Difficult Situation

Difficult Situation!

            In living life, no matter how smoothly it may be going. One will encounter some difficult situations from time to time. These situations can occur in your family, relationships with your significant other, friends and your workplace. The exercise I’m about to break down deals with a situation involving the workplace. I will break down how I would approach this employee, anticipate their response, and explain what communication techniques I would use.

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

            The approach I would take in this situation is conducting a staff meeting with all ten employees. In the staff meeting, I would inform everyone that I will be meeting with them one on one. The reason for the discussion will be to talk about their individual job performance and what is expected of them. By meeting with everyone and putting it on the table that way, it doesn’t single anyone out. It will let that person know that everyone’s job performance is being evaluated. This begins to identify the problem before it evolves into something else (Abigail & Cahn, 2011, p. 44).   It also allows that person to ask any questions at the time so they know what lies ahead in the meeting. Giving them a chance to do that, allows them to have preparation time for their individual meeting. I would end the meeting with the group by reminding them the success of our company relies on the happiness of our customers.

            In dealing with a situation like this, one has to expect some hostility. Especially from a person who feels they may doing my job correctly and you say otherwise. Dealing with someone like this, you have to remember to stay professional at all times. Even if they become confrontational, staying professional shows them no matter the situation you know how to conduct yourself. Another  is a sense of passiveness. A lot of people hear things but aren’t really receiving it. So you can be handing down some constructive criticism and they aren’t taking it seriously.  The reason for that is they don’t think the inevitable could happen.

            When conducting my one on one meeting, there are a lot of conflict resolution techniques that I feel could be useful.

Technique 1: Practice Assertive Communication-to say what’s on your mind in a way that is clear and assertive, without being aggressive or putting the other person on the defensive. One effective conflict resolution strategy is to put things in terms of how you feel rather than what you think the other person is doing wrong, using ‘I feel’ statements. (http://stress.about.com/od/relationships/a/conflict_res.htm)

By doing this, it will allow you to get your point across in a professional manner. It also leaves no room for confusion.

Technique 2: Use of a mediator- The mediator will then help the parties assess the relative merits of the different options and draft an agreement that works best to satisfy everyone’s interests. It is up to the parties, however, to decide whether to accept the final agreement or not. (www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/mediatn.htm).

Using a mediator allows the situation to be viewed outside the box. The person will be objective and get an understanding from all sides.

            Difficult situations or conflicts occur on an everyday basis. It’s how we deal with the situation that determines what kind of person we are. Being a communication major, I honestly believe I have what it takes to deal with any situation.

Media Tecnologies!

Media Technologies

We as a society have come a long way when it comes to technology. At one point I time, the most common way to communicate with someone was sending a letter. Well, just in case you were living under a rock for the last 100 years. Those days of being the only form of communication are over. In a brief summary, I will discuss four media technologies that have evolved over the years.

 Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Radio is one of the first spoken media technologies used across the world. Radio was used to pass on orders and communications between armies and navies on both sides in World War I; Germany used radio communications for diplomatic messages once it discovered that its submarine cables had been tapped by the British. The United States passed on President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points to Germany via radio during the war. Broadcasting began from San Jose, California in 1909, and became feasible in the 1920s, with the widespread introduction of radio receivers, particularly in Europe and the United States  Today, radio takes many forms, including wireless networks and mobile communications of all types, as well as radio broadcasting.

Before the advent of television, commercial radio broadcasts included not only news and music, but dramas, comedies, variety shows, and many other forms of entertainment. Radio was unique among methods of dramatic presentation in that it used only sound. Radio reaches out to any audience with a vehicle, stereo, internet, or phone. Mobile phones transmit to a local cell site (transmitter/receiver) that ultimately connects to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) through an optic fiber or microwave radio and other network elements. When the mobile phone

nears the edge of the cell site's radio coverage area, the central computer switches the phone to a new cell. Cell phones originally used FM, but now most use various digital modulation schemes. Recent developments in Sweden allow for the instant downloading of digital material from a radio broadcast to a mobile phone. There are new applications on phones that people to be able to choose the station of their choice and listen to it no matter where they are.

