Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

Delivering Bad News

Although delivering bad news is never a pleasant task, I am reminded that conflict is inevitable and can be productive.  I have an employee whose poor work performance and confrontational behavior at work have created a serious conflict.  As department manager, it is my responsibility to schedule a meeting with him and deliver an ultimatum that his performance must improve immediately or his employment will be terminated.

My Approach

Regardless of any personal feelings I may have or knowledge about personal matters that may be affecting his work performance, I must focus on the problem rather than the people involved.  Applying the S-TLC System (Stop, Think, Listen, Communicate) described by Abigail and Cahn (2011) in response to this conflict will help me communicate effectively with the employee and produce the best outcome.  First, stop and analyze the situation.  It is critical that I approach him so that he is able to control himself before becoming too upset about the situation.  Second, think about everyone’s goals.  The company’s goals for our technology support department are for the employees to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  My goals are to ensure my department and employees are meeting the expectations of the company, and provide a working environment that facilitates performance and teamwork.  Although I presume the employee’s goals are to be an effective member of the team and secure long-term stability with the company, having an open discussion about his current goals are important.  During the meeting, I must listen carefully and maintain positive body language.  I will put myself in the shoes of the employee and give value to what he has to say and show respect.  This should help me understand his goals and uncover the reason for the conflict.  Finally, I must use personalized communication with the employee using statements regarding feelings, problematic behavior, consequences, and goals.

I will take into account the employee’s personality characteristics when approaching him about the gravity of the situation, and attempt to understand why his behavior and work performance have become substandard.  Before approaching him, there are questions to consider:  Have the goals of the department and company expectations been clearly described to this employee?  Does he understand his role as a member of this team?   Are his individual goals consistent with the goals of the department and company?  Assessing this information will help me understand whether his behavior has been motivated by self-oriented reasons rather than relationship-oriented reasons, or if he disagrees with the company’s goals.  Abigail and Cahn (2011) explain that relationship conflict may occur when members of the group are motivated by self instead of the relationships, and when they fail to see other’s points of view; while process conflict occurs if a member of the group disagrees with the organization’s goals.

Anticipated Response

I want to allow him to maintain face.  Allowing him to lose face could actually escalate the conflict.  Because the employee is likely to react defensively when questioned about the complaints and inappropriate behavior, allowing him to maintain positive face and feel that others like him and want to help, can aid in the resolution.  By showing respect and acceptance of him as a competent individual, I will attempt to allow him to maintain positive face and try to prevent his feelings of guilt or denial, even though I am giving him an ultimatum.

Conflict Resolution Technique

Rather than following a linear model of communication, promoting the goals of only one side of the conflict, I will use of the transactional model of communication which offers a positive approach to resolve the conflict (Abigail & Cahn, 2011).  Collaboration and compromise are examples of the communication styles that can lead to a productive, positive outcome for both of us.  Collaboration calls for teamwork, while compromise involves each of us giving and receiving a little.  The relationship-oriented, assertive communication used in collaboration is my preferred technique.  This approach determines mutually beneficial goals that can be satisfied by both of us, and promotes working together to resolve the conflict, facilitating a win-win situation that appeases everyone.  Through effective communication, I will influence the employee to change his behavior, thus keeping his job and providing the best outcome for both of us.

References

Abigail, A., & Cahn, D.. (2011). Managing conflict through communication (4^th ed.). Boston:  Pearson Education, Inc.

Media Technologies

Advanced technology and the social media revolution have led to a rise in media technology that is evolving on a daily basis.  Every organization is faced with the challenge of getting on board with this social media revolution if they are to remain viable and reach their target audience.  Determining the target audience(s) is one of the key elements in effective communication.  Once the audience is known, the most appropriate medium to communicate with such an audience can be determined.  Although there are numerous forms of media technology, this paper discusses print media, web conferencing, smartphones, and blogs.

Print media

Advanced technology and society’s quest to “go green” are driving the increasing demand for online print media and the decreasing demand for actual print media such as newspapers and magazines.  The advantages of online media are numerous including the savings which can be realized without the costs related to paper, printing and distribution that are required by print media.  Print media such as magazines and newspapers are now available online as well as in hard copy print.  There are many benefits of the online publications to consumers including being readily accessible from anywhere, at anytime, the reader can quickly search for a particular topic of interest, and providing instant access to advertiser’s websites.  The online version of magazines and newspapers appeals to a younger audience who is interested in being informed, has limited time, and commonly depends on Internet access through their smartphone or tablet.  Online publications reach a larger target audience whereas distribution in hard copy print would be cost prohibitive to that many.  Older adults who do not have Internet access, or have not come to rely on electronic communications as their sole source of information, still prefer the hard copy print and continue to purchase magazines and the newspaper.  In an interview with Duncan Riley, an article in TechCrunch quotes him as saying, “Newspapers do have a future…but we are yet to see a major consolidation of print in the United States.  Declining revenues will ultimately force consolidation across print media in the United States, and many of those that fail to embrace change will be on borrowed time.”

