The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger Essay Example for Free

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger Essay The novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is a novel, which centres around the theme of isolation. This study will examine this theme, along with the writers use of characterisation and setting, which help to convey the characters eventual break down. The Catcher in the Rye is a personal account told by Holden Caulfield, the narrator of the book. He recalls a weekend of his life from a psychiatric hospital, and throughout gives off an impression of his loneliness, and isolation from society. We see everything through Holdens eyes, and so he cannot always be said to be a reliable narrator, however we still see him to have problems and so there is still room for an outside perspective. Throughout the novel, Holden shows feelings of alienation. He says he feels trapped on the other side of life, and generally doesnt feel he fits in with the world around him. He finds interaction with other people confusing and difficult, and so makes out to himself that he is above interacting with other people, and almost superior to anyone else around him. I thought what Id do was, Id pretend to be one of those deaf-mutes. That way I wouldnt have to have any goddam stupid conversations with anybody. Holden tries to escape from social situations, as he finds them difficult to cope with and uncomfortable. However, as well as causing Holden problems, his isolation from society also acts as the little stability that he has in his life, and the only aspect he can control. As a sixteen-year-old boy growing up, these feelings of alienation could simply be seen as regular teenage emotions, however in Holdens case his isolation eventually leads to him breaking down, and ending up in psychiatric care. Holden is at the stage in his life where both society and his own body are telling him that he should be progressing into adulthood. He can be a very immature character, and even Holden himself realises this, but justifies it by saying he is going through a phase. He seems to want to resist the process of maturing, and fears the change and complicity of adult life. He enjoys the innocence, and lack of responsibility of childhood, and doesnt want to swap this for the grown up and more serious things in life. However, Holden is attracted to some aspects of grown up life, such as independence, sexuality and alcohol. Throughout the book he experiences these aspects, but he refuses to accept the others. He believes that adulthood is full of phonies, and that many people around him are fake and superficial. Having said this, Holden himself lies and deceits people throughout the story. He tells the woman on the train that he is the school janitor because he didnt feel like giving her his whole life history, and he says himself that he is a compulsive liar, the most terrific liar one could meet. Throughout the book though, it is unclear whether people actually believe him, and so his deceitfulness and lies could be seen to simply help his own self-delusion, and be another part of him not understanding who he is. As Holden cannot fully accept that he is maturing, and becoming an adult, he doesnt appear to really know who he is. He seems to be trying to find himself in the story, and is looking for direction in life. We see this when he asks people several times where the ducks fly away to in the winter. This shows that he is searching for a way to lead his life, but is not sure where to go from his current situation. During the book, Holden stays in the same place for very little time. He moves from his school, Pencey, to several locations in New York, and then ends up back in his hometown. This constant change of scenery reflects Holdens feeling of not belonging, and shows that he is struggling to find his place in society. While at Pencey, Holden does not get on overly well with his classmates. After being thrown out of many schools previously, Holden is asked to leave Pencey, and so goes to New York City hoping to find something to do with himself. While in New York, he visits many places such as pubs and clubs. These places are usually seen to be for adults, and more mature people and so they act as a contradiction to Holdens feelings towards adult life. While in the clubs Holden can experience the only aspects of adulthood that he is willing to accept, and so he goes in order to drink and meet new people. After being in several places away from home, at the end of the novel Holden returns back to his hometown. Originally Holdens intentions are to move away, and live away from his parents. However after speaking to his younger sister, he decides that he will stay at home. This shows that he is finally beginning to accept that he has to face up to real life, and deal with the things that truly matter such as his family. It is ironic however; that it is after talking to his younger sister that he makes this decision. She manages to convince Holden to stay put, and it is when watching her on the merry-go-round that he finally breaks down into tears and realises what is happening to him. Holden does not finish the story, but ends it here, only going on to say that he is now in the hospital. While in the hospital it seems that he has had time to reflect on what happened to him, and possibly think about who he is as a person. After inventing his own fantasy of adulthood, full of superficiality, he must realise that all of his presumptions are not necessarily true and that he himself has been behaving in an unrealistic manner. The character of Holden could be seen simply as a troubled teenager, however it is made more believable that the character does in fact have mental problems, having ended up in a psychiatric ward. The Catcher in the Rye raises issues of isolation and how Holden as a young individual deals with it. J.D. Salinger expresses very well how the character struggles to cope with life; its effects on him and the way he ends up, using the technique of setting and the development of Holden as a character.

