<Class Name>
<Professor Name>
<University Name>
<Geographic Location>
In the news article by Don Davis “Officials want better communication with railroads” there are two examples of ineffective communication found in this article. The first form of ineffective communication is with the physical capabilities of the railroads to communicate with public safety officials due to poor radio equipment. The second form of ineffective communication found in this article is with the safety message two U.S. senators are trying to communicate to the railroad company. In this article ineffective communication is hazardous to a community in Minnesota. The article demonstrates communication inefficiencies with both receiving and understanding communication.
The first form of ineffective communication is a barrier due to the lack of communication available between the railroad trains and the city’s safety services. In this scenario the ineffective begins at the very first step in the process – receiving. Without having the radio communication in place for the railroad to communicate with the city officials regarding safety matters, the communication is non-existent. This is the first step in process where the waves enter the brain resulting in hearing. In this scenario the communication process cannot even begin because the physical ability to communicate does not exist. Senator Al Franken and Senator Tammy Baldwin have brought this issue to the railroad for resolution by recommending the same radio frequencies are used and releasing more documented information to the officials & public.
The second form of ineffective communication in this scenario is the lack of understanding between the senators, public safety officials, and the public with the railroad companies. The problem with the understanding in this story is because the senators and public safety officials are attempting to convey the problems related to public safety, but the railroad companies simply see this as an attempt to cost the company more money. This is a problem with communication because the public officials are concerned with safety while the railroad companies are concerned with expenses. The misunderstanding is because the public officials feel safety is more important than the expense to the railroad company, but the company feels expenses are more important than public safety. This scenario is an example of ineffective communication related to misunderstanding of the message being communicated.
In this scenario the communication inefficiencies of receiving and understanding the communication could be improved with better planning and savvy political message from the politicians and public safety officials. Through better planning and research of the necessary equipment and radio frequencies for improved communication the scenario could have been presented in a way that would resolve the problem. The planning is necessary to ensure the public safety needs are met and the communication is available. Additionally, if more time was invested in researching a way to reduce costs while still maintaining the necessary public safety, the railroad companies could have been more receptive and open to problem. Since the railroad companies were so sensitive to expenses, the politicians could have provided more information about how the safety measures desired would actually prevent future costs. Also the message was delivered in a manner which could have been tailored more toward the railroad companies’ focus and interests so the companies would have been more receptive to the message.
References
Davis, Don. “Officials want better communication with railroads,” West Central Tribune. September 2, 2015. http://www.wctrib.com/news/state/3831123-officials-want-better-communication-railroads
