Communication and conflict Essay Example for Free

Communication and conflict Essay Communication is important, as it is the medium of conveying message, forming the first interface in method of conflict resolution. Communication is almost always within the context of culture, and culture determines the significance of words as well as gestures and non-verbal expressions, affording people with choices of high context or low context communication, depending upon their cultural maturity and ability to handle multi-culturalism and accommodate a range of opinions and ideas other than those familiar to them (Grosse, 2002). During the initial phase of cultural familiarity, communication takes place at low context, meaning that people rely more on direct verbal communication, which is more or less literal in nature. As the cultural relationship progresses, communication interaction moves ahead on continuum to become high context, and it becomes more interpersonal and contextual, minimizing chances of misunderstanding and confusion. However, in cases where the entire cultural paradigms are set in low context or high context communication patterns, cultural crossover becomes a difficult barrier for all the involved parties. Effective cross cultural communication is centered upon knowledge, empathy and intercultural sensitivity (ibid). The correct approach in such cases is be flexible, adaptable and receptive to all views, no matter how contrary or incongruous they appear. A successful cross cultural communication situation demands coming over these contradictions and differences in opinion to form a harmonious vision. A positive and patient listening attitude is also valuable as it allows people to fathom emotions of others and makes them perceptible to alternate view points. Finally, the most important attribute in cross cultural communication is recognition that every culture is correct in its own context and each has to yield some ground to reach a harmonious consensus (ibid). Discussion on mediation and skills in conflict resolution Effective communication strategies are keys to resolve conflict by providing channels that provide expression of grievances and bring conflicting parties together. In the field of conflict management, communication strategies help through the channels of 1. Negotiation: Negotiation has emerged as an important form of conflict management within organizational and social setups. As such research in communication theory in conflict management has started to pay close attention to communication behaviors, types and strategies towards successful negotiation. Negotiation, as a part of managing conflict, requires interested parties to trade proposals for settlement that include, out of court settlements, business contracts, collective bargaining contract etc (Womack, 1990, 32). As Womack further elaborates, generally the process of negotiation proceeds through motives that are both competitive and cooperative. The approach of communication in the entire process of negotiation is concerned with the messages that are transferred among negotiators and the concerned parties. Communication intervenes in the process of negotiation through its both verbal and nonverbal forms and constitutes the entire base on which the goals and terms of the bargain are negotiated. Communication plays the central role in not only developing the relationship among the parties in conflict, but also in determining its direction. It is also central in every form of bargaining process, whether the bargaining is done for organizational form of conflict management, involves conflict resolution, negotiation on legal agreements or for negotiation in inter-group an intra group conflict. The entire role of communication in negotiation processes and strategies is quite vast and it ranges from defining the conflict issues, selection and implementation of strategies to presenting and defending the viable alternatives and finally helping in reaching on a solution (Womack, 1990, 35). 2. Third party intervention: Third party intervention in conflict situation is a tricky and challenging situation. It is considered as one of those areas that offers real test to the communication skills of the intervening person. Although mediation requires a neutral and third party to bring the disputants on the resolving chairs and solve the conflict, the mediator per se, has no authority and commanding power to force the parties into acquiescing to an agreement. At the best, the mediator can use persuasive and convincing dialogues through which the involved parties voluntarily agree to reach at accord through advises, admonishments, ideas, and views of the mediator and break into meaningful dialogue with each other (Burrel, 1990, 54). Its easy to see that this entire procedure requires very high level of communication skills on the part of the mediator to successfully negotiate agreement among the conflicting parties. According to Burrel, one of the important communication skills in third party intervention is the ability to collect as much information as possible on the cause, background, and nature of conflict as well as on all the parties and individuals that are involved in the conflict. Burrel informs that an effective communication strategy to gather information is question-asking within a variety of communication approaches, some for example being, employment interviews, initial interactions and parent-child discourses, although there has been insignificant research on role of particular types of questions in mediation itself. However, it is established beyond question that the questioning abilities of a third party mediator are very important in striking a collaborative approach to the entire process of conflict management.

