Real-Life Communication
You are a dairy inspector. Along with one other inspector, you are
responsible for inspecting dairy farms throughout the state.
It's a
tough job. Besides inspecting the equipment used on the farms to make the
milk, you supervise the taking of samples of raw milk (milk that hasn't been
pasteurized) from the dairy farms to laboratories to be tested. The milk needs
to be tested for everything from bacteria and shelf life to the presence of
added water.
You inspect each farm once a year, but the milk is tested
every month. It's your job to explain to the farmer when there is a problem
with the milk or his production methods.
"The individual is often present
during our inspection, which we prefer since verbal communication is more
personal and direct," says Tony van Vonderen. He's a dairy inspector. "If
our verbal skills are inappropriate, a desired working relationship is compromised.
The nature of our job is to criticize where necessary and compliment when
appropriate."
You receive a telephone call from a laboratory technician.
One of the bulk loads of milk they were testing has a higher freezing point
than it should. Experts in the dairy industry brought in the freezing point
test to discourage farmers from diluting the milk with water. The fact that
the milk failed the test means that water has somehow been added to the milk.
When
the technician tells you the name of the dairy farm, you let out a deep sigh.
This is not the first time you've found problems with the milk production
on this farm. A milk sample tested just two months ago also failed the freezing
point test.
During your annual visit last September, you discovered
problems with the way the milking equipment was installed. At the time, the
farmer promised to fix the problem.
Now you're almost certain that
he didn't, and this is what is causing the water to get into the milk.
The
situation is confusing, because you've always had a good working relationship
with this particular farmer. You wonder if he misunderstood the recommendations
you made to fix the problem.
You decide to send the farmer a warning
letter. You need to be firm -- after all, it is possible that the farmer has
simply ignored your recommendations. But you also want to try and maintain
a good working relationship with the farmer. Here is the information you need
to include in the letter:
- The date of the testing and the problem with the milk
- The date of the previous testing and the results
- The date of your last annual visit and the problems you discovered
- The action that you are going to take
Write a letter that is firm but not overly negative.