Assignment 2: A Persuasive Complaint Letter

WRITTEN BY:

CHEN XIAONI, Renee 53635420

LUI LAIKING, Kimmy 53970571

WU XIAOXU, Effie 53659791

Conflicts often take place in day-to-day life that can be at workplace or personal life. When people come together with different needs and goals, they tend toward their own interests or benefits among the group, in which, disagreement and conflict will be occurred.

In fact, conflicts are inevitable that if we can solve them in proper methods, it really help leading personal and professional growth by learning them in a healthy way is crucial. However, when conflict is mismanaged, it can harm the relationship and quickly turn into personal dislike. In many cases, effective conflict resolution can make the difference between positive and negative outcomes.

According to Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann identified five main styles are Competitive, Collaborative, Compromising, Accommodating & Avoiding to deal with conflict that vary in their degrees of cooperativeness and assertiveness. They argued that people typically have a preferred conflict resolution style. However they also noted that different styles were most useful in different situations. They developed the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) which helps to identify which style tends towards when conflict arises.
(Mind Tools Ltd, 1996-2015 _ By Ruth Hill and the Mind Tools Team)

Competitive The style can be useful when there is an emergency and a decision needs to be made fast. However it can leave people feeling bruised, unsatisfied and resentful when used in less urgent situations.

Collaborative People tending towards a collaborative style try to meet the needs of all people involved. This style is useful when you need to bring together a variety of viewpoints to get the best solution.

Compromising People who prefer a compromising style try to find a solution that will at least partially satisfy everyone. Compromise is useful when the cost of conflict is higher than the cost of losing ground, when equal strength opponents are at a standstill and when there is a deadline looming.

Accommodating This person is not assertive but is highly cooperative. However people may not return favors, and overall this approach is unlikely to give the best outcomes.

Avoiding This style is typified by delegating controversial decisions, accepting default decisions, and not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. In many situations this is a weak and ineffective approach to take.

Methods for Resolving Conflict

Resolving conflict in effective ways that can be an opportunity for learning, growth and positive change. By using a proper way to address conflict that is direct and assertive while also respectful and diplomatic, therefore, some practical strategies can be adopted as the followings:

- (TheHuffingtonPost.com Updated on 02/27/2014_ By Joyce Marter)

Pause and get grounded Breathe deeply (in through your nose, down to your stomach and out through your mouth) to calm yourself. Check in with your body and recognize if there are any physical discomforts that are exacerbating your emotional agitation (i.e., hunger, fatigue, etc.).

Zoom out to gain perspectiveMake sure you address the appropriate person. Identify the real issue and don't argue about the minutia if there is a deeper core issue that needs to be addressed. Choose your battles: let the little stuff go and care about yourself enough to address the important matters. 

Become aware of your nonverbal communication. Be aware of your facial expressions, hand gestures, and body language to ensure you are sending the message that you want to be received.

Avoid behaviors that add fuel to the fire. Physical or verbal abuse is never acceptable. Avoid improper behaviors during conflict: criticism (attacking the person's character); contempt (insults and nonverbal hostility, like eye rolling); stonewalling (shutting down); and defensiveness (seeing self as victim.)

Reflect empathy The ability to show you understand how the other person feels is perhaps the single most powerful communication skill. It allows the person to feel heard and diffuses conflict. You do not have to agree with their perspective, but you can show you understand their feelings.

Take responsibility for yourself. Save everybody time by owning up to your own poor behaviors. This is not a sign of weakness, rather it demonstrates awareness and integrity and will likely expedite successful resolution. Make sincere and timely amends and apologies.

Use assertive communication. Avoid being passive (weak in setting boundaries); aggressive (hostile or entitled); or passive-aggressive (acting out through indirect behaviors like slamming a door or not responding to an email). Stay in the present and don't dredge up old issues from the past.

Be open and flexible.  
Listen and really hear the other person. Ask questions to gather information that will be clarifying. Consider other perspectives or solutions. Look for the compromise or "win-win." You can advocate for yourself in the context of a relationship and if resolution cannot be achieved, you can empower yourself to change the boundaries of that relationship or perhaps even end it altogether.

Forgive
Recognize that people come into our lives for a reason and even negative experiences are opportunities for growth. Be grateful for the learning experience, work towards acceptance, forgive and let go of the past. Consciously choose how you want to move forward.

Ladder of Inference

Regarding Chris Argyris, an organizational psychologist, who was first put forward The Ladder of Inference to illustrate the thinking process, it helps people to get the fact before making a decision or taking action in reality. People can be confident that their reasoning is firmly based on the true facts, and avoid jumping into conclusion too fast.

