Word-Dancing Together Towards Noble Outcomes

There is no single accepted definition of conflict. The many definitions, whether they refer to international, political, religious, cultural, generational, organisational, interpersonal, or intrapersonal conflicts, focus on the incompatibility of concerns (Thomas & Kilmann, 2012, p. 2) , adversarial values (Dorjee et al., 2013, p. 115) , and the collision of cultures (Lewis, 2018) with the connotation that conflict is a negative, destructive, or inhibitive force. In reality, conflict can be healthy. It can bring to light previously unseen pressures or discontents, promote problems to be addressed, and improve understanding of goals and motives (Mohammed et al., 2009, p. 4) . Upon moving away from the negative connotations, conflict becomes more of an intriguing challenge and its resolution can be found in communication. Approaching conflict with a positive outlook, coupled with effective communication, can turn conflicts into opportunities. | Excerpt from the author’s  doctor...

  | In memory of Professor Jan Blommaert |  This is an account of how Jan Blommaert made me stop saying that I sell hot air. It happened when my doctoral advisory committee met in December 2018. It was an exciting meeting in which all the professors got acquainted who had agreed to accompany me on the long road to a doctorate. Jan was one of them. We soon shared perspectives on the research topic and discovered the alluringly diverse interests of the committee members. It was a refreshing dive into academic talk, especially for me because I had just stepped out of a career as a free-lance business communication trainer. When I humbly linked the subject of my PhD research with my professional experience, I claimed that this research may well show that I had been selling hot air for years, “ dat ik al jaren gebakken lucht verkoop .” Jan promptly replied that I must not say that. He eloquently explained that if participants of a business communication train...