Communication Breakdown: A Professional Skills Case Study Analysis

This case study examines a scenario involving Paul, a client, and Laura, a conveyancer, to identify communication barriers and unprofessional conduct. Paul, seeking conveyancing services for a first-time property purchase, encounters a series of issues at AG Conveyancing, including a delayed appointment, an unattended reception, and a disorganized office. The analysis highlights differences in work ethics, with Paul demonstrating punctuality and Laura exhibiting a casual approach. Key communication barriers include Laura's use of jargon, lack of active listening due to distractions, and differing viewpoints on the urgency of Paul's case. The study concludes that Laura's unprofessionalism and inattentiveness led to Paul's dissatisfaction, emphasizing the importance of effective communication and professionalism in client interactions. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar case studies and solved assignments for academic support.

Running Head: PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Professional skills
Student’s Name
University Name
Author’s Note

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Scenario
The work ethics of Paul and Laura are different. Paul takes in a short time off from his office
lunch hours to meet the Conveyancer of AG Conveyancing. Since Paul and his partner Stephanie
had never purchased a property before, they were not acquainted with the conveyancing needs
for their property. In fact that is why it might be said that they did not have connection to any
good conveyancer. It is evident that AG conveyancing is a very small Enterprise which is not
proficient in its operations. This is evident from the unprofessional attitude with which they
treated Paul. Firstly it is worth mentioning that Paul and Stephanie could have approached a
different conveyancer easily, if they discovered that AG Conveyancing could not help them
properly in their case. However, it is evident from the nature of Paul that he is patient and
understanding. On the contrary, Laura the receptionist, is equally casual and non professional in
their attitude towards their client. This is why Paul had to wait outside the office of the
conveyancer for 15 minutes. Laura is not dedicated to her work and was not available in her
office also. This could either mean that she neglects her work or she does not get clients
regularly. It is clear that she was busy in some other work because of which the receptionist had
to call her to inform that Paul had been waiting in the office.
I also observed that Laura is not professional in her work. That is why her attitude in handling
her client is also not professional. We can also see files scattered on her table and this is certainly
not an exhibition of professionalism before the client.
She did not have the courtesy to ask Paul about the case for which he had come. In fact she also
seemed to disregard the fact that Paul was in a hurry. This is where the main communication
issue was aroused in the case scenario.

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Communication and interview issues
The first communication problem that can be identified here is the professional difference
between Paul and Laura. Paul believes in comprehensive timing where as Laura works in an
unscheduled manner. Although, this does not develop into an open conflict finally, after meeting
with Laura, Paul could have thought that he and Stephanie had taken the wrong decision by
consulting AG Conveyancer.
Another source of communication issue that could have aroused if Paul would have come
for a full time consultation date is that she would have demanded a professional approach from
the conveyancer since he needed serious guidance while buying a property for the first time and
as it seems he knew nothing about the legal obligations about buying a property1. This is why he
was absolutely professional in his approach. He was there for the consultation promptly on the
time when he should have been present. Although he had to leave his work for that, he managed
time somehow to consult the Conveyancer. Bounded by professionalism, he waited for 15
minutes in place of 10 minutes for the office to be open. However, leaving the office vacant in
the middle of the day is itself an exemplification of highest level of unprofessionalism2.
Nevertheless, Laura did not receive Paul with the seriousness she should have displayed while
meeting with a client3.
The use of jargon was a potential barrier to effective communication between Paul and
Laura. In the case study it is clearly mentioned that other than asking for the details of the agent
through whom Paul and Stephanie got hold of the property, he could understand nothing clearly
1 Koda, Keiko. "3 Integrated Communication skills approach." Reading to Learn in a Foreign Language: An
Integrated Approach to Foreign Language Instruction and Assessment (2018).
2 Kinnunen, Taina, and Jaana Parviainen. "Feeling the right personality. Recruitment consultants’ affective decision
making in interviews with employee candidates." Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies 6, no. 3 (2016): 5-21.
3 Duncan, Starkey, and Donald W. Fiske. Face-to-face interaction: Research, methods, and theory. Routledge, 2015.

