CASE STUDY 1 You work in Human Resources for a large insurance company called InsureCo, and are largely responsible for conducting induction programs for new trainees. Most of these trainees dont know each other so the sessions are also a good opportunity for them to network with others who are joining the organisation. Todays event only had a small number of participants, which you generally prefer as it allows everyone more time to talk, ask questions and clarify areas of uncertainty.

As the trainees arrived and introduced themselves you noticed one participant, Cal, greeted everyone by vigorously shaking hands and enthusiastically slapping people on the shoulders. Some of the group turned away from him soon as they could. Cal continued talking, playfully punching another group member, Jye, as he told a joke. It seemed as though Jye found these punches quite painful; he rubbed his arm frequently, looked to the floor, and frowned.

Later in the morning Cal became involved in heated discussion with another trainee, Lucy, during a team building exercise. He pounded the table as he stressed his point of view, while Lucy spoke louder and with more emphasis as the argument escalated. You had to diplomatically intervene, speaking in a calm, measured tone while helping them to work towards a solution. You smiled and tried to make eye contact with both team members as you spoke.

Afterwards Cal apologised to Lucy, and while she accepted this apology with an abrupt nod, she frowned as she said, Sure, thats absolutely fine.

INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT QUESTIONS SOURCES: As sources, use the textbook AND one more academic source (book or academic journal article) to justify your arguments.

1. Discuss the roles of verbal and nonverbal components in the communication process. (200 words max)

2. Identify one classification of nonverbal communication (from Week 3) evident in the case. Define it and use case-based evidence to explain how it is evident to you. (150 words max) Hints:

What is the area of discussion? What are the main topics? Provide evidence from the case to justify your discussion.