Proper Response Style Analysis

After reading your post, I understand that there was bound to be a lot of frustration with this situation. It is easy to get flustered in this type of situation and say things that would most generally never be mentioned in a normal situation. As you mentioned in your post, I feel that one of the proper response styles would have been empathy versus indifference in this particular situation. The author of the book mentions that “In either case, it is important to reflect on content and feelings in your own words so your partner can determine the degree of your understanding,” (Brownell 273). In your situation, this response style would have been beneficial from both the director and employee standpoint in order to take all feelings and other
Many people seem upset by this and would like to discuss it as a group.” Another piece of advice that I could offer would be to use more “I” language, instead of so much “You” language. From reading your post, it sounds as if there was a lot of blame aimed at the higher up individuals. As the author mentions in the chapter, “To avoid evaluative language, become aware of the way in which you present ideas,” (Brownell 273). In your situation, it would have helped eliminate a lot of the blame if each individual took the time to put themselves in the shoes of the director. Since this situation is very tense, it may be difficult for the other employees to see that everyone may be facing a pay cut. It may seem as though the higher paid individuals are taking money from others by initiating these pay cuts, but in reality everyone is facing a pay reduction in order to save the school from closing. Instead of making the individuals feel guilty for the pay cut, it would be beneficial to say “I am very upset by this pay cut and would like to know what the future
The book mentions that “Much more support can be obtained if problems are approached from a problem-solving orientation, where everyone involved is asked for his or her input,” (Brownell 273). It seems as though this conversation was very one-sided. I think that the director should have allowed for individuals to have their input on the proper way to handle this situation. Instead of saying that the situation is not fair or that people were planning on quitting over the summer does not solve any of the issues. It probably would have been wise to say instead, “I feel as if this situation needs to be discussed in more detail. Many people have questions they would like to have answered and the best way to do that would be to come back another day and discuss this with clear minds.” I realize that this was a difficult situation for everyone, but following with these responses would have helped make the situation more supportive instead of