Essay on Professional Communication: Analyzing a Workplace Scenario

This essay delves into a professional communication scenario where the author experienced a 'freeze' bio-reaction during a public reprimand from a supervisor. The essay details the environment, the stimulus (being criticized for a co-worker's mistake), and the resulting physical and psychosocial reactions. The author describes feeling humiliated, speechless, and overwhelmed, highlighting the physical sensations of a racing heart and dizziness. The essay also explores pre-event feelings of nervousness and post-event feelings of failure and embarrassment. Finally, it discusses the importance of responding differently in future similar situations by building confidence and self-awareness to overcome the freeze reaction. The essay emphasizes the need for clear communication and self-advocacy in a corporate environment.

Running head: ESSAY ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Essay on professional communication
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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ESSAY ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Table of Contents
Question 1:.................................................................................................................................3
Question 2:.................................................................................................................................3
Question 3:.................................................................................................................................4
Question 4:.................................................................................................................................4
Question 5:.................................................................................................................................4
Question 6:.................................................................................................................................4
Question 7:.................................................................................................................................5
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................6

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ESSAY ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Question 1:
The bio-reaction chosen for this paper depicts a professional communication scenario.
In this scenario the bio-reaction that I had faced had been freeze, where I could not move my
body or come up with a response, feeling paralysed by the fear and torment of the situation.
Describing the environment, I had once been criticized and reprimanded publicly by my
supervisor in a professional board meeting scenario. In this case, I had been criticized due to
the mistake of some other co-worker who had not been present in the scenario. Although,
being criticized in front of my whole team gave rise to the freeze response in me. As I felt all
the eyes in the room look at me I felt extremely flushed, my heart beats started to rush and
even though I had a strong urge to communicate the fact that I am not responsible for the
mishap but I could not even open my mouth.
Question 2:
Elaborating more on the stimulus which I predicted as a threat, the reprimand or the
rebuke which my supervisor dealt me with in front of the entire room had me feel extremely
humiliated and mortified. This had been the first instance where I had been convicted for the
erroneous job which had not been initially committed by me. Although I had been extremely
humiliated, I had not been able to communicate the fact that I had not been responsible for
the mishap. The supervisor kept hurling insults at me for being irresponsible and lacking
basic accountability while working in an organization, I would not even utter a single word.
The humiliation and shock of being convicted for something which I had into committed in
the first place, the unexpected rebuke was interpreted as a fierce threat by the amygdala and
brought forth the freeze bio-reaction in me.

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ESSAY ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Question 3:
Elaborating more on the bio-reaction, the stimulus was first elicited a stunning
response in me where I was stunned and rendered speechless. As the attention of the entire
room honed in on me I felt extremely humiliated and self-aware.
Question 4:
Discussing the physical sensation experienced during the bio-reaction, I was first
extremely stunned. As the people in the room started gossiping among themselves giving
doubtful glances at me my palms started to sweat and my heart beat increased drastically to
an extent where I could feel it in my ears. Soon I started feeling dizzy and was frozen and
speechless for the entire meeting, not able to speak out the fact that it had not been my
mistake.
Question 5:
Elaborating on the psychosocial reaction that I had experienced before the event, I
was nervous considering this had been my first professional board meeting. My nerves were
frayed and I was apprehensive of whether I would be able to carry out the experience
effectively. During the experience my feelings are mostly a blur, the astonishment and acute
mortification mixed with feeling frozen in place is all I can recall. Although, after the event
was over my feelings were of a failure, I was demoralized, embarrassed and extremely
humiliated at my own disability to stand up for myself.
Question 6:
Now in a similar situation, if I am faced with the similar threats or complications my
first honest effort would be to not let myself become acutely nervous before even the meeting
began. I would take additional cautionary care to ensure I am calm and collected before the
experience even began so that I am not overwhelmed if a repeat of the similar situation

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ESSAY ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
happens again. I will also ensure engaging myself in certain confidence building exercises, so
that I am not overwhelmed when my supervisors again mistakenly reprimand me for errors
that were not my responsibility.
Question 7:
The last section requires me to discuss why it is extremely necessary for me to react
differently when faced with a similar situation. First and foremost, I would like to mention
that a corporate professional work environment is sought with pressure and burnout.
Although, in order to survive, it is crucial to have a clear stand and the ability to speak up for
self when required. Confidence and self-awareness is a core competence for success in the
corporate field and the freeze bio-reaction that I encountered when being questioned or
reprimanded for an error that I had not committed, such an attitude will always be a huge
hindrance in my path of success. It is crucial for me to overcome the fear and apprehension
and overcoming the freeze reaction and not letting it happen ever again will be the first step
in that direction.

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ESSAY ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Bibliography:
Harrison, L. A., Ahn, C., & Adolphs, R. (2015). Exploring the structure of human defensive
responses from judgments of threat scenarios. PloS one, 10(8), e0133682.
Jones, C. E., & Monfils, M. H. (2016). Fight, flight, or freeze? The answer may depend on
your sex. Trends in neurosciences, 39(2), 51-53.
Maack, D. J., Buchanan, E., & Young, J. (2015). Development and psychometric
investigation of an inventory to assess fight, flight, and freeze tendencies: The fight,
flight, freeze questionnaire. Cognitive behaviour therapy, 44(2), 117-127.
Roelofs, K. (2017). Freeze for action: neurobiological mechanisms in animal and human
freezing. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences, 372(1718), 20160206.
Tovote, P., Fadok, J., Esposito, S., Botta, P., Krabbe, S., Herry, C., ... & Luthi, A. (2018). 29.
Central Amygdala and Periaqueductal Grey Circuits for Active and Passive
Responses to Threat. Biological Psychiatry, 83(9), S11-S12.