Name COM-9 February 13, 2025 Perspective-Taking: An essential element for positive communication Definition of Perspective-Taking Perspective-Taking is an interpersonal communication technique that involves taking on the viewpoint of another individual. In other words, it’s looking at the world through another person's perspective. Where you try to imagine their thoughts, life experiences and even emotions to understand why this person views the world the way they do. I chose perspective-taking as my focus because it plays an important part in conflict resolution during any argument. Successful conflict resolution mostly depends on our ability to take on the other person's perspective and to understand how and why the conflict appears the way it does to them (Johnson, 2019). Throughout our lives we will inevitably have conflicts with other people -perspective taking helps us reach a positive resolution. This skill is typically used in communication by enabling us to comprehend, clarify, and resolve conflict with positive communication, rather than defensive communication. Importance of Perspective-Taking Perspective-Taking is important in everyday interactions because it helps us understand one another and promotes healthier, more respectful communication. When people have difficulties maintaining relationships it’s because they can’t imagine the other person’s perspective (Clarke, 2023). In both professional and personal settings perspective-taking can improve our conflict resolution by making communication more supportive. This is done by leading employers, employees, and even friends to be respectful of one another simply by seeing the conflict through the other's eyes. By mastering this skill we can more thoroughly understand why a conflict started with someone. Thus, enabling us to more effectively reach a positive resolution for all involved parties. Plus, in the future this skill can even prevent some conflicts from starting in the first place. Personal Reflection I use this skill in my everyday life to reach a positive conflict resolution with the people that matter most to me in my life. For instance, when me and my partner were debating on an issue and we couldn’t reach a positive solution. I had to look at the issue from both of our perspectives while keeping both viewpoints in mind to come up with a solution (Johnson, 2019). By having both of us be satisfied with the outcome it strengthened our bond together. At work during one of my construction jobs, my employee was asking for more help, even when my boss said it only required one guy. I looked at the job through my employees perspective and quickly realized it was the mud that was slowing down the work. By doing this, I understood that another guy was indeed needed to complete the work on time. I understand that I can improve this skill even more. Taking on another person's perspective is hard because sometimes misunderstandings happen because we think they have the exact same viewpoint as us (Jonson, 2019). To prevent this I’ll communicate my thoughts more thoroughly with the other person. While also being aware that their perspective will differ from my own. To continue developing my perspective-taking skills, I will start with the following steps: 1. Practice Patience - I will be patient when someone speaks to carefully think about the other person's view without cutting them off. 2. Use empathy - I will try to be more understanding so I can relate to their feelings. 3. Engage in Paraphrasing - I will reiterate what was discussed to more correctly understand their view. 4. Eliminate my Assumptions - I will avoid assumptions to have a more open-minded solution. 5. Slow down - I will slow down to carefully consider the issue (Clarke, 2023) From now on I will continue to develop my perspective-taking skills by using it during all my conversations that are turning sour. This way I can start the resolution steps before the conflict arises. Or even prevent the conflict from starting in the first place, by taking the other person's perspective from the start. References Clarke, J. (2023, March 15). Do You Have an Egocentric Person in Your Life? Look for These Signs. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-egocentric-4164279 Johnson, D. (2019). The Importance of Taking the Perspective of Others. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/constructive-controversy/201906/the-i mportance-of-taking-the-perspective-of-others
