The author’s tone can help cultivate a positive attitude among readers, and it can also help maintain internal concerns within the workforce of the firm. Therefore, it is the responsibility of everyone who takes part in producing a workplace memo to use the appropriate tone of language. The tone of a message is successful if it is actively followed by all the employees who are the memo’s target audience.
Consequently, the memo that Albertina Sindaha wrote is written in a harsh tone that can potentially cause a negative attitude among the workers. If the workplace is not cleaned, she is adamant that management should develop a cleaning schedule for the work positions. This tone, which does not applaud employees who clean up their workspace, might undermine employee-manager relationships. This is because it does not express gratitude to these individuals. If staff is encouraged to execute their responsibilities on time and with the appropriate level of ability, the tone of a message may be effective.
There is a lack of patience in the manager’s tone of speech. It appears that she is yelling at her employees, which may be bad for the company’s operations, depending on how the employee perceives the message. Due to the tone of the letter, which expresses her disappointment in her employees’ ignorance and laziness, her workers may not do what is required of them because of the letter’s content. She has outlined the repercussions of not sticking to the agreement. On the other hand, her temperament is not conducive to a productive working atmosphere because it is too reflective (Slutsky & Sardegna, 2018). As a consequence of this memo, the workers’ performance may be affected.
A polite tone necessitates refraining from the demanding or preachy language and avoiding rudeness. One should avoid the words “you should,” “you must,” and “you have to.” Using rhetorical questions as a means of conveying these demands is one option. The writer may feel right in expressing their displeasure but should remember and consider that sarcasm or losing their temper may not work out to assist them in reaching their goals as a corporate communicator. The objectives of the memo should be to educate, convince, and build goodwill (Payne & Leary, 2020). When the manager becomes annoyed, frustrated, or enraged, she is supposed to keep her calm and focus on finding a solution to the problem. When the workers first ignored her orders, she became irate, and when she made demands and threats, she employed a threatening tone which is the wrong way to start a conversation.
Her tone of voice made it difficult for her to communicate with others on the team effectively. You should behave and speak to others how you want to be treated or spoken to; this memo would make her feel humiliated and degraded. One should also consider doing audience research before deciding on a formal or informal tone. To know if the receivers of her memo would react favorably, unfavorably, or neutrally, she may have used profiling. A casual, conversational tone would have been more appropriate for this memo than a formal, pompous tone. Using positive rather than negative language would have made the author’s message more compelling and her style and clarity better. Anxiety spread across the workplace when the manager used an insulting slur.
When people’s interpretations conflict and are unable to communicate, bypassing happens. The sender and receiver must use the same symbolic meanings for their words to communicate effectively. Individual differences in education, culture, personality, and other factors make it more difficult to find common ground for cooperation. As a result, one must bring prejudices and assumptions to every communication situation.
Distractions caused by emotions and physical discomfort can also obstruct the effective transmission of important information. Distractions must be minimized to achieve effective communication. A recipient is a name given to the person to whom a message is sent to. The process of turning a message’s symbol form into its meaning is known as decoding. For communication to occur, the recipient must appropriately decode the notification. Due to many hurdles that interfere with the process, it is often difficult to achieve this goal.
Sensitivity to the sender’s feelings may be a barrier to communication. The manager’s tone reveals that she has a strained relationship with her workers based on their refusal to follow her cleaning instructions. The employees will not listen to this message, and some may not even read it, which might lead to a stumbling block in the flow of information across the company because of their lack of respect for her.
Disconnection on a personal level may be a barrier in cases where the sender appears upset, which could be a hindrance because the sender’s emotions distort the letter’s intended meaning. This could alter both the message she was trying to convey and the intended meaning she was trying to convey. Because of their boss’s abrasiveness, the recipients may misinterpret the entire message. Official communications must be empty of passion for ensuring they are received and understood rationally.
Finally, gender differences in the workplace may be a barrier to communication. The memo’s sender is a woman, and the memo’s recipient may be male and female, as is the memo’s intended audience. The way men and women express themselves and interpret specific cues varies. A communication breakdown can occur because men are less emotional than women and may not comprehend why their superior is dissatisfied. Female employees may likely overreact, preventing productive dialogue from taking place.
To: All Employees
Memo
From: Albertina Sindaha, Operations Manager
Date: ___
Subject: Office Clean Up
As I had formally announced, the company is facing financial constraints for the significance of the custodian, and the company will not be able to pay for cleaning services. Due to this reason, everyone has been called upon to assist in the activities to maintain cleanliness in the organization. First, I must commend you all for cleaning up your work area on Friday. This memo reminds all the employees of the expected areas of concern that need to be checked. These common areas need more attention, and I believe that when we work together, we will be able to accomplish the common goal of a clean and healthy environment.
These common areas include the copy machine room, which requires emptying of the trash can as well as coordination of toner and paper supplies. The lunch room needs attention where you are requested to assist in cleaning up the coffee machine, sink and counter area and throw away food and trash. Food that has stayed in the refrigerator for more than two days needs to take out. Finally, the workspace should be checked more where you should ensure it is clean and neatly arranged and all the office supplies should be arranged properly. I will be available from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For anybody with questions or suggestions on how we can work together to meet the common goal. Please, may you all feel free to communicate to me concerning any concerns, and I believe we are all capable of making our workplace better. Thank you all.
Yours Sincerely,
Albertan Sindaha
Operations Manager
References
Guffey, M. E., & Loewy, D. (2014). Business communication: Process and product. Cengage Learning.
Payne, M. S., & Leary, R. V. (2020). Relationship of Business Communications and Leadership Classes at Pensacola State College. Leadership and Research in Education, 5(1), 55-71.
Slutsky, J. M., & Sardegna, V. G. (2018). Business Writing Strategies and Guidelines for Preparing Effective Memorandums. Journal for Excellence in Business & Education, 5(1).
