It’s
complicated would mean a very problematic or difficult situation or condition –
as in social media status. Things get
complicated when there is no proper communication. In the workplace, there are a lot of reasons
why miscommunication happens.
Being
in a multicultural setting, the American Hospital of Dubai is not spared from
miscommunications. Having worked here
for almost nine years, I have seen how miscommunication happens in the
workplace and how it is dealt with by the excellent staff of this hospital.
Through
the years, I have observed the following causes of miscommunication in the
hospital and how to deal with them:
1.
Unclear instructions. This would usually lead to
misinterpretation. If the instructions
given are not direct to the point, that is where the problem rises. One solution to this is giving proper
instructions and making sure that both parties have the same understanding of
the instructions.
2.
Language
barrier. The hospital has employed
practically hundreds of different nationalities. Though English is the main language in the
American Hospital of Dubai, chances are native languages are spoken on duty,
which somehow affects the quality of communication. This
was dealt by the management by imposing an “English only” environment in the
hospital.
3.
Gestures. Different cultures have different body
language and non-verbal communication interpretation. Here in the hospital, we have hundreds of
different cultures. Moving the head
from side to side would mean “Yes” to Indians but for Filipinos, it means “No”. Learning the culture of other people and
adapting to them is one way of preventing misinterpretation of non-verbal
communications.
4.
Poor
listening. During a conversation,
sometimes we tend to cut the person talking because we strongly disagree on
what that person is saying. It would
stir up a heated discussion or worse, misunderstanding. We forget to listen attentively to what is
being said, thereby creating miscommunication.
The best thing to do is listen closely.
Wait for the other person to finish what he is saying before you
speak. Never cut someone who is talking
especially when being given instructions.
Ask your questions after he finishes what he is saying.
Getting
things complicated in a workplace such as the American Hospital of Dubai is
inevitable. Being in a multicultural
workplace, there are a lot of things that should be considered to have an
effective communication. There may be a
lot of causes why miscommunication happens.
One thing’s for sure, any miscommunication can be resolved when dealt with
properly. Then, we can start saying,
“uncomplicated” instead of “it’s complicated”.