Instant Essay -- Creative Writing Essays

Instant I'll always remember Instant. That was the nickname the men had tacked onto the muscled giant that wielded the M60 in my unit. "Instant" was short for "Instant Death." And I'll always remember the first time I saw Instant in action. I was a new Lieutenant assigned to Vietnam. Back then, the Army didn't try to develop any "team spirit" within the corps; men were rotated frequently before any friendships developed. Consequently, my men were a group of strangers united only by the need to survive. They were eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds with the eyes of old men. My first real assignment was to check a tiny hamlet, Dien Hoa. Army Intelligence believed the Viet Cong were operating from Dien Hoa. Our job was to determine if that was correct. We rode in an olive-drab chopper. The whooping blades of the helicopter give us a little relief from the relentless heat of 'Nam; the blades cut the thick, humid air and pushed a breeze downward over the passenger compartment. Soon, we circled the landing zone. The LZ looked cold. There's only one way to find out if it is really cold, I thought as I double checked my M16. If no one zapped us when we entered, it was cold. If they did, it wasn't. "Lock and load," I yelled. The helicopter circled low and slowed down until it almost hovered four feet from the ground. The door gunner mashed the spade grips on his .30 caliber M60 machine gun. The gun spewed bullets over the field below us. It was time to jump off the skids while we skimmed above the surface of the lush, green valley. My stomach felt like it was turning wrong-side-out. We dropped into the grass, stumbling under heavy packs and the weight of ammo and weapons. I wondered about snakes and hoped the groan I mad when I hit the ground was drowned by the noise of the helicopters. Though the helicopter gunner continued firing into the heavy growth to the north of them, there was no return fire. We were safe for the moment. "OK," I yelled signaling with my hands the way you're not supposed to. Hand signals are a good way to mark yourself as the leader. It's just the thing enemy snipers watch for. But few of my twenty-seven men could hear me over the roar and firing of the helicopters. I had no choice. "Move out. On the double," I ordered. The choppers lifted. We were on our own. The soldiers started with the usual complaining b... ...prized buck. We made careful, deliberate shots. One after another, the black, running forms crumpled. With a final flurry of shooting, only a lone Charlie managed to escape into the grove of trees below. The bodies of the VC dotted the open hillside. Sporadic last shots ended the lives of the few wounded who continued to stir below us. Complete silence reigned for a few moments, then Blake yelled an obscenity at the last Cong who had eluded us. Silence. "We did it," I simply said, my words falling flat. A weak cheer went down the line; one man dropped to his knees and cried. Even though we'd all felt as good as dead, we realized we had won. Afterward, waiting with the wounded and dead for dustoff, I thought about the firefight. Instants selfless deed had saved our skins. It was little wonder the men had so much respect for the soldier. I studied him for a moment. He sat by himself beneath a tree, carefully cleaning his M60 like a mother washing a baby. He wore a bandage over his right eye and a second on his arm; except for those minor wounds, he had managed to come through the fight uninjured. And he'd shown a green lieutenant and his men what true bravery was.

