1. A conflict is a problem that the main character or characters face.
Examples
An arctic adventurer struggles to survive hunger and cold.
A brother and sister fight over control of the television.
Every story worth reading has a conflict. If there is no conflict, there is no tension.
Some stories has multiple conflicts.
Overview of Conflict Types
1. Person vs. Person
2. Person vs. Self
3. Person vs. Society
4. Person vs. Nature
5. Person vs. Supernatural
6. Person vs. Technology
Conflict: It occurs when both the parties cannot agree upon the same way.
Type of Conflict:
Pseudo Conflict: Due to Lack of Understanding
Simple Conflict: Due to difference in Views, Ideas, Thought, Perception Etc.
Ego Conflict: Due to Personal difference
Myth about Conflict:
1. Conflict can be always be avoided
2. Conflict always occurs because of misunderstanding
3. Conflictis a sign of poor relationship
4. Conflict is always bad
About the Eight Causes
According to psychologists Art Bell and Brett Hart, there are eight common causes of
conflict in the workplace. Bell and Hart identified these common causes in separate articles
on workplace conflict in 2000 and 2002.
The eight causes are:
1. Conflicting resources.
2. Conflicting styles.

2. 3. Conflicting perceptions.
4. Conflicting goals.
5. Conflicting pressures.
6. Conflicting roles.
7. Different personal values.
8. Unpredictable policies.
You can use this classification to identify possible causes of conflict. Once you've identified
these, you can take steps to prevent conflict happening in the first place, or you can tailor
your conflict resolution strategy to fit the situation.
How to Use the Tool
Let's take a closer look at each of the eight causes of workplace conflict, and discuss what
you can do to avoid and resolve each type.
1. Conflicting Resources
We all need access to certain resources – whether these are office supplies, help from
colleagues, or even a meeting room – to do our jobs well. When more than one person or
group needs access to a particular resource, conflict can occur.
If you or your people are in conflict over resources, use techniques such as Win-Win
Negotiation or the Influence Model to reach a shared agreement.
You can also help team members overcome this cause of conflict by making sure that they
have everything they need to do their jobs well. Teach them how to prioritize their time
and resources, as well as how to negotiate with one another to prevent this type of conflict.
If people start battling for a resource, sit both parties down to discuss openly why their needs
are at odds. An open discussion about the problem can help each party see the other's
perspective and become more empathic about their needs.
2. Conflicting Styles
Everyone works differently, according to his or her individual needs and personality. For
instance, some people love the thrill of getting things done at the last minute, while others
need the structure of strict deadlines to perform. However, when working styles clash,
conflict can often occur.
To prevent and manage this type of conflict in your team, consider people's working styles
and natural group roles when you build your team.
You can also encourage people to take a personality test, such as the Myers-Briggs
Personality Test . This can help them become more accepting of other people's styles of
working, and be more flexible as a result.
3. Conflicting Perceptions
All of us see the world t hrough our own lens, and differences in perceptions of events can
cause conflict, particularly where one person knows something that the other person doesn't
know, but doesn't realize this.

3. If your team members regularly engage in "turf wars" or gossip, you might have a problem
with conflicting perceptions. Additionally, negative performance reviews or customer
complaints can also result from this type of conflict.
Make an effort to eliminate this conflict by communicating openly with your team, even
when you have to share bad ne ws. The more information you share with your people, the
less likely it is that they will come up with their own interpretations of events.
Different perceptions are also a common cause of office politics. For instance, if you assign a
project to one person that normally would be someone else's responsibility, you may
unwittingly ignite a power struggle between the two. Learn how to navigate office politics ,
and coach your team to do the same.
4. Conflicting Goals
Sometimes we have conflicting goals in our work. For instance, one of our managers might
tell us that speedis most important goal with customers. Another manager might say that in-
depth, high-quality service is the top priority. It's sometimes quite difficult to reconcile the
two!
Whenever you set goals for your team members, make sure that those goals don't conflict
with other goals set for that person, or set for other people.
And if your own goals are unclear or conflicting, speak with your boss and negotiate goals
that work for everyone.
5. Conflicting Pressures
We often have to depend on our colleagues to get our work done. However, what happens
when you need a report from your colleague by noon, and he's already preparing a different
report for someone else by that same deadline?
Conflicting pressures are similar to conflicting goals; the only difference is that conflicting
pressures usually involve urgent tasks, while conflicting goals typically involve projects
with longer timelines.
If you suspect that people are experiencing conflict because of clashing short-term objectives,
reschedule tasks and deadlines to relieve the pressure.
6. Conflicting Roles
Sometimes we have to perform a task that's outside our normal role or responsibilities. If this
causes us to step into someone else's "territory," then conflict and power struggles can occur.
The same can happen in reverse – sometimes we may feel that a particular task should be
completed by someone else.
Conflicting roles are similar to conflicting perceptions. After all, one team member may view
a task as his or her responsibility or territory. But when someone else comes in to take over
that task, conflict occurs.
If you suspect that team members are experiencing conflict over their roles, explain why
you've assigned tasks or projects to each person. Your explanation could go a long way
toward remedying the pressure.

