Assignment Two (And Activity 2.

2) Business Communication Jillian Haldeman 3710177 Roles of Communication in the Casino Grand Opening Meeting
Samantha becomes the initiator after a brainstorming session. Her position in the company as CEO allows her leadership to provide the skills needed to harmonize and initiate effective communication between employees. Constructive communication and questioning provides a smooth reaction, and a simplified and professional outcome. Sebastian then of course becomes the Informant, or the opinion giver, allowing him to share the experiences hes had over the years with the rest of the group. These informational tidbits and experiential discussions then will allow for a this-or-that question and answer between staff. It also allows for Active Listening and effective communication when problems arise. Simon is considered an aggressor of sorts, as he is taking away from the leadership roles and focusing on his issues as well as his own departmental agenda solely. This proceeds to frustrate and distract many of the rest of the group from the big picture, making it difficult to communicate properly. Complaints and arguments about the working conditions and staff mishaps make the rest of the group seem overwhelmed. Ngaires role was not an easy one to smooth out, or even pinpoint her late attendance and stressed aura on arrival seemed to give her a similar role as Simon. However, due to the lack of actual information in the meeting brought out by her, and her relevant discussion of her problems which lead to no blame-games her role was undefinable at best. Greg and Zhara both share a similar role in this meeting, they are the analyzers. They bring forth the questions that meet the demands of the bigger picture, and not just their own agenda. Their effective study of the rest of the meeting attendees, gave them the ability to question and sort of play the devils advocate where need be. Providing an easier way to pave inside the meeting a new view of how to proceed with the Casinos Grand opening in the coming days.

Group Stages of Development

The case study in this document starts off with the CEO Samantha admitting to having just finished their brainstorming session and concludes that they should now begin the meeting. This alludes to the concept that they have passed from the forming stage and beyond the brainstorming stages. To start making the required headway for the meeting in this case study, they begin to continue into the Norming stages. The norming stages flow with effective and professionalism for the most part, each of the staff members being given a chance to speak out about the issues pertaining to the Grand Opening. You can see the norming practice being used in how they discuss how certain events may or may not happen in sort of a communicational algebraic formula.

It does however seem to be that the Performing stage may indeed be obscured or missing all together. The conflicts were being resolved but were left wide open before the end of the meeting. Noting that it was more Simons active engagement with his own disagreements and aggressive style that make it seem that the performing stage is incomplete. Much of this is pertained to the attitude that you can read or hear within the case study when Simons issues are laid onto the table and he shows in his verbal actions, that his concerns are not of the bigger picture. From there you begin the Adjourning process of the meeting stages. Which there in this case study shows that despite the almost-missing object of the Performing stages, they have begun the realization of what needs to be sorted for the actual opening to happen in a day or weeks time. You can now see that within the roles listed in the previous paragraph section above with a notation of initiation within Samanthas position of the meeting and harmonic way that each point and subject has been weaved in and out of the meeting, that it now gives a sense of completion through each envelope of the meeting.

Decision Making Styles

From the beginning of the case study you can see the leadership and decision making styles from the way that Samantha poses each informative, initiating statement. The CEO makes off with a FUNCTIONAL style of leadership in which each of her discussions with her co-workers within the case study is that of a group. With Sebastians life-experience additives, the meeting is able to process decisions based on the bigger picture. This is the main function key in aiding a need to begin the completion tasks towards the Casinos efficiency and future Grand Opening. The benefits of this style seem to be that each of the group members have been continually included in discussing the past, present and future implications. These are the sorts of implications they feel make or break their business in this situation. The equality of the communication and the efficient communication between staff within this meeting provides an even playing field for future discussions for the Grand Opening. There seems to now be a sense of clarity in how things have been presented. Discussion proceeds, questioning proceeds and the decisions are made on a case by case, and functional basis. However, the downsides are heavy on the fact that sometimes the aggressive style of members in the group hold an over bearing noose around the functioning of the meeting. Simons never ending start of complaints, and the semi-relevant ramblings about staffing issues seem to distract the rest of the meeting attendees. With Ngaires late attendance to the meeting, things seem to be almost as a breaking point her role still unclear. Conclusions of how the Functional model could be improved were seen in the final stages of the group development. Samanthas position didnt seem to be as forceful as it couldve been in getting Simons issues smoothed out. In a meeting such as this, there seemed to be lacking a cohesive judgment in how to keep things on topic, and in focus.

