Business Communication 9th Edition by Amy Newman

Exercise 19

Listen to an employee's explanation.
In the Write Experience exercise, "A Matter of Convenience," you are Karl Martin, the manager of Crikey, a convenience store. You received several complaints from regular customers that the store was closed for about an hour and a half after opening time.
From video footage, you know that Anne Jackson, the employee who was expected to open the store, showed up one and a half hours late. Further, she reported these hours on her timesheet, even though she clearly didn't work the time.
In front of the class, have two students role play a discussion between Karl and Anne. As Anne, admit that you were not at the store, but give the following explanations:
You had to go to the doctor to follow up on your recent kidney transplant.
You are a widow and support three children, one of whom has special needs.
You often work overtime to prepare the store for the next day, and you never claim those hours.
As Karl, you will want to listen to Anne. Be sure to use good paraphrasing and reflecting skills. Also explain that Anne should put in for overtime pay-which she fully deserves-but that she is expected to work regular store hours. Problem solve with Anne to avoid this situation in the future. Students who observe the interaction should use the checklist provided in Exercise 7.
After the discussion, first have Anne describe how she felt. In what ways did she feel that Karl was empathizing with her Next, students who were observing the scenario can give Karl feedback: for which skills did you rate Karl most highly, and which skills could Karl most improve
Reference: Observe someone listening.
Working in groups of three, have one person talk about a difficult decision he or she needs to make. As he or she describes the situation, have a second person listen, using skills discussed in this chapter. The listener does not need to give advice or help the speaker solve the problem; he or she merely needs to listen. The third person in your group should take notes on how the listener uses the skills in Figure 24.
After about five minutes of conversation, have both the speaker and observer give feedback to the listener. Which skills were used most effectively, and which skills could the listener improve
If you have time, switch roles so everyone has a chance to practice listening skills.