Reflection: Interpersonal Communication Problem

In this post, I will be sharing one of the interpersonal communication problem I have recently experienced using the Gibb's Model of Reflection framework.

This incident took place during my internship stint at Ritz Carlton, where I worked as a housekeeping supervisor. On that particular day, I received an impromptu request from the front office department, requesting me to set up the guest room according to their requirements. Due to the imminent arrival of the guest and other incoming requests occurring simultaneously, I conveyed the instructions to the respective room attendant hastily. After the room was of ‘vacant clean’ status, I returned to inspect the room and found out that it was not prepared based on the guest specifications.

Reflecting back, neither had I performed my duties well nor communicated effectively with the room attendant, thus resulting in unfulfilled guest requests. This communication breakdown between the room attendant and I was partially due to the language and psychological barriers. While communicating, I overlooked the language proficiency of the room attendant, especially English language.  Moreover, due to the overwhelming workload on that day, I also displayed poor body language and appeared unapproachable. This acted as a constraint and prevented effective two-way communication between the room attendant and myself.     

To conclude, it was undeniable that I caused the problem and I learnt to be more aware of my verbal and non-verbal communication cues. In this way, my coworkers will then be more inclined to clarify with me regarding the instructions given. Lastly, I also understood that good communication can only take place after reducing obstacles such as language barriers.