Following the ladder step-by-step reasoning can lead to better results are based on reality, so avoiding unnecessary mistakes and conflicts. At each stage, ask yourself WHAT you are thinking and WHY, then analyze each step that may need to adjust your reasoning. Because of analyzing the reason to work back down the ladder can help trace the facts and reality is actually working with. (A ladder shown in Figure 1)

(Mind Tools Ltd, 1996-2015 _ By Ruth Hill and the Mind Tools Team)

Figure 1: The Ladder of Inference

Knowledge Management _ SMCR

In applying Berlo’s model of communication to take into account the emotional aspect of the message. The speaker in the central position and suggests that the speaker is the one who drives the entire communication as below SMCR model.

(www.managementstudyguide.com ­_ Management Study Guide (MSG)) 

• S - Stands for Source 
• M - Message 
• C - Channel 
• R - Receiver

A Persuasive Compliant Letter

Today, our team will share a persuasive compliant letter that Kimmy wrote to Park’n Shop supermarket regarding her mother-in-law (as a victim) was insulted by a woman (as an offender) who works for Park’n Shop. That was clearly a misunderstanding incident, one day the victim bought things at Park’n shop, the security alarm near the main door was ringing due to the victim wore a sweater with attaching its security tag had not been demagnetizing.

Dear Ms. Lo _ Customer Services Department

To recap our phone conversation just now, the incident occurred at Park’n Shop on May 21st 2014 morning around 11am. When my mother-in-law paid the bill and ready to leave the supermarket, the security sensor was ringing. And that, a woman wore Park’n shop uniform comes to check my mother’s shopping bag. Indeed, NO unpaid goods found from her bag. However, this woman still yelled the false alarm caused by my mother’s sweater. She not only loudly said my mother-in-law had not paid for her sweater, but also warned my mother-in-law “Ok! You can leave now…..we don’t take you to police” in public area. Many people around there looked at her how to treat my mother-in-law impolitely, and my mother-in-law felt embarrassing so much. Park’n shop as a well-known supermarket chain stores in Hong Kong, I have never thought that of Park’n shop allow their staff to treat the elderly in VERY RUDE attitude.

Understand your staff was responsible when false alarm rang and needed take further action to check the customer’s shopping bag, but she immediately jumped into conclusion without thinking process whether Park’n shop can retail sweaters in Marks & Spencer’s brand. Because of her quick decision to believe the sweater hasn’t been paid, and lacks of empathy to listen what the elderly’s explanation was. It caused my mother-in-law feels bruised and unsatisfied as many people around there watching your staff to insult her by saying “Ok! You can leave now…..we don’t take you to police”.

Indeed, I don’t think you staff are adequate to deliver a proper message in right attitude instead it seems threaten an almost 80 years old lady and blame her did something wrong at Park’n shop. Once your staff needs to deal with the elderly, try adopting the effective way to communicate the elderly by taking the suitable channels i.e. be more patient to hear what they explain, see what goods that Park’n shop don’t have, it can really help to communicate each other and away from the mistaken situation.

I am really upset with angry that my mother-in-law was being insulted at this supermarket. The sweater she wore which I had bought for her. Right now, she fears to go Park’n shop and becomes a nervous person. She can’t go alone supermarket as she is anxious to be suspected a thief.

Last but not least, I strongly appeal that Park’n Shop to send me an explanatory notice with apologize for my mother-in-law.

Look forward to hearing from your reply soon!




Kimmy LUI
May 22nd 2014

Analysis & Conclusion

The offender just tended toward a competitive style to make a quick decision as she believe her thought is right and jumped into conclusion too fast without thinking process to determinate the victim didn’t pay for her sweater. She has never found the way to resolve the conflict although the victim raised the reason of protecting herself away from the trouble. If the offender avoids her behaviors to criticize and contempt the victim, instead, she can reflect empathy by trying to understand how the victim feels, listen and really hear the victim to explain herself. Then, consider other perspectives or solutions to look for the compromise or ‘Win-Win’. Finally, to realize it is misunderstanding situation, there is no need being complained by customer.

Communication skills is very important for those front line staff that Park’n shop should provide trainings to enhance their capability to handle conflicts, thru different sources and channels, employees (as senders) can effectively deliver messages with the right attitude to customers (as receivers), suppose the employees have common knowledge of company information, observe the receivers’ concerns and how they understand the situation so as to make judge on the minimal issues, that can avoid mistakes occurrence.