Enhancing Business Communication and Collaborative Working Skills

This study focuses on improving communication and collaboration skills in the workplace through the evaluation of personal experiences using the Gibbs reflective model. It highlights the importance of overcoming language barriers, negative attitudes, and privacy issues to enhance professional growth and organizational success.

Business Communication and Collaborative Working
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Table of contents
Introduction:........................................................................................................................3
Discussion:..........................................................................................................................4
Conclusion:........................................................................................................................10
References:....................................................................................................................................11
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Introduction:
Collaboration and communication in the workplace for business purpose is nothing new.
Communication has become too much important in health care and other industries by which
people can connect with others throughout the world. In recent years, faster internet connection
and cloud computing are considered as the best tools that enables the employees to communicate
effectively with the colleagues.
In this current study, collaborative skills and personal communication have been evaluated
through the Gibbs reflective model. For doing this, one specific incidence will be chosen and
magnified to get a clear concept. Based on this, the personal development plan will also be
generated to maximize the strength and resolving the weaknesses.
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Discussion:
Communication in the workplace is very much essential for teamwork (Coombs, 2014). It is
necessary to identify the particular breakdown in the collaboration at workplaces that in turn
helps the employees to correct the issues. Communication process has some of the core
principles, such as,
 Know the exact purpose
 Know the audiences
 Achieve the trust and credibility of audiences
 Present information in different ways
 Anticipate objections
 Develop a useful and practical way in order to get the feedbacks
I have been working in the most popular healthcare industries in UK, Westfield Health since the
last 10 years. During my long working spell, I have faced several communication and
collaboration related issues with the other employees. Language barrier is one of those. It
sometimes becomes so much critical that hampers the company’s admiration and growth by my
side.
Through the use of Gibbs’ Reflective model, I have identified this particular problem. Last
month, one of Canadian customer had visited our office. He was totally from a different ethnic
background; I was facing a critical trouble to communicate with him. He was severely injured
with a critical leg fracture. But I was totally unable to understand that what he was trying to say.
I was just thinking to help him by any means because he had lost his abilities to stand straight
even. As his pain was not bearable, this was really the worst situation I had ever faced. I just
helped to take the patient in the Critical Care Unit as soon as possible. This language barrier
issues made me develop a feeling of guilt.
Skills Type of goals Steps that
will be taken
to enhance
the skills
Resources
required
Time Scale Supervisor’s
comments
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To overcome
‘language
barrier’
problem
Medium term I have to learn
some of the
foreign
languages in
order to cope
with this
language
barrier issue
in my
workplace.
I have joined
a crash course
or session that
will in turn
help me to
enhance my
language
barrier
problem.
Articles,
Journals,
PDFs, online
portals,
Books,
authentic
websites
4 weeks I have asked
many people
for getting the
accurate
feedbacks
from them
regarding my
language
barrier issue.
If they give
me positive
feedbacks, it
ensures that I
have
improved a
lot to sort out
my language
problem. If
good
feedbacks are
not received, I
will have to
modify my
training more
to enhance
my skill.
Negative attitudes of the workers, office employees and the patients interfere largely with the
process of communication (Derwing et al. 2014). I have also faced another critical situation
based on the negative attitudes of my co-workers.
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Figure: Gibbs’ Reflective Model
(Source: Holtgrewe, 2014)
I was in the position of making specific bills and structure of one patient. Though it was not my
job, but the person who managed this billing process was absent for that day. I was totally
unknown of that field, so the mistakes were not so absurd. When I was making the bill during
emergency, I forgot to check the previous amounts properly that was paid by the patient’s party.
I checked the rest but one day billing was missing there. When I understood my mistake, I called
another one regarding that field to sort out this problem.
I was so tensed and nervous that I just cannot explain it to anyone. One thing that stuck in my
mind that time is, this one billing mistake can hamper the company’s overall reputation, profit
and growth just for my fault. When I called one of my co-workers, he behaved too rudely that it
was completely unbearable for me. This issue was not that much critical, which could not be
resolved. I just called him to restore the previous day’s file. But as per his own opinion, all the
previous day’s files had removed and nothing will be found. It created a complete distrust
between both of us. We tried to communicate in a proper way but nothing could resolve this
problem.
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I had got a totally indifferent attitude from that person that I could never expect. Further, it
developed a ‘don’t care’ attitude in any of the important things discussed. As no trust was there
in our workplace communication, it really hampered my work for several days.
