"Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach" presents a communication skills

approach toward managing conflicts. It analyses the role communication plays in exacerbating
conflicts, and offers communication strategies which promote productive conflict management.
"Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach" will be of interest to those seeking
an understanding of the role of communication in conflict, and the communication skills needed
for productive conflict management. This work is divided into seven chapters, with an
introduction and indices. Each chapter closes with a series of exercises for the reader, designed
to illustrate and reinforce the principles discussed in that chapter.
Chapter One explores the nature of conflict. The authors suggest a five-step approach to
managing conflict: assessment, acknowledgement, attitude, action, and analysis. Conflict
management begins with an assessment of the sources of the conflict, the individual characters
involved and their goals, and the communication environment. Parties to the conflict must
acknowledge each other's perspective, and assume an attitude of cooperation and participation in
the management process. Parties may take verbal and nonverbal action to advance their goal. The
character of these verbal and nonverbal plays a crucial role in the development of the conflict.
The authors suggest twelve guidelines toward producing productive communication in this stage.
Analysis should occur throughout the conflict management process.
Chapters Two and Three focus on the action stage of conflict management, and explore verbal
and nonverbal strategies for creating a supportive communication environment. Supportive
verbal strategies will emphasize description, spontaneity, empathy, equality, provisionalism, and
will take a problem orientation. Each of these elements is discussed in some detail, and
contrasted to defensive, counter-productive verbal strategies. Nonverbal communication, or
"body language" also plays an important role in conflict. Chapter Three describes the various
aspects of nonverbal communication, the sorts of messages typically conveyed by nonverbal
behaviors, and suggests strategies for the productive employment of nonverbal communication.
Chapters Four and Five discuss gender and cultural differences in communication style as
sources of conflict, and discuss the impact of such differences on conflict management. The
different genders and different cultures employ different communications styles. And so, for
instance, men and women may differently interpret similar communication acts, with
miscommunication the result. Cultural differences also result in interpretive differences, and
misunderstandings. Understanding gender and cultural differences can help to minimize
misunderstandings.
Chapter Six focuses on written communication. Just as styles of spoken communication can
exacerbate conflict or promote management, so can styles of written communication. This
chapter outlines the sources of miscommunication in writing, and offers suggestions on
improving written communication. Chapter Seven offers a very brief summary and conclusion.
Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach provides insight into the ways in
which different styles of communication can either exacerbate or help to resolve conflicts. The
text offers detailed descriptions of the various elements which contribute to effective
communication, and includes a number of exercises which further illustrate effective
communication.