Bad News

Whenever addressing bad or difficult news, I was always taught to treat it like a sandwich. First you give good or positive new. This keeps things soft and light and not too critical. After that foundation is laid then you give the bad news or the critic. It comes after a value statement to ensure that the person you are speaking to does not feel attacked; however the important information is given. The last piece of the sandwich is to reaffirm. That means to give another compliment and to reassure the person of their worth to you and even to the company.

Scenario: “You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

In the instance of the scenario with the employee who is underperforming, it is important to highlight their strengths before pointing out their weaknesses.  There is enough information to successfully do this with the employee. For sake of example, let’s call the employee John. This is an example of what I would say:

“John, thank you for sitting down with me today. I want to thank you for working here with us for the past two years. You are a valued part of our team and we certainly appreciate you. It has come to our attention that there are some areas of improvement that are vital to the success of our company and to your continued employment. In the past two weeks we have received several complaints from customers and your fellow coworkers regarding the customer service that you have provided to them. It is has also come to our attention that there have been instances of confrontational behavior which has created a hostile working environment. Here at our company, we strive to provide top notch customer service for our customers as well as to make it a safe and easy going working environment for our employees. The behaviors that you are exhibiting must immediately change or else we have to do what is best for our customers and the other workers. Aside from these issues, we have not had any other issues with your performance and we would love to have you continue to work with us. Whatever we can do to help we are willing. We do appreciate the time you have invested in us to make us a successful company. “

I would anticipate that this approach would cause minimal conflict, however it is important to be prepared for it. This is where using the steps to deal with conflict resolution are important. The first step to use is to remain calm. The employee, John, might feel attacked and want to defend himself. This could cause him to flare up and become hostile again. It is important to remain calm so not to escalate the situation.

The next step to use in this situation is to deal with one issue at a time. Instead of compiling all of the issues together, try to address each one so that way they are all tackled. Dealing with them one at a time also takes some of the pressure off of the situation.

The next two steps go together. You want to make sure that you don’t use accusations with the employee and don’t generalize. Being sure that you have solid facts helps the employee reference exactly the problem issues so that way they can be corrected.

The sandwich method is important and effective. It works well whenever dealing with bad news. Give a compliment, deliver the bad news, and then reaffirm.

References

Vindicate.  (June 23, 2010). Conflict resolution guidelines & tips.  Retrieved from:  http://vindicate.forum-nation.com/t74-conflict-resolution-guidelines-tips

Dealing with Conflict

Many people view conflict as a bad thing and they avoid it at all costs. In actuality, conflict is really just when two people disagree on something and they need to come to a mutual decision. Conflict can actually be a helpful tool in problem solving. There are some ways to ensure that conflict is used to its full potential. When entering into a conflict zone, make sure to follow these rules:

Remain calm:  Try not to overreact to difficult situations. By remaining calm it will be more likely that others will consider your viewpoint.

Express feelings in words, not actions:  Telling someone directly and honestly how you feel can be a very powerful form of communication. If you start to feel so angry or upset that you feel you may lose control, take a "time out" and do something to help yourself feel steadier.

Be specific about what is bothering you:  Vague complaints are hard to work on.

Deal with only one issue at a time:  Don't introduce other topics until each is fully discussed. This avoids the "kitchen sink" effect where people throw in all their complaints while not allowing anything to be resolved.

No "hitting below the belt":  Attacking areas of personal sensitivity creates an atmosphere of distrust, anger, and vulnerability.

Avoid accusations:  Accusations will cause others to defend themselves. Instead, talk about how someone's actions made you feel.

Don't generalize:  Avoid words like "never" or "always." Such generalizations are usually inaccurate and will heighten tensions.

Avoid "make believe":  Exaggerating or inventing a complaint—or your feelings about it—will prevent the real issues from surfacing. Stick with the facts and your honest feelings.

Don't stockpile:  Storing up lots of grievances and hurt feelings over time is counterproductive. It's almost impossible to deal with numerous old problems for which interpretations may differ. Try to deal with problems as they arise.

Avoid clamming up:  When one person becomes silent and stops responding to the other, frustration and anger can result. Positive results can only be attained with two-way communication (Vindicate, 2010).

Vindicate.  (June 23, 2010). Conflict resolution guidelines & tips.  Retrieved from:  http://vindicate.forum-nation.com/t74-conflict-resolution-guidelines-tips

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Internet

The Internet is one of the biggest media technologies. Without the internet, email, social media, and the new fancy televisions would all be extinct. The internet allows all other media forms to travel and spread around the world. Communication has been transformed because of the internet. The internet is the biggest platform for communications. Through the internet, you can communicate using various forms of media communication. One media form is video communication which can be seen on many websites. News affiliates use the internet to show video of the information that they want to put out. For instance, CNN shows many different videos of their top stories and more. There are also videos on websites such as YouTube that show not only news, but also entertainment information.

The internet also has written forms of communication. Those same news affiliates that have video communication content also have their news stories accessible through the internet in written form. There are also written blogs, which allow the writer to create a page on the internet to share various types of information and tailor it to the audience of their choosing. Because blogging has become so popular, many people turn to blogs for information on just about anything. Some blogs can be deemed as a credible source of information because of how long they've been around. Many companies use blogs to promote their products in a more casual manor. The internet houses visual media as well. Pictures of pretty much anything can be found online. “It is difficult to state how much information exists on the Internet. New information is constantly uploaded or added to the Internet” (Hanson, n.d.).

