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5 Communicating in The Office

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Kaouther Touil
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21 views

5 Communicating in The Office

Uploaded by

Kaouther Touil
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Communicating in the Office

1. Warm-up

Tick the boxes which apply to you and share your responses with your group.

□ In a conversation, I do most of the talking.


□ In a conversation, I do most of the listening.
□ Sometimes I cut people off or interrupt them when they’re speaking.
□ I feel that I’m a good listener.
□ I know how to use non-verbal cues to encourage people to talk.
□ I’m good at getting people to open up.
□ I always face people when they’re talking to me.
□ I sometimes check my phone when someone is talking to me.
□ I empathise with people.
□ I don’t have the patience to listen to long-winded people.

2. Modes of Communication
Some experts have identified four modes of communication that we
employ when dealing with others. Here is a short description of each:

1- Passive Communication 3- Passive-Aggressive Communication

Passive communicators allow others to How can someone be passive and aggressive
dominate a conversation or discussion. They as the name would suggest? A passive-
avoid conflict in the simplest way possible - aggressive type avoids direct confrontation,
by giving in or agreeing readily to others’ just like a passive person, but they still try to
demands. A passive communicator is thought bully people … indirectly. A passive-
to be ‘meek’ or ‘shy’, but just because a aggressive person prefers to work behind the
person is shy doesn’t mean they are scenes, spreading rumours or going ‘behind
necessarily passive. your back’. Passive-aggressives are masters
of office politics.

2- Aggressive Communication 4- Assertive Communication

On the other end of the spectrum is the Assertive communication is really what we
aggressive communicator. This person should all strive for. An assertive
dominates a conversation, often getting communicator tackles problems directly,
their point of view accepted by simply being but without being confrontational, like the
the loudest. Aggressive communicators aggressive type. An assertive communicator
shout and bully others into doing what they enjoys working with others to find a best
want. solution for all. An assertive communicator
is thought to be ‘confident’, but you can be
shy and still be an assertive communicator
when the need arises.
3. Practice :
Task 1: Read the following scenarios and note what kind of communication the person uses:

Scenario 1

Steve has to work with Debbie to come up with ideas for a product launch. Steve has a lot of ideas
to contribute, but Debbie just brushes each one aside. Disappointed, Steve agrees with Debbie’s
ideas.

Scenario 2

Jenny is a secretary in the small branch office of a big company. When her boss asks her to go out
and buy cigarettes for him, she does it without complaint even though she feels she shouldn’t be
asked to do such a thing. However, when the area supervisor visits, she makes sure she drops it into
the conversation and her boss gets in trouble for it.

Scenario 3

Brenda has a busy weekend planned. On Friday afternoon, when her boss suddenly asks her to take
some work home, she gets upset and shouts at him.

Scenario 4

Martin has noticed that his secretary is particularly moody these days. Although he doesn’t usually
like to get involved in such matters, he makes a point to sit with her and ask her what has made her
so upset.

Scenario 5

Rosia is irritated by her workmates’ constant yakking and horsing around. She waits until everyone
has gone home and prints out notices that say, ‘Please think of others. You are here to work, NOT
to make noise and fool around’. She puts them up all around the office.

Scenario 6

Sven’s coworker has been asked to give a presentation. He asks Sven to give it for him, insisting
that he has a sore throat, amongst other excuses. Sven agrees, even though he doesn’t really want to
do the presentation either.

Scenario 7

Ahmed works in a busy hotel. When he sees a guest looking flustered in the hotel lobby, he
immediately stops what he’s doing and goes over to offer help.

Scenario 8

Norman‘s office has hired some interns for the summer. When one of the interns asks Norman for
help to unblock a paper jam in the photocopier, Norman replies, ‘Can’t you see I’m busy? Go and
bother someone

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