Conflict Resolution Smarts: How to Communicate, Negotiate, Compromise, and More

by Matt Doeden

Conflict―nobody likes it. And from the hallways of your school to the family dinner table, conflict can be hard to avoid. But conflict doesn't have to be all bad. If you handle a conflict well, you might even come up with a "win-win" solution, and everyone will walk away happy. Conflict management involves understanding the roots of conflict, opening the lines of communication, and coming up with a solution that everyone can live with.

This book explores conflict from all angles. You'll discover
• how the little seed of a misunderstanding can turn into a great big conflict.
• conflict resolution strategies, including compromise, negotiation, mediation, and collaboration.
• how to be a good communicator, and a great listener, to resolve conflicts―at school, at home, and even online.
• basic conflict outcomes, including the magical "win-win."

Supplemented with articles and information from USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, Conflict Resolution Smarts delivers solid advice and firsthand stories of real teens managing many of the same conflicts you are. Ready to wise up to conflict management? Read on!

64 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Matt Doeden was born in southern Minnesota and lived parts of his childhood in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and Madison, Minnesota. He studied journalism at Mankato State University, where he worked at the college newspaper for three years. In his senior year, he served as the paper's Sports Editor, which put him in charge of the entire sports section, the sports writers, and the photographers. He covered mostly college sports, but also the Minnesota Vikings, who held training camp at MSU.

His work allowed him to meet and interview people like Dennis Green, Cris Carter, Robert Smith, and more. Matt went on to work as a sports writer for the Mankato paper, and then he got a job as an editor with a small children's publisher called Capstone Press, and in 2003 he decided to start his own business as a freelance writer and editor.

Since then, Matt has written and edited hundreds of books. Lots of them are on high-interest topics like cars, sports, and airplanes. He also writes and edits on geography, science, and even math.