Effective Communication - Emergency Management Institute ...

UNIT 4: IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY-SPECIFIC COMMUNICATIONS ISSUES
Case Study
Case Study 4.2: What Did I Do Wrong?
Read the case study below. Then, analyze the case to determine what went
wrong.
You are the assistant emergency planner in a small Midwestern town. As this is your first job
out of college, you are excited about being able to help your community in its preparedness
efforts.
One of your first responsibilities involved touring a local nursing home and assisting the
administrator, Mrs. Jones, with the facility’s evacuation plan. Your call to schedule an
appointment with Mrs. Jones went well, and you arrive just a few minutes after your
appointment time. Mrs. Jones keeps you waiting for 10 minutes more before seeing you.
After exchanging initial pleasantries, Mrs. Jones, who appears to be in her early sixties, takes
you on a tour of the facility and introduces you to the residents that you meet along the way. As
Mrs. Jones introduces you, she takes time to chat with the residents, whom she addresses by
first name. Following her lead, you chat briefly with the residents, also addressing them by first
name. For the remainder of the tour, you notice that Mrs. Jones has little to say, but that
doesn’t bother you. It gives you time to think about how the facility can rewrite its evacuation
plan.
By the time that you finish your tour, you are very excited because of all the ideas you have for
helping with the evacuation plan. When you return to Mrs. Jones’s office, you immediately
begin telling Mrs. Jones the improvements you have in mind. Imagine your surprise when the
look she gives you stops you in your tracks.
Effective Communication Page 4.8