COMMUNICATION COPYCAT AT HCMCF
Dining
Service staff at Huron County Medical Care discussed the different
communication styles at their September In-Service meeting. An opening
exercise in building
was used to demonstrate these communication styles.
Two member team were instructed to design the exact same “building”. One member was the
architect who had to design and construct a building and then communicate to the
builder how to make the same building. The catch was that the
builder and architect could not see what each other were doing nor could
they ask questions to each other. At the end of the building period,
both structures were revealed to compare how close
they came to copying each other.
As
demonstrated by the pictures, none of the “buildings” were a perfect
match, however, some did come close. The staff discussed the team’s
tactics involved in communicating
their messages. It was interesting to learn how we perceive how others
hear the message or instructions we are giving. Some felt the activity’s
goal was to be fast, therefore their directions were quick and less
details were given, others gave very detailed
directions. It was surprising to see how the builders heard both of
these messages. Some builders were able to quickly process the
information given by the quick delivery while others felt left behind
from the beginning. But even the detailed directions were
confusing to some who found that the information given was too much. It
was easy to see that each team had members who delivered or heard the
message in their own unique ways.
The
staff and even the Dining Service directors learned the importance of
getting the right message across to our co-workers and the value in
considering their target
audience when delivering a message.