Video Games A Curse Or A Blessing Psychology Essay

Video Games A Curse Or A Blessing Psychology Essay Nowadays, video games are more advanced than they ever were. Fascinating story lines, and more complex levels than before, these video games become more and more sought after by todays youth. It has become easier to purchase and access games with mature ratings (M) by underage children and teenagers. Parents would argue that video games corrupt the minds of the teens, and it could lead them to develop a violent personality that can make them become aggressive and commit crimes. And since we are all aware about the parenthood protective instinct, their concerns are understandable. Incidents like the school shooting like the one that happened in Colorado thirteen years ago, child aggression, and the decrease in school work are said to be the effect of video gaming. Of course, it is not for all the video games that exist but games like Doom, Madworld, and Gears of War are some of the games that are blamed. Parents state that more than a thousand of scientific reviews and studies conclude that the exposure to media violence and violent video gaming increases the aggressive behavior of youths. In a paper that was written by Rachel Ray called Violent Video Games, she strongly supports the idea that aggressive video games hold some strong effect on the young boy practicing that act. She begins her article by referring to the shootings in Kentucky, Paducah, Colorado, and Columbine. She states that in those cases, the teenagers who were responsible for those shootings were addicted to Doom. Furthermore, she said that there is correlation between youth and teens behaviors and violent video games are undeniable. Ray also stated: I personally believe that aggressive video games have an effect on young adults, and in turn can cause them to commit crimes. (Ray, 2006) Another research suggested that when performing violent acts in video games may contribute in teenagers aggression than just watching violent scenes on movies and TV shows. According to this view, the more teens act violently while playing game, the more likely they will perform violent acts in their real life (Cesarone, 1994).   In the majority of video games, females are the ones who are depicted to be victims. Video Games such as, Grand Theft Auto promote and talks about theft, prostitution, and violent behavior.   This game encourages males to behave in a wrong way if they want to move along the levels of the game. Furthermore, research has found that males tend to play video games more than women which may produce factor of such aggressiveness in video games.   It is known that acting out such violence as opposed to just viewing it will cause the young boy to become more familiar acting violently without any consequence. Moreover, to explore the question about how playing video games my change the brain, Dr. Vincent Matthews and some of his colleagues at Indiana University who have studied media violence looked at what happen in the brain of twenty eight students who were randomly chosen to play either a non-violent or a first-person shooter games (violent video game) every day at an intervals of a week. At the beginning of this study, researchers used Functional magnetic resonance imaging scan for the brain in order to understand its activity when the study participants who are all young adult men, while playing the lab based task either involving non-emotional or emotional contents. The participants were scanned over and over again while repeating the same tasks, after one week of playing the two opposite types of video games (Park, 2011). Researchers found out that the participants who practiced the violent video games showed less activity in the areas about emotions, inhibition, and attention in the brain. Mathews stated: Behavioral studies shown an increase in aggressive behavior after violent games, and what we show is the physiological explanation for what the behavioral studies are showing (Park, 2011). We are showing that there are changes in the brain function that are likely related to that behavior. One task that the participants completed while being under the scan appraised their response to non-violent vs. violent words. The participants were presented with non-violent words such as walk, run, and talk and violent words such as harm, hit, shoot, and kill (Park, 2011). Therefore, Dr. Mathews came with a conclusion that the changes that happens to the brain while playing violent video games dont appear to be permanent; however, documenting that the brain changes when playing the violent games even if it is for just few hours a day for a whole week., and this can be a significant proof on how young players can be affected when playing these kinds of games.