The Power of Talk: 5 W's

 Who: Anyone can change their linguistic style, regardless of the power that they hold within an organisation. This topic may be more important to people that have a higher, more important role in the company.

What: The Power of Talk concerns what one says, and how they say it. The what can be anything: a business meeting, a phone call, a conversation with a co-worker, etc. The how, however, concerns a variety of factors: what tone is used, how loud words are spoken, word choice and connotations, etc. The ways that one talks are largely influenced by the culture that they were raised in and are in now.

When: changing the way that one speaks can be applied anywhere. It can be applied to bosses, influencing them to see the side that is being presented, or talking more formally, showing them respect. It can be applied to co-workers of the same rank, where more personal discussion might take place.

Where: Generally, changing talking habits occurs at work, but it can occur in a variety of situations. It can occur when going to meet a significant other's parents, for example, or discussing a topic with a professor. It is important to remember that every relationship has a persona that is taken on between the two people. This persona will likely not be the same if one of the people interacts with someone else.

Why: Learning to change one's style of talking can have major shifts in acceptance among peers and coworkers, and can make them more likely to take the speaker's side. One example that has come up in recent years is learning to adapt to people's pronouns: asking people how they would like to be referred to rather than simply assuming. This can help to make people feel more accepted in a workplace, and allow it to be a place of work where all people can be comfortable and thrive. Additionally, word choice and tone can aid the speaker to influence the audience to take their side. This is important, especially at business meetings. Time, place, and setting are everything in speech.

I included this work in my Final Portfolio submission because its contents can be utilised in all communication settings, not purely a work environment. One's talking style is something that is not thought about often by people, yet it plays a huge role in one's interactions. I used a 5 W format for this topic because it allows me to break down each component. I feel like this was the best mode to get my point across; the other modes simply would not capture the complexity of the topic. The theme of humanity is repeated in this submission, by breaking down who needs to hear it, and how it can be applied to interactions with ALL people.

The HR school: Free Write

The rise of management research and theories began in the 1920s and was influenced largely by Human Relations Theory, which was developed largely by Elton Mayo. In this theory, there are 6 propositions on how humans interact in an organized environment. I will focus on two of them. First, it is stated that human relations are essential to maintaining motivation. I believe that this is very true. If there were no people to interact with at work, then people would be deprived of the daily social interaction that is needed for humans. Again, it is suggested that motivation depends on the teamwork of the individuals involved in a task, where each person in that team contributes equally. This makes sense, as work can get done faster if done in a group, and each person pushes the other to be the best that they can be. However, if one person does not put in as much work as another person, or does not have a positive attitude, this can significantly decrease the amount of motivation that a person has. I have experienced this personally at my job. If co-workers are having a bad day, and give a negative attitude to me, it takes away my motivation to get the tasks done, as well as demotivates me from wanting to work with them. Now, how can we apply these theories to the workplace? Firstly, a positive attitude must start from the top down in an organisational structure. I have gone into work, and the bosses were not happy, because it was so busy for example, and thus it made me less motivated in my work. Secondly, we can try to pair people up at work that have emotional or experiential similarities. While this may not work all the time, it will give them something to talk about, as well as increase the bond between co-workers, and make for a more healthy work environment. There can be many more improvements in the workplace surrounding management research, but I will stop here. Can you think of any more?

The Science of Persuasion: Receprocity

 

One idea in this chapter that stands out for me is reciprocity. We take a lot from people, their time, their knowledge, their money, the list could go on forever. Yet, most often, people do not reciprocate these actions with another. The most prevalent example for me is work-for-pay: people work a certain amount of hours, and they will get paid for the hours that they work. This is a very simplistic example, but it gets the point across that as people, we expect something for the things that we do for other people. Concerning persuasion then, we must think about other ways to reciprocate one's actions to us in other ways than money, because money can only go so far. Furthermore, kind actions show that someone cares about the other person; whereas money can be given to someone regardless of the relationship we have with them. If we were to increase reciprocity in the workplace, I think that there would be more enjoyment at the workplace, and there would be stronger bonding amongst the workers. The next step is how to implement this...

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The Modern Organization

     Although I agree with many of the ideas that Max Weber suggests, I disagree with one of his points: that the workplace should be impersonal. I really believe that this creates an environment of boredom and staleness; in addition, I also think that interpersonal work and thoughts are conducive to a more prosperous company. As humans, we are made to interact with other people. Giving people to do so in a professional environment may allow thoughts to surface that an individual may not have thought of themselves. Another challenge to the theories presented is Foyal’s thoughts of organisational communication. Although Foyal’s plan in running his mining company was successful, it may not be as successful in other companies. Each company’s business plan is different, and thus, this model can not be applied to all workplaces. For example, having only one leader would not be useful for a large company, because there are usually many different departments. One person can not run the whole company, simply because they do not have the expertise and time to manage everyone. From experience, I have found that a militaristic style approach to management is not the best way to run a business. It brings a mood of negativity to the workplace, which can run down the chain of command into the lowest workers, which can then be reflected to the customers (creating a negative image to the company). Workers in situations such as these may feel like they do not have enough freedom to achieve all that they would like to, which can lead to increased worker turnover due to unhappiness in the workplace.

Change the Way You Persuade: 5 W's

 Describing persuasion: The 5 W’s

Who: The 5 Main character types found in a workplace, and the person that deals with them. The person that is trying to convince someone else can be higher, lower, or on the same level as the person persuading.

What: Trying to persuade and convince employees of an idea. This can be as simple as trying to convince someone to do something (an example, a labour-intensive job), or trying to convince them to see your side on a new idea or goal for the company

When: does not seem to matter on time. This connects to what, as this and when are connected. When depends on what you are trying to convince

Where: in a workplace, specifics do not seem to matter as they can be generalised to all workplaces and settings within it. It can also be used outside of the workplace

Why: To convince employees to do something that way and/or see something the way that you want to see it. It may be small and insignificant, or big and company shaping. This can also be seen outside the workplace and can be used to persuade others such as family and friends.

Introduction and About Me:

 Hello, my name is Dylan Tully. I am a first-year business student at Canadian Mennonite University. This blog documents all my free creations for BUSI-2080W.