Discuss communication styles and barriers and the conflict and negotiation process involved in handling the three situations. For each storybook, describe the strategy or strategies you would apply in these situations.
Consider the following as you complete the assignment:
Communication Challenges Storybook: A Get Your Team to Talk to Each Other Adventure:
- How would you react when a team member is being vague and trying to spin bad news to sound more positive, thereby making it harder for the team to actually approach and resolve the issue?
- How could you encourage someone to continue to voice his or her opinion or to share an idea when you know he or she is hesitant to do so?
Breaking the News Storybook: A Tell Your Team About Downsizing Adventure:
- As a manager, how would you relay an important negative message with as little impact on your team as possible? Why would you choose this method?
- What is the best way to handle gossip before it spreads?
- How might you handle your team's feelings after a negative situation has occurred that does not directly affect your team but affects others around them?
Conflict Management Storybook: A Get Your Team to Talk to Each Other Adventure:
- What strategies would you use to help your team alleviate stress caused by deadlines before any conflict arises?
General question for all three storybooks:
- Think about a personal situation from your work experience that is similar to each storybook scenario. How would you approach the situation differently based on the principles you learned in the storybooks? How might the results change?