Question

xperience Communication Case Study TAhe New Employee discussed career paths for people who develop strong communication skills. We then traced relationships between the foregoing topics and digital media. Finally, we previewed the remainder of the book so that you have a clear overall sense of what lies ahead. pply what you’ve learned in this chapter by analyzing the following case study, using the accompanying questions as a guide. These questions and a video of the case study are also available online with your MindTap Speech for Communication Mosaics. Your supervisor asks you to mentor a new employee, Toya, and help her learn the ropes of the job. After two weeks, you perceive that Toya is responsible and punctual, and she takes initiative on her own. At the same time, you note that she is careless about details: She doesn’t proofread reports, so they contain errors in spelling and grammar, and she doesn’t check back to make sure something she did worked. You’ve also noticed that Toya seems insecure and wants a lot of affirmation and praise. You want to give her honest feedback so she can improve her job performance, yet you are afraid she will react defensively if you bring up her carelessness. You ask Toya to meet with you to discuss her first two weeks on the job. The meeting begins: You: Well, you’ve been here for two weeks. How are you liking the job? Toya: I like it a lot, and I’m trying to do my best every day. Nobody has said anything, so I guess I’m doing okay. You: Well, I’ve noticed how responsible you are and how great you are about being a self-starter. Those are real strengths in this job. You: What would you say if someone suggested that there are ways you can improve your work? Toya: What do you mean? Have I done something wrong? Nobody’s said anything to me. Is someone saying something behind my back? Toya: Thanks. So I guess I’m doing okay, right?

1. What would you say next to Toya? How would you meet your ethical responsibilities as her mentor and also adapt to her need for reassurance? 2. What responsibilities do you have to Toya, to your supervisor, and to the company? How can you reflect thoughtfully about potential tensions between these responsibilities? 3. How would your communication differ if you acted according to a linear model of communication, as opposed to a transactional one? Co

Answer 1

1. As a mentor as well as a responsible employee of the company, it is my responsibility to give Toya, real-time feedback for her performance. This will facilitate her continuous growth and development and enhance her performance to facilitate the needs of the company. However to address her need for reassurance, I would take a diplomatic approach. I would not pin point her weaknesses, but instead I would suggest areas where she can work to make her performance, even better.

I would tell Toya that definitely, she is performing good for the scope of a new employee, however, nobody, including me, is perfect. There is scope of improvement in everyone and hence facilitates the continuous growth and development of an individual. I have highlighted your strengths and now I want to give some feedback about areas where you can improve and become better.

This approach would help in giving real time feedback to Toya as well as address her insecurities and need for reassurance.

2. I am a mentor to Toya, so its my responsibility to give her real time feedback and guide her to perform better. My supervisor had put lot of trust in me by making me act as a mentor for Toya. So I need to live up to the expectations of my supervisor and try hard to improve Toya’s performance. As a responsible employee, its my duty to act as per the interests of the company and put the company’s objectives and goals on priority.

There can be initial tiffs in the way, I handle the various expectations but all the responsibilities are directed towards fulfilling the ultimate objective of benefitting the company’s performance and facilitating its profitability.

3. Linear model of communication is the type of communication, which is usually one-way. The sender sends the message to the receiver. The receiver receives the same but does not acknowledges or responds to the message. If I had to follow this principle of communication, then the meeting with Toya will not be a discussion. Instead it will be uni-directional as I would give her feedback without addressing any of her concerns or inhibitions. Eventually, this communication will not be fruitful.

Transactional model of communication is the type of communication where both the sender and the receiver, proactively send and receive messages. This facilitates a healthy discussion between both the entities. If I take this approach, I would be able to put my points regarding Toya’s performance as well as address her concerns and inhibitions. There will be a comprehensive discussion regarding Toya’s current performance and future improvement plan. This would facilitate enhancing Toya’s performance and hence can be considered quite fruitful.