Effective Communication Strategies in Handling Conflict

PPT Reader s Bank Level 8 Unit 12

34 _1 / p. 110 Reader s Bank Level 8 Your friend borrowed a book from you and forgot to return it. You call him to ask for it back, but he doesn t answer your phone calls. So you feel upset and annoyed. What should you do in this case? You could burst out at him, How many times do I have to ask you to return my book? but such a reaction may offend him and make him feel insulted. A better solution is to tell your friend how you feel instead of criticizing him. Explain the reason you are offended in a calm and polite way. For example, you could say, I m upset that you still haven t returned my book even though I asked you twice. I badly need it, so can you give it back soon? You are trying to express your emotions without hurting the listener s feelings.

34 _2 / p. 110 Reader s Bank Level 8 Psychologists call this an I-message. An I-message does not accuse the listener. Instead, it just describes how you feel. So the next time you have a problem with a friend, try using an I-message. This way, you can solve the problem without hurting their feelings. When a listener s feelings are hurt, their logical thinking freezes. As a result, they won t be able to listen to you.

35 !_1 / p.112 Reader s Bank Level 8 Depending on their culture, people have different approaches to working, and they also view their worlds differently. People near the Mediterranean Sea often work on several jobs at the same time. ( ) They frequently switch from one project to another. ( ) Also, they are very forgiving to someone who is late for a meeting. ( ) People in these cultures tend to focus on one task until it is completed, without committing themselves to other tasks that pop up while doing the first task. ( ) They also carefully plan and carry out schedules according to strict deadlines. ( ) In these cultures, it is very disrespectful to be late for a meeting. This is a striking contrast with people in North America.

35 !_2 / p.112 Reader s Bank Level 8 Because of these cultural differences, misunderstandings often occur, and some international businesses even lose millions of dollars. These differences can destroy business partnerships and ruin business deals. We cannot say which culture is better because it is just the way people have been brought up to view the world and work. Therefore, we should try to learn to appreciate the differences and utilize the best of what a culture has to offer.

36 _1 / p.114 Reader s Bank Level 8 Millions of honeybees are disappearing each year! It is happening not only in the United States, but in Europe and Asia as well. Without bees pollination, plants cannot bear fruit or seeds. So this is a very serious problem for the future of our planet. Some scientists think the answer to this mystery may be found in the use of genetically modified (GM) crops. GM plants contain genes of poisonous traits, which are inserted into them to drive away the harmful insects that attack the plants. But this poison also kills the helpful honeybees. GM crops are believed to damage the bees digestive system and weaken their immunity against viruses, thus leading them to death.

36 _2 / p.114 Reader s Bank Level 8 Albert Einstein was once quoted saying, If the bee disappeared from the surface of the globe, man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man. Surprisingly, recent studies have shown that this prophecy could soon really going to see doomsday? Is there no way to avoid it? . Are we