4. You can also use a Team Charter to crystallize people's roles and responsibilities, and to
focus people on objectives.
7. Different Personal Values
Imagine that your boss has just asked you to perform a task that conflicts with your ethical
standards. Do you do as your boss asks, or do you refuse? If you refuse, will you lose your
boss's trust, or even your job?
When our work conflicts with our personal values like this, conflict can quickly arise.
To avoid this in your team, practice ethical leadership : try not to ask your team to do
anything that clashes with their values, or with yours.
There may be times when you're asked to do things that clash with your personal ethics. Our
article on preserving your integrity will help you to make the right choices.
8. Unpredictable Policies
When rules and policies change at work and you don't communicate that change clearly to
your team, confusion and conflict can occur.
In addition, if you fail to apply workplace policies consistently with members of your team,
the disparity in treatment can also become a source of dissension.
When rules and policies change, make sure that you communicate exactly what will be done
differently and, more importantly, why the policy is changing. When people understand why
the rules are there , they're far more likely to accept the change.
Once the rules are in place, strive to enforce them fairly and consistently.
Managing Conflict:
Identifying Your Emotions
By not knowing what you are feeling, your emotions may feel very unpredictable and out-of-
control. As a result, you might find it difficult to effectively manage your emotions. When
this happens, people often tend to rely on more unhealthy ways of managing emotions, such
as avoidance and self-medication through the use of drugs and alcohol. Knowing what you
are feeling, on the other hand, helps you figure out how to make yourself feel better. Not
every healthy coping strategy works the same for every emotional experience. So, how do
you identify what you are feeling? Check out this article to learn more about what an emotion
is and how to increase your emotional awareness.
Increasing Your Positive Emotions
Oftentimes, PTSD can people feel as though they are not living a meaningful life. It can
interfere with doing the things that you want to do, making you feel down and depressed.
However, one way to manage these uncomfortable and distressing emotional experiences is
by increasing the extent with which you come in contact with positive and pleasurable

5. experiences. There are a number of ways you can get more active in your life. One way is by
scheduling positive activities into your day.
Self-Soothing Coping Strategies
Uncomfortable and stressful emotions can sometimes occur unexpectedly. Therefore, it is
important to learn emotion regulation strategies that you can do on your own. Emotion
regulation strategies that you can do on your own are sometimes described as self-soothing or
self-care coping strategies. Effective self-soothing coping strategies may be those that involve
one or more of the five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound). Learn some examples of
self-soothing strategies for each sense.
Managing Your Anger
People with PTSD can experience high levels of anger and irritability. In fact, irritability is
even considered to be one of the symptoms of PTSD. Anger can be a very difficult emotion
to cope with. Fortunately, there are some healthy ways of regulating anger when it occurs.
This article describes one such strategy, taking a personal time out to give your anger some
time to subside.
Using Writing to Express Your Emotions
Given that people with PTSD often experience strong, uncomfortable emotional experiences,
it is not surprising that people with PTSD may want to try and suppress or "push down" their
emotions. While emotional avoidance may be effective in the short-run and may provide you
with some temporary relief, in the long run, the emotions you're trying to avoid may actually
grow stronger and become more difficult to manage. Therefore, it is very important to learn
healthy ways of expressing your emotions. One such way is through expressive writing.
Writing about your feelings can also give you a safe and private way to release your deepest
feelings.
Monitoring Your Emotions
A number of emotion regulation strategies may help you manage your emotions, but how do
you know if those strategies are actually working? Not every strategy is going to be effective
in every situation. One way to determine whether or not an emotion regulation strategy is
working for you is to monitor your emotions. Follow the steps in this article to create your
own emotion monitoring form.
Manage Anxiety Through DeepBreathing
Deep breathing can be an important emotion regulation strategy to learn. It may sound silly,
but many people do not breathe properly. Natural breathing involves your diaphragm, a large
muscle in your abdomen. When you breathe in, your belly should expand. When you breathe
out, your belly should fall. Overtime, people forget how to breathe this way and instead use

