Conflict Management for Leaders

This spring semester, the School of Communication and Media is offering the course Organization and Group Leadership (CMST 270). The purpose behind this course is to teach students the importance of conflict management for leaders. Conflict management requires active listening skills, strategic thinking, and precise communication, which is exactly what Professor Linda Thomas is trying to teach her students through the different topics and assignments this course covers.

“When teaching this class, I really want to help these students find their inner leader. Every one of my students has the skills necessary to be a great leader but this course and the assignments I give, allow them the opportunity to recognize that and bring these skills to their everyday lives” says Professor Thomas. “I want students to walk away from this course with an increased sense of confidence that they can be great leaders. The most important thing I want my students to gain from this course is deep authenticity and an increased sense of personal power.”

This was particularly possible through the most recent project this class worked on. Students were tasked to work in groups of four and take on roles based on their personal skills and strengths. Students were able to tap into their creative power to bring one example of an interpersonal conflict to life in video script form. They used classic storytelling techniques and vivid, concrete imagery in 10-minute table reading presentations. Each script featured two different conflict resolutions, increasing the students’ decision making skills.

One junior communication student, Joe Di Bartolomeo, shared his thoughts on this assignment: “This project really gave us the opportunity to look at conflict in a new way. It taught us that there are different ways for conflict to be approached and it is important to not make any hasty decisions when faced with conflict.”

Senior communications and media student, Dan Ovalles, shared that this class is providing him and his peers with skills that will be beneficial for their futures.

“I feel like this class and this project are really showing us how important it is to take other people’s feelings into consideration when dealing with conflict and the importance of empathy. This class is also very group work oriented which is really helpful for teaching us how to work with others, even under difficult circumstances, to achieve a common goal.”

This project and the course is providing students with the technique and skills they need to become effective leaders in both their professional and personal lives. By doing so in a fun and engaging way such as this project, students are able to grow as leaders but also gain the confidence they need to bring these skills into their future places of employment.