Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

         Scenario

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

When preparing to communicate a problem or bad news it is beneficial to cushion the bad news between bits of positivity. This is also known as sandwiching the bad news. By opening with something positive and closing with something positive, the bad news is rendered less offensive as the message received begins and ends on a positive note. 

         Find the Good
 

I would approach this employee by asking him to meet with me in my office. I would begin by thanking him for his two years of service and commitment to our company and stressing the value I place on him as an employee and as an individual. 

        Be Firm But Unemotional

I would express to him that it has come to my attention that there has been a noticeable decline in his performance and that there have been numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. I would mention my disappointment in the fact that he has displayed confrontational behavior, which has resulted in a hostile environment. I would ask him to explain his behavior and question if there is any underlying cause of which I should be aware. I would explain that I am asking in order to offer assistance if there is a need for any. I would remind him that the company provides excellent benefits that offer assistance in an array of situations, if there are any such situations going on at home, for example related to drugs or gambling, or if there were an illness in the family for which anyone needed any type of counseling.

      Barring any of these, or even despite them if that were the case, I would explain it is necessary to come to a speedy resolution. I would tell him that his confrontational behavior is unacceptable and a violation of the terms of his employment.  

Anticipate Reactions

Based on his recent behavior, I would expect the employee to become defensive and belligerent. I would expect him to overreact and in essence validate my need to speak with him in the first place. I would counter by explaining that it is exactly this behavior that is increasingly causing incivility in the workplace.

       “Incivility [sic] is characterized by intent to harm either specific individuals or the organization. Incivility manifests itself in behaviors that demean the dignity of others and violate broad social norms of mutual respect” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2012, Page 287). I would ask him if it was his intention to do so, since this is the perception of customers and coworkers.

Offer to Mediate

         I would offer to mediate if necessary to resolve issues between him and his coworkers. I would stress however, that effective immediately he would be on notice that there would be zero tolerance for his aforementioned behavior moving forward and that failure to correct his behavior would result in his immediate termination.  

Back to the Good

         I would remind him of the qualities that made him such an excellent candidate for his position initially, and encourage him to dig deep and try to rekindle what it was that inspired him to want to work there in the first place. I would tell him that I believe in his ability to make the right choice and to the right thing. I would thank him again for his service, and let him know I hope he will once again be the asset that he once was. “Ending on a positive note preserves the established goodwill. You want [him or her] to feel favorable disposed toward you and to feel you care about [him or her]” (Roebuck, 2006, Page 89).

References

Roebuck, D.B. (2006). Improving business communications skills (4^th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Schockley-Zalabak, P. S. (2012). Fundamentals of organizational communication: Knowledge, sensitivity, skills, values (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc./Allyn & Bacon

Culture Clash

The Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication described by Martin Hahn in his article, offer a very useful set of guidelines for dealing with other cultures for business or even when traveling abroad for pleasure.

Ethnocentrism is defined as evaluating other peoples and cultures according to the standards of one's own culture. This is a path down which more than a few Global enthusiasts have trodden, including Wal-Mart. According to his case study, Culture at Wal-Mart, (2009) Richard T. Schaeffer found that in 2006, Wal-Mart was forced to concede defeat in Germany, after throwing away eight years and a billion dollars. Wal-Mart was used to taking its down-home way of dealing with customers, with big smiles and hands on approach, and plunking it down in whatever country with whatever culture they invaded. The executives at Wal-Mart gave no thought to the culture of their prospective consumers and because of that they met their match in the form of the German people.

German customers, who preferred impersonal service, were not pleased with the Wal-Mart culture of big smiles, eye contact and “How may I help you?” The customers also showed distain for having their groceries handled by the store employees since in their culture it is preferable to do it themselves.

Another culture clash came in the form of the employees themselves. Schaeffer pointed out that in Germany it is perfectly acceptable to engage in what he refers to as “workplace romances” and the employees were unhappy with the company’s no fraternization policy. Unfortunately for Wal-Mart, they did not react appropriately, or quickly to the culture clash and eventually they were forced to give up. However, the article suggests that they have learned from their mistakes and that they now study and social patterns of potential customers” (Schaeffer, 2009).

