiguity and obscure expressions, we must be concise and orderly
Please watch the following video to better understand the 4 maxims of Grice:
Compassion
According with dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg (an American psychologist that was the founder of The Center for Nonviolent Communication, died in 2015), using compassion in communication to reduce conflicts and improve relationships.
He argued that “while we may not consider the way we talk to be ‘violent,’ our words often lead to hurt and pain, whether for others or for ourselves."
The goal of compassionate communication, also known as non-violent communication, is to create connections and develop relationships where people do things for each other out of genuine concern and care, rather than feelings of guilt or shame.
Practicing nonviolent communication can therefore help prevent difficult conversations from turning into painful and confusing conflicts.
With nonviolent communication, one can confidently express one's feelings and ask for what we need using language that does not involve criticism or judgment.
Nonviolent communication therefore consists of a simple method of clear and empathic communication, based on four steps:Observation of the facts (it is necessary to present observations based purely on facts, therefore free from judgments or evaluations);
Identification of feelings (it is necessary to try to identify the emotions that the interlocutors of a dialogue are feeling during the communication, preventing the risk of shame);
Recognition of needs (it is necessary to try to transmit the needs from which certain feelings arise, expressing them without giving a moral judgment);
Formulation of requests (it is necessary to ask clearly and precisely what you want, avoiding to imply or suggest what you do not want).
Please watch the following videos to better understand Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg's thinking:
Complicity
Another important element in communication is that of complicity which can allow the development of better relationships.
Complicity creates more than just communication, compromise, compatibility, collaboration, etc.
Complicity (also known as emotional connection or empathy) implies that communication always creates an impact on the other person: this happens because the people with whom we establish an emotional connection give us peace of mind, they make us feel at ease during the interaction.
This connection makes us more open to the teachings of life, gives us the charge of energy and makes us feel happier.
Empathy is the ability to get in perfect harmony with other people, to the point of being able to understand their moods: it allows you to gain people's trust because only by creating harmony between the subjects can communication be effective.
The interlocutor with whom a state of complicity is created feels understood and understood and it is normal that he will see in us a person he can trust.
Empathic communication, which therefore leads to empathic understanding, is based on three main elements:
Transparency: You may not agree with someone and you can tell them, but lying blocks communication.
Self-control: Do not identify with and propose your reactions, you are not always looking for advice;
Unconditional acceptance: avoid judging the behavior of the other, but focus on what they feel Please watch the following videos to better understand what empathic communication is:
Co-creation
Co-creation can be defined as the collaborative development of new values (concepts, solutions, products, information and services) together with other persons (experts, stakeholders, customers, suppliers, etc.).
Co-creation is a form of collaborative innovation where ideas are shared and improved together, rather than kept to oneself: in fact it can also facilitate your own work in developing materials, events, and communication.
Often when concepts, solutions, products, and services are developed and designed together with the target group, they often respond better to their needs.
The steps for co-creation (or creative sharing) are at least:
have content,
put it in common
share it with others.
Please watch the following video to better understand what co-creation is:
Principles of effective communication
Creativity is a complex construct whose definition is not simple (the word itself derives from the Latin and indicates "create, generate, produce“).
Often when concepts, solutions, products, and services are developed and designed together with the target group, they often respond better to their needs.
Creativity is in each of us, perhaps a little buried and underestimated, but it is there and it can be trained and stimulated
Creativity can be defined as the ability to:
find new ideas or solutions;
combine the available elements into something new and "functional“;
solve problems in an original way;
modify the existing one by improving it.
Please watch the following video to better understand what creativity is:
The theory of the conflict and how to solve them
The presence of a conflict increases creativity: conflict, in fact, increases divergent thinking, increasing creativity and therefore innovative ideas.
Task conflict increases the production of creative ideas and creativity can be used to solve the conflicts.
Conflict of tasks has been found to have a positive impact on creative problem solving in the application of four cognitive processes: knowledge processing, critical and creative thinking, and metacognition (group self-reflection).
Indeed, the conflict of activities is positive for creativity in proposing alternative solutions.
Creativity is a fundamental ingredient for conflict management: in conflict there is an opportunity for development and growth, a space for possible creativity, in which to activate skills related to negotiation and communication
Please watch the following video to better understand how a conflict can increase creativity:
The model of 4Ps /S
The 4P model provides a model of creativity: a framework in which it is easier to understand what happens when people are creative: it was developed by James Melvin Rhodes (who died in 1976) who was an American educational scientist, assistant professor of education and creativity researcher.For Rhodes, the model of creativity is based on the following 4 Elements:
Process (it applies to motivation, perception, learning, thinking, and communication),
Product or outcome (it refers to a thought which has been communicated to other people in the form of words, paint, clay, metal, stone, fabric, or other material),
Person or people (it refers to information about personality, intellect, temperament, physique, traits, habits, attitudes, self-concept, value systems, defense mechanisms, and behavior),
Place or press (it refers to the relationship between human beings and their environment. In fact there are circumstances that can stimulate creativity - autonomy, access to resources, education in open-mindedness, ...-, favoring nonconformist attitudes and behaviors and flexibility).
Each of the 4 indicated elements (process, product, person and place) is one part of the whole creativity and cannot be separated from the others.
And to these we can also add “Sense”: in fact if we use all five senses (scent, sight, sound, touch, and taste) to stimulate our minds while working, then this can spark more creativity.
Please watch the following video to better understand the model of 4Ps: