Question

Jerry and Elaine are talking at lunch.
Jerry: "Did you have a good weekend?"
Elaine: "Yeah, how about you?"
Jerry: "It was pretty good except my neighbor kept dropping in unannounced."
Elaine: "Did you hear about George?"
Jerry: "No."
Elaine: "He has been coming in to work late a lot and I think the boss is going to fire him."
While Elaine is saying this, Jerry is putting his finger to his mouth to shush her while George walks up from behind.
Version 1: George walks away. He never talks to Elaine or Jerry again.
Version 2: George confronts Elaine, saying “I am angry about what you have been saying. I do not want you spreading rumors about me. If you have a problem, please see me about it.”
Version 3: George yells at Elaine to shut up and then confronts his boss demanding to know why he’s going to be fired.
Version 4: George demands that Elaine tell him where she heard that. Elaine tells him not to worry about it and tries to crack a joke about how much the boss is late.

In which version does George utilize some of the steps of Effective Conflict Management?
a.
1
b.
2
c.
3
d.
4

Answer 1

b. Version 2.

Explanation: In version 2 George directly addresses the issue, expresses his feelings ("I am angry"), sets a boundary ("I do not want you spreading rumors"), and asks for constructive behavior going forward ("If you have a problem, please see me about it") — all elements of effective conflict management (assertive communication, addressing the problem, seeking a direct resolution).