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Personally speaking I love playing violent video games, because when I do so I forget about all my daily problems and I release all the frustration I assembled during the day by shooting zombies or damaging cars and buildings. The major problem that we had when we wanted to play those games was the approval of our parents because no one of any age wants someone to breathe down you neck or looking over your shoulder in order to observe what you are doing. For centuries, parents have that protective instinct for their children and want to protect from anything aggressive or violent. For instance, even in sports, it exist violence to some degree. For example, the American football the coach tells his players almost every day to rip the opponent player heads off. The fact remains that violence is all around us and violent computer games simply provide teens and young boys with a new high level to entertain themselves. Almost every year, the bestselling video games in US are the one which are most violent. When I was 13 years old I enjoyed playing violent Video Games with my older brother, and thankfully our parents allowed us to play any game we chose. Our parents decision to let us play whatever we want was not random because when I asked my mother why she allowed us to play those kind of games she told me that she knew that her and my father raised us well to make our own right decisions and she was sure that we will never practice what we experienced in those video game in real life. In 2011, the best seller game was Call of Duty, and for those who are familiar with video games that game is one of the most violent. I understand that parents cant stop worrying about the influence of those games on their children. Though, it is possible that young players will be more prone to imitate violence they see, it is important to keep in mind that the most aggressive video games are rated mature for a specific reason. Reasonable and well raised children wont start walking around and shooting people, robbing old women, or stealing cars. Violence is just a single small part of video games entertainment value. Olsen said in a New York Times article: teens can try out different identities, how it feels to be a hero, a trickster, a feared or scorned killer or someone of a different age or sexà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in a safe fantasy world of video games (Olsen, 2011). For teenagers, violent video games offer mature oriented adventures that go together with their age range better than th ose offered by non violent games for children. Violent games like Call of Duty allows for more interaction and control over the environment you are playing in and it is less structured than the ones we found in movies and TV shows. Through the use of violence, video games can significantly reduce stress by distracting young gamers from pressures of their daily lives. For example, college students who are stuck between school responsibilities, part times jobs, and household chores might find a button machine for violent games a solution to enjoyably release stress and frustrations. According to a study done by Texas AM professor Christopher Ferguson, violent and aggressive video games can be used as a therapeutic solution to combat anger and depression(Ferguson, 2007). Moreover, according a research that was published in Psychology of Violences in August 2011, the degree to which competitiveness young gamers reach while practicing their hobby is more likely than the degree of violence to cause aggression in those gamers personality((Paul J. C. , Adachi, 2011). Watching, practicing, and playing games that depict bloodshed are very therapeutic in a sense that violence on our screen helps us understand death. As the author of the book Killing Monsters Gerard Jones said: Why children need fantasy, super heroes, and make-believe violenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦through immersion in imaginary combat and identification with a violent protagonist, children engage the rage they stifledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and become more capable of using it against lifes challenges.(Jones, 2008) Even though it seems like I am in a strong opposition on how my opponents view on seeing the video games as a curse for children and teenagers, I understand their concern and I believe that the best solution is for parents to monitor their children. That means that they should study their personality, see how they perceive those video games, and then decide based on their kids personality if they are capable of handling violent video games without switching their behavior from for what their children are allowed to do in their spare time. In the end, they are responsible to know what video games their children play and have the authority to regulate what video games their children play or how much time they are allowed to play video games. Aside from the video game rating system, there is information available about every video game in the internet, parents can Google the games name and read all the information about it. Parents need to observe and control violent video games for the ir children only if they think that it will affect their behavior and personality; However, if the parents raised their children well, they will not have anything to worry about because they will trust that they will not behave by the same the characters in those violent video games act. Therefore, when monitored by parents, violent video games will not make teens and children violent and aggressive, it will help them overcome stress and anxiety by providing them with entertainment inside their houses, and it will allow them to take out their daily frustration on fantasy characters instead of taking it out on real people.

