1. From the interaction does it seem to you that Alan is actively listening? Why or why not?
I don’t feel that Alan is using active listening at all during his interactions with his employees. Being mindful is the first step to communicating effectively. In her book, Interpersonal Communication, Wood states “that instead of focusing on information, we concentrate on what lies between and behind the content in order to understand what another is feeling, thinking, needing, or wanting in a conversation” (2013, pg.158). Alan shows this unwillingness to be mindful in both interactions with his employees. He concentrates on the negative and doesn’t care or concern himself with the reasoning for his employee’s shortcomings. Wood also suggests that initially one should avoid passing judgments. “Imposing our own judgments separates us from others and their feelings” (Wood, 2013, pg.158). During the first interaction, Alan starts the conversation by criticizing the woman for working too slow and how it is in turn slowing the entire team. This leads to the employee feeling that her job is now being threatened, leaving them both feeling uncomfortable and ineffective. 2. Describe how Alan’s opening thoughts on his job, narrated in the video, affect his approach to the performance reviews. Does Alan’s view of his job foster a negative or positive work atmosphere with his employees? Explain.
Alan had extremely negative self-talk regarding his performance at work which lead to a very negative atmosphere with his employees. He feels “inadequate” and his employees tend to resent him after the performance interviews. I think that by thinking these negative thoughts they exude into his actions and behaviors. I think his inability to listen is best described by Wood as “Preoccupation” (2013, pg. 150). He is so concerned with his own feelings of inadequacy that he is unable to