Web conferencing

Web conferencing offers several tools such as online meetings, webinars and online training which help to maximize the efficiency of today’s busy professionals.  As much of today’s workforce is working outside of the office, web conferencing technology allows individuals the advantage of participating in meetings and training whether in the office or not.  These are web-based services which allow a participant may watch from a computer, tablet, Iphone, Blackberry or other mobile device.  GoToMeeting promotes easy web conferencing including online meetings so that a participant may collaborate with a team on a small group project, webinars providing presentations and workshops to large groups, and online interactive training that can also facilitate training materials and tests online.  As an example, webinars have become very popular with companies faced with budget constraints and learning to do more with less.  A webinar is an online seminar or presentation, which can be expanded to reach a large audience at a much reduced cost.  Webinars are being used to train a large group of people or to generate sales leads.  A webinar with teleconferencing features allows the presenter to interact with the audience, both answering and asking questions.  Another benefit of a webinar is that it may be recorded and played back at a later time, when most convenient for the viewer.  Communique’s conferencing website lists multiple benefits of using webinars to provide for the use of power point presentations, whiteboard with annotations, text chat for live question and answer sessions, polls and surveys, and screen sharing.

Smartphones

Advanced technology and the social media revolution have paved the way for the use of smartphone technology.  Users have become completely reliant on their smartphones for common daily activities - everything from locating the nearest gas station, and keeping a calorie count in a diary of foods eaten each day, to posting daily updates on Facebook and Twitter.  How did we survive before the invention of smartphones?  They do virtually everything, and at the ease of our fingertips.  Smartphone technology provides the ability to send and receive emails, instant messaging, Internet access, the ability to play music, watch videos, take pictures and record video.  They also provide features such as a calculator and calendar.  It is no wonder that smartphones have become known as a commodity in most households and are relied on for personal as well as business use.  They have a strong appeal with a young audience mainly interested in using them for their social benefits and the ability to stay connected with others.  Smartphones are used by many working adults, especially those who travel, as a way to conduct business on the go while they are away from their office and computer.  The website www.phonetvinternet.com explains that professionals are now using smartphone technology as a way to attract the attention of their customers interested in the information posted about the services provided by their business.  You want to keep your business on the minds of your customers.  Post updates that provide the very best impression of your company.  Whether using smartphone technology to post updates on Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In or other social media site, it is important to post updates that will capture an audience and keep their attention.  You want to keep your business on the minds of your customers, and call them to action.

Blogs

Although many people believe that blogging is just for personal use, information on the website www.a1technology.com reports ten true benefits of blogging:  real time discussion preventing delays in sharing information, back links to locate business partners and others with similar interests, regular readership of your blogs through permanent subscription, boost traffic to your website through positive and regular updates with context that shows up in useful searches, powerful tool to collect aggregate research work, cheap marketing, easy web publishing solution, blogs as intranet, and blogs as content management systems used to upload video, photos, files, etc. that need to be stored.  For those who are interested in keeping a daily journal or diary, blogging has become the new media technology to replace the archaic form of a handwritten journal.  Blogging is simply a way of communicating anything you want.  The primary difference between blogging and keeping an individual diary is that blogging exposes you to a large audience of potential readers, whereas a diary is more personal and often records your thoughts and daily activities, but is not read by anyone else.  The target audience for blogs is anyone who has an interest in what you may have to say.  Readers are particularly interested in reading blogs of entertainers, athletes and celebrities.  Various blogging platforms are available, these include:  hosted weblog providers such as Blogger, stand-along blogging software such as Wordpress, and combination tools such as Blogspot and Blogger.  Design is an important consideration when creating a blog and attracting readers.  Providing timely blog posts, in an easy-to-read format with simple navigation is as important as keeping your target audience in mind when designing a blog that will attract and audience and keep them returning.

The best form of media technology can be chosen once the target audience has been determined.  Most organizations will utilize multiple forms of media technology in order to reach every target audience that they want to communicate with and influence a call to action regarding a product or service provided.

References:

Seiden, H. (2011).  What is the benefit to having a smartphone.  Retrieved August 12, 2011

from http://www.ehow.com/facts_7719446_benefit-having-smartphone.html

Wash, J. (2008).  Print media vs online media.  Who will win?  Retrieved August 14, 2011 from

            http:// www.thetechbrief.com/2008/03/31/print-media-vs-online-media-who-will-win/

http://www.communiqueconferencing.com/webinar/webinar.asp

http://www.phonetvinternet.com/insider/new-smartphone-technology-leads-to-faster-social-media-marketing/

http://www.kiransingh.net/VivaciousBusinessMums/documents/benefits_of_online_magazine.html

http://zedomax.biz/blog/blogging/what-is-blogging-why-do-people-blog-everything/

http://www.a1technology.com/book/benefits_blogging.htm

http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/

Understanding Communication

What is Communication?
Communication is the exchange of information and ideas between people.  It extends well beyond an exchange of words and includes written communication and other forms of nonverbal messages such as body language.

Why study Communication?
Communication is the key to successful relationships, both personal and professional.  It is a process that takes on many forms and is constantly changing.  Studying communication provides the opportunity to understand the different elements which affect the communication process:  sender-receivers, messages, feedback, noise, channel and setting.  Understanding communication allows you to develop a mastery of communication skills which can be used to adapt to changing circumstances or unexpected challenges which will benefit you in your personal as well as professional relationships.  Everyone benefits from the effective use of communication.