Skills Type of goals Steps that
will be taken
to enhance
the skills
Resources
required
Time Scale Supervisor’s
comments
To resolve the
‘Negative
attitudes’ of
the co-
workers
Long term Trust should
be built
among the
employees
I have to
work more
actively
within my
workplace.
Articles,
Journals,
Pdfs, online
portals,
Books,
authentic
websites
6 weeks I have to ask
my colleagues
and other
employees for
getting their
feedbacks
regarding the
‘negative
attitudes’
issue. If I can
receive
positive
feedbacks, it
ensures I have
developed the
positive
attitudes that
will in turn
help to
achieve the
goals of my
company.
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According to Holtgrewe, 2014, when there is a very little communication, it becomes actually
private. It simply occurs in the workplace environment. Other persons can easily overhead the
verbal communication within the organisation. One thing that needs to be considered is instant
messaging and email messages. These are very much susceptible to hacking. If all the private
data and information are hacked to some extent, it creates a large problem for the employees. All
the private data are fully confidential so hacking leaves greater negative impact on the career and
growth of that person facing this issue (Zohar and Polachek, 2014).
I was one of those individual who has faced this hacking issues in my workplace. Several
confidential information regarding business strategies, financial reports, and many other wealth
related data in my profile has been hacked by another organisation. I did not find the exact
reason of hacking or how all my confidential data and information were hacked. It really
embarrassed me a lot because it was related to the liability issues. This critical issue taught me a
lot and I became aware of my further mistakes. One thing that stuck in my mind that time was,
this could hurt the business by which the profitability and overall growth would hamper. It
ensures that I would be blamed for everything and the management would terminate me anytime
they wish to.
But, the incident did not reach that extent and it was then resolved within short span of time. I
felt relieved. I sorted out this issue by restoring all the confidential files and financial reports. As
it was totally dependent on my career, I was getting crazy to find out those files by any means
and lastly I was successful. It developed a negative impact on the whole management and I am
really shameful for my faults.
Skills Type of
goals
Steps that will
be taken to
enhance the
skills
Resources
required
Time Scale Supervisor’s
comments
To overcome
the ‘Privacy’
problem
Short term Effective
communication
with the
employees is
must in
Articles,
Journals,
PDFs, online
portals,
Books,
3 weeks I have to talk
to my co-
workers
regarding the
‘Privacy’ issue.
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workplace.
I have to be
more proactive
for the privacy
issues.
I have to be
honest as an
employee of
this specific
organization to
share all the
trusted
information,
except some
important
financial data
that cannot be
shared.
I have to
communicate
frequently with
other
employees
without being
nervous if
facing hacking
or privacy
issues.
I have to
empower the
leaders of this
authentic
websites
If they give me
positive
feedbacks, it
ensures, the
privacy issue
of
communication
has been
resolved.
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healthcare
industry for
exact
communication
with others.
Here, trust
should always
be needed.
Conclusion:
These three incidents have taught me a lot by which I have received many important data and
information. With the use of Gibbs’ model, the communication and collaboration between the
employees in the workplace determine how to effectively collaborate with the co-workers in
order to achieve the goals and objectives of the company. From the personal and professional
development plan, it has been observed that several important skills and resources are required to
sort out the language barrier problem, negative attitudes issue and the Privacy problems of
communication. In order to resolve the privacy problem in communication, I have to encourage
the leaders, be more proactive to face this issue. As described earlier, I have to be engaged in any
crash course or session to improve the language barrier issue.
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References:
Budka, K.C., Deshpande, J.G. and Thottan, M., 2016. Communication networks for smart grids.
Springer London Limited.
Chan, C.K.C. and Hui, E.S.I., 2014. The dynamics and dilemma of workplace trade union reform
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Social Regulations (pp. 203-217). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Coombs, W.T., 2014. Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding.
Sage Publications.
Derwing, T.M., Munro, M.J., Foote, J.A., Waugh, E. and Fleming, J., 2014. Opening the window
on comprehensible pronunciation after 19 years: A workplace training study. Language
Learning, 64(3), pp.526-548.
Holtgrewe, U., 2014. New new technologies: the future and the present of work in information
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pp.780-797.
van den Eertwegh, V., van Dalen, J., van Dulmen, S., van der Vleuten, C. and Scherpbier, A.,
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working contexts in postgraduate training. Patient education and counseling, 95(1), pp.91-97.
Zohar, D. and Polachek, T., 2014. Discourse-based intervention for modifying supervisory
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field study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(1), p.113.
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