Veterinary Tech That Everyone Here Looks Down

¶ … veterinary tech that everyone here looks down on me" Ericka stated after the group leader asked her how her life was going. She sat near the door, her legs and arms crossed, clutching her coat and looking at the floor. The group, a focus group on how to improve interpersonal relationships, was composed of health care workers that were primarily doctors and nurses. "So what is on your mind?" The group leader asked again. Ericka then continued with her life issues, "Right now I am nervous because I have to move and I am in the process of changing jobs. I can't find a place that will fit my budget but I have to be out of my place in two days. I am getting real nervous and do not want to end up jobless and living on the street..." A well-dressed man in the back interrupted "Have you looked in the classifieds?" Another lady added "I have been in that situation, but with children, you only have to worry about yourself!" One of the ladies next to Ericka replied "Are you looking for low housing income?" Questions and judgments were hurled at her like ice balls in a winter snowball fight. Ericka seemed to take offense to the deluge of advice that followed and appeared quite upset. "We're only trying to help" said the man in the back. Over the commotion of the group offering advice or comparing their past strugglers to Ericka's current dilemma the group leader retorted, "Erica, you seem really upset. I can't help but think there is something else, something deeper that is bothering you. What is it?" Then all went quiet. The group members seemed offended as Ericka got up and left the room in tears. "She's a little off isn't she?" whispered the man in the back of the room.

Could (1969) described several barriers to effective communication that are relevant here: (1) Encoding barriers represent obstacles to forming the message such as a lack of sensitivity to the listener, a lack of communication abilities, and emotional interference in the formulation of the message. Ericka already had a pre-formulated opinion as to how her input and situation would be evaluated by the rest of the group. Was she aware that her own expectations and behavior could induce the exact attitude she was concerned about? What message did she transmit before the group even had a chance to evaluate her message? Did her body language set her up to be picked on? What would have happened if she would have directed the group with an open body posture and asked for feedback after her first statement? (2) Transmitting barriers represent complications with the sender and message such as physical distractions like noise (anything that actually interferes with the intent of the message) or sending conflicting messages. Ericka sent two different messages to the group. Was Ericka concerned that the group would not identify or accept her or did she want to get advice from the group concerning her living and employment situation? The group chose to answer the latter message and ignore the first. If Ericka would have been clear about her first concern what would have happened? By not concentrating on her initial statement and discussing her life and employment situation perhaps she legitimized her first concern in her own mind and with the group. (3) Decoding barriers represent hurdles that the receiver must be aware of in understanding the message such as a lack of interest in the message, poor listening practices, and emotional interferences. The group seemed not even to hear Ericka when she stated that she felt as if the group had a pre-conceived notion of her. Did they hear or consider Ericka's concern before offering advice? The group did not appear to consider Ericka's message at all and instead responded to her situation, thus confirming Ericka's preexisting opinion. (4) Responding barriers represent difficulties such as the sender allowing for no provision for feedback or the responder giving inadequate or inappropriate feedback. In this case the group offered advice to Ericka that she could received anywhere and did not consider how she felt about the group, which was the real concern for Ericka. Ericka, let her emotions get the best of her and instead of trying to communicate her real feelings again left the room offering no opportunity for anyone to resolve the issue.

Ericka's preconceived perceptions helped create a self-fulfilling prophecy for her in this situation. She expected no assistance or respect from the group and acted in a manner that helped extract this attitude from the group; however, the focus group was also at fault by failing to address Ericka's concerns about being "looked down" upon by them. The group leader, concentrating only on the emotional expression of Ericka asked a question that Ericka had already answered previously when at the end of the exchange she asked Ericka to tell the group what was really bothering her. Emotions, nonverbal expressions, and perceptions by both the group and Ericka led to a breakdown in this communication.

Ericka could have gotten her message across better by changing her body language and by recognizing that the group leader did not hear her message originally. Instead of sending conflicting messages (was she concerned that no one would accept her or was she concerned about her living situation?) she could have reiterated her original statement and asked for feedback regarding it before asking for further advice. When sending a message or asking a question it is crucial that the sender to be clear as to the message's intent and to understand their own preconceived expectations that could interfere with the message being understood by the receiver. Ericka could have repeated her first statement, perhaps giving examples of why she felt as he did, and asked for feedback from the group. This could have led to a discussion of the real issues.