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about what Laura asked for. This is why; in the case study Paul mentioned something about
statutory enquiries and stamp duty. This implies that he understood nothing about what Laura
wanted from him about the property. The use of jargon which refers to communication issue
arising from use of over complicated, unfamiliar as well as technical terms is justified here4. This
is because; Laura did not have the time to explain the complications regarding statutory enquiries
or stamp duties to Paul.
However, I feel that the most potential barrier to communication here was the obstruction
to effective listening. The obstruction in this case came from the end of Laura who showed lack
of interest and attention regarding what Paul had to say. Other causes of obstruction were
effective listening and destruction and irrelevance to the receiver5. In this case, the habit of
surfing social media websites by Laura and sticking to the phone call are the distractions that
prevented effective communication between Paul and Laura.
The last communication barrier that impacted the session of interview between Paul and
Laura is difference in perception and viewpoint. On one hand there was Paul who had never
purchased a property before in his life and hence treated this interview session with the
conveyancer with utmost importance. On the other hand Laura received the case from the
viewpoint of a conveyancer who did not feel the case of Paul to be critical at all6. Perhaps, this is
why there was a casual approach in Laura who simply asked Paul to leave back the details of the
purchase of property and simply communicated that she would call him if needed any time, next.
4 Ertmer, Peggy A., and Adrie A. Koehler. "Facilitation strategies and problem space coverage: comparing face-to-
face and online case-based discussions." Educational Technology Research and Development 66, no. 3 (2018): 639-
670.
5 Jensen, Ulrich Thy, Donald P. Moynihan, and Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen. "Communicating the Vision: How Face‐
to Face Dialogue Facilitates Transformational Leadership." Public Administration Review 78, no. 3 (2018): 350-361.‐
6 Wells, April. "Telephone and Face-to-Face Communication." In The Tech Professional's Guide to Communicating
in a Global Workplace, pp. 107-134. Apress, Berkeley, CA, 2018.

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Conclusion
In the issues highlighted after analysis of the case study it is evident that Paul was not at
all satisfied with the communication that he had with Flora during the interview session. He had
expected the conveyancer to be much more professional in her approach. However, he failed to
recognise the real professional differences as well as the personality issues that existed between
them. That is why I expected the same professional approach which he exhibited at the
conveyancer office. However, lack of attention, interest as well as destruction and irrelevance
had been potential communication barriers between conversation of Paul and Laura from the
beginning. Although these barriers to effective listening came from the end of Laura, it was Paul
who had to suffer because he was in a hurry to get back to his office. The use of jargon by Laura
and later sending Paul away without explaining them to him aggravated the complication in the
communication. Connecting all these points, it can be concluded in the end that Laura was an
interested in the session with Paul or she was absolutely unprofessional in her working field. The
frustration with which Paul left in the end is quite justified.

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Reference List
Duncan, Starkey, and Donald W. Fiske. Face-to-face interaction: Research, methods, and theory.
Routledge, 2015.
Ertmer, Peggy A., and Adrie A. Koehler. "Facilitation strategies and problem space coverage:
comparing face-to-face and online case-based discussions." Educational Technology Research
and Development 66, no. 3 (2018): 639-670.
Jensen, Ulrich Thy, Donald P. Moynihan, and Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen. "Communicating the
Vision: How Face‐to‐Face Dialogue Facilitates Transformational Leadership." Public
Administration Review 78, no. 3 (2018): 350-361.
Kinnunen, Taina, and Jaana Parviainen. "Feeling the right personality. Recruitment consultants’
affective decision making in interviews with employee candidates." Nordic Journal of Working
Life Studies 6, no. 3 (2016): 5-21.
Koda, Keiko. "3 Integrated Communication skills approach." Reading to Learn in a Foreign
Language: An Integrated Approach to Foreign Language Instruction and Assessment (2018).
Wells, April. "Telephone and Face-to-Face Communication." In The Tech Professional's Guide
to Communicating in a Global Workplace, pp. 107-134. Apress, Berkeley, CA, 2018.