Senior Seminar
Communications questions
April 2017
Group questions:
1. Do employers have the right to examine all e-mail messages before, during
and after working hours from business computers and to punish workers
who use business computers for non-business purposes?
2. Should most meetings be limited to 30 minutes because so much valuable
work time is lost talking about trivial business and non-business matters?
(more individual work on following page)
Check the appropriate column
Verbal message
Nonverbal message
Confirms Contradicts
1. “Please sit and listen” Snaps fingers
2. “I’ll wait patiently”
Taps fingers on desk
3. “Sure, I’m happy to work on this project”
Looks out window
4. “I’m thinking…”
Looks down and places
finger over lips
5. “I’m interested in your ideas”
Leans toward person and keeps
steady eye contact
Can you think of other situations where the verbal and nonverbal messages
contradict? In those cases, which does message does a typical American
interpret?
Check the appropriate Corporate Culture
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Open Culture
Employees call their boss by their first names
and eat in the same cafeteria
Employees may send complaints via
email directly to upper-level managers,
who respond quickly
All contact about business matters must
be done through formal appointments,
at meetings, or via memo
Informal communications are discouraged,
and most messages flow downward
Self-directed work teams were introduced
but failed because most managers would
not surrender authority
Closed Culture
How would you handle these conflict situations? Place a “1” for your first
choice and “2” for your second choice.
1. An office mate who is a good friend wants to take her daily midmorning break with you at 10:00am, but another friend definitely
prefers 10:30am. Avoid____ Compromise_______ Win/Lose________
2. Two other managers cannot agree on what amount should be budgeted
for hiring a part-time worker who will help all three of you. They turn to
you for support. Avoid_____ Compromise_________ Win/Lose______
3. Two co-workers are moving with you to a new office area. Both want
the larger desk that overlooks a courtyard. Although you work well with
one co-worker, you do not get along with the other. However, you also
want the desk that overlooks the courtyard. Avoid______
Compromise________ Win/Lose________.
4. Your sales manager promised an added cash award to the person with
the highest weekly sales. You and five other salespeople want to win
the award. Avoid_____ Compromise_________ Win/Lose________
5. A newly hired worker was just promoted. Because you had worked
longer and harder, you complained bitterly to your supervisor and
accused him of showing favoritism. You stormed out of the office and
now must decide what to do. Avoid________ Compromise______
Win/Lose __________