Existentialism in the Stranger and the Metamorphosis Essay

â€Å"We are thrown into existence first without a predetermined nature and only later do we construct our nature or essence through our actions. †(Existentialism)This quote is present through the main characters of The Stranger, Blade Runner, and The Metamorphosis in each of these works the characters create their own nature. These works are similar several ways; in all three the men create their own nature by the free choices they make. Through these choices they also create their own values. The characters values and meanings of life are where these works differ. Initially, in The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s life seems to have meaning, through providing for his family, until he changes into a bug and determines for himself that his life really has no meaning. This is very unlike The Stranger because Meursault, throughout the entire work, lives his life as if there is no meaning to life and he dies knowing this. Finally Deckard, at the beginning of his life, seems to have lived his life with no meaning or values, until he encounters Roy and Rachael who change his perspective. Throughout these works these men make makes choices that determine who they are and what their about, but ultimately every one of them knows their subsequent mortality. It is clearly understood through Meursault’s narration that life to him is meaningless. The choices he makes and things he says are without thought or meaning. They are usually in the spur of the moment of what will please him. For example the novel starts by Meursault telling the audience â€Å"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: â€Å"Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours. † That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday†(The Stranger). Meursault treats his mother’s death with the same demeanor with which he will later treat the death of the Arab. Both of these events are usually different in the types of emotions they reveal, but Meursault shows no emotion at all. He just goes through the day to day motions of life. Through his narration and the tone of the novel the reader is clearly able to determine Meursault lives with no emotion or essence. He accepts who he is and his mortality. In the end he accepts a punishment that is not worthy of the crime. He knows even if he doesn’t get executed he will die anyway whether its ten years from now or fifty. Clearly The Stranger questions the reader whether humans really have a meaning for life since in the end everyone will die and be forgotten. It seems that Camus meant to get the point across that in life there is no predetermined nature people create it through their choices. Meursault chooses to live his life with little or no meaning. Unlike Marie who falls in love with Meursault and chooses to support him even though he didn’t care if they got married. Like Marie in The Stranger Gregor, who is the main character, in The Metamorphosis has a mean and value to his life. Gregor supports his family because his father failed and never went back to work. Gregor had it all good job, money, and ability. He chose to support his family and allow them to live a nice life while he worked and traveled with little time for himself. Gregor doesn’t like his job, but he chooses to stay because it offers good money and he will pay of debt. All of these choices are Gregor’s they are what he based his life off of. When he changes into a bug his mentality is altered. He begins to realize that all that he did for his family eventually is forgotten and soon he is forgotten about too. Kafka relates this to the human race and its inevitable end. When humans die in the beginning they are remembered, but slowly people forget, or lose interest, until eventually that person is totally forgotten about and life goes on. This previous statement is clearly seen in the novel when the family moves and decides that is time to marry off their daughter. They never mention anything about the loss of their son. In Blade Runner the main character Deckard destroys replicants. He does his job and usually never questions the reasons why he destroys the human-like robots. The director seems to try to get across the point early that Deckard lives a meaningless life. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants. At first it seems like he lives a life much like Meursault, but later it becomes clear that he is trying to find a meaning for life. When talking to Roy, Deckard realizes that in life everyone is going to die and that everything that person did would be forgotten and lost. At the same time Roy explains the value of life, the choices, love, and things humans can experience. Blade Runner tries to get across to the viewer that they are who they want to be and that in the end the choices and things they’ve seen will be forgotten and meaningless. In all three works the slogan â€Å"Existence precedes Essence† (Existentialism) is present. Each one of the main characters makes their choices which determine their nature. Every one of the characters at some point realizes that they all share a common trait with the rest of the human race and that is death. They also know that in the end they will be forgotten about and eventually everyone will move on with their lives as if they never existed. These works differ in the way each character goes about their lives. Meursault believes there is no meaning to life so he lives his life on the fly. He does whatever pleases him. Gregor begins with a life he has chosen for himself only to realize that eventually all that he has done will be forgotten and lost. Finally Deckard begins with no meaning and tries to determine a meaning through replicants. He realizes that the choices in his life are what makes his life meaningful. Throughout these works Existentialism was present. The characters offered a glimpse of the reason for existence. Whether it was for providing for a family or killing replicants each one of the character in the end determined that life was only the choices that they make. Ultimately they all learned that everything they did and chose to do was meaningless when they were dead and there is no way to avoid it.

The Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party was established in 1966 by Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale and David Hilliard in Oakland, Ca. The three college students created the organization to provide protection to African-Americans against police brutality.   Within its first few years, the group gained national and international prominence for actions that were considered radical by critics and lauded by supporters.   As a result, of its revolutionary tactics several members of the  Ã‚  Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)  joined the Black Panther Party to create the Black Power Movement.   1966   October:   Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale and David Hilliard establish the Black Panther Party of Self-Defense in Oakland, Ca. December: Bobby Hutton, a 16-year-old, is the first male recruit of the Black Panther Party. 1967 January: The Black Panther Party establishes its first headquarters—a storefront on Grove Street in Oakland, Ca.Members Kenny Freeman and Roy Ballard establish the Black Panther Party of Northern California in San Francisco. February: Writer Eldridge Cleaver joins the Party.Members of the Black Panther Party are attacked by law enforcement outside the office of Ramparts magazine while escorting Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X.    April:   BPP publishes the first issue of Black Panther Party: Black Community News Service. This publication will become the organizations official news publication. May: H. Rap Brown becomes national chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Stokely Carmichael preceded Brown in this role.An estimated 26 armed BPP members are arrested in Sacramento after invading the state legislature hearing on gun-control laws. 1968 January: The Southern California branch of the BPP is established by Alprentice â€Å"Bunchy† Carter. Carter was also named Deputy Minister of Defense by Newton.A rally is held for the â€Å"Oakland Seven,† an anti-war protest group who were arrested in October of 1967 during the â€Å"Stop the Draft Week† protest.   February: A coalition between the BPP and SNCC is established at a rally honoring Newton. March: Cleaver’s Soul on Ice is published. It is a collection of essays written by Cleaver when he was incarcerated.Arthur Carter is killed by government officials. Carter becomes the first member of the BPP to be murdered. April: The BPP opens an office in New York City.Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis.Bobby Hutton, the BPP’s first recruit as well as the organization’s national treasurer is murdered by Oakland law enforcement officials. June:   The alliance formed between SNCC and the BPP ends. As a result, Carmichael is forced to leave SNCC and joins the BPP. August: From August 25 to August 29, the BPP participates in anti-War rioting in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention. September: Newton is found guilty of voluntary manslaughter of an Oakland, police officer. He is sentenced to two to fifteen years in prison. David Hilliard assumes control of the BPP in Newton’s absence. Newton’s conviction is later appealed and reversed. November: The BPP develops several initiatives such as a free breakfast program for low-income children. 1969 January: BPP rolls out its free breakfast program for children at St. Augustine’s Church in Oakland. Other programs follow in areas throughout California as well as New York City. March: Following a speech delivered by Kathleen Cleaver, students at Mills College takeover Robert J. Werk’s office. The college’s president is held prisoner for several hours as students demand minority involvement in student affairs.Bobby Seale is indicted and charged with organizing the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. April: Carmichael relocates to Guinea with his wife, Mariam Makeba. June: J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI declares â€Å"†¦the Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest threat to internal security of the country. He pledges that 1969 would be the last year of the Partys existence.Carmichael leaves the BPP citing political differences with other prominent members. August: Newton wins an appeal, and he is released from prison.Seale is arrested in Berkeley. He is charged with organizing the 1968 Democratic National Convention riots as well as the murder of a BPP member named Alex Rackley. December: BPP leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are found dead in a Chicago apartment following a police raid. 1970 March: Seale’s book, Seize the Time: The Story of the BPP and Huey Newton is published. October: Charges against Seale and other members of the Chicago 8 are dropped. 1971 February: Citing differing points of view on how the BPP should be run, Cleaver expels Newton and Hilliard. 1972 A collection of essays and speeches, To Die for the People, by Huey P. Newton is published. Newton declares that the BPP is â€Å"putting down the gun† and working within the law to help the African-American community progress. Newton also tries to persuade all African-Americans, poor people, and progressive Americans to support Representative Shirley Chisolm for the presidential nomination. 1973 March: Newton publishes his autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide. April: Elaine Brown  runs for the Oakland City Council while Bobby Seale runs for mayor of Oakland. 1974 August: Attempting to avoid jail time, Newton flees to Cuba following two assault charges.Elaine Brown assumes administrative roles of BPP. 1989 August: Newton is killed in West Oakland.