An example of how to respond to Question 1 is the following:
1. What is the specific problem with communication?
I am on a committee at work. There are five members of the committee. However, three of the members telework two days a week, and, as a result, we can never meet face-to-face. Our meetings are not very productive because some of us are in the room during the meeting while some of us are on the phone during the meeting.
2. Does the problem represent an example of one of the barriers that the articles by Dr. Rani and Lumen Learning identify? If so, which one(s)?
Yes. This is an example of a channel barrier. The medium chosen for our type of communication — online meeting software — is not suitable or appropriate for our context.
3. What are some possible communication strategies in notifying someone about the problem?
I could email my supervisor, who formed the committee.
4. What is the best course of action for you to take in solving the problem?
Our committee was formed for a specific duration of time. We have two months remaining for our committee.
I think we should arrange for everyone to be in the office on the same day each week for this two months. We could hold our committee meetings on that day of the week. This arrangement would solve the problem in that we would all be physically in the room for the meeting.
5. What is the best way for you to communicate this problem to the relevant individuals?
A series of messages would be preferred in this case. They would be the following:
I could send an email message to my supervisor. In that email message, I would note the following:
• how many times we have met
• what types of communication problems have occurred during our meetings that have caused the meetings to be less than productive
I could then outline a plan for having everyone in the office one day during the week so that we could hold our meetings on that day.
What types of communication problems have occurred during our meetings that have caused the meetings to be less than productive.
