This is Ethiopian Review Policy Research Center’s series on From Dictatorship to Democracy extracted/quoted from books and articles published by Albert Einstein Institution and similar sources.
When we think of dialogue as a contest, conflict occurs because we are more concerned with getting what we want than with attempting to understand each other’s needs and emotions. We become defensive about our respective positions.
When both parties communicate their needs and feelings, the need to be defensive disappears. By understanding and accepting each other, we can surpass our individual positions and focus on developing shared values, goals and objectives. We switch from arguing over positions to understanding the other sides for collaborative Partnerships.
The ultimate goal of understanding others is the creation of long term, cooperative relationships. We have more to gain from working together than from growing apart. By following the process of Understanding Others for Reconciliation , we can move beyond conflict to collaboration, as illustrated in the following diagram. CLICK:Understanding Others for Reconciliation