References

Hanson, J. (n.d.). Internet. Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar279620&st=internet

Electronic Media

Electronic media is an important form of media technology. Electronic messages are useful in communicating business and personal needs. One of the most popular forms of electronic messages is email. Email communication is in the majority of business offices today. It is the primary form of communicating information on changes and updates around the company. Email helps to save time by sending fast messages and also allowing for fast replies from the recipient. Because of its convenience, email is not only for professional use. Email allows you to communicate with friends and family members around the world in what almost seems like real time. Through email, you can send pictures, videos, sound clips in order to keep in contact with one another.

Another form of electronic media messaging is text messages. Like email, text messages allows for faster communication between sender and recipient. Text messages generally help communicate information from cell phone to cell phone. Because of the convenience of cell phones, many people have them on their person at all times. This helps to aid in the speed of the communication process. Text messages are convenient because sometimes it is not always feasible to talk on the phone, especially in public situations where it can be considered rude. “Texting, on the other hand, enables people to communicate almost anywhere and anytime, without bothering others or being overheard” (Hanson, n.d.). These forms of media technology make communication easier and more convenient when life gets busy and you are on the go a lot. For many people that is every day.

Reference

Hanson, J. (n.d.)."Text messaging. Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar754249&st=text+messaging

Television

Television is one of the oldest forms of media technology. “Television is one of our most important means of communication” (Curtin, n.d.). Televisions can broadcasts many different forms of media from many different countries into our homes, schools, and workplaces. On any given day, you can watch news programs, religious programs, music programs, and entertainment programs. All of these programs communicate different types of information. Many times, commercials are laced in between programs. “The vast majority [of commercials] urge viewers to buy a product, such as a car; patronize a business, such as a fast-food restaurant; or subscribe to a service, such as a cell-phone provider. At election time, many political candidates buy advertising time on television to try to persuade people to vote for them” (Curtin, n.d.).

Although television has been around for many years now, they are being updated in so many different ways in order to stay connected with additional ways to receive information. No longer is it TV just for the news; many of the newer televisions allow you to connect to the other media forms. “Some of the functions of personal computers can be merged with the technology of television so that a TV set can be used to browse the Internet and to send and receive e-mail” (Curtin, n.d.). Television as a media form can be used by anyone. The good thing about it having been around so long, those who are not comfortable with new technology can get their information communicated to them in a way that is familiar to them.

Reference

Curtin, M. (n.d.). Television. Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar549980&st=television

Social Media

Social media is becoming an extremely popular form of media technology. Simply put, social media is a way to communicate information to people that you have things in common with in a more casual way. Social media is also called social networking. A social media website “is a site on the Internet that creates a virtual community among its users. This community is usually built by helping members to connect with other members with whom they share common interests” (Jones, 2012). There are many popular social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterst. These websites allow people to pass around information and communicate in a personalized way. “…the one common link between these websites is that you are able to interact with the website and interact with other visitors” (Nations, n.d.). Many young people communicate with their friends and people around the world bits of information on these websites.

Social media websites house many different forms of communication. There are ways to post pictures so that way people can be updated with what is going on in your life in a visual way. There are also ways to post blurbs of information in what is generally called a status update. Other social media websites offer ways to share recipes, favorite quotes, funny pictures, inspirational messages and more. There are some social media websites that are strictly for career advancement. LinkedIn is an example of a website that is socially charged with a career focus. It allows people to network and pass information about their careers to each other.

References

Jones, S. (n.d.). Social networking website. Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar752964&st=social+networking

Nations, D. (n.d.). What is social media? Retrieved from http://webtrends.about.com/od/web20/a/social-media.htm

Media Technologies

Nowadays there are many different ways to communicate many different kinds of information. It is useful to know the different mediums and their purposes. These next four posts will show a few of the different technologies that media and information is communicated through. Enjoy!

Essential Principles of Communication

There are seven essential principles of communication. They work hand in hand with one another and it is important to make sure that all are properly addressed.

The first step is to know and understand your audience, those you are speaking to, know your purpose, what you want the audience to do with the information, and the topic, what it is you are saying. Being aware of these things is the first building block to communication. Another principle of communication is to anticipate objections. If the information that you are presenting is new, then the audience may have a hard time understanding it. “One of the major barriers to communication is our own ideas and opinions” (Principles of Communication, n.d.). Presenting a well rounded picture is also important when communicating. A great way to do that is to incorporate familiar things with unfamiliar things to help the audience gain understanding. This is also a way to eliminate the barriers to communication

Some other principles are to achieve credibility with the audience and following through with what you say. These two go hand in hand. Communications requires ethical consideration in order to make sure that your message is received. Communicating a little at a time makes it easier for the audience to digest what is being given. This principle should be joined with the principle of presenting information in several ways. People learn different ways and it is important to play on their strengths.

“Communication is the “transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, etc., by the use of symbols—words, pictures, figures, graphs, etc” (Trenholm, 2011, p. 20). This definition of communication makes it easier to understand many of the principles of communication. I have used the principles of communication many times in work and school. Working at David's Bridal, I have to communicate at work with the brides that come to the salon. Each principle of communication is important in order to give the bride realistic expectations about her big day.

References

Center for Urban Transportation Studies. Retrieved from: http://www4.uwm.edu/cuts/bench/commun.htm

Trenholm, S. (2011). Thinking through communication: An introduction to the study of human communication. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Communication is Key

Communication is an important part of our lives. We communicate at home, at work, verbally, non-verbally, and in many other capacities. In order to be effective at what we do, we have to learn how to communicate. Communications is a skill and like any other skill, it must be practiced to enhance.

This blog is for anyone who wants to learn about communication and its many forms and facets. It is beginning as an assignment for my one of my communications classes, but I love to blog so I can see this taking a mind of its own after these five weeks.

Feel free to ask any questions!

~Brittany