Minimizing Conflicts Through Communication: A Personal Experience

Negotiation Course
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Negotiation Course
Living with Kate was an adventure I always yearned for before joining college. I thought all would be a walk in the park until I noticed that we are all raised in different settings with diverse behaviors. Roommate conflict is an unavoidable event because when two or more people stay together, conflict is inevitable. As much as the dispute is not a bad thing because it can positively help students develop the skills necessary in handling issues in real life, it may break relationships and families. The conflict can be caused great distress between Kate and I because we had poor communication skills and respect for each other’s’ schedules. She would come over with her friends without informing me and start watching movies from my computer even when I had earlier told her that I would be burning a midnight candle for the upcoming exams. She was never considerate and caused disruption and inconveniences on my schedule.
The conflict between Kate and I caused many adverse effects, especially on my term grades. Lack of sleep was another impact because Kate would blast loud music at night and would smoke marijuana on the balcony. She would not resist inviting friends over so that they could smoke and drink, and part for the better part of the night. I was frustrated. Her standard of cleanliness was questionable. At first, she was a sweet teen who seemed focused before joining the lousy company of partying and skipping classes. For the better part of the semester, I chose to ignore many problems that worsened day in day out. The problems worsened, and when I could not hold on anymore, I spoke to Kate, who turned furious and violent. Maybe my approach was not good enough, or maybe my ‘friend’ was high on some drugs. I warned her to stop smoking and partying at our room, and we split the bills by two, so why not? I even threatened to report her illegal mischievous acts if she continued smoking and inviting strangers at our apartment. I still chose to stay despite the worsening conditions. Yes, it was a dumb move, and I could have ...