Texte en anglais

Devoir 1 – texte en anglais

Hello? Is Anybody Out There Who Can Explain? (The importance of clear communication)

On the news, we repeatedly hear about frustrated travelers stranded in airports or train stations.

They bitterly complain that no one has informed them of the reason for the delay, or indicated how long

it will last so, at least, they can inform their boss, cancel their appointment or hotel reservation.

Likewise customers in need of information about a product are often advised to visit the company

web site where they are told to click on a number of headings, which usually lead them to a FAQ

(frequently asked questions) page or to download some long file.

Most big companies also now encourage consumers to do their transactions online to save them the money of paying for telephone operators and stamps.

If there is a telephone number for help, we get a recording that tells us to press a number to hear another recording that supposedly answers our problem.

Sometimes, we do have the option to hold on for a customer service representative who should be able to personally answer our question, but as the rep is often a lowpaid off-shore employee in a foreign country, the

conversation may not be that helpful either.

Communication in the workplace can often be just as frustrating.

Tasks may be assigned without clear, concise instructions, and as employees are often reluctant to ask questions for fear of appearing incompetent, the upshot is poor quality work.

Managers often complain about the lack of communication skills of graduates, but the fact of the matter is they, themselves, and their assistants often fall short of the mark, perhaps because they are pressed for time, or assume the other person has understood, or just need to improve their skills.

Indeed we are living in a busy rushed world, but taking a few minutes more to articulately formulate a message is worth the time and effort. Communication specialists offer advice on improving communication.

Blanchard and Johnson’s The One-minute Manager stresses the importance for managers to be short and clear when giving instructions for a particular project.

If written, they must be no longer than a page, when oral they must take “a minute”, in other words they should be short.

If the project is carried out well, it means both the manager and employee “win”. In that case, the former must lose no time congratulating the person for his/her good work, looking the employee straight in the eye,

then tell him/her why it’s good, finish with a firm handshake and encourage the person to continue.

On the contrary, if the work is not satisfactory, both the employee and the manager lose.

In that case, the latter should immediately go and see the employee again, look him/her straight in the eye and reprimand or tell him/her what is wrong with the

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