Communication is the key to any relationship even one tattered and torn. I just got off the phone with my separated/soon to be ex-wife. I had recently received a nasty letter from a credit union that has the camper loan on stating that we were three months behind and threatened to take all actions necessary…yada, yada, yada.
To know my separated wife is to understand that she like most of us has two faces, the public and the nasty. When I mentioned this she asked if I was high because all the payments are up to date. After ten minutes of back and forth she agreed to call these people up and straighten this mess out on Monday.
Yesterday while I was at work, I was assigned to work back of house that on Fridays entails stocking not just the closets but the main paper supply room of casino essentials such as toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues.
I asked the supervisor how she wanted to do this. I hadn’t done the Friday back of house in some time and was a bit rusty on the particulars. She originally came here from Bosnia some time in the 90s, and so English for her as well as the majority of my coworkers is her second language and sometimes the words and meanings gets lost in translation.
I asked her who was going to stock the storage paper room. She thought I asked about our supply that stows the garbage liners and chemicals we used for cleaning. She told me two of the people who normally work the outbuildings—closed due to the holiday—would be doing that. So I thought nothing more of it and went about getting other stuff we usually do taken care of.
An hour or so later we get called on our radios wondering why the paper products haven’t been put into the paper room yet. So a complete communication breakdown occurred, and we all suffered the consequences and added undo stress on a stressful morning.
I can go on and on with how miscommunication can lead to chaos. Back when I was in the national guard, a training sergeant once stated that communication is a weapon, and it is also power. We as a species have the ability and freedom to create harmony or chaos simply by communicating your needs or desires.
If you know something that is important and needs to be communicated to someone else, such as a teammate, fellow soldier, or a total stranger and consciencely choose not to tell him or her this important message, than you possess power over that other person.
I know if I never told my wife this, the consequences could be catastrophic. My credit score had already taken a nosedive before I even knew this payment was supposedly delinquent. Now, hopefully my credit will be restored to its previous good rating, though it will take some time. Workplace is another matter entirely because as I mentioned not everyone there speak fluent English and some not at all, just a phrase here or there. The idea that English is the equalizer of everyone who comes here is proof that miscommunication is a powerful weapon that breeds chaos. Good communication is the key to harmony.
Jerry Schellhammer 