Dialogue Essays - Freshly Cut Grass -- Dialogue Essays

Dialogue Essays - Freshly Cut Grass The air sings with the fragrance of freshly cut grass. As a backdrop to other things, children are at play, swinging too and fro, running and skipping; there are toddlers who toddle and mindful mothers who watch on in painful and patient distraction. The sun is everywhere: in the corners of the pavilion, bearing down on the tennis courts, caressing the flower beds, the convection of its heat pulling at the carpet-like lawns, dragging out bodily its scent. Meanwhile the park keeper potters about, the days' work done, reluctant to leave his eternal garden with its endless memories. Standing in the shade of elm he drifts away, and almost never comes back. He half-watches half-feels the bumble bees bumble from flower to flower. Else where, there is great inactivity, and everyone is busy doing it to a degree close to perfection. The park keeper, a simple man in blue overalls, T- shirt, straw hat, blue pumps and pockets full of silence, seeks out the cool of deeper shadow, retiring to the hidden security of his tool shed, where he sits in the stripy curve of a well worn deck chair. Door ajar, pipe smouldering, gazing out into the summery world through eyes bright with the light of nearly wisdom, he surveys his universe with unhurried care. A days grass cutting concluded, the park keeper presently plays part of an extra, superfluous to the tale's needs, and knowing this, he fades from focus. Over a ways, cross legged, mounted on a blanket and hiding on the inside of a book, sits the person of Doris, who, like her name, is of another age. On display, for the world to see, like a dusty exhibit in the quiet, unvisited corner of a dead museum, she aw... ...im again. She saw him everyday for the rest of her life. It was all so long ago, akin to a dream. It had been real enough though, and she is strangely thankful for it. Thankful to have known existence, and felt the terrible pain of it. She can almost feel the echo of its sorrow. Doris is all but dead, and she all but knows it. The fire of her life is fuelled by a few remaining drops of hope, but even they will soon be exhausted. She stands to leave. Walking by the park keeper in his hide-away, he gives a smile of recognition. Of his routine, she knows it well. Next Friday he will once again mow the lawns, releasing their fragrance into the air, to fill the world with sweet perfume. Doris will be there, to breathe it deeply, gasping for more, until it fills her mind, until she becomes drunk, once again, with that smell of freshly cut grass.

Searching For Meaning in Apocalypse Now Essay examples -- Movie Film c

Searching For Meaning in Apocalypse Now Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now takes the audience into a tense and mystical journey through the Vietnam War. This long and agonizing journey is seen through the eyes of Captain Willard played by Martin Sheen. Sheen. Captain Willard is assigned to a mission that relies on him to assassinate Colonel Kurtz, who is played by Marlon Brando. Although Apocalypse Now is an examination of the many terrors of society that are connected to the Vietnam War, Coppola plays much of his film off Joseph Conrad's novel The Heart of Darkness. Conrad's story focuses on Captain Marlow who is parallel to Willard and the Colonel Kurtz possesses many of the same characteristics in both works. In both works, the Captain is to find the Colonel, but Coppola makes a very significant change in his film. This significant change is the transition of Captain Marlow assigned to find Colonel Kurtz in the Congo, to Captain Willard assigned to assassinate Colonel Kurtz in Cambodia. The fact that Willard has now become an assassin of Kurtz is very important in Coppola's over all point. It especially is important for the last ten minutes of the movie when Willard actually kills Kurtz. The final scenes of the film consist of Kurtz' reading of the poem "The Hollow Men" and the interplay of Willard killing Kurtz while the Cambodian Natives kill a water buffalo in a ritualistic setting. These changes and departures of the ending of Heart of Darkness are made so Coppola can make his point about the Vietnam War and society. The point being that the Vietnam War was completely meaningless and a lost cause among several others. However, as will be shown, these points come in conflict with eachother and are difficult to ... ... of the movie is. Apocalypse Now is definitely a movie fit for an audience who wishes to be stimulated with thought overload. The movie is filled with all kinds of metaphors to the Vietnam War and parallels to Heart of Darkness. Coppola makes alterations to Heart of Darkness to achieve his own personal point that is very different from Conrad's, but his point is still not completely clear. Coppola's opposition to the war is obvious but he throws in a lot of other elements to try to add even more onto that. Coppola uses Kurtz to examine the importance of not judging, "The Hollowness of Men", and the Christlike figure of Kurtz himself. All of these are great ideas, but the ideas are just scattered throughout the movie and show no cohesiveness. However, one can still appreciate Coppola's thought-provoking ideas without completely understanding what they all mean.

