Conflict resolution is a necessity in negotiations.

Remember how much you loved Theories of Persuasion? Wish you could continue learning about persuasive communication? COM 440, or Conflict, Negotiation, and Power, takes persuasive communication to the next level by teaching you how to use those persuasion skills in conflict resolution and negotiations scenarios.

Further your studies of persuasion by taking COM 440 in Doti Hall next semester.

Everyone has experienced conflict before, and it is likely that everyone at some point will negotiate within their personal or professional life. Conflict, Negotiation and Power gives real, applicable skills to help you navigate the pitfalls of a conflict or negotiation by properly analyzing the situation and picking an appropriate response. The way the course is taught is not merely through strict lecture, but with a mixture of lecture, video examples, case studies, and a number of mock negotiations of varying topics; ranging from attempting to get $2 from a friend to afford a bus ride, to negotiating a divorce contract.  This multi-layered learning allows for students to practice the lessons taught in class and refine them to be better prepared when partaking in a real-life negotiation.

For example, one of the mock negotiations that we practiced in our class was negotiating a lower price for a car, with one partner as the salesman and the other as the potential buyer. All of us thoroughly enjoyed the activity and found it applicable and realistic. One of our authors found this activity so relevant that just three months later she was applying what she had learned from that negotiation directly; successfully convincing her parents to purchase a car for her. This activity is a perfect example of something that you might do in class that could later apply directly to a real-life negotiation. Whether you are in the market for a car, learning how to best negotiate for a job salary, or even if conflict arises between you and another person; taking this class will teach you how to best handle those situations by utilizing effective communication strategies and evaluating how to best use persuasion tactics.