HIM 6320 Assignment 4

MISCOMMUNICATION

Husband calls home to inform his wife about a stop after work.

A husband called his wife to let her know that he would be stopping at a friend’s house when coming from work. So, he says, “Hello love, I am going to stop by Jerry’s house tonight on the way home from work, but I won’t be late.” From this statement, what was communicated was that the man would stop by a friend’s house and would not stay long so he would arrive early. The wife also interpreted it as the husband would not be late, as he would be stopping at the home for a few minutes and arriving home at his usual time. What the husband meant was he would not be home too late like 11 pm or midnight. This is a total miscommunication, the use of late in the sentence is interpreted differently by both parties.

One way to solve this problem would have been to say something that is phrased like this: “I am going to stop by Jerry’s house after work, I plan to stay for two hours. I should be home before 9.00 pm. In case I’ll stay later than that I will give you a call.” In this second statement, there is clear communication of details such as the number of hours and the expected time to reach home. There is also a show of respect; If the stay lasted longer, the husband would make a call to inform his wife of the delayed stay. So, this way the message is very clear. The wife interprets it as her husband should be home by nine o’clock if not, she should expect a call.

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HIM 6320 Assignment 4 MISCOMMUNICATION

Describe an instance where the context significantly shifted the meaning of a phrase.

HIM 6320 Assignment 4

Include the following: what was communicated (said, written, or shown) and your perspective on what was meant to be communicated and what actually was communicated.