Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
The episode of interpersonal communication that I have experienced is in relation to a job interview I once had. The job interview was for an entry level call center position. During the interview the manager explained the position in detail. He described the hours, the expectations, and the pay. Everything he said to me sounded exactly what I had applied for. Even though I was applying for a contracted position, I he told me that there is plenty of work, and there is a good chance I’ll continue on with the organization after the contracted period had ended.
In addition to this, the manager gave me examples of other employees who had been originally hired on a temporary contracted basis, who had now been with the organization for years. He used these examples to solidify his earlier statement about ongoing work. Again he re-iterated to me that there was an abundance of work available. To me this sounded exactly what I was looking for and agreed to take the job.
All was going well and I was now four months into my contract when the manager hit me with a bombshell. He announced that there was no other work available at the end of my contract. He announced this to me in a team meeting with the other new employees who had been hired at the same time as I was. I was devastated, as were the other employees. I had already made financial commitments based on the assumption of regular work. Now I was faced with a dilemma. I was out of work, with debt to pay, and I felt that I had been lied to, which made me angry, and very frustrated.
After pleading with the manager I was able to stay on for another few weeks to tidy up the data we had collected, but in the end this wasn’t enough to successfully clear my debt. The organization told us that the work had ceased because they had lost a large client.
However, they kept us hanging on for another six months with promises that more work was on its way. The work never eventuated and I was left, broke, looking for something else frantically to pay my debt. I felt that the organization did not care about its employees and the manager had no real clue what was going on. Overall, this interaction left me with pent up anger and frustration towards the organization who did not apologize for misleading us.
Power Dynamics
Power dynamics occur when each party is more interested in their own interests, who strive to serve them by controlling the dynamics at play (Wood & Duck, 2006, pg. 152). I felt that this concept relates to my experience, because the organization only cared about their own interests. The ongoing dialogue that I had with them suggested they were working in my best interest. All along it was about them, and what they wanted. I was a dedicated employee who had received great feedback during my time there, but I was not considered at all.
Moreover, my dialogue with them did not take into consideration their plight. They had lost a valuable client. While this had nothing to do with me, it impacted my work and my manager position as well. Power dynamics were in play in my dialogue with them as I worked to serve my own interests. Although, I had very little power to wield, I was able to negotiate a few extra weeks.
Communication Spirals
Wood et al, use interactions from parents and children to describe the concept of communication spirals (2006, pg. 51). They state that, ‘communication spirals can be exacerbated or interrupted by our actions’ (ibid). Moreover, communication spirals occur when the actions of each party magnify the other (ibid). I feel this concept relates to my experience when I was negotiating with my manager about more work. The dialogue between us went something like this;
Manager: I’m sorry we just lost a big client and we don’t have anything more work for you right now.
Me: But you promised that I would be given an abundance of work. I have now made financial commitments and this is really going to affect me hard.
Manager: There is nothing I can do about it is out of my hands.
Me: Can’t you just fit me in somewhere? After all, you promised me, and now I think you were not being completely open with me.
Manager: I’ll see what I can do, I think we might be able to keep you on for another few weeks, but I’ll have to get back to you on that.
Me: Ok, but you also said you’d get back to me last time, please get back in touch with me as soon as you can. I really need the money.
This conversation shows how the communication spirals were at play. The manager was not going to budge until I explained the predicament I was in; I negotiated and bantered back and forth with him until I felt I was getting somewhere.
Conclusion
Both of these concepts relate to my situation. From the research I have conducted I have learned that there have other instances of power dynamics and communication spirals at play within my conversations. I have experienced these two concepts when interacting with my own parents. When I was younger, I learned the art of negotiation and I would often banter with my mother to get a better deal for myself, whether it was a later bedtime, or the ability to have my friends over for dinner I utilized these two concepts more than I thought.
References
Wood, J. & Duck, S. (2006). Composing relationships: Communicating in Everyday Life (pp. 1-11, 152). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
