One of the disadvantages of oral communications is that it leaves no record of what was communicated.

Danny is delivering a message to his fraternity. The receiver(s) (the fraternity members) look confused by what he is saying to them. Danny can conclude:

Alessandro is remodeling a fitness center at an apartment complex. He tells his client that he is right on schedule. Meanwhile, he knows that he is running short on supplies and is about two or three weeks behind schedule. He is hopeful he will be able to connect with another supplier and get back on schedule. What is the barrier to communication?

Lila notices that some of her co-workers leave their lunch in the office refrigerator for several days. Not only does the office have limited refrigerator space, but the lunch leftovers also tend to expire. Lila decides to put a poster on the refrigerator, reminding her co-workers to take home their leftovers. Considering this means of communication in this situation, what channel is Lila using to transmit the message?

Alexander e-mails his manager asking for input on a presentation he is developing for tomorrow’s client meeting. What form of communication flow does this scenario illustrate?

Every quarter, Josh delivers a detailed financial report to the senior managers of his division. Josh has solid presentation skills and is very thorough in his work. However, every quarter, the senior managers are confused, missing the main point, and must ask Josh a variety of questions. What is wrong?

Dan is a new sales representative at a telecommunications store, offering cell phones and wireless plans. This morning, his manager observed him patiently explaining to a customer that the phone they came to purchase was not their best option and that they would be better off with another phone, which was less expensive. Considering the giving praise model, what should Dan’s manager do at the end of their conversation?

Because their project group cannot meet face-to-face, they meet via Zoom. The group also contributes to a shared Google doc, making it easy for all group members to edit the project. What form of communication flow does this scenario illustrate?

Redha, Sofia, Rejat, Lauren, and Zach plan to visit Walt Disney World at the end of the summer. In terms of lodging plans, Sofia and Lauren want to stay at Hotel A, Rejat and Zach want to stay at Hotel B, and Redha wants to stay at Hotel C. That said, the friend group is also on a limited budget. They decide to revisit their hotel options and together, they decide on another option, Hotel D – it is one of the most affordable and budget-friendly lodging hotel options in Disney. Considering how the friend group worked together to decide on their lodging plans, what type of conflict management style did they use?

If a manager says something like, “This reminds me of when I was first starting out in the workplace…,” the manager is using a reassuring response.