As I read Mark’s email I understood the urgency that was conveyed about him getting his information to his teammate. In the last part of the email Mark is asked to let Jane know when he can get his information to her and is told that she can not do her part unless he does his. Even though, there is not a negative tone in the email I believe that some irritation could have been interpreted by Mark depending on his emotional state at the time of reading the email. There are times when we are irritated by others or stressed and when someone asks us to do something, no matter how innocent it seems, it can be taken in the wrong context. As I listened to the voicemail, being able to hear Jane’s tone definitely does take the risk of a negative interpretation away. I believe the best for of communication was face to face because Mark is able to see those non verbal cues that are very important in effective communication. Mark is able to her Jane’s non-threatening tone as well as see that her expression is one of understanding.
Through this exercise I have learned then when we are communicating information we have to think about how it can be interpreted by the receiver. If we feel that the information can be taken out of context it is best to have face to face communication. However, if we chose to have face to face communication we have to make sure that our emotional state is one that is non-threatening. If we are stressed and irritated about something the receiver has nothing to do those nonverbal entities will make the receiver feel that the communicator is being negative. All in all I think the best thing to do is what teachers have told us all our lives; think before you act.
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ReplyDeleteI liked your comment about how a negative tone in an email can be interpreted where none is intended.
ReplyDeleteWhile all communication carries a risk of misinterpretation and unintended insult, email seems to amplify the risk. I think much of that tendency is an effect of trying to keep communication concise. When I trim unnecessary words from a sentence to make my communication more succinct, the words I trim are often the ones I used to set a polite tone. Longer expressions tend to make more use of passive voice. Shorter expressions tend to use active voice. Active voice can appear aggressive. “Your funding will be cut after the deadline” is much less offensive than “I will cut your funding after the deadline.” (Fogarty, 2010)
Reference:
Fogarty, M. (2010). Active voice versus passive voice. Grammar girl: Quick and dirty tips for better writing, (232). [Podcast]. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/active-voice-versus-passive-voice.aspx
Hi Shenice,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post this week, I had the same interpretation of the email. When you receive an email, you can sense the other person's attitude and their tone when you read it. Sometimes it can be interpreted the wrong way and sometimes it means just what it says. If you feel like the email had a negative tone, that's when you go to the person and communicate face-to-face because you don't want to leave negative tension in the air. Now when I send or respond to emails, I check them carefully or have someone else read them because even though I've been told I can come off the wrong way, those are never my intentions. Thanks for sharing,
Brandie
Shenice,
ReplyDeleteThe exercise in communication this week was an excellent example of how complex sending and receiving information can be. Effective communication is the original sender having the desired effect on the receiver. Communication at its best minimizes misunderstanding between sender and receiver. Ineffective communication means there was no effect on the receiver or the effect was unexpected, undesired and/or unknown to the sender (Erven, n.d.). This emphasizes the need for follow-up on any communication to ensure that the message was received and interpreted as meant. Without follow-up, there is no way to know whether the message was properly received and understood.
Erven, B. (n.d.). Overcoming barriers to communication. Retrieved 1/22/2011 from http://www.aede.osu.edu/people/erven.1/HRM/communication.pdf