Upon my analysis of the communication process, there are three communication challenges I noted in the workplace. First was the disparity in perceptions and attitudes. From the scenario, Mrs. Richards believes that she deserves priority from the receptionist and other employees of the hotel. The receptionist, on the other hand, feels that she should attend to customers based on their order of arrival or on the premise of time of arrival. In this situation, both do not contemplate or attempt to place themselves in another’s shoes, and this becomes a reason for their misunderstanding of each other (Fawlty Towers Communication, 2012).
The scenario presented by the video is that of the language barrier. This is brought to the fore in the conversations between Mrs. Richards and Manuel. This is a situation where words vary in one’s country of origin, and any foreign word can be blatantly misinterpreted by the other party in the process of communication. In the communication scenario, we learn that it is possible to notice any physical challenges for example the receptionist overlooked the physical impairment of Mrs. Richards. This has the effect of disrupting communication and presenting a false idea about the intentions of the interlocutor. In the context of the communication process model, the video presents a scenario where the communication parties are in a similar position to encode oral messages. The fact that verbal communication cannot be overcome by language barriers is also a lesson from video.
From the video, we learn that effective communication is essential for good organizational behavior. Employees with poor communication skills may pose the risk of being inattentive to the wishes of customers. The receptionist opted to confront the visitors together to demonstrate to Mrs. Richards that other customers wish to be served just like her. This kind of communication is not allowed in the service industry. The receptionist also ignored the age factor, which is an important aspect of communication.
The video analysis also demonstrates that language expertise is a necessity for successful communication among workers. In the video context, Manual is unable to communicate fluently in English hence he does not communicate effectively with clients and staff. This has the effect of slow decision-making in the organization as well as the inability of the workers to take responsibility for their actions because they will blame it on language barriers.
Regarding employees with disabilities, a non-verbal form of communication conveys 60 percent of the message. Facial expression, gestures, and intonation make up approximately 80 percent of the communication. The use of these signs will prove instrumental for employees with hearing and visual impairment or both. There should be an employee in the workplace who is an expert in sign language to help employees with hearing or visual disabilities. Another form of communication that is useful in addressing the communication needs of people with disabilities is the Braille system. This is specifically meant for blind people. Verbal communication has positive effects on employees with disabilities since it enables them to comprehend verbal messages both oral and written. Most employees are over-reliant on facial expressions hence employees with visual or hearing impairments may be practically excluded from any conversation because they may not decipher the meaning. Unless care is taken on the challenges posed by nonverbal communication, it can negatively affect people with hearing or visual disabilities. The guiding principle employed while dealing with disabled people is that it is important to understand whether an individual is disabled or not and if yes establish the form of disability that he or she suffers from. This will make it easy for the interlocutor to devise ways of communicating effectively. The receptionist in the video did not bother to establish or to notice that Mrs. Richard was disabled.
The use of technology enhances communication in an organization. In modern organizations, people are unable to meet physically and communication is actualized through E-mails, fax, short text message (SMS), and voice chats. This has helped speed up the communication and exchange of information between and within organizations. Technology helps the organization to minimize costs particularly traveling and telephone. Technology has facilitated communication between organizations, particularly during this era of increased globalization where there is minimal possibility of face-to-face interaction and communication. Technology has made employees of a multinational corporation interact with other employees working in their affiliate corporations in different countries or continents. Video conferencing has, for example, enabled managers and directors to hold boardroom meetings via Group Support Systems (GSS) which saves on costs of a traditional face-to-face boardroom meeting. Consequently, day-to-day or face-to-face communication with clients and customers is a difficult task that can only be achieved with the use of technology. Technology enhances the internal communication and functioning of a company, and it is critical in enabling organizations to attract new customers as well as to maintain the existing ones (Bloisi & Hunsaker, 2007, p. 348).
The use of technology comes into the light on the video when the receptionist makes a transaction, books orders for customers, and communications with customers. This is an indication technology makes it possible for customers’ needs to be attended to without their presence.
References
Bloisi, W., & Hunsaker, P 2007, Management and organizational behavior, McGraw-Hill Education, London.
Fawty Towers Communication 2012, Fawty Towers Communication, YouTube, Web.
