2015 Theses Master's

Effective Communication in Interpersonal Negotiations

Kohler, Hans

This research is looking at the effects of communication in negotiations. It is fascinating to see that so much information is missed in interpersonal interactions, and this is just an initial look at those communication issues that may cause conflicts. Thus, this research attempting to grasp and initial understanding of how to be conscious of what are the issues related to lack of effective communication in interpersonal interactions. Moreover, the patterns of communication to one another are sui generis, and the issue of different ways to share information might generate misunderstandings, ergo conflicts. Therefore, there is a need to know techniques and approaches that are effective in portraying one’s message in order to prevent hostility and disagreements. For that reason there will be surveys and interviews conducted to better understand the needs and perceptions. This data gathered by surveys and interviews consisted of questions related to cooperation, competition, trust, communication, and perceptions. The Deutsch’s Interdependence Theory, Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) Theory, and the Dual Concern Model Theory will be implied into the data analysis, in order to significantly understand the communication patterns and the negotiation strategies that participants use. Consequently, it is assumed that misunderstandings cause conflicts, there is a lack of trust due to competitive behavior, and people do not communicate accurately. For that reason there is a need to take into account others perspectives for better comprehension, to increase openness in sharing information, and to approach negotiations with a cooperative behavior to result in better outcomes.