We all have experienced errors in communication. A topic of a lot of controversy in today’s conversations around the world is President Donald Trump and the failures of communications throughout his office. While I do have personal views in our politics like most Americans, I am approaching this post as unbiased as I possibly can. According to Pennsylvania State University (2020), communication is “about the exchange of information between individuals.” To extend on this definition, I will also state that it is also information that is passed between media outlets as well.
As my conversation is revolved around our current president, I will begin by discussing his main media outlet that he uses. President Donald Trump likes to utilize his Twitter account in order to share his reactions with the world. These statements that he has posted has started a lot of conversation throughout the different news outlets. The photo below is an example of one post that he has made in December of last year:
According to Pennsylvania State University (2020), “being overconfident about one’s ability to communicate leads to an egocentric point of view when one creates and sends a message.” The above photograph is one of many examples that President Trump has stated throughout his term. Rhett Power (2017) also points out 5 separate leadership failures that President Trump has shown. Number two mentions “No matter what I do, its your fault.” This is an example of egocentrism. Basically, the president believes that what he is stating is fact. However, if one would think about the above statement, anyone that is reporting anonymously could be too afraid to say their true feelings because they are scared of the repercussions. This would be an error in communication because he is only looking at one side of the story.
Another error in communication that Power (2017) discusses is that Trump has no strategic plan. He continues to mention that even though President Trump has many ideas that may be beneficial to the country, he has not put together a plan to put them into action. This is an error in communication because by not consulting the plethora of resources that he has, he is not staying as well-educated as he possibly can and making more problems than he has to. Crowley (2017) also makes a good statement that “there are strategic thinkers around him, but he is driven by political impulse.” This supports Powers’ statement because by not consulting these people and acting on political impulse, where he does not have a lot of professional experience, could be detrimental to his purpose as president.
In all, communication is necessary for everyone. It is how we educate ourselves and how we are able to work together with others. While everyone has their own opinions, we still must respect those of others. By doing this, we would be able to provide everyone the respect that they deserve.
References
Crowley, P. (2017, April 28). What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate. Retrieved from Politico Magazing: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/28/what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate-215082
Pennsylvania State University. (2020). Leadership in a Global Context [Online Course Lesson]. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2041071/modules/items/27977838
Power, R. (2017, June 20). 5 Leadership Failures of President Trump. Retrieved from Inc: https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/5-leadership-failures-of-president-trump.html
Trump, D. (2019, December 6). Retrieved from Twitter: https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1202931589833011200?lang=en
ajw5769 says
Christina,
This blog entry caught my eye! It was well done and filled with very interesting information. I find myself very interested in politics and such so this blog post spoke to me. I agree with you that regardless of someone’s opinion, it is important to maintain some level of respect. President Trump. does use Twitter frequently in manners that past presidents have not. I think both the media and the president can improve in their communication methods. On one hand, the media continuously treats the President unfairly. On the other side, President Trump often fires back via twitter. It is an interesting topic that will probably never be solved because after all it is politics. Great post!
Alec