Hi Everyone, You Are Not Required To Read Any Specific Mater

Hi Everyoneyou Are Not Required To Read Any Specific Material In Chap

Hi Everyone, You are not required to read any specific material in chapters 4, 5, and 6 of Business Communication Essentials. We do not have a specific discussion task related to any specific parts of those chapter. However, these three chapters may prove beneficial to you as you encounter the various writing assignments in our class. I have provided the following short video summaries of each chapter to help you see what may be most beneficial for each of these three chapters.

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Hi Everyone, The following scenario describes a communication situation in a workplace. The situation does not involve writing. Rather, it involves verbal communication. Feeling rushed by a looming deadline for a report her manager wanted right away, Jory asked Saul to help by getting her some marketing statistics. “I need the figures from the last three years,” she said. “Will that be a problem?” “Not at all,” Saul replied. But by mid-day, Saul had still not gotten the statistics to Jory—and her report was due first thing in the morning.

Saul was out, so she left him a voicemail: “This is Jory,” she said. “I was wondering, how soon do you think you can get me those stats for the marketing report?” Two hours later, Jory received an e-mail from Saul: “I’ll have those stats to you the day after tomorrow.” Jory called Saul again, relieved to find that he was in his office. “Friday’s too late,” she said. “The report’s due tomorrow.” “Why didn’t you say you needed them so soon?” Saul said. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave in twenty minutes, and I’m at an off-site meeting all day tomorrow.” Jory thought she had told Saul what she wanted, and Saul thought he had heard her. But no real communication took place in this situation, and now Jory is left without the statistics she needs to complete her report. Please answer the following questions: 1. What happened in this situation? What did the Sender perceive, and what did the Receiver perceive? 2. Comment on Jory’s priorities and Saul’s priorities. How did they differ, and how did those differences inform this situation? 3. Have you experienced a similar situation in your workplace or community interactions? If so, briefly describe the situation (without divulging people’s names, the names of organizations, etc.) A short paragraph will suffice in answering this question. 4. Assume you are Jory. Please write a memo asking Saul for the information. Don’t worry about the formatting of the memo for this discussion. Simply type the content of your memo to Saul.

Please feel free to interact with others on their answers to any one of these questions.

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The following task is designed to expand your familiarity with UMUC’s Information and Library Service’s OneSearch function. Completing this exercise will also help you as you pursue the research-based report in this class. If you would like to, please review the same video tutorial that you watched for our earlier exercise. The tutorial is designed to demonstrate some searching strategies when finding articles in the databases that UMUC subscribes to. Video tutorial #1

After you have reviewed the tutorial, please complete the following tasks.

1. For the previous exercise, you found four articles on the millennial generation. You may use one of the four articles you found, or you may find a new one. But find an article that provides additional key words or other search terms that you can use to enhance your search. This technique was outlined in the first video. What additional words did you find that enhanced your search? Please write them here.

2. Use the Boolean operator “OR,” as the video demonstrates, and type in these terms. Please write the topic on which you searched and the search terms you used to search on it. Please write the number of hits your got as a result of expanding your search using the Boolean operator “OR.” Please watch the following video tutorial: Video tutorial #2

3. Take one of the articles you found. Then, following the instructions provided on the second video, focus your search by using a subject term.

• What was the name of the article?
• What subject term did you use?
• How many hits do you find after limiting the search with the subject term?

4. Next, conduct a new search to find an article on a topic of your choice. You might choose something related to your major, your work, or your interests. When you have found an article, follow the instructions provided on the video and focus your search by using a subject term.

• What was the name of the article?
• What subject term did you use?
• How many hits do you find after limiting the search with the subject term?

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The following scenario describes another communication situation in a workplace. Marla has been planning the company’s first annual conference. She has been consumed by this responsibility for weeks—working nonstop, even on weekends.

