This outline can help you to organize the questions and how you will respond to what is being asked. • Start the paper well in advance and give yourself a number of days to complete it. • Don’t expect to start and finish the paper in one sitting. It will take too long and you will likely become frustrated and lose interest or just not have enough time and then rush through it. • Use this outline as a DRAFT to organize your thoughts and get your thoughts and experiences down on paper. • Start with Section Two. Try to answer the first three questions. If you like what you write and have the time, then answer a few more, perhaps completing the first section. Leave it for a day and return to edit the work BEFORE you move on to the next question/section. • Once you have completed a rough draft, leave it for a day and return to it in order to rewrite sections, edit your work, and make adjustments to how you want to organize the paper and what points you want to make. • Always have someone you respect read your DRAFT before it becomes a final paper. A good paper usually has a number of DRAFTS before it becomes a final product! • Make sure that you have fully answered the questions, your thoughts are organized and make sense and you have referenced the readings in the textbook. • Remember, at minimum, you must use and cite the required readings. Minimum means an average, C grade. The above average or excellent paper makes use of library resources, concepts from classroom discussion, and website materials. The outstanding “A” paper will use at least 8 primary literature sources. • Divide your paper into sections, label each section clearly and follow the order below. • Within each section, address the issues in essay form (full sentences, grammatically correct). • Page lengths indicated below are for 12-point, Times New Roman font, with 1” margins, double spaced
Section One: Introduction and Overview (approximately 1-2 pages double spaced)
This introduction should contain a “thesis statement” that gives a general statement and overview about what you will be discussing in this paper. This opening portion of this paper can be used to contrast your overall attitude towards conflict management when you started this course and how it may have changed over the semester.
Sometimes filling in the questions below helps you to organize what you want to talk about and how you will talk about the topic. Once you have organized your thoughts, you can then return to this section. Your introduction and overview may come more easily to you at that time.
Section Two: Skills Assessment (approximately 3-4 pages double spaced)
1. Were the skills you chose to assess the most important or urgent ones for you to improve? If they were, why were they the most important ones for you? (This should refer back to the Action Plan Assignment and what skills you identified in that assignment)
2. As you have recorded your conflicts this semester, have other skills for improvement become clear to you?
3. How are you more aware of the kinds of things you do which aren’t beneficial in conflict situations?
4. How have your conflict skills actually improved this semester? If your skills have not actually improved but you are more aware of your approach, attitude or behavior, then talk about how your awareness has changed (It’s okay if your conflict skills have not improved. This semester may have created a greater awareness of behavior, so you are thinking more about your conflict skills.)
5. How are you more aware of the way you typically respond to conflicts?
6. Have you found that conflicts with some people are more “controllable” than with other people? Why do you think that is the case?
7. How do the conflicts from your Conflict Logs indicate this awareness? Be sure to use examples of actual conflict to support this awareness.
8. How can you put this awareness to use? How can it be helpful in resolving your conflicts? Section Three: Theoretical Connections (approximately 2 pages double spaced)
1. How does understanding different types of conflicts and the existence of conflict cycles increase your understanding of your own behavior? (You will need to use the textbook and other research to discuss the different types of conflicts and conflict cycles. Once you have highlighted the different types of conflicts and conflict cycles, discuss how this knowledge impacts on your understanding of your own conflict behavior.)
2. Explain your understanding of the connection between conflict theories (hypothetical concept) and skills (practical abilities).
3. Indicate which theory of conflict was most useful for understanding your behavior (you will need to use the textbook to choose a theory of conflict).
4. Why is the best theory one that is useful?
Section Four: Analyzing Your Behavior (approximately 2 pages double spaced)
1. How has recording your conflicts (Conflict Logs and the Action Assignment) helped you understand conflict behavior?
2. How have you been able to implement the S-TLC approach?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages S-TLC for you?
Section Five: Your Overall Learning (approximately 2 pages double spaced)
1. Overall, how much have you progressed or improved this semester with respect to your conflict management?
2. What has changed? What hasn’t changed with respect to how you manage conflict?
3. How do you assess your learning in this class? (What techniques have you learned that are helpful to your conflict management? What discussions have been most helpful to you and why?)
4. How do you see yourself engaging in a lifetime of learning about this issue? (In what way to do you see yourself as continuing to learn or improve in your management of conflict)?
all based on the text book: Managing conflict through communication fourth edition
