第三篇:性格与交流冲突(Personality and Communicating Conflict)
A
As far back as Hippocrates’ time (460-370B.C.), people have tried to understand other people bycharacterizing them according to personality type or temperament.Hippocratesbelieved there were four different body fluids that influenced four basic typesof temperament. His work was further developed 500 years later by Galen. Thesedays there are any number of self-assessment tools that relate to the basicdescriptions developed by Galen, although we no longer believe the source to bethe types of body fluid that dominate our systems.
B
The values in self-assessments that help determine personality style. Learning styles, communication styles,conflict-handling styles, or other aspects of individuals is that they helpdepersonalize conflict in interpersonal relationships. The depersonalizationoccurs when you realize that others aren’t trying to be difficult, but theyneed different or more information than you do. They’re not intending to berude: they are so focused on the task they forget about greeting people. Theywould like to work faster but not at the risk of damaging the relationshipsneeded to get the job done. They understand there is a job to do. But it canonly be done right with the appropriate information, which takes time to collect. When used appropriately, understanding communication styles can help resolve conflict on teams. Veryrarely are conflicts true personality issues. Usually they are issues of style,information needs, or focus.
C
Hippocrates and later Galen determined there were four basic temperaments:sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic (忧郁症) and choleric. These descriptions were developed centuries ago andare still somewhat apt, although you could update the wording. In today’sworld, they translate into the four fairly common communication stylesdescribed below:
D
The sanguine (乐 观的 ) person would be the expressiveor spirited style of communication. These people speak in pictures. They investa lot of emotion and energy in their communication and often speak quickly.Putting their whole body into it. They are easily sidetracked onto a story thatmay or may not illustrate the point they are trying to make. Because of theirenthusiasm, they are great team motivators. They are concerned about people and relationships.Their high levels of energy can come on strong at times and their focus isusually on the bigger picture, which means they sometimes miss the details orthe proper order of things. These people find conflict or differences ofopinion invigorating and love to engage in a spirited discussion. They lovechange and are constantly looking for new and exciting adventures.
E
Tile phlegmatic person - cool and persevering - translates into the technicalor systematic communication style. This style of communication is focused onfacts and technical details. Phlegmatic people have an orderly methodical wayof approaching tasks, and their focus is very much on the task, not on thepeople, emotions, or concerns that the task may evoke. The focus is also more onthe details necessary to accomplish a task. Sometimes the details overwhelm thebig picture and focus needs to be broughtbackto the context of the task. Peoplewith this style think the facts should speak for themselves, and they are notas comfortable with conflict. They need timeto adapt to change and need to understand both the logic of it and thesteps involved.
F
Tile melancholic person who is softhearted and oriented toward doing thingsfor others translates into the considerate or sympathetic communication style.A person with this communication style is focused on people and relationships.Theyare good listeners and do things for other people-sometimes to thedetriment of getting things done for themselves. They want to soliciteveryone’s opinion and make sure everyone is comfortable with whatever isrequired toget the job done. At times this focus on others can distract fromthe task at hand. Because they are so concerned with the needs of others andsmoothing overissues, they do not like conflict. They believe that changethreatens the status quo (现状) and tends to make people feel uneasy, so people withthiscommunication style, like phlegmatic(冷淡的,迟钝的) people need time to consider the changes in order to adaptto them.
G
The choleric (暴躁的) temperamenttranslates into the bold or direct style of communication. People with thisstyle are brief in their communication - the fewer words the better. They arebig picture thinkers and love to be involved in many things at once. They arefocused on tasks and outcomes and often forget that the people involved incarrying out the tasks have needs. They don’t do detail work easily and as aresult can often underestimate how much time it takes to achieve the task.Because they are so direct, they often seem forceful and can be veryintimidating to others. They usually would welcome someone challenging them.But most other styles are afraid to do so. They also thrive on change, the morethe better.
H
A well-functioning team should have all of these communication styles fortrueeffectiveness. All teams need to focus on the task, and they need totakecare of relationships in order to achieve those tasks. They need the bigpicture perspective or the context of their work, and they need the details tobe identified and taken care of for success. We all have aspects of each style within us. Some of us can easily move from one style to another and adapt ourstyle to the needs of the situation at hand-whether the focus is on tasks orrelationships. For others, a dominant style is very evident, and it is morechallenging to see the situation from the perspective of another style. Thework environment can influence communication styles either by the type of workthat is required or by the predominance of one style reflected in thatenvironment. Some people use one style at work and another at home. The goodnews about communication styles is that we have the ability to developflexibility in our styles. The greater the flexibility we have, the moreskilled we usually are at handling possible and actual conflicts. Usually it has to berelevant to us to do so, either because we think it is important or becausethere are incentives in our environment to encourage it. The key is that wehave to wantto become flexible with our communication style. As Henry Fordsaid, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right!”
Questions 27-34
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Reading Passage 3 has eight sections A-H.
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-x in boxes 27-34 0n your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i Different personality types mentioned
ii Recommendation of combined styles for group
iii Historical explanation of understanding personality
iv Alively and positive attitude person depicted
v A personality likes challenge and direct communication
vi Different characters illustrated
vii Functions of understanding communication styles
viii Cautious and considerable person cited
ix Calm and Factual personality illustrated
x Self-assessment determines one’s temperament
27 Section A
28 Section B
29 Section C
30 SectionD
31 Section E
32 Section F
33 Section G
34 Section H
Questions 35-39
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Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage1?
In boxes 35-39 0n your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the sataement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
35 All believed that sanguine people like constant things and peace
36 Melancholic and phlegmatic people both require time to fit it
37 It is the sanguine personality that needed most in the workplace
38 It is feasible for someone to change type of personality
39 Work category of a surrounding can communication styles
Question 40
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Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in box 40 0n your answer sheet.
40 The author thinks self-assessment tools can be able to
A develop one’s personality in a certain scenario.
B help to understand colleagues and resolve problems
C improve relationship with boss of company
D change others behaviour and personality
答案:
27. ii 28. vii 29. i 30. iv 31. ix
32. viii 33. v 34.ii 35. FALSE 36. TRUE
37. NOT GIVEN 38. TRUE 39. TRUE 40.B