In this case study, Wal-Mart ignored:

I. Be aware of differing social values;

II. Be aware of differing status symbols and how to demonstrate them;

V. Be aware of personal space: people from different cultures have different 'comfort zones';

VI. Be aware of cultural context: people from certain cultures (called 'high-context cultures) rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of nonverbal actions and environmental settings to convey meaning. People from low-context cultures like the USA rely more on verbal communication and less on circumstances and implied meaning to convey meaning;

VII. Be aware of body language: learn the basic differences in the way people supplement their words with body movement;

and

VIII. Be aware of different etiquette rules or manners: what is polite in one culture may be considered rude in another.

References:     

Hahn, M. 2012. Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication. Retrieved August 23, 2012 via

http://EzineArticles.com/120247

Schaefer, R.T. (2009) Culture at Wal-Mart. Sociology: A brief introduction, p. 68

Published by: McGraw Hill, New York

Media Technology

Media technology has changed more rapidly in the 21^st century than ever before and those changes have impacted the way people communicate daily. “The selection of one communication medium over another has been linked to whether the medium has the ability to support immediate feedback, can provide verbal and non-verbal information, uses natural language, and exhibits a personal focus” (Schockley-Zalabak, 2012, Page 165). 

Print Media 
Print Media is the oldest of the media technologies and with the invention of the Gutenberg printing press in approximately 1436, the world experienced the greatest surge in communications till the interactive world of today. The printing press allowed for the first mass communication, in that instance via mass production of the written word. Journalists and writers were the celebrities of the day. Not everyone was literate at that time and to be able to emote for the masses would certainly elevate one’s standing.

Print media includes newspapers, magazines, professional journals, and books. Despite their lack of instant information, there is still an audience, usually older and erudite, as for the New York Times or Wall Street Journal or more pedestrian as for the New York Daily News or the New York Post. Magazine audiences differ greatly depending for example on whether it is a teen magazine like Tiger Beat or Seventeen, a hobby-based magazine such as Outdoor Photographer, or a professional Journal which is more scholarly and varies by profession.

          There has been talk for years about the obsolescence of newspapers due to their inability to deliver news as it happens as compared to online news agencies. “The print industry is obsolete to the point where even calling it the "print" industry will soon seem quaint and obsolete itself. It's important to remember that the "print" aspect of it, the application of ink to paper, is secondary at best. Printing is just a vehicle for the conveyance of information, which for several centuries was the most efficient way of doing so, and now it isn't, any more than ponies are the most efficient way of getting mail from Missouri to San Francisco” (McFarlane, 2012).

Radio media is the next oldest, and has also tried to reinvent itself in order to prevent its demise. Subscription radio allows for listening without commercial interruption for which one pays a fee. However it provides a huge menu of listening choices, and allows for diverse audience demographics. Listeners can vary by age and by location. For entertainment one can seek out music from specific decades, or by genre. There are also stations that inform like those for weather, news or instructional “do it yourself” programing. Similarly, Internet Radio, give a more specialized listening experience but with the added benefit of being free. Applications such as Pandora, allow one to design radio stations of one’s own choosing by literally dictating the playlist.

According to a symposium held in March 2011, by eMarketing Trends, Terry Volkwyn, CEO of Primedia Broadcasting had this to say, “We don’t think radio is a dying medium but it does face challenges from digital media. The most important factor for radio is that the medium is driven by advertising and this is pivotal to its survival” (eMarketing Trends, 2011).

Television media, which is also driven by advertising, also serves to entertain as well as inform. Programming widely varies by intended audience, and again subscription channels allow people to fine-tune their viewing habits. The same differences in age and demographics apply. 

With the advent of subscription television, be it cable or satellite, one element that was permanently changed is children’s programming. Once relegated to Saturday mornings, and the occasional “After School Special” now there is literally 24-hour children’s programming on several different channels. Who is up watching cartoons at all hours of the night? This seems completely at odds with the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines and recommendations for screen time for children, as opposed to reading or playing outside. A study titled, Digital childhood: Electronic media and technology use among infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, performed in 2007 found that “On a typical day, 75% of children watched television and 32% watched videos/DVDs, for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, on average. New media are also making inroads with young children: 27% of 5- to 6-year-olds used a computer (for 50 minutes on average) on a typical day. Many young children (one fifth of 0- to 2-year-olds and more than one third of 3- to 6-year-olds) also have a television in their bedroom. The most common reason given was that it frees up other televisions in the house so that other family members can watch their own shows (54%)” (Vandewater, et al, 2007).

