Communicating in the Workplace

Communicating in the Workplace

BCOM/275

Communicating in the Workplace

Think of a misunderstanding you experienced when communicating with someone else at work, home, or school. Then fill in the blanks of the chart below.

Misunderstanding Example One:

Who was the sender?

Coworker/Peer

Who was the receiver?

Myself

What was the message?

I was late for a meeting by a half an hour and why was I not on time?

What channel was used to send the message?

Verbal/face to face.

What was the misunderstanding that occurred?

I thought a meeting was at 3:30 p.m., but my manager changed the meeting and changed the time to 3:00 p.m. instead.

How could the misunderstanding have been avoided?

I could have re-checked my outlook calendar to make sure the meeting was still at 3:30 p.m., my manager could have informed me that she had changed the meeting, and my coworker/peer the sender could have picked up the phone and gave me a call and asked why I was not at the meeting at 3:00 p.m.

What did you learn about the communication process from this activity?

I learned that the communication in my workplace is not as good as it could be and needs to be improved for everyone, not just for me, so that we all can be on the same page about important information, tasks to be done, who does them, and times for specific meetings and notified if the hours are altered or modified in any way.

What seemed to be the main causes of the misunderstandings?

I looked at my outlook calendar and took note of an important meeting coming up. I made sure I took a mental note as I would be in a skiff and unable to check email or look at my outlook calendar. Next thing I know I am coming in late to a meeting because my manager decided to change the time of the meeting at the last minute. None of my coworkers/peers, who knew where I was, bothered to try to contact me or verbally tell me our manager had changed the time of the meeting.

Misunderstanding...