PERCEPTION & COMMUNICATION
MY WRONG PERCEPTION
During the summer last year, I decided to get temporary summer job in men’s clothing retailers. Having successfully got through the interview, I went in for training where everyone seemed helpful and pleasantly friendly. Their friendliness and warm welcoming attitude led me to believe this is the right place for me to get some sort of experience. I was hoping to stay with the company on a temporary basis for couple of months, but I only stayed with them for best part of a month. My reason for leaving early was when I got to know everyone thoroughly well and did not get along with one of my colleagues. During the end of my first week there, I was helping a customer out when one of the co-workers decided to interfere and end up having lost a sale, when the customer left without purchasing anything. This was just a first of a few incidents that occurred over the course of the month. I knew full well that I wasn’t being taken seriously as I was only there on a temporary basis. My perception of her changed as I didn’t get along with her; she did not seem friendly and not someone I would want to work with, hence why I left. I did not want to bring this matter up to the manager as I was only there on a temporary basis and did not want to stress over that matter. I decided to look for another temporary job thereafter and managed to get one where I did not encounter any problems. In the future, I will make sure I find out about the company thoroughly and make sure the staff review is exceptional and the environment is a positive one to work in just in order to avoid making similar judgments again. I came about quite reserved since this was my second ever interview and was just glad I was offered the temporary position as a sales assistant.
Ways to improve communication between University and Students.
Idea 1 Keep the personal touch
“Employees value face-to-face communication highly. The challenge is to ensure that managers develop the skills and confidence to hold meaningful two-way conversations – even on difficult topics. It’s important to let people know that you value these attributes. Consider them as part of the assessment and development process for team leaders” (People Management, 2010)
University students would benefit incredibly from having face-to-face communication with their tutors to discuss their university life and any issues they may have. These meetings could be held once or twice every semester. The student should be comfortable with whom they are discussing the matters. If they are not comfortable discussing issues with their tutors, then they should feel free to discuss matters with someone else who understands what the course is about and is approachable. Face-to-face communication is highly valuable as it allows both the student and the lecturer to express each other’s views on the matter. Also, confidence is vital. Expressing matters to someone is not as easy as it may seem. Therefore, the student should only discuss matters to someone they feel comfortable talking to.
Idea 2 Consider your channels
“Many organisations are embracing new communication media. One company in our recent research into M&As and employer branding used a CEO’s blog successfully during a takeover. Some employers use social networking sites to engage their graduate recruits before they join the organisation formally” (People Management, 2010)
Some of the ways in which Universities keep in touch with their students is via emails and using systems such as Blackboard. One other way which would benefit both the lecturers and the students is the use of forums on Blackboard. This would enable the student to keep in touch with all the students who want to discuss their work. When the students have group assignments to carry out, they could use the forum to ask for help. This way the tutor and the students are involved in the conversation and forums are an effective way of communicating with one another. Also, tutors can give feedback on the group work in the forum. The forum can be accessed anytime and there is that academic connection between the lecturer and the student which enables them to stay in touch about the work.
Idea 3 Have a shared purpose
“Creating a shared sense of purpose is an important starting point for a strategic approach to communication. People need to understand the collective goal they are working towards and to appreciate the difference they can make” (People Management, 2010)
Once the lecturer gets to know the students better and understand their capabilities, he/she can easily draw up targets for the students. Both the student and lecturer should agree on the targets and feedback should be given on a regular basis so that the student knows how he/she is doing and whether they are on the right path. They will have a shared purpose as they are aiming for the same goal.
REFERENCE
Rebecca Clake (2011) How to improve staff communication [online] Available from:
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