Improving the Communication Cycle Essay
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Bryant & Stratton College *
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201
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Communications
Date
Jan 9, 2024
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docx
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Improving the Communication Cycle
COMM201 - Public Speaking and Rhetorical Persuasion
Bryant and Stratton Collage
Ms. Smith
November 11
th
, 2023
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Communication Misunderstanding
In 2017 when I was working for a company called Bethesda Lutheran Communities, an
announcement was made that some of the group homes that Bethesda managed would be closing
due to a lack of funds. The CEO of the company at that time, Mike Thertile, was the sender of
the message. The receivers of this message were the company employees and the guardians of
the people we supported. The channel used was a letter sent to the guardians of the individuals
we supported within the group homes and an email to employees. The letter and email were sent
to all employees and guardians, rather than just those affected by the change. This
communication was sent with the intention of being transparent as a company, however since the
letter only stated the areas of the affected homes, and not a list of exactly what homes were being
affected, this created mass confusion.
The lack of proper details in the communication also furthered the confusion and
frustration. While we were informed that there would be potential layoffs and individuals who
needed to seek out other disability support providers, we were not given an exact timeline of
when to expect program closures. We were also given the name of a company that was interested
in purchasing the programs, but we were not given any details about this company or their
intentions in buying out the programs. Lastly, the letter did not clearly lay out Bethesda’s plan to
assist in ensuring the continuation of care for the individuals we supported or the plan on
handling employee benefit payouts or continued employment in their other programs. At the end
of this letter, it went on to give the dates of when public conferences were going to be held about
this issue and that more details would be given at that time. However, people were left with
many unanswered questions at that moment and faced a very pressing issue. That led to
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frustration, fear, anger, and panic.
What Role Did the Channel and Interference Play
The message being sent via a written channel without further questions being answered
quickly deepened the amount of confusion and frustration felt by staff and guardians of those we
supported. Having a lack of clear answers leads people to form their own conclusions which
leads to interference via rumors that others quickly believed as fact. Additionally, due to the lack
of information given about the new company that was taking over, people quickly assumed that
they had poor communication skills, and that interfered with their opinion of the company.
Lastly, some staff members did not check their email daily, and some guardians received their
mail later than others, leading them to hear the information from a secondhand source first in
some instances. This allowed people to run with their emotional ideas and spread them to others,
causing further mass panic.
Impact of Feedback
When the news of the closures spread, many responded in anger and let their verbal
feedback be heard via Bethesda’s Facebook page, reviews on Indeed, and other means that were
seen very publicly, at one point, a guardian even did an interview with a local news channel.
These posts made by the receivers of the information caused further panic, and anger to spread,
and lowered the public opinion of both Bethesda and the company taking over. At times,
guardians would come into the group homes and unintentionally take out their frustrations on the
staff, causing more undo stress on them as they were trying to navigate the situation themselves.
Eventually, this verbal feedback from the receivers became overbearing, causing the
sender of the original message to move the conference date up to smooth over some of the issues
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and clear the air. Unfortunately, this change was seen as “too little too late” by many of the
receivers, who went into the conference angry and were showing it through nonverbal
communication such as the looks on their faces, putting arms up in anger, and some other vulgar
gestures. During the conference, the CEO responded to this feedback by attempting to respond to
all their questions, his posture, eye contact, and calm demeanor sent the nonverbal message to
the receivers that he was knowledgeable about the issue and wanted to attempt to make the
situation right.
As the conference went on, and the staff and guardians received more information as well
as had the opportunity to meet the executives from the new company their nonverbal feedback
became calmer, they kept their eyes on the speaker and their posture indicated they were paying
attention. When the staff and guardians learned that the individuals would not have to move to
new homes and that staff would be offered positions with the new company there was verbal
feedback that indicated signs of relief as well as nonverbal indications that they were beginning
to relax.
How Could Communication be Improved
Communication during this incident could have been improved in several ways. First, this
communication should have been made in person to ensure all individuals had all the necessary
information and could have their questions answered promptly. Secondly, If the communication
needed to be made via written channels, it should have been more in-depth, giving more details,
and the reassurance that the new company was taking over, and no one would be displaced. This
communication should have also given their contact details clearly. Doing so would have led to
less interference in the form of rumors and reduced the amount of anger and frustration felt by
the receivers. Lastly, the information should have been shared too those who were affected first,
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prior to the others in the company finding out and becoming confused as to if their job or family
member was being affected. When the news went out to everyone this created mass confusion
and caused distrust in the company by those receiving the message. There was also animosity felt
by those being affected towards those who were left unaffected by the change. Ensuring the
correct people had the correct information in a timely fashion would have led to less outcry on
social media and rumors being spread.
Role of Aristotle’s and Burke’s Theories
This communication failed to meet the requirements of Aristotle’s ethos, pathos, and
logos theory. The written communication that was sent out failed to appeal to any of the readers'
emotions and came across as cold and unfeeling, ignoring the importance of pathos. The
communication also accounted for logos by not clearly explaining why the change was taking
place. Ethos was also overlooked through the CEO’s apparent lack of concern for the individuals
we support and not laying out any of the details of the ways the company would be supporting
them through this transition.
If Aristotle’s theory was taken into consideration, details of the plan moving forward
would be clear, there wd be support measures in place, and the CEO would have at least tried to
express his understanding for the feelings of those receiving this communication, people would
have been more receptive to this information, posts would not have been made out of anger, and
this would have slowed the spread of misinformation among receivers.
This communication also failed to meet the expectations of Burke’s theory by not
establishing a connection between the sender and the receivers. Before this communication, the
CEO of the company was uninvolved in its daily operations, creating a disconnect between him
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and the receivers. In his communication he did not attempt to establish any connection with
them, leaving the receivers to feel unmoved and with little understanding of the company or the
reason for this change. Communication could have been improved if the CEO had attempted to
establish a connection with the receivers by sharing his feelings on the situation and his empathy
for those who were going through this process. If he had shared how hard it was to make this
decision and why the decision was made, the information would have been better received.
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