Post 3: What I learned

       I can honestly say that I have learned more in this class than I have in the past couple years. What I mean by that is that I have taken so much away from this class. More than I have in the past 2 years of classes combined.

       I have learned different tools and concepts throughout the course of the semester to last me a life time. It has taught me so much about myself and how I handle conflict.

       Using I Statements and the S-TLC system while handling conflict is what has stuck with me most. It has taught me to take a breath, think about what is going on and how to communicate the conflict that I am being faced with. I used to just blow out with anger but that has changed for obvious reasons. I have grown so much as a person and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have taken this class.

Post 2: Class Summary

        I have thoroughly enjoyed this whole semester. It would be really hard to pin point what I liked most since I’ve liked just about all that I have learned in this class. I feel like this class has been a class that has changed me for the better and for the first time, have actually changed my outlook on life.

       I liked a lot of things about this class. The material is definitely the best thing. I loved learning about conflict resolution and all the ways to help make conflicts easier to deal with. This was my first online class that I’ve ever taken and I have to say I liked the convenience that this class gave us. Since I work full time, it is nice to be able to read and do homework whenever is convenient for me! As far as what I haven't liked, I really don't have anything to say about that!!

       I would 100% recommend this class to anyone in Communication Studies. I feel like I have grown a lot as a person and would love giving anyone else the opportunity to do the same.

Chapter 16: Post 1: Negative View on Conflict

I think the reason why people view conflict negatively is quite simple. They fear it, simply because they have no idea how to go about handling it. I think the people that do not know how to handle conflict try to avoid it as much as they can because they think negatively about it. While growing up, we were always taught that conflict was a bad thing, which I personally think is false. It is an opportunity to make a situation better.

            I 100% think that if people were taught more about how to handle conflict, they would not avoid it, or better yet fear it! The book says it quite perfectly, “Unfortunately, too many conflicts turn sour because the conflicting parties do not take the time and effort to find a more mutually satisfying resolution.” I think that what this quote is saying is that if people were taught tools/concepts what I have learned in this class, (i.e. conflict resolution, compromise, The S-TLC system initiation and much more), people would be much more successful in conflict resolution. Learning about these simple yet extremely helpful concepts has taught me personally so much about conflict resolution in the past four months than I have learned my whole entire life!