Page 171 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

Appendix A 160

assignments instead that were not very much work. You have worked on the interview
scheme with John (your partner for the interviewing project), but he did the interview by
himself and has also written the report on it because you did not have time. You think
that practising and getting feedback is really stupid. You had not expected that Stewart
would flunk you because that seldom happens with practical training sessions. You are
now in trouble because of the impending internship period. That failed grade needs to be
changed into a pass! You have gone to Chris Clarke and he is willing to help the two of
you to find a solution.

Role of head of department Chris Clarke

Student Louis Lowe has asked you to mediate in a conflict he has with one of the
teachers of communications skills, Simone Stewart. Lowe has just not been able to
convince her on his own. You have spoken with Simone Stewart on previous occasions
but she was very determined in her opinion that this grade should remain a fail. When
reviewing the case you still feel that a solution must be found: maybe an additional
assignment in the area that the student clearly has not mastered yet. You know that
Stewart suspects Lowe has not worked on the interview, but what can you do with
suspicions. They have to come out into the open, otherwise this will drag on and on. You
decide to hear the different views of the situation first.
Use the model on conflict management described in Chapter 14 (see Figure 14.1).

Role of observer
Observers should evaluate the role play according to the guidelines in Appendix B on
role play (pp. 186–191).

Chapter 15 Negotiating

Exercise 15.1 The secondhand bike
Divide the group into subgroups of three: two negotiators and one observer.

Role of negotiator A
You are going for a cycling and canoeing holiday in France this summer. You have
reserved two seats with your friend on the bus of the travel agency France Individuelle.
The trip has been booked and paid for. However, this week your racing bicycle, which
you bought last year, has been stolen. In view of the limited time you have till your
holiday, you have to find a good secondhand racer really fast. You come across an ad in
the local paper where a racing bicycle is offered for £300. It is two years old and has ten
gears. You make an appointment to check out the bike.
Decide for yourself what you really want. What type of bike do you want for this
holiday? What kind of extra things would you like it to have? Lights? Luggage rack?