Can you help rewrite this over?

The assignment; In your post, you should briefly outline your analysis of the employee's reaction. The bulk of your response should outline how you would respond as a manager, assuming your priority is to manage and reduce the level of conflict.

In the Simulated Employee Dispute, I chose to take Option 2 as the approach, asking Chris about his work performance. My response would be as follows:

"Chris, the reason for calling this meeting with you and asking your opinion about your work performance is because there has been a noticeable decline in your work. Not only has there been a decline, but it has become noticeable within the office. Since your hiring, your work has always met the standards and goals of our organization. I wanted to give you the opportunity to explain if there are any ongoing issues, professionally or personally, that you think may be causing this issue. If there's an issue, let's figure out the best way to solve the problem. Once we've resolved the issue, let's meet back together and map out a plan to help get your work performance back to where it once was".

I chose to respond in this manner because I wanted to address the issue with Chris but not put him in a defensive position. Making him defensive could be counterproductive and problematic, which could fall into what is identified as the dark side of interpersonal communication. As a manager, my goal would be to resolve the issue of his performance and get his production back to standard. I chose to lead the conversation by giving him the opportunity to express his opinion about his performance and create a productive dialogue. Bevan writes (2020) in Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication that an overlooked conversation process is "turn-taking," which allows both parties to speak and listen. When addressing an issue with someone as a manager, I want to be as fair as possible, giving the employee space to be heard.