Our last Content Learning Module for this class!!!

Are we really there already? For me, it is difficult to believe. You’ve read and watched a great deal of information over the course of this class. You’ve learned so many concepts and theories and with each learning module you’ve delved into practicing some of these concepts through your activities. You’ve come together and responded to each other and hopefully, you’ve made connections with classmates that you thought could or would never happen in an on-line class.

We have one more opportunity to come together, investigate an area of Interpersonal Communication, and find ways to use the information to improve our own personal lives.

I’ve dedicated this last opportunity to the area of Interpersonal Conflict. Let’s think about it, when things are going well in our relationships, do we really spend much time thinking about how to make it better or do we just go on with our day? It’s really when things are difficult in our relationships, when there is conflict with those people we care for the most, that we frantically search for ways to resolve the conflict and get our relationship back on track. In general, we are afraid of conflict. We are afraid of the way it makes us feel. We are afraid it is a sign that there’s something so wrong in the relationship that it may not last. We are afraid to make people angry. And for all these reasons, and many more, we often avoid conflict.

But, the main goal for this learning unit is NOT to be afraid of conflict. It is to understand that CONFLICT IS NATURAL!! That conflict can be GOOD for our relationships.

Here’s an interesting Ted Talk that might help you understand these ideas in another way.

By the end of this learning module you will be able to

1. define interpersonal communication.
2. describe your own conflict style.
3. identify areas of conflict unique to certain groups.