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome (black-and-white) or colored, with or without accompanying sound. In 1927, Philo Farnsworth made the world's first working television system with electronic scanning of both the pickup and display devices, which he first demonstrated to the press on 1 September 1928.WRGB claims to be the world's oldest television station, tracing its roots to an experimental station founded on January 13, 1928, broadcasting from the General Electric factory in Schenectady, NY, under the call letters W2XB.It was popularly known as "WGY Television" after its sister radio station.

Later in 1928, General Electric started a second facility, this one in New York City, which had the call letters W2XBS, and which today is known as WNBC. The two stations were experimental in nature and had no regular programming, as receivers were operated by engineers within the company. The image of a Felix the Cat doll, rotating on a turntable, was broadcast for 2 hours every day for several years, as new technology was being tested by the engineers. (wikipedia.com). Television has a number of uses. First, it makes it possible for us to see what is happening far away. In our homes we watch on television, films or events taking place in other cities, countries and other continents. Technology has advanced so much that you can now look at live television on your phone. It’s only a matter of time I believe that we will be looking at television through or glasses or shades.

The Internet (Microsoft) which is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. Starting in 1995 is the shortest lived media technology but probably is the most used now. Most traditional communications media including telephone, music, film, and television are reshaped or redefined by the Internet, giving birth to new services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). Newspaper, book and other print publishing are adapting to Web site technology, or are reshaped into blogging and web feeds. The Internet has enabled or accelerated new forms of human interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking. Online shopping has boomed both for major retail outlets and small artisans and traders. Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries.

Many people use the World Wide Web to access news, weather and sports reports, to plan and book vacations and to find out more about their interests. People use chat, messaging and email to make and stay in touch with friends worldwide, sometimes in the same way as some previously had pen pals. The Internet has seen a growing number of Web desktops, where users can access their files and settings via the Internet. Internet also gives us the prospective to communicate effectively and efficiently. For example, sending an email costs lower than posting a letter in the mail, especially for people who have to communicate internationally. It also provides the environment for news distribution and endorses the people to be updated with the

latest news. We can access the data easily wherever it may be across the world. Internet is also a very good form of communication for people who want to express their own view points and feelings. This form of communication targets any intended audience. Newspapers are a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. (http://www.credoreference.com/entry/columency/newspaper).

 They are the cheapest medium of information today. Also they are easily available to everybody. Newspapers are an important means of educating people. One of the fruits of the development of science is the Newspaper. This field has grown fast. It links the whole world. Those who read newspapers become well-informed about current affairs. A wide variety of material has been published in newspapers, including editorial opinions, criticism, persuasion and op-eds; obituaries; entertainment features such as crosswords, Sudoku and horoscopes; weather news and forecasts; advice, food and other columns; reviews of radio, movies, television, plays and restaurants; classified ads; display ads, radio and television listings, inserts from local merchants, editorial cartoons, gag cartoons and comic strips.

 The number of copies distributed, either on an average day or on particular days (typically Sunday), is called the newspaper’s circulation and is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not necessarily the same as copies sold, since some copies or newspapers are distributed without cost. Readership figures may be higher than circulation figures because many copies are read by more than one person, although this is offset by the number of copies distributed but not read (especially for those distributed free). This would match the audience of who is trying to save money but also trying to stay up to date

Media technology is advancing at a rapid pace! There is no telling what the world is going to be like in the next ten years. I bet in that time they will be no need for anyone to actually be in the same room, because all interactions will be done through technology.

MY FIRST POST!

I would just like to wish everyone a HAPPY COMMUNICATION CAPSTONE class! I must admit, I thought setting up a blog would be harder. I know  that this is something I can do on a regular basis. I look forward to working with all of you! Keep in touch and follow me! Until next time!