Engaging Communication in Conflict

Systemic Practice

'This book is an excellent introduction and reference for those interested in conflict management discourse. A welcome addition to guide the reader to more in-depth investigation of important issues is a variety of resources, including websites, at the end of each chapter'

- Discourse and Society

Written from the authors' experience in conflict intervention in their private consulting practice, Engaging Communication in Conflict uses a communication perspective to address insights and methods in private mediation, small group facilitation, system design, large-scale interventions, and public-issue management. This book offers encouragement for a world sometimes overwhelmed by conflict and presents an expanded and pragmatic definition of peace.

Authors Stephen Littlejohn and Kathy Domenici discuss numerous methods and principles in conflict resolution. They explore transformative mediation, the team mediation system, assessment and evaluation, systemic design, gaming methodology, issue framing and public deliberation, study circles, dialogue groups, and many other interventions. These methods and principles are adapted from a spectrum of theory and practice and include fresh and innovative approaches designed by the authors and their colleagues.

The book is based on a coherent theoretical orientation, drawing heavily from the theories of the coordinated management of meaning, system theory, social constructionism, and transformative discourse. While these theories are detailed in the Appendix, the book is highly pragmatic in orientation, with numerous case examples and "how-to" information.