Course Work Example: Communication in the Workplace

Subject: NOTICE OF MEETING

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I hope that this message finds you well. Over the last three months, the hospital has experienced a surge in the number of inpatients seeking care at our facility. This is a commendable move that I personally attribute to the improved services due to the employment of three more physicians, the launching of a new theatre, and our state-of-the art nursing services. Additionally, the recent accreditation by the International Standardization Organization has placed the hospital on the map, meaning that our reputation has increased among the people. In response to this new trend, I wish to notify you that we shall hold a departmental meeting as the Development Committee to forge the way forward in mitigating a looming patient accommodation crisis in the foreseeable future.

Specifically, I would like us to deliberate on how we can add five more rooms in the inpatient department. Currently, the hospital has 80 beds that are contained in four distinct wards. Creation of five more rooms would mean an additional 25 beds that would suffice to accommodate new patients that may increase in the days to come. Generally, the meeting will discuss this issue in length. The agendas of the meeting are:

Reading of last meeting minutes

Matters arising from those minutes

The recent rise in patient numbers

Proposal to build new rooms

Source of finances for the project

Anticipated number of new inpatients

Proposed project timeframes

Any other business.

The meeting shall be held in the Doctors common room on 18th June, 2017 starting from 8.00 in the Morning to 1.00 in the afternoon. You are expected to carry a pen and a notebook. Further, I request you to consider the items for discussion and come prepared with information that would facilitate the execution of this project.

The expectations for this meeting are

Identify the need to establish the new wards

Identify the source of funding

Convince the hospital management to accept our proposal

Develop a plan for this project

Please confirm the reception of this message and your commitment to this course by replying to the email as soon as possible.

Question 2:

There are four styles of communication that are applicable in the workplace. Each style depends on the characteristic of a leader and the communicator. Highly effective leaders, according to Drucker (2004), allow for inclusivity in making decisions. Inclusivity means that every opinion coming from any worker should be incorporated in the decision making process. Since communication is a core aspect of decision making, inclusive leaders tend to be effective communicators. Effective communicators refrain from using a commanding tone and adopt a suggestive tone. According to Zellman (2017), there are controller, promoter, supporter and analyzer communicators. Bossy communicators use a commanding tone and thus are controllers. Effective communicators are both promoters and supporters. In my email to my colleagues, I have used a promoter communication style. I have not only passed my message to them but also made them feel as part of the new project. In essence, I am promoting each team member to make suggestions on the best way we can achieve the goals of this project. I decided to apply this style to avoid the expression of patronage that may intimidate my subordinates and fail to make full contributions to the project.

Question 3

After sending the email to all the involved stakeholders, I would expect replies in form of emails, phone calls, or text messages. Some colleagues may even visit me in my office to ask clarifications or confirm the attendance of the meeting. On the material day, there are various forms of communication that we shall use to share the ideas. Since I will head the meeting, I will make presentations that I will project on the wall for other attendees to see. Specifically, I will use graphs and images to show the rise in patent population and the need to increase the wards. I will also make graphs and charts to express the anticipated financial gains that will come from the new project. I will also use a Gantt chart to show my colleagues the proposed timelines. After my presentations, other suggestions will be invited. The suggestions could be inform of visual presentations or verbal. A period of questions and answers will form the biggest part of the discussion as we come up with the best plan with which to execute the project.

The common communication problems that arise in the workplace include making false statements, controversy, ignoring the chain of command, and underestimating the intelligence of the audience (Odine, 2015). As the meeting coordinator, I am answerable to my seniors who will ultimately approve this project. Therefore, I will be responsible for relaying the final verdict of the Development Committee. Voicing the verdict of other people to a third party may create controversy that can cause communication breakdown. To avoid controversy, I will note down each proposal in the simplest terms possible. I will then draft a final report to present to the management will all the proposals discussed. I will make both oral and written presentations and allow the management team to ask for any clarifications if need be. Skipping some points during the development committee meetings and misinterpretation of the same are some of the drawbacks in recording the proceedings of the meeting. However, employing the services of a passive secretary will minimize these challenges.

Question 4

Schoemaker, Krupp and Howard (2013) list anticipation, decision making, interpretation, challenging, alignment, and learning as the characteristics of effective leaders. Learning in this context involves paying attention to both formal and informal communication from the subordinates. I will thus invite any feedback from my team members in and out of office. I expect formal feedback through emails and informal feedback through calls and office visits. Other than the members of my teams, I will anticipate feedback from the management of the hospital regarding the project feasibility. To prevent possible fallout between all the stakeholders, I will put into consideration every feedback that comes from all sides. I will, therefore, respond to every feedback either formally or informally. Since my supervisors expect a feedback from both the team and the management, I will make a report comprising responses from my team mates during the meeting, and that from the management after the meeting. In the report, I will highlight how each feedback was received and responded to.

References

Drucker, P. F. (2004). What makes an effective executive? Harvard Business Review, 58-63.

Odine, M. (2015). Communication Problems in Management. Journal of Emerging Issues in Economics, Finance and Banking (JEIEFB). An Online International Research Journal 4(2), 1615-1630

Schoemaker, P.J., Krupp, S. and Howland, S. (2013). Strategic leadership: The essential skills. Harvard business review, 91(1), 131-134.

Zellman, M. (2017). Four Effective Styles of Communication in the Workplace. Chron Mgazine. Retrieved http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-effective-styles-communication-workplace-15280.html on 6/6/2017