Web media is the most current of all the technologies and following the explosion of the Internet for public consumption in the 1990’s it is the most important invention globally since the Gutenberg printing press. The participants are every age, gender and ethnicity. We use the Internet to get our news or perform research, we email with friends, family and business colleagues, we Facebook our every move to “friends” around the world, and we use Twitter for real time fast up to the minute communication. I am more likely to learn about news on Twitter before it ever gets announced on television or the Internet. I will never forget learning about the assassination of Osama bin Laden via Twitter almost a full two hours before the President made his televised announcement. People are able to rally with others all around the globe on any issue that strikes a chord. The “Occupy” Movement would not have had such long term successes if not for being able to communicate in real time using Twitter. When George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, it took several weeks of protests and outrage on Twitter that “trended” and went global, and ultimately it ended in Zimmerman being charged with murder. 

Another example of web media is text messaging, which has become the most common way to reach people these days, as it is immediate, convenient, and eliminates the need for actual intimate communication.

Media technologies comprise the media uses and gratification theory of communication. “The communicator wants to inform and even persuade; the recipient wants to be entertained, informed or alerted to opportunities that can fulfill individual needs” (Cameron, Wilcox, Reber & Shin, 2008, Page 146). We have a virtual pallet of media technology to choose from. So what are you waiting for? Pick one and join the conversation.

References:

Cameron, G. T., Wilcox, D. L., Reber, B. H., & Shin, J. (2008). Public relations today: Managing competition and conflict. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

eMarketing Trends. March 31, 2011. Radio: A Good Media Buy? Or Goodbye to the Medium? Retrieved August 19, 2012 via  http://www.emarketingtrends.co.za/2011/03/is-radio-dead-or-a-dying-medium/

McFarlane, G. (January 23, 2012). Technology and the death of print media. Investopedia. Retrieved August 19, 2012 via http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0112/Technology-And-The-Death-Of-Print-Media.aspx#axzz249WhqY34

Schockley-Zalabak, P. S. (2012). Fundamentals of organizational communication: Knowledge, sensitivity, skills, values (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc./Allyn & Bacon.

Vandewater, E. A., Rideout, V. J., Wartella, E. A., Huang, X., & al, e. (2007). Digital childhood: Electronic media and technology use among infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Pediatrics, 119(5), E1006. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/228318892?accountid=32521

Purpose, Design, Content and Audience

I was driving around the other day, doing horribly mundane tasks in unbearable heat, and when I looked at my dashboard the outside temp read 119°. Something about the number appealed to me, and stuck in my mind, although knowing the temperature certainly made me feel worse.

I have never written a Blog before, and frankly the thought of it is both frightening and exhilarating. Creating a professional Blog is not going to be as easy for me as I anticipated. In fact I have had a pretty difficult time so far.I am very much reminded of using a VCR for the first time. Learning to connect it to the television, learning to find the extra channel (3 or 4) on which to view the movie, and the dreaded learning how to set the VCR to record a program, were all difficult at first until they eventually became second nature. I hope Blogging will prove to be the same.

The guidelines for creating a Blog are purpose, design, content and audience. These are the key elements necessary to develop a successful Blog.

I was surprised that audience came last, because the number one element for all types of communications, according to every communications textbook I’ve encountered is “know your audience.” Knowing your audience allows you to frame your communication to meet the needs of the intended receiver.

The purpose of a Blog would be to inform. “Messages generally take one or more of three forms: to inform, to persuade, or to take action” (Roebuck, 2006, Page 10). I think another purpose it to entertain. If it is a technical or scientific Blog it might be slightly less entertaining, but not necessarily. I think it is possible to be entertaining regardless of topic.

Design is all about the aesthetic. Design needs to be enticing to draw in the reader. It needs to be easy to navigate and user-friendly.

Content is important because it is the main entrée. It is for what the reader will stay once they are enticed. You can attract them with design but if the content isn’t there you won’t keep them.

Successful logs have four things in common. These are the key elements of purpose, design, content and audience. These are all necessary elements that drive traffic to the site and will develop a following. And while being followed by strangers in real life is generally not a good thing, it is what people yearn for in cyber reality.

I hope that my Blog will be informative and entertaining... for your sake as well as mine.

Reference:

Roebuck, D.B. (2006). Improving business communications skills (4^th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.