Telephone Role Play Exercise

Topic: Sexual Harrassment

Introduction:

I was fortunate to enough to have Shannon Mathwig as my partner, she played the role of the HR Manager and I played the employee.

Issue: Employee overhears a sexually explicty conversation between two employees and reports to HR that she has been sexually harrassed.

Summary: I informed HR that I had overheard two employees having a sexually explicit conversation and although this is a regular occurrence I found this particular conversation extremely offensive. HR agreed to bring both employees in to discuss the incident. HR informed me that this would be considered a verbal warning for both employees. HR also agreed to take steps to communicate the company's sexaual harrassment policy at a company wide meeting to prevent future situations like this.

I found Shannon's communication style to be direct, which I could appreciate. As the employee I felt comfortable that immediate action would be taken and that my issue was taken seriously. I was concerned about potential retaliation from the two employees and Shannon informed me that my name would never be mentioned in the conversation.

Week 2 Assignments

12 Angry Men

1. Identify all of the conflict in the movie. How are they presented and resolved?

The movie opens with the ending of a murder trial. The all male jury now has to decide a young man's innocence or guilt. As the jury leaves to deliberate they are cautioned to make their decision based on the facts.
The conflict arises during the premlinary vote, as eleven votes for guilty and one for not guilty are read. The eleven men who voted guilty decide it's their duty to convince Davis he is wrong and they are right, so they go around the table highlighting the aspects of the case they feel prove the young man's guilt. Davis's reluctance to make a hasty decision sends the remaining jurors in a tail spend as they all begin to argue and attack each personally, ignoring the facts of the case all together. Davis remains calm throughout the process forcing the other jury members to exam their own prejudices, stereotypes, and question their own interpretation of the facts. The conflicts are resolved through renactments and a review of the evidence.

2. Do the conflicts seem realistic? Why?
The conflicts are realistic because people have things going on in their lives that could possibly spill over into this type of proceeding. When you combine people from different backgrounds and histories and ask them to make an uniformed decision there is bound to be conflict.

3. How might you have handled the conflict different/ better than in the film.
I think sorting through and elminating personal stuff in order to come to a general consensus is part of any process. However if I had been the foreman I would have been more assertive and taken on more of the management role and kept order during the process.

4. Did the chracters utilize effective negotiation, communication, listening, and problem solving skills?
Most of the characters were able to negotiate, and communicate effectively, however they didn't do a good job of listening to each other. I say this because most of the resistance was a result of their personal experiences, which often distracted them from the facts in the case.

5. Do the conflicts in the film provide any opportunities for alternative dispute
resolution?
No. Having a third party involved would not eliminate the process of sorting through the facts and it would not eliminate personal issues that can sometimes interfere with the decision making process.

How I Negotiate When I Want Something

If I want something I go into the negotiation process with the belief that what I want is attainable. I don't think you can succeed at anything without the belief that it's possible for to have what you want.I worked as a collector for a few years and in that time I had to learn how to identify the type of person I was talking to so I could adjust my communication style to fit with theirs in order to begin the negotiation process. For anyone who has worked in a sales environment you know how difficult this can be, you literally have seconds to make that determination and begin the negotiation process.The first step for me in any negotiation is building rapport. I do this by identifying with the person on some level. The next step is to state my purpose and then listen. I have found that people tell you more by what they don't say than by what they do say and if you're not listening you'll miss the underlying reasons that might cause resistance.Chapter one discusses the importance of listening in the negotiation process and how, two-way communication can make the negotiation process smoother. Listening makes the other party feel what they have to say is of value. When you undercut that value by ignoring or not listening to the individual you're negotiating with you've already lost.Chapter one gives an example of how the part owner of a radio station wanted more money for her share of the station than the other partners. In the negotiation process the purchaser discovered by listening that the issue wasn't money rather the owner's desire to continue on as manager of the station.By listening you build rapport, credibility, and gain insight into the underlying issues that may impact the success of your negotiation.

Listening the Key in the Negotiation Process

You don't listen it's not the first time I've heard that criticism. What I believe others are interpreting as my not listening is my need to interrupt while the other party is speaking. I have to admit it is a bad habit. In my own self-defense I only interrupt because I'm afraid that I'll forget what I'm going to say not because I don't view the other parties opinion as valuable. You can't listen if you're too busy thinking about what you're going to say next.

I was a successful collector for two years until I changed positions. Although I may not be listening in other aspects of my life I understand the importance in the negotiation process.

Power Vs. Resources in the Negotiation Process

In chapter one negotiation power is defined as the ability to persuade someone to do something, that ability is derived from our belief that we have an equal chance of success in the context of the negotiation. In the negotiation process the person who holds the power is a matter of perception. As we shift our perception of power we can affect the outcome.Building a rapport or a relationship with the person you are in negotiation with is one way to improve the chances of success.Yesterday in my comments, I talked about my experience as a collector. The amount of time you have to determine the other parties interests, and underlying objectives can be limited, which is why it's important to listen; by understanding the other parties needs you are more likely to satisfy them.Resources can make an agreement more attractive and in increase the negotiating power "depending on the context and who's being persuaded." As a collector I would often offer reduced pay off amounts as an incentive, which would help to shift the odds of collecting in my favor. At the end of the day if the other parties needs aren't being addressed in the negotiation process you are less likely to succeed.

I love to travel and I thought I would share a picture from my vacation last year. You may recognize this yes! It's the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Great place to visit.

Personality Tests Results

I would like to share with all of my class mates the results of my personality test. The first test is the NLP ( Neuro Linguistic Programming). My primary representational system is " kinesthetic." This basically means that I think in terms of feelings.
Secondary- is Auditory- which means I use an aural vocabulary.

TAPT( Tiger Baron Assessment of Personality Type). I am an extrovert who perfers to focus my attention on the outer world. I perfer to deal with tangible, factual, objective information. I'm logical in my thinking and prefer to make decisions in this way. I prefer order and structure. I would say this test nailed my personality to a tee. I really stuggle with spontaniety, it's gets me all frazzled.

The DISC assessment is something we all been subject to at one time or another, my results show strongest discriptor is compliance, which means I'm a stickler for quality. Running a close second is "Dominance" which says I am direct and decisive, never have truer words been said.

The results of the Conflict Management Style test were all over the place, which I interpret as versatility, meaning I adjust my style depending on the people involved and the environment in which the conflict occurs.
I've taken several personality tests and I've never been suprised at the results, they defintely describe who I am.