During this assignment, I was
presented with three different
communication methods in which members of a workgroup were communicating on
their project. The communication methods where email, voicemail, and
face-to-face. As I initially reviewed the messages, I predetermined that the
face-to-face method would be the most effective, as both parties would be able to
communicate both verbally and non-verbally.
As I reviewed the email, Jane was communicating to Mark that she
needed him to provide an ETA on a missing report. Jane stated that the was
information she needed from that report for her own
work, which was in jeopardy of missing the deadline if she does not receive the
report soon. Jane also states that Mark
can send the report in a separate email when it is ready. Based upon my experience, although Jane did communicate
why she needed the information, she was not able to obtain any immediate
feedback or acknowledgment that Mark will
have the information ready for her, by the time needed. I do not believe the email was the most appropriate form
of communication for her need in this scenario.
During the second method of communication, which was the voicemail,
Jane stated the same thing that was presented in the email. The difference in between
the two forms of communication was you were
able to hear the urgency in Jane’s tone of voice. The email made it seem as
though Mark has some time to get this
information to her, since he may be busy, however, the voicemail made it appear
the information was needed asap.
The final method of communication was the face-to-face, in which Jane
stated the exact same thing as in the
previous two forms of communication, however, unlike those methods you were
able to see Jane’s body language and non-verbal communication along with her message.
This form of communication would provide Jane
with an actual time on when Mark would be able to provide the report or missing
information immediately.
My interpretations from one modality to the next remained the same. With each form of
communication, the more pieces of the communication (verbal and non-verbal)
used to convey your message, will further
ensure the information is received appropriately. With the email, there was too
much room for interpretation when the report
and missing information would be needed. However, with the voicemail and face-to-face,
you were able to hear the urgency with the message.
I learned from this exercise that while emails may be easier to
throw together and send out, it is not always the most effective form of
communication, and may not provide the results that you may need.
I completely agree with your last statement, emails can sometimes be the easier way for the sender to commmunicate, but it is not always the most effective. In this case, especially since the sender really needed a response to her question that may lead to further discussion, I would think that a phone or in-person conversation would have been the preferred method of communication. Although, since Mark is obviously very busy, the email would allow him to respond back after giving some thought to her question and when he has a minute to discuss the situation with Jane - just a thought.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
I also agree that emails are not always the most effective I also believe that we can learn how to use language in a more effective way to convey what we really mean. Emails may not be able to convey emotion and body language, but I think in a setting such as a business and dealing with project deadlines etc emails have to be able to convey an accurate message such as stating a specific date to ensure there is no ambiguity.
ReplyDelete