6. their chest and shoulders. This causes short and shallow breaths, which can increase stress
and anxiety. Fortunately, it is not too late to "re-learn" how to breathe and help protect
yourself from stress and anxiety. Practice this simple exercise to improve your breathing.
Reduce Stress and Anxiety with Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Using relaxation exercises can be a very effective way of reducing your stress and anxiety.
One relaxation exercise called progressive muscle relaxation focuses on a person alternating
between tensing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout the body. This article takes
your through an easy progressive muscle relaxation exercise so you can start better managing
your anxiety and stress right away.
Seeking Out Social Support
Over and over again, it has been found that finding support from others can be a major factor
in helping people overcome the negative effects of a traumatic event and PTSD. Talking with
others can be an incredibly beneficial emotion regulation strategy. It can provide you with the
opportunity to express your emotions, as well as have your emotional experience validated.
However, in finding and establishing good social support, it is important to remember that
there are several central pieces to a strong supportive relationship.
2nd
MODULE
Interpersonal communication is the universal form of communication
that takes place between two individuals. Since it is person-to-person contact, it includes
everyday exchange that may be formal or informal and can take place anywhere by means of
words, sounds, facial expression, gestures and postures.
In interpersonal communication there is face-to-face interaction between two persons, that is,
both are sending and receiving messages. This is an ideal and effective communication
situation because you can get immediate feedback. You can clarify and emphasize many
points through your expressions, gestures and voices. In interpersonal communication,
therefore, it is possible to influence the other person and persuade him or her to accept your
point of view. Since there is proximity between sender and receiver, interpersonal
communication has emotional appeal too. It can motivate, encourage, and coordinate work
more effectively then any other form of communication. Also, in a crisis, through
interpersonal channel, flow of information is tremendous e.g. news of violence, famine or
disaster.
Interpersonal messages consist of meanings derived from personal observations and
experiences. The process of translating thoughts into verbal and nonverbal messages
increases the communicator’s self-concept. In fact, effective interpersonal communication
helps both participants strengthen relationships through the sharing of meaning and emotions.

7. Functions of Interpersonal communication
We use interpersonal communication for a variety of reasons. For example, interpersonal
communication helps us understand our world better. It helps us understand a situation in a
better way. We also use interpersonal communication to think and evaluate more effectively.
Often it is used to change behavior also. The three specific functions are:
1. Linking function
2. Mentation function and
3. Regulatory function.
The linking function connects a person with his or her environment. The mentation function
helps us conceptualize, remember, and plan. It is a mental or intellectual function. The
regulatory function serves to regulate our own and other’s behavior.
Through interpersonal communication we are nurtured as infants, physically, emotionally and
intellectually. Again through interpersonal communication we develop cultural, social and
psychological links with the world. In fact, interpersonal communication is the very basis of
our survival and growth as it helps us to function more practically.
7 STEPS TO EFFECTIVE INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
1. Start with self awareness – Do you know how well you communicate right now? What
works and what doesn’t? If you don’t know, gather feedback so you can know your
strengths and weaknesses. Use the rest of this list to help with your self-assessment.
2. Always keep the other person in mind- For any instance of interpersonal
communication, plan out your approach ahead of time. Start with the other person in
mind — Try your best to put yourself in their shoes and figure out what might be their
mindset, sensitivities, and how they may receive your words.Effective interpersonal
communication can only happen if you understand where the other person may
stand.
3. Determine your desired “win-win” outcome: The outcome of any conversation must be
a “win-win,” as not all outcomes you desire are good for the relationship. For example,
you may want to prove that you are right, but that would mean the other person needs to
be proven wrong. You may win the argument, but lose the relationship. That’s not a
good outcome.
4. Gather the facts: While facts can’t be the only focus of your conversation, you need the
facts to keep the discussion as unbiased as possible. It’s hard to resolve anything if all
you have is “he said she said.”
5. Practice a calm approach/tone: This will require the most time, especially if you are
emotional about the situation. You need to calm down first, and then communicate with
an open tone. This requires time, since our instinctive reaction is to take a defensive or
offensive tone. An open tone can be one that gives the benefit of the doubt, or focuses on
“we” instead of “you vs. me.” Your openness and calmness will invite the other people
to listen, and your tone will show that you are there to build the relationship.

