From
Savage, W. (1989). Communication: Process and Problems. In C.Riches & C.Morgan (Eds.), Human resource management in education (pp. 103-119). Open University Press.

• Communication is necessary to coordinate effort
• the process of communication includes the message, the encoding and decoding process, and the means of communication
• some communication is unintentional- especially personality and behaviour
• much of what we communicate is evaluative
• within an organisation communication must include upward as well as downward flow
• the problem of ‘filtering’ can be solved by ensuring that ethics are adhered to and admission of mistakes is seen as a mark of professionalism
• informed and involved people as less susceptible to rumours.

From

Mackay, H. (1998). Resolving conflict through listening. In The good listener: Better relationships through better communication (pp. 189-199). Sydney: Pan Macmillan.

• conflict is not always bad
• resolving conflict requires good communication skills and a commitment to ensure that the conflict is not allowed to damage relationships
• both parties must want resolution and be prepared to compromise
• active listening and restating the other’s point of view ensures that both sides are being heard, the sting will be taken out of the argument so that cooperative discussion can take place.

From

Cohen, S. (2002). The seven pillars of negotiational wisdom. In Negotiating skills for managers (pp. 171-187). New York: McGraw-Hill.

• preparation is the foundation to negotiation
• understand the value of your ongoing relationship with your negotiating partner
• understand your own and the other party’s interests clearly
• know your BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) and keep an eye on it during the negotiation
• think outside the box for creative solutions
• treat everyone fairly
• make sure both parties are committed to coming to an agreement
• communicate with transparency which builds trust
• listen carefully and demonstrate with your communication style that you respect the other party and are committed to a good result.

For the second part of my assignment, I have to evaluate how well I did during the group work at communicating and collaborating. The Mackay and Cohen articles relate mostly to confict, which I'm glad to say we just didn't have in our group. I wasn't required to use any negotiating or conflict resolution skills, at least not overtly. Conflict implies to me open disagreement, while negotiation makes me think of competing interests compromising to reach an agreement. Neither of those scenarios existed during my group work experience.