Interpersonal Communication

Group ProjectConflict Management

Purpose of the Group Conflict Management Assignment:
This assignment is designed to help you
Understand various methods for managing conflict.
Analyze conflict situations and select appropriate conflict management strategies.
Engage the strategies in real-life situations.
Practice your new skills with classmates.
Assignment Description:
Submit a two page, word-processed analysis in which you describe and analyze several conflicts and how you
managed them. A one page analysis is due for each conflict situation.
How to Proceed:
1. Before you begin this project, review the material from class and from your text for Chapter 5
(Listening), Chapter 6 (Verbal Messages), and Chapter 8 (Conflict Management).
2. You will randomly be assigned to a group. To earn credit, all group members must participate in
completing both parts of the assignment.
3. After completing the project, rate each participant, including your self, using the student rating scale.
Consider amount of time invested as well as quality of information.
4. Each group will submit ONE copy of the project. Include a copy of your student participating ratings.
Required Content:
1. Drawing from the text and class lectures about conflict management, develop one conflict scenarios using
two different conflict strategies:
One that would be best managed through avoidant, accommodating, or competitive
communication.
One that would be best managed through collaborative or compromising communication.
2. For each, explain why you chose the approach you did for managing the conflict. Include information from
your text and cite references.
3. Write out a dialogue of the conflict. The dialogue should follow the approach you advised. For the
compromising/collaborative dialogue, show how you have worked through each of the steps of the
Problem-Solving Process.
4. Practice your dialogues out loud with your group members.
5. You will perform your conflict dialogues for the class. Your presentation should also include an analysis of
the conflict dialogue.
6. For each dialogue, write an insightful analysis, that includes the following headings:
Group Members: Names of group members.
Conflict Dialogue: Brief description of the conflict dialogue.
Conflict Style: Brief description of the conflict style used and the specific techniques used for the
scenario.
Analysis: Describe how well the conflict style worked.
Suggestions: Suggest changes you might make in the future.
Works Cited: Include citations and a works cited section.
7.

You will receive two grades that will be averaged together; one for the content and one for participation.
Content Grade: will be based on your performance and your paper Analysis Paper.
Participation Grade: will be determined by the ratings of your group members.

Student Rating Scale

Rate each member of your group, including your self, based on their contribution to your group project.
Consider the amount of time each group member invested in your group project, whether they
accomplished their assigned tasks, and the quality of their work. Along with a rating, include at least one
sentence that expresses each members contribution to the group.
My Name___________________________________________________________________/50
Contribution to the group:

Group Member #1____________________________________________________________/50

Contribution to the group:

Group Member #2____________________________________________________________/50

Contribution to the group:

Group Member #3____________________________________________________________/50

Contribution to the group:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ideas for Conflict Dialogues

1. Roommates disagreeing over whose television program should be watched.
2. A student and a teacher disagreeing about the students grade on a paper.
3. A cashier and a customer disagreeing about whether the customer gave the cashier a twenty-dollar
bill or a ten-dollar bill.
4. Two motorists who have just had a minor collision, disagreeing about who is at fault.
5. Two friends disagreeing over both wanting to date the same person.
6. An intimate couple, disagreeing about which one of two parties to attend.
7. Two fans at a ball game disagreeing about who should get the last beverage a vendor has to sell.
8. A parent and his or her adult child disagreeing about whether the parent will come to live with the
adult child.