COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT - THE ROLE OF PERCEPTION

 

 How is perception related to anything here?

“We see things not as they are, but as we are.”


 

Perception is the lens through which we interpret life. Two people may experience the same event, yet walk away with completely different interpretations. That’s the power and danger of perception.

But What Shapes Perception?

  • Family upbringing

  • Ethnic background

  • Religion

  • Education

  • Past trauma or experiences

  • Media exposure

  • Personality and temperament

These variables shape how we interpret tone, body language, and even silence. It explains why a casual remark may feel like an insult to one person but mean nothing to another.

Case Example – The Lighthouse Analogy:

A mighty battleship was patrolling the dark waters one foggy night, its radar picking up a faint signal of another vessel directly in its path. With duty and confidence, the captain ordered his signalman to send a message:

"Unidentified vessel: You are on a collision course with us. Adjust your course 20 degrees east to avoid disaster."

Almost immediately, the reply came:

"Negative. We advise you to adjust your course 20 degrees west."

The battleship’s captain, incensed by the audacity of this small, invisible vessel, shot back a firmer message:

"This is Captain James Anderson of the HMS Defiance, a heavily armed military battleship. I demand that you change your course 20 degrees east — immediately."

Back came the calm and unflinching response:

"This is Seaman First Class David Roberts. I repeat — you change your course."

The captain, now fuming and determined to assert his authority, sent his final message:

"We are a warship. Fully operational. Accompanied by escort vessels. You are in direct danger. Change your course now or suffer the consequences!"

After a tense pause, the final reply flickered across the wireless:

"This is a lighthouse. Your move, sir."

This simple story teaches that conflicts often arise from faulty assumptions. If we fail to check our perceptions, we might crash into truth, pridefully convinced we're right.

Practical Applications: Challenging Our Perceptions

In communication for development (C4D), we do not merely transmit information—we seek to catalyse social change, shift behaviour, and empower communities to act. However, the biggest obstacle to effective communication is often not the message, but the mindset of the messenger. This is where perception comes in.

Perception refers to how we interpret the world around us how we see people, problems, and possibilities. Yet, these interpretations are not always accurate. They are filtered through our personal biases, cultural conditioning, academic training, and sometimes, our organisational agendas.

To be effective communicators for development, we must constantly challenge our own perceptions so that we do not impose flawed assumptions on the communities we serve.

To become a better communicator, you must first master your own perception. This involves:

  1. Challenging the Validity: Ask yourself, “Could I be wrong in how I’m viewing this?”

  2. Challenging the Absoluteness: Recognise that your version of the truth is not the only one.

  3. Challenging the Timeliness: Is this view still valid or have things changed?

Let's further breakdown these THREE WAYS TO CHALLENGE PERCEPTIONS

1. Challenging the Validity of Your Perception

What it means:
This involves asking, “Could I be wrong about how I’m seeing this situation?”

Why it matters:
In C4D, practitioners often approach communities with pre-conceived ideas. If these ideas are invalid, interventions may be rejected, misunderstood, or even cause harm.

Example from the field:
During a sexual health campaign in Northern Nigeria, an international NGO assumed that young girls were unaware of contraception due to a lack of education. However, community participatory sessions revealed that the real issue was not ignorance, but fear of social shame, family backlash, and religious stigma.

Lesson:
The NGO restructured its messaging to focus on family dialogue, female role models, and intergenerational conversations, rather than just handing out leaflets or condoms.

Takeaway for students:
Don’t confuse what you think with what is. Validate your assumptions by listening to local voices first.

2. Challenging the Absoluteness of Your Perception

What it means:
Ask yourself, “Is my perspective the only valid one?”

Why it matters:
C4D involves working with culturally diverse populations who may see the world differently from you. Assuming that your framework is the only one silences alternative worldviews and undermines inclusivity.

Example from the field:
In Ethiopia, a water sanitation campaign led by Western-trained engineers promoted modern latrines. Uptake was poor. Why? Locals believed open defecation fertilised their fields which was a culturally ingrained perception.

What changed:
Development communicators worked with local elders and religious leaders to reinterpret sanitation through indigenous metaphors, such as “protecting the land God gave us.” Adoption of latrines then later increased after aligning with local cosmologies.

Takeaway for students:
Truth is multifaceted. Your job is to engage other perceptions, not erase them.

3. Challenging the Timeliness of Your Perception

What it means:
Ask, “Is my view of this issue still accurate—or is it outdated?”

Why it matters:
Because, communities evolve. Attitudes, norms, and communication platforms change rapidly especially now more than ever with digital penetration. As such, a development communicator who fails to update their perception becomes irrelevant.

Example from the field:
A voter education programme in Kenya used radio and town hall meetings to mobilise rural voters in 2013. By 2022, young voters were organising on Twitter (#YouthVoteKE) and WhatsApp groups, leaving the traditional campaign out of touch.

What worked:
The communication team pivoted to TikTok campaigns, live Instagram town halls, and short videos featuring young influencers. Voter engagement among youth increased significantly.

Takeaway for students:
Revisit and refresh your assumptions regularly. Communities and technologies are not static.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOU AS A C4D PRACTITIONER

When you walk into a community with a camera, notebook, or media campaign, remember:

  • Your perception is not a fact.

  • Your tools are not neutral.

  • Your audience may be smarter and more self-aware than your theories suggest.

To build trust, spark dialogue, and effect change, you must:

  • Listen deeply before you speak.

  • Co-create content with the community, not just for them.

  • Reflect regularly on your own communication blind spots.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW BETTER, TRY OUT THESE PRACTICAL EXERCISES

Choose a recent development campaign in your region. 

Next, Identify:

  • A core assumption it was based on.

  • Whether that assumption held true for the target audience.

  • What could have been done differently in terms of perception checking.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW BETTER TRY OUT THESE SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISES:

  1. Define communication in your own words. Why is it important in conflict management?
  2. Explain how perception affects communication and give a real-life example from your personal experience.
  3. Identify one of your personal communication patterns. Is it helpful or harmful? How can you improve it?

CONCLUSION

Perception, communication, and emotion are tightly interwoven. Managing conflict is less about mastering others, and more about mastering our perceptions and responses. The foundation of communication for development is not just media production or message design. It is empathy, humility, and perceptual flexibility. Challenging your own perception is not a sign of weakness but it is the first step towards truly ethical and effective communication practice.

Learning to pause before reacting, and to ask questions instead of making assumptions, are the foundations of mature and constructive dialogue.

Common Reactive Behaviours to Watch For:

  • Saying something impulsively you later regret.

  • Giving in to avoid tension but later feeling resentful.

  • Ignoring an issue, hoping it will go away.

  • Becoming defensive or aggressive instead of listening.

"Don’t react—communicate."

The more we manage our perceptions, the more we regain power over our responses. Emotional maturity in communication isn’t just about expression—it’s about discernment.

As you move through this course, remember: how you say something often matters more than what you say. Words carry power. But so do posture, empathy, and self-awareness.

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