Although there are many problems that can decrease the effectiveness of interpersonal communication, there are certain tactics that can be used to minimize these communication failures. A recent visit to a hotel resulted in a perfect example of this communication opportunity between a guest and the hotel front desk employee. First of all, the story of the confrontation between the guest and the hotel receptionist was clouded with expectations and assumptions. For example, the customer reserved a room using the hotel chain's national reservation center. This center, in turn, is required to provide the information to the various hotels so that they can then honor the reservations accordingly. Unfortunately, in this example, the guest's request and approval for a king-size bed was not transmitted from the reservation center to the hotel. As a result, the hotel employee did not have the information the guest thought he had received. This assumption led to a breakdown in communication between the hotel employee and the guest, which then created hostility on the part of the guest and defensiveness on the part of the employee. The hostility felt by the guest was in part due to past experiences with hotel employees and the negative consequences of those experiences (Pfeiffer 12). These past experiences created a situation where the customer was not really listening to what the employee was saying (Pfeiffer 13). Instead, he only heard that there was a problem (“like there was last time”). The employee's defensive attitude was because he assumed that this particular customer had the same problem as previous customers: the customer had simply made a mistake with the reservation (DeVito 9). The employee also became defensive due to his rank in the situation and the differences in status between an upscale hotel guest and a hotel employee (Pfeiffer 14). He knew he had to be absolutely right or the client would get a favorable outcome (“the client is always right”), and this defensive attitude did not allow him to listen fully and effectively (Pfeiffer 14). On the other hand, the customer's assumption that the employee had received the information created unclear information. If the client had clarified and qualified the correct information, the message would have been clear in the middle of a paper......the employees became negative influences on each other that day (Boyle IX). By avoiding the problems associated with poor communication and following the rules of effective communication, the customer and employee could have avoided a very negative situation and resolved a problem in a fraction of the time. Although "absolutely clear communication" (DeVito 15) may be impossible to achieve, absolutely effective communication should be a realistic goal...if only to get to your vacation much faster!ReferencesBolton, Robert (1979) , People Skills, Simon & Schuster, New York.Boyle, Dr. William (1999), Getting Connected: How To Improve All Your Relationships, William Boyle and Associates, Illinois.DeVito, Joseph A. (2002), The Interpersonal Communication Reader, Allyn & Bacon: A Pearson Education Company, New York. Pfeiffer, J. W. (1973), Conditions that Prevent Effective Communication, from the 1973 Annual Handbook for Group Facilitators, Pfeiffer and Company, California..