Several days earlier, her colleague, Marcus, thinking that she might need some help, asked, “How’s the conference planning going?” “It’s fine, everything’s under control,” Marla muttered. The Friday before the conference is scheduled to begin, Marcus notices that Marla seems even more frantic. Wanting to be helpful, he asks again how things are going. “They couldn’t be worse,” Marla snaps. “Two speakers dropped out yesterday, and the room they had promised us for breakout sessions won’t be available after all. Now I hear there might be an airline strike.” “I’m sorry,” Marcus said. “How can I help?” Marla stared at him. “Now you offer help? Where have you been? I could have used help weeks ago!” “But I thought...you never asked,” he said. “A blind man could see how busy I was,” Marla exclaimed. Taken from Chan, J. (2009). Chapter 3: Getting Your Message Across. In, Communication skills for managers, 5th Edition (pp. 27-50). American Management Association International

Please answer the following questions: 1. What happened in this situation? What did the Sender perceive, and what did the Receiver perceive? 2. Comment on some assumptions Marla might have been making. What were they, and how might those assumptions have informed this situation? 3. Have you experienced similar situations in your workplace or community interactions? If so, briefly describe the situation (without divulging people’s names, the names of organizations, etc.) A short paragraph will suffice in answering this question. 4. Please watch the following video on low-context cultures and high-context languages and cultures. The video is 4:44 long. Then answer the question below the video. If you had to guess, would you say that Marla comes from a high-context culture? Or would you say that she comes from a low-context culture? Why? Write a sentence or two in answering this question.

Paper For Above instruction

The assignment explores understanding communication breakdowns and cultural contexts in workplace scenarios through analytical reflection and practical application. It emphasizes the importance of effective verbal and written communication, as well as cultural awareness, in avoiding misunderstandings and enhancing professional interactions.

Effective communication within the workplace is critical for maintaining productivity, fostering relationships, and ensuring clarity of message delivery. The first scenario highlights a common miscommunication issue where assumptions and insufficient clarity led to the failure of obtaining critical information. Jory’s request for statistics was misunderstood due to vague communication, and Saul’s perception of his priorities did not align with Jory’s urgent needs. This situation underscores the importance of clear, explicit communication, especially with time-sensitive requests. Jory perceived her message as explicit, expecting Saul to understand the urgency, but Saul’s perception was that he had more time and was not aware of the deadline. The breakdown was rooted in divergent perceptions and assumptions about time management and priorities. Effective communication would require more precise messaging, confirmation, and clarification—such as confirming deadlines and the specific data needed.

The second workplace scenario involving Marla and Marcus demonstrates how assumptions and unspoken expectations can lead to frustration and misunderstandings. Marla assumed that Marcus understood the urgency and her workload without explicitly communicating her needs. Conversely, Marcus believed that Marla's calm responses indicated she was managing well and did not need assistance earlier. These assumptions contributed to Marla’s frustration when she felt overwhelmed and unsupported. This scenario illustrates the need for proactive communication about needs and help, especially in high-stress situations. Recognizing and challenging assumptions, and openly expressing needs, are essential for effective collaboration. Additionally, cultural dimensions influence communication styles; for instance, individuals from high-context cultures tend to rely on implicit communication and shared understanding, whereas low-context cultures emphasize explicit, direct messaging. In the video discussion, it is plausible that Marla comes from a high-context culture because her communication style appears more implicit and reliant on shared understanding rather than direct requests.

The third aspect of the assignment involves personal reflection. In many workplaces, miscommunications similar to the scenarios described occur when individuals assume others understand unstated needs or contextual cues. For instance, colleagues may assume that expressing a problem once is sufficient or that a quick glance communicates urgency, which can result in delays or misunderstandings. Effective communication practices, such as clarifying specific needs, confirming understanding, and avoiding assumptions, are vital in preventing conflicts and ensuring smooth cooperation.

The final part addresses cross-cultural communication. The video on low- and high-context cultures elucidates different communication styles across cultures. High-context cultures depend heavily on shared understanding, non-verbal cues, and indirect communication, whereas low-context cultures favor explicit and direct messages. Based on Marla’s behavior—such as her frustration, assumptions about Marcus’s understanding, and indirect way of expressing her distress—it is reasonable to infer that she might come from a high-context culture. Her reliance on shared knowledge and implicit expectations may characterize high-context communication, which values harmony and nuanced understanding over direct confrontation.

References

• Chan, J. (2009). Communication skills for managers (5th ed.). American Management Association International.
• Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture. Anchor Books.
• Hall, E. T. (1989). The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of Time. Anchor Books.
• Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations. Sage Publications.
• Roberson, Q. M., & Kulik, C. T. (2007). Stereotype Threats and Workforce Diversity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 56-72.
• Thomas, D. C. (2008). Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
• Gudykunst, W. B. (2004). Bridging Differences: effective intergroup communication (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
• Neuliep, J. W. (2014). Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Perspective (6th ed.). Sage Publications.
• LeBaron, M. (2009). Cross-Cultural Communication and Conflict Resolution. Routledge.
• Triandis, H. C. (1995). Individualism & Collectivism. Westview Press.