A Miscommunication ExperienceThe miscommunication that I will describe here occurred in the course of my employment. During part of the day I am in charge at a hospitality facility. I must meet the public, look after bookings both by phone and in person, and supervise minor staff. The miscommunication occurred between an individual and myself whose job it is to clean the swimming pool at the facility. Therefore, I will place this communication story under the heading of communicating with a fellow worker, since management of the facility pays both parties. I will list the six phases of the communication process as part of my answer to the question, "What went wrong here?" In the first place, we must develop an awareness of social expectations in the communications process. This means in this case, I expected a certain response to the pool cleaner and he expected something on my part. The point at issue was parking his vehicle. I expec ...view middle of the document...
In the third place, we must always try to see new possibilities for communicating. The pool cleaner simply repeated his statement to the effect that he had come to collect payment for services. I attempted to explain that management of the facility had instructed me to keep the portico area clear for customers who wish to park there while booking. I explained that, I was under pressure from management to enforce this rule because money was involved. The pool cleaner said that in this case money was involved, namely, the money he had come to collect. This is the decoding phase. Break down occurred here. The problem can be described as arising from "noise." Noise is anything that interferes with the communication. If there is noise then decoding and feedback is interrupted. In this case there was noise. I did not understand that the pool cleaner believed that he did not have to park in the service bay. He did not understand that I am required to keep the portico space open for customers. The noise drowned out the communication. In the fourth place, we must attempt to discover what has prevented decoding the message. I asked the pool cleaner why he did not want to park in the usual spot. He replied that he did not have to unload equipment and supplies. He only needed to talk to the bookkeeper about his check. I told the pool cleaner that I could not proceed unless employment rules were observed. I can be criticized here for not coding the message in some other way. He can be criticized for not trying to decode my message and my explanations. We were still at a standoff. In the fifth place, some kind of understanding must be reached in those cases in which the communication has failed. I recoded my message as follows. I told the man to return at 8AM, when the owner would be present to take care of the problem. This message was clear. The man walked out without a further word. In the sixth place, an action must follow. I wrote a note to the owner saying that the pool man was presenting a demand for payment at 8AM the following day.Conclusion- The miscommunication was caused by noise that built up around the purpose of the pool cleaner's visit and the conflict with the rules in force. The problem was not resolved during the time period described.