8. 6. Listen as much as you speak: Effective interpersonal communication is a two way
street. You should spend 50% of the conversation listening. We are sometimes prepared
so much that all we focus on is talking. You can lose the listener quickly that way. Pause
after a few sentences so the other party can respond. That way you can adapt your
communication based on how they react. Sometimes it takes fewer words than you think
to achieve the “win-win” outcome.
7. Don’t expect anything: We cannot control or change anyone else. This is an easy
concept that is easy to forget. After all this work we put into structuring an interpersonal
communication, there is no guarantee about how the other person will react. Everyone is
responsible for their own actions. All you can do is play your part the best you can,
accept whatever you get, and adapt your actions from there.
Nonverbal communication (NVC) is usually understood as the process of communication
through sending and receiving wordless messages. i.e., language is not the only source of
communication, there are other means also. NVC can be communicated through gestures and
touch (Haptic communication), by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye
contact. NVC can be communicated through object communication such as clothing,
hairstyles or even architecture, symbols and info graphics. Speech contains nonverbal
elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion and speaking style, as
well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Dance is also regarded as a
nonverbal communication. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as
handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the use of emoticons.
However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face
interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions
where communication takes place, the physical characteristics of the communicators, and
behaviors of communicators during interaction.
Types of Behavioural Communication
Distance.
Distance. The distance one stands from another frequently conveys a non-verbal message. In
some cultures it is a sign of attraction, while in others it may reflect status or the intensity of
the exchange.
Orientation. People may present themselves in various ways: face-to-face, side-to-side, or
even back-to-back. For example, cooperating people are likely to sit side-by-side while
competitors frequently face one another.
Posture. Obviously one can be lying down, seated, or standing. These are not the elements of
posture that convey messages. Are we slouched or erect ? Are our legs crossed or our arms
folded ? Such postures convey a degree of formality and the degree of relaxation in the
communication exchange.

9. Physical Contact. Shaking hands, touching, holding, embracing, pushing, or patting on the
back all convey messages. They reflect an element of intimacy or a feeling of (or lack of)
attraction.
Dynamic Features
Facial Expressions.
Facial Expressions. A smile, frown, raised eyebrow, yawn, and sneer all convey information.
Facial expressions continually change during interaction and are monitored constantly by the
recipient. There is evidence that the meaning of these expressions may be similar across
cultures.
Gestures. One of the most frequently observed, but least understood, cues is a hand
movement. Most people use hand movements regularly when talking. While some gestures
(e.g., a clenched fist) have universal meanings, most of the others are individually learned
and idiosyncratic.
Looking. A major feature of social communication is eye contact. It can convey emotion,
signal when to talk or finish, or aversion. The frequency of contact may suggest either
interest or boredom.
The above list shows that both static features and dynamic features transmit important
information from the sender to the receiver.
Eye Contact
Eye contact is a direct and powerful form of non-verbal communication. The superior in the
organization generally maintains eye contact longer than the subordinate. The direct stare of
the sender of the message conveys candor and openness. It elicits a feeling of trust.
Downward glances are generally associated with modesty. Eyes rolled upward are associated
with fatigue.
Personal Space
Personal space is your "bubble" - the space you place between yourself and others. This
invisible boundary becomes apparent only when someone bumps or tries to enter your
bubble.
How you identify your personal space and use the environment in which you find yourself
influences your ability to send or receive messages. How close do you stand to the one with
whom you are communicating ? Where do you sit in the room ? How do you position
yourself with respect to others at a meeting ? All of these things affect your level of comfort,
and the level of comfort of those receiving your message.