Action Inquiry: An Interactive Approach to Interpersonal Communication

Communication is and always been an integral part of the life of an organization and in a corporate world. It is a process of sharing ideas, information and messages among individuals in order to arrive at a mutual understanding and fulfillment of goals and objective. Ironic it may seem that in the corporate world or even in an organization the usual mode of communication being circulated would always take in the form of formal communication like letters, memos , reports and the like but in reality essential requisites with our communication usually deals with our daily interactions with the people around us and most of the time informal in nature because what composes an organization or corporation are the people and it’s fundamental, and universal desire to interact with each other Thus, there is a need to improve and develop communication practices and approaches to make it a part of the way we are (mutuality) in order to be more effective in achieving our objectives and accomplishing the goals we set. A popular approach presented by Rodolfo Ang is the Action Inquiry. Based on the sample situation presented on the Case of the Abusive Officemate, when we speak of Action Inquiry it means doing something out of the situation (e.g. talking with immediate superior or talking with the person involved about how you feel about the situation and how it affects you and your work) and reflecting and questioning ( e.g. in your own mind, or in conversation with others) It goes with testing one’s assumptions publicly by talking to co-workers and others that can validate or invalidate one’s assumptions about the person and his or her behavior and plan subsequent course of action accordingly. It is unwise to privately test your own assumption and draws your own conclusion based on the assumption that has never been externally tested nor validated. Publicly testing our assumptions and attributions help us to gain a more accurate reading of the situation that we are faced with and enables us to consider more truly valid courses of action. Next approach lies on Good framing which involves choice of time and place, choice of “opening lines”, tone of voice, stated reason for seeking interaction. These are elements that can strongly influence chances for a successful interaction. Good framing is an effective communication practice because it will help us maximize our chances when assumptions are necessary, they are clearly presented as assumption rather than as a conclusion and are subject to public testing. Proper framing helps us to be more effective because it is unambiguous and clearly expresses the way we truly feel which reduces the likelihood of misinterpretation or misunderstanding. Good framing therefore must be clear, not ambiguous; it makes no assumption that are not tested; it is honest not manipulative. One needs to be perceptive and heighten ones’ awareness of the importance of framing so that we can use it in our everyday interaction and not just for the big ones that we have the luxury of preparing in advance. Along with proper framing comes illustration. In the course of our interaction/ discussion, we may probably have ideas to propose and discuss, point of view to raise for consideration and course of action to advocate and with the use of concrete examples to illustrate our points is highly effective means of interpersonal communication. Illustrations help to magnify the points we are making and can often demonstrate external validity of these points. Public testing help us to see clearly whether or not we arrived at a valid or correct interpretations of the actions and events that we have experienced. The next element in play in order to have an effective interpersonal communication is on the kind of Inquiry and feedback we solicited in the course of our interaction. Authentic inquiry requires an answer but has no definite answer in mind. Effective communication is always a two way dialogue where the other person’s ideas, reactions or feelings are elicited. It is a good communication practice when we avoid playing monologue, we can not learn more about the people and situation around us if from the start we assume that we already have a monopoly on intelligence and insights. In the course of publicly testing our assumptions we are seeking feedbacks from the other party. We are asking them how they feel about the statement that we have made, or what they think of the course of action we advocated we are actually seeking feedback and If we honestly want to hear what they have to say, we should also be flexible enough to modify our plan of action based on the feedback that we received. In summation, Action Inquiry is an approach in interpersonal communication that is built around the concept of transformational learning that individuals, teams and whole organization can undertake whereby, we attune ourselves to inquiry to acting in an increasingly timely and wise fashion for the overall development of ourselves, our colleagues, friends, and family, and the wider world in general. It entails proper framing. Avoidance in making attributions/assumptions without validation or publicly testing them, Using illustrations as a powerful way of supporting our statement and whenever we make decision or advocate certain course of action , we should also try to find out the reactions of the parties that are affected and actively solicit their suggestion for improvement and to be truly effective in our interpersonal relations , we should constantly seek honest feedback on our behavior, and at the same time give constructive feedback to people around us for improvement. We need to be flexible , we need to think and act on our feet and in every advocacy or course of action one has to take , it has to be followed by inquiry, every inquiry demands a response, and every response requires our action or reaction. Feedback should not be passively awaited, but actively sought through positive inquiry.

Reaction: I find the article very enriching, it gives insight as to the kind of interaction one should advocate for in connection with our interaction with family, friends, colleague, subordinates and even the world in particular. The biggest problem is can I do it? I have a tendencies of looking at myself as not capable of doing it right, of just accepting attributes hurled my way never bothered to validate its truthfulness and justify it as “we can not please everybody”. I hope that I have the courage to change my perception and ready to tackle the world in anticipation of making it better. It maybe a long and winding road but I hope that I can make it and make my mark into this world.