Monday, November 30, 2009

“How to give orders like a man” by Deborah Tannen

In the essay “How to give orders like a man” by Deborah Tannen explains the differences between direct and indirect communication. For me, I prefer direct communicate and so does the author. I think direct communication is way better because you go straight to the point instead of giving hits and playing mind games. I think everyone has the right to pick which communication they like better and which one to use with different people, but in my opinion I think that important jobs that require driving or leading a big group of people should require direct communication; for example, like pilots, bus drivers, and etc because a lot of people put their life in the hands of them. For example, if I get in a airplane my life will depend on a pilot and co-pilot; therefore, they communication should be at all time direct for the fact that any mistake in language could cause them to crash and kill everyone in the plane. So I believe if the co-pilot has something he think is wrong with the plane or think something should be recheck he should talk straight out without caring he is talking to his boss or a higher person and if his boss doesn’t listen then he should talk to someone higher who is willing to take the co-pilot serious; therefore, I believe the co-pilot should not leave until all his doubts are answer for his safely and everyone in the plane. Now if you are working in an office or a place that no life is on danger then you can pick which communication to use.

I prefer to use direct in any job I will have and in school, for the fact, that I want to get my questions answer correctly without doubting anything in case of any confusion that could cause me to get in trouble or my own job or grade. For example, if my boss is being indirect with me I might understand something completely differently then what he is saying. For instance, if he says “you might want to go and turn in those paper by the end of the day” and I understand that I could but I don’t have to finish it today; therefore, lets say I don’t turn in the papers and it will cause a misunderstanding such as cause me a lower grade or to lose my job, so I prefer to use direct communication when I am In serious places and when I am with my friends then I could be playful and use indirect which it really won’t matter because it will be with people I know. So in my opinion I think direct and indirect are both very important, but if I had to pick I will pick direct communication.

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