THE WRONG WAY TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

Steve stopped at the local deli for lunch. He was in a hurry to place the order for himself and his coworkers, and he was greeted by an employee who yawned as he looked at Steve. Scratching his head with his pencil, he said Hey man, whaddyawant?

Steve began to give his order: Ill have a turkey and Swiss on whole wheat with mayo and tomatoes. . .. As he spoke, he noticed that the employee kept looking at the door whenever someone came in. Steve finished his order, a ham on rye with mustard, and a pastrami on rye with mustard.

The employee said Okay, a ham on rye and a pastrami on rye. What do you want on em?

As Steve answered mustard in an annoyed tone, he wondered if the employee had gotten the rest of the order. Did you get the turkey and Swiss, the roast beef, and the tuna salad?

Without looking up, the employee said Yeah in an agitated voice.

Steve said: Im in a hurry. How long do you think itll take? The employee shrugged nonchalantly. It shouldnt take long. He strolled slowly to the back room with Steves order. Before Steve left, he checked his order because he was not certain the employee had gotten it right.

What Went Wrong?

How Did the Customer Feel?

Write examples of how you can improve the Steves experience.