Scenario 1
Justin’s choice of communication was inappropriate and could damage both his workplace and personal relationship with Sarah. Teamwork and positive, healthy relationships form the fabric of any successful organization, business or institution. Progress and growth are realized when the colleagues positively work together towards the common goal of the organization. Communication is vital among the pillars of the healthy relationships. Proper communication and use of the appropriate communication channels is integral in fostering interactions and teamwork. Sarah would feel insulted and her reputation damaged by the message. Social media is a public forum where everyone can access the information posted.
Posting work-related issues on social media, especially issues about the shortcomings of a colleague or the organization damages the reputation of the colleague and the company. Justin’s professional conduct will also be publicly criticized, and he will be ridiculed. Justin should have opted for other more professional methods of communication to raise his issue with Sarah. He could have confronted her face-to-face or over the phone where no one else could listen to their conversation, using a polite language in either instance. However, raising a negative concern to a colleague might be misinterpreted and aggravate the situation instead of resolving the matter. Justin took to social media to express his frustration because he was still angry. It is prudent to wait for anger to subside before confronting Sarah on the issue. Anger sometimes clouds a person’s judgment and makes one make irrational decisions. The best course of communication would be to involve senior personnel in the issue.
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Scenario 2
The use of the internet and media as a form of communication is common in most organizations and institutions. These include the use of emails and text messages. These forms of communication have a shortcoming as they do not express the person’s tonal variations, emotions, and facial expressions. An alternative to expressing different situations when using text messages and emails is the choice of words. Different words can be used to express different situations. From the email, it is clear that the manager lacks tact of professional communication with his subordinates. The combination of capital and small letters creates a negative tone, which is inappropriate in the workplace. The mail shows that Sean is not pleased and wants the issue corrected immediately. He intends to express the urgency he requires of Jana. Jana, being a lady, would have felt offended by the mail.
Sean goes straights to the point to say what he needs to be done, without seeking to find out why Jana did not send the report. This seemingly is putting self-interest first, because he is only concerned with himself. He might have been justified given his seniority and corporate responsibility, but the choice of words and punctuation was inappropriate. Sean should have instead used words that politely express urgency without being misunderstood from anger or shouting. Moreso, Sean could have sought to see Jana and ask her about the report on a face-to-face basis. This could have given him the chance to understand why Jana failed to send the mail the previous day. Face-to-face communication is important in expressing the desired emotion and conveying the intended message with minimum misinterpretation. Simple gestures and choice of words have huge effects on the employer-employee relationships.
Scenario 3
Robert’s request to the office assistant was to speak louder, but the assistant instead spoke slower and enunciated her words. The office assistant’s response was not necessarily inappropriate. She might have spoken slower because of Robert’s age. It is a common perception that listening ability, interpretation, and retention of information progressively decrease with age. The office assistant was therefore compelled to act as she did for Robert’s benefit. However, Robert felt offended by the assistant’s response. From Robert’s point of view, the younger assistant was impolite because she did not respond to his request. Robert felt that the assistant had undermined his cognitive functions because of his age.
The office assistant failed in an important aspect of communication – listening to the patient. The patient only wanted her to speak louder because he had difficulty hearing due to the background noise. The assistant overstepped her judgment and tried to resolve a non-existent situation. Listening is important as it makes someone understand the needs and situation of the other person, enabling one to offer the required service. As a front-office assistant and a lady, it is quite natural for the assistant to show kindness to the patients, especially the elderly patients. This show of kindness is based on instinct and interpretation of the other person’s situation. However, a problem arises when instincts overwrite the actual needs of the person. If the office assistant had listened to the patient and taken note of the background noise, she would have spoken louder just as Robert has requested.
