7


Unit 7: Get the message


Today, I’m going to talk about communication – good and bad. We’re going to hear from four people, James, Michelle, Rachel and Cynthia. I asked them all the same question. What’s good about communication in your workplace, and what’s bad? Their answers show the four Cs of communication.


Listening skill: Recognizing examples and points


Ask students to think of the words speakers use to introduce examples. Elicit for example, like, including, such as. If necessary, refer students to the Listening skill box on page 39 of the Course Book.


Read through the explanatory sentences and then elicit what the example is in the transcript extract. (The reports are very, very long and there are lots of them!) Ask what this is an example of (the importance of concise communication).


E


Refer students to the photographs and get students to guess each person’s job or type of job: James = nurse in the Pain and Fracture Ward of a hospital; Michelle = dental practice receptionist; Rachel = nurse in a care home; Cynthia = a medical specialist.


Play the recording. Make notes on the board. Ask


students to reconstruct the main points from the notes, e.g., The first C is ‘concise’. We need information at work, but communication must be concise.


Model answers


1. James: concise, Michelle: considerate, Rachel: clear, Cynthia: correct.


2. I can discuss anything with them. M We can’t make any suggestions. M I can’t read all of it.


J


Information must be correct. It has to be right.


Mu C


You don’t understand what they mean. R You can find the information later.


R Cynthia mustn’t make mistakes. Mu


Transcript 095 Mukesh: OK. So first, here’s James. James: What’s good and bad about communication at my workplace? That’s easy. I am a nurse in a hospital, in the Pain and Fracture Ward. Hospital management sends us reports all the time. The good thing is the information is there, and we have all the facts and figures we need. The bad thing is … the reports are very, very long and there are lots of them! It’s too much! I just can’t read all of it. I haven’t got the time.


Mukesh: So what’s the first C? It’s concise. We need information at work, but communication must be concise. That means short but complete. What’s wrong with long messages? Well, people don’t have time to read everything and important information gets lost or they just get bored.


96


That’s the problem for James. Let’s hear from Michelle.


Michelle: I work as a dental practice receptionist. What’s right and wrong about communication at my workplace? Well, on the one hand, communication is good between the staff. I get on really well with all my colleagues. They’re great. I can discuss anything with them. But on the other hand, we have a problem with our boss – he never thinks about the feelings of his staff. Everything is an order. ‘Do this!’ ‘Get that!’ ‘Hurry up!’ ‘Why isn’t it ready yet?’ And we can’t make any suggestions. We have ideas, but he never says, ‘What do you think?’ He just treats us like slaves.


Mukesh: The second C is considerate. That means thinking about the other person – the receiver of the message. It’s important to remember that employees are people. And people have feelings. You must think about people’s feelings. This is especially important if you are writing letters, reports or emails, or when you post something on a website or blog. Maybe the reader will be upset by your message. So you must give the message in a considerate way. Right. Next, we have Rachel …


Rachel:


I work in a care home for the elderly. What are the pros and cons of communication at my workplace? Well, there are a lot of pros – a lot of good things. We work in shifts, so the next nurse has to know what happened during the shift before. So, we write reports a lot. You can find the information later. That’s really good. But there are some problems. People don’t always write down information very well. They write a quick message. They give you some information, but not everything. Or they don’t explain things well. You don’t understand what they mean, so you have to ask the patient. It’s a waste of time.


Mukesh: The third C is clear. Messages must be clear, so that the receiver understands it. You need to send the information in a clear and simple way. And you must check that the receiver understands it. Finally, we’ve got Cynthia.


Cynthia: Well, a lot of it is fine, really, but one thing really annoys me. We don’t always get our facts right, and not always on time. OK, let me explain. I’m a medical specialist. So I deal with lots of documents, patient results, appointments, medical information – every day. I have to have all that information, all the time, and it has to be right. I can’t miss anything, because then I won’t tell the patients the right thing. It’s so annoying when it goes wrong: your patients aren’t happy, and I’m not happy.


Mukesh: So, what’s the final C? It’s C for correct. Information must be correct. Cynthia mustn’t make mistakes and must always be on time. Her information must be correct because patients need to know. So, that’s the four Cs. Messages must be concise, considerate, correct and, the most important of all, clear. Think about it the next time you try to communicate something.


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