Perception and Communication

Robbins et al (2010) has described perception as “The process by which individuals organise and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment”. This means people often make judgements about other individuals due to their actions and this is how they often perceive them. These judgements can often be incorrect.

At the beginning of university, the first impressions that I got of my friend Alia are completely different to how I find her now. At the beginning, I had a bad perception of her as I thought she would be bad influence to me as she never turned up to lectures or seminars and I thought to my self that I had to keep away from this kind of company. However, in one lecture we had to work as a team and I worked with her, my perception changed about her. This is because she was dedicated to her work as well as me. From there we become good friends and also did a few more assignments together for different modules. 

Another reason why I thought that she would be bad company is because she was really loud and really talkative and her personality was really bubbly. But this judgement was completely wrong because even though her personality was very outgoing, she was really enthusiastic about her education and she was really generous. She also enjoys helping people as do I and this allowed us to bond. To avoid making the same judgements again, I will not judge an individual on how they act and behave but I will only judge someone after knowing them and after making conversation or working with them. Another way that I can avoid making these judgements is by giving them the time needed to have a relationship with me in order for me to have an opinion of them.

There are many different methods that universities can use to improve communication with their student. Firstly, lecturers can have one on one session with their students to talk about and review their progress and their grades. This will help students if they are struggling to complete their assignment or need help revising for upcoming exams. I can relate this to me as I would prefer my lecturers giving me a review on how I can improve my grade and do better next time.

Another way that universities can have better communication with their students is by keeping them informed about lectures, if there is any cancellation or changes made and any information requiring deadline or exams. In business, this is known as “Engaging with people”. This can be done by emailing the students, or putting up any notice of blackboard where the student have access to view lecture notes and other information relating to their course.

Finally, lecturers can set goals for themselves and the student to help them achieve their aims and objectives. Setting these goals will help the student will their degree as the lecturer will share their knowledge relating to the subject to help them. 

Reference: Mullins, L J. ( 2002) Management And Organisational Behaviour. 6^th Ed. Pearsons Education Limited: Essex