Upper Intermediate Stories

Miscommunication
Listen to the story and put in the missing words.

At work we typically spend 75 percent of our time in interpersonal situations. It is no surprise find that poor communication is at the root of a significant number of problems within organisations.

We have all been since we were babies so we often overlook the complexity. There is a lot room for potential error.

If a parent says to teenager, ‘Did you do the ?’ it may be a simple enquiry. However, the teenager may it as a reprimand. In their mind they getting in trouble or their parent is calling them lazy or disorganised. Their answer to their may be aggressive. The parent is likely be bewildered at the rude behaviour of their teenager.

We often hear someone something and we think, what did she really mean? Often the message that heard is very different from the one that was intended. This happens within cultures the problem can be exaggerated when we interact across cultures.