Appendix

Observation Notes

Objective

Observe and note the types of communication and barriers, or lack of them within the selected target
group in a company.

Special conditions encountered

A service company was identified and approached for the assignment. Authourisation to observe was
granted under special conditions. The company and its staff are not to be identified in any form or
manor. The observer was not to distribute the collected information to any external company other
than the college and its appointed agents. The observer was not to try and intervene or give any advice
to the subjects other than for the sole purpose of seeking clarification on the process being observed.
The conditions were fully accepted by the observer.

Target Group

One manager was selected for the exercise. The manager has a team of between 15 and 20 technicians
under his control. These were to be observed in their interaction with the manager.

Types and levels of Communication observed

Subjects made extensive use of the telephone for communication. These were internal as well as
external. One conference call was observed during the observation period which was over two days with
one hour each per day. Several face to face conversations were held. One group meeting was also
observed.

Barriers noted

 During a conference a call the manager wanted to stop another participant from interjecting as
he still had a point to make. Body language showed evidently as he clenched jaws and looked up
the ceiling in frustration.
 Long pauses in between as participants did not know if the previous speaker had finished with
his contribution.
 Facial expression could not be seen by the other participants.
 Not easy to control
 Group meeting was dominated by a few of the most vocal members of the group and the
manager. Most members did not contribute much but were observed voicing their concerns in a
small group during a coffee break.
 No sufficient data to note on emails was observed as the writer had no access to the emails.
Findings

The telephone was the most used form of communication in the company. It was evident as observed
that non verbal communication plays a vital role for effective communication. In the conference call for
instance, the observed subject was no longer following the flow of events because the distant party
could not read the visual cues. In fact both parties missed out on each other’s contributions

Face to Face

There were rapid feedback and confirmation questions in all instances observed. Of particular interest
was the manager’s closing statement in all conversations. “How does that sound?” This was a feedback
seeking statement which ensures effective communication.