The Frustration of Poor Communication

Hypothetical scenario: It is the end of a college semester. The teacher is assigning final grades. He sits down with one student and says, "Johnny, I am giving you a failing grade for our class." Not surprisingly, the student is upset as they are disappointed and well aware that the consequences of failing a class will be severe. After catching their breath, the student asks the teacher to explain why he is receiving that failing grade. Looking directly at the student, the teacher says, "No, Johnny, I am not going to tell you." With that, the teacher leaves the room leaving his student not only even more upset, but also frustrated and angry.

Even assuming for a moment that Johnny deserves a failing grade, it is very easy to understand his negative feelings toward the teacher as a result of not being given the courtesy and respect of receiving an answer to a direct and legitimate question. Who among us would not feel the same way in a similar situation? At present, many citizens of Baltimore are finding themselves in the same scenario as Johnny. One of their own died while in the custody of the city police. Their questions of what happened and/or how did he die - at least thus far - are being ignored. As we are seeing and reading, the result is there is much rioting going on in the streets of "Charm City."

At the heart of this most unfortunate turn-of-events in Baltimore is very poor communication. There are so many more appropriate answers city officials could be giving to those now demanding answers: "We are not at liberty to say" and "This tragic death is now under investigation, so disclosing any details at this point would be inappropriate" are two examples. But to simply shut down and turn away from their "Johnnies" is as ill-advised as it is short-sighted. Like many major cities in America, Baltimore has its share of social and economic problems. In no way will poor communication ever be part of a solution to them.