Final Evaluations and Recommendations

This case study, like most meetings in real life will have flaws and large imperfections. The simplicity of these things are sometimes perceived as just needing a little more care in how speaking is handled, and how complaints are brought out. One cannot judge a meeting on its imperfections, without first breaking down each of the segments of the meeting style as we have in this assignment. Equality may be a large thing in the workplace, but without the firm hand to guide the discussion it is noted that things start to become out of hand. Simons aggressiveness leads the discussion into a non-functional mode. This becomes extremely difficult for things to be said as he believes there is no way out for his agenda or issues. While he eventually settles out of this and back into a cohesive way of discussion, it does lead the rest of the meeting off track at times. Samanthas equality and initiation in the meeting is useful, but as noted earlier in this statement, she does lack a formation of leadership that will keep things on a steady track. Sometimes a meeting must have a fork in the road to continue in a professional or efficient path but it seemed that this meeting paused and took a dramatic turn before choosing its final path. Greg and Zhara had many issues, yes but their evaluations and questions were of the larger picture. I realize that I have continued to mention this repetitively but it is imperative that a meeting must continue with the whole group in mind. Meetings may then fail if people are not on the same page per se, and things then become confusing and messy. These two continued efficient mature professional communication in a respectful matter. Their needs, met the greater needs of the rest of the departments and their concerns validated and connected with others needs. I recommend that in a future meeting that Samantha is to take on a stronger leadership rule. This isnt to say she takes the heavy hand with an Autocratic role, but a cohesive Democratic role. In a meeting, things can be like politics one side takes the stage, and the other doesnt always listen properly. When you have an actual meeting, both sides must act maturely and professionally for efficiency to happen. Blame games, and aggressive behavior lead to incorrect practices. Sebastians experience can be sort of an extreme form of overwhelming to the rest of the team. He must cohesively select how his experience may aid the functioning of the future events in the team. Sometimes the modes of I have done this can steer things in the wrong direction. Selection of what will give a boost, and not the rewind and backwards formation will be a better direction for Sebastian in the future. Overall there werent too many large issues to smooth over or fix. These are merely suggestions, as seen from the styles within the case study. Mainly a mere focus, and less aggression would aid in a better meeting.

References List Verderber, R., Verderber, K., & Berryman-Fink C. (2008). Communicate! (12th ed., pp. 256-258, 260-261, 239-241,243,245). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Verderber, R., Verderber, K., & Berryman-Fink C. (2008). Communicate! (12th ed., pp. 233-236,251-256). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Fujishin, R. (2007). Leading in a group. In Creating effective groups: The art of small group communication (2nd ed., pp. 129-143). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Activity 2.2 Jill Haldeman Business Communication Step 1 1. How does gender equality effect communication in the workplace 2. How can cultural and language barriers effect efficiency of communication in an organization Step 2 1. What are some key features of efficient communication when faced with ESL (English as a Second Language) barriers? 2. How can a bicultural workplace thrive with an onset of cultural taboos, and how to avoid them? 3. What are examples of Gender Equality taboos that we can avoid? 4. Where can we improve communication when people have linguistic disabilities? 5. How could an organization improve written communication in a workplace with linguistic disabilities? Step 2 Part 2 These ended up more like brainstorm ideas, rather than actual questions- and then in step 3 they were rounded out a bit more. 1. ESOL/ESL workplaces find it difficult to communication orally a. Question: How would a workplace improve its oral communication with language barriers? 2. Gender roles in the work place- can create a strained mode of working, how could that be fixed? a. Question: How can gender roles be applied in a workplace, in order to improve efficient modes of communication and productivity? 3. Harassment in workplace how to avoid. a. Question: How would you avoid harassing or harassment in the workplace? 4. Taboo Events a. In the event of taboo communication, nonverbal or orally how would a business proceed with avoiding or fixing? Step 3 1. 2. 3. 4. How can workplaces improve on nonverbal communication between genders? How can we improve on gender roles in the workplaces? How can we avoid harassment of any kind, in the work place? What are important factors in improving nonverbal, written and oral communication in a workplace that may have employees with linguistic disabilities? 5. How would a workplace strive to avoid cross cultural taboo communication or events?

Assessment Schedule 72140 Business Communication

Assignment 2: Group work

Student name: ____________________

Student ID number: __________

Criteria

Marks allocated

Self-assessment

Marks awarded

Step 1: Evaluate group roles (350 400 words)

Roles assumed by each group member are identified.

10

Communication theory is accurately used to explain roles in the group process.

10

I do sincerely feel like I had a difficult time finishing this part. One members lateness threw me off on how to associate her roles, and Simons aggressive modes had me trying not to write a lecture on how not to do meetings. As for communication theory I do think I probably missed that on many levels. I tried, but it went over my head.

Lecturers comments:

Stage 2: Self-evaluation (350 400 words)

Self-evaluation is included that is

This was a little easier to expound on, but still with everything I think I was repeating things. I know I did this at the last minute in a sense

constructive and reflects insightful awareness.

10

Contribution to the group forum is made incorporating quotation. 5 Fujishin (2007) is accurately used to explain leadership roles and behaviours.

but I was studying all of this ahead of time. I did manage to try my best at attributing Fujishin to the meeting.

10 Lecturers comments:

Step 3: Decision-making style (350 400 words)

Analyses and critiques group task using

10

Again I struggled here, the readings seemed to be more on group leadership rather than styles of decisions. So I did my best to attribute that towards

reflection and theory.

the assignment.

Fujishin (2007) is accurately used to identify and evaluate group decisionmaking processes.

15

Lecturers comments:

Step 4: Evaluating and recommendations (350 400 words)

Where ever I had lacked in a 10-20 word span before this section- I made up for

Evaluation of group effectiveness.

15

Recommendations for improvement.

it in this one. I still had the repetitive moments in this section so Im not sure how well I really did. I felt like the reccomendations were the only ones I could come up with and I couldve taken less words to explain it.

Lecturers comments:

Format and expression

Uses full sentences and explains concepts accurately and clearly.

Reference list included. 10

Full sentences used, sometimes Im probably confusing, but as clear as I could be. Reference list was complete from the readings as asked. If the readings used APA, then I used APA. If they

APA conventions are followed.

didnt then Im in trouble. And meets the limit.

Meets or is within 10% of word limit.

Lecturers comments:

Lecturers signature:

Date: