Communication Scenarios

Practice your application of effective communication principles by revising the scenarios below.

1. Jeff wanted to request some vacation time next month because his friend got tickets to see a concert in California. Below is the email he wrote to his manager with this request: Your task is to read through this email, identify places where it lacks professionalism, and rewrite the message in a professional way.

To: Louise Quinn, Manager

From: Jeff Jax, Employee

Subject: Won't be here next month

Heya Louise,

I got a sweet opportunity to head to LA with my friend next month and won't be coming to work the week of November 22 - 29. I've already added these vacation days to my timesheet. I think I had a client meeting scheduled on Nov 24 but I'm sure they'll be A-OK to reschedule or maybe Jana can cover.

I'd also appreciate it if you can take over my invoicing that week because I leave right after work on Friday and might not have time to finish up all my paperwork from the day.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

a) Is this a professional email? Why or why not? Give specific examples to support your answer.

b) Rewrite the email so it demonstrates professionalism.

2. Omar is leading a weekly workshop series for his peers on how to be a successful student. Each week, he assigns a task for them to try and report back on next session. However, it seems like nobody is doing the task - whenever he leaves space in the session for sharing, nobody responds. You come to observe his session, and notice that when he describes the task, he says:

• Does that make sense?
• Do you have any questions?

Then, to start the next session, he says:

• Does anybody want to share?

How could Omar adjust the way he is asking his questions to improve his response rate? Explain your thinking and include examples of improved questions.

3. You're the clerk at a local clothing store when a customer approaches the desk looking quite upset. He has a worn-looking pair of boots with him and a receipt from 45 days ago. He demands that you process his refund because these are the most uncomfortable boots he's ever worn. Unfortunately, it is past the 30-day return policy, which also states that returns can only be processed for unused merchandise. As a result, you won't be able to process the refund. How could you share this news to the customer in a professional way? Write out what you would say.

4. Hazel is working on a school project with Oliver and she's very frustrated. This is the third time that Oliver hasn't shown up to their in-person meeting with no notice. Infuriated, she opens her email and writes a scathing message that says:

Oliver,

You clearly couldn't care less about me or our project, seeing as you continue to waste my time by failing to show up for our meetings. The least you could do is send me an email or a text message to let me know. I'll be reporting this to the instructor and asking to change partners.

Good riddance,

Hazel

a) Consider both the message content and the mode (email) chosen to deliver this message. Was this a professional way to address the situation? Why or why not?

b) If you were faced with a similar conflict, how would you professionally communicate your concerns to Oliver?