Legalized Killing Should Be Abolished Essay -- Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is the punishment by death for a crime. It is also called the death penalty. It is the only form of killing that is legalized. It may be carried out by electrocution, hanging, lethal injection, gas chamber, and firing squad. The death penalty has been banished in over one hundred and thirty countries. Capital punishment has been abolished in every industrialized nation except for the United States of America. In the United States, capital punishment has been an extremely controversial issue that divides the country and leads to disharmony. The death penalty abolition movement is growing, and some progress is being made, but there is a lot of work yet to be done. There are various organizations using different avenues to abolish the death penalty. They have been successful in New Mexico, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. These are organizations like Amnesty International, The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP), and The People of Faith against the Death Penalty (PFADP). Amnesty international is an eloquent and a well-known organization that is in different parts of the world. Amnesty International is one of the largest and best-known international nongovernmental organizations that are dedicated to human rights. It is a non-profit organization that was established in 1961. Amnesty means a general pardon for offenses or an act of forgiveness for past offenses. They serve several purposes on the bringing about of equality, peace and social justice. However, one of their main goals is to abolish the death penalty. They have been quite successful in many countries and some states in the United States. Amnesty International stands out, because it has good governmental contacts all around the wor... ... 2012. . Draper, Thomas. Capital Punishment. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1985. Print. Gottfried, Ted. The Death Penalty: Justice or Legalized Murder? Brookfield, CT: Twenty-First Century, 2002. Print. Illustrated Oxford Dictionary. London [etc.: Dorling Kindersley, 2003. Print. Kennedy Cuomo. â€Å"Abolish Capital Punishment† in Blot, David (Ed.) Supplementary Readings on Peace and Nonviolence. Bronx, New York: self-Published, 2008. Kronenwetter, Michael. Capital Punishment: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. Print. McCarthy, Colman. "The World's Only True False Quiz on Legalized Killing." The Center for Teaching Peace. Newsletter, 2011. Weisberg, Roger and Vanessa Roth. â€Å"No Tomorrow (DVD).† Docuramafilms. A Production of Public Policy Productions, 2010.

King Lear essay, exploring the notion of hope

In the world of King Lear, being a shakespearean tragedy, suffering, loss, and injustice are all factors often expected before an audience enters the bottomless pit of complicated characters, varying agendas, and Shakespearean english these productions usually employed. However, despite its melancholy undertone and lack of warmer lighting gels on stage, King Lear is not without hope. Shakespeare in Lear, presents the notion that characters in great authority force suffering upon others in an effort to retain power, admiration, and status.Initially, Lear himself demonstrates this, appallingly treating Cordelia with an irrational snap judgement when he is embarrassed in court by his youngest daughters silence and lack of praise; â€Å"Here I disclaim all my parental care. † (1:1:107) This unjust sentence is highly ironic, especially for the audience, as dramatically we see transparent farce of Gonerill and Regan’s dedications of love, and the total truth of Cordeliaâ€⠄¢s.Due to the â€Å"infirmity of his age† (1:1:284) (Lear) the unjust pain Cordelia endures for his mistake is greatened, and due to this dramatic irony the audience is forever hopeful for some form of justice and resolution to come. Hope comes in many forms in King Lear, and at first arrives in the character of Kent. Like the audience, Kent is able to see the mistaken ways of Lear, and is the first to step in and address Cordelia’s suffering. â€Å"See better, Lear†¦ Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least.† (1:1:146-153)In one dramatic interpretation of the play, Kent is positioned between Lear and Cordelia, symbolizing perhaps, a link between the mistaken mind of an old King, and the â€Å"more ponderous† (1:1:73) love of a young heir, furthermore acting asâ€Å"the true blank of thine eye† (1:1:153) for his decrepit King. Kent brings the hope for justice to a tantalizingly close reality, however through Lear’s blind desire f or admiration and respect of status, the audience is left with a even greater sense of bathos, and desire for resolution, when yet again our hopes our berried by more pain and disappointment.This again portrays the notion that authority and all that follows leads to the lower statured characters enduring unjust suffering, and that â€Å"nothing comes from nothing† (1:1:85) linking back to the notion that suffering cant come from nothing. Hope can also presented in King Lear, in the way in which directors stage the characters on set. In one dramatic interpretation of the play, in act 1 scene 1, Lear is sat down solitary with Gonerill and Regan at his side. This not only portrays the Kings increasing age, but also the manipulative power Gonerill and Regan initially have over him.During this first scene we see the gap between Cordelia and Lear increase progressively, again portraying a physical representation for their relationship and love for one another growing further and fu rther apart. After this distancing, Cordelia, positioned front stage right, has both Kent, The Fool, and towards the end of the scene, France. The dramatic effect of this is clear to the audience; it physically highlights the allegiances of the characters, and is used also to portray other various notions in a more physical manner, one of which is hope.Hope is presented in the way in which The Fool, Kent, and France side with Cordelia, implying to the audience she is not alone in her banishment, and that perhaps these characters may have a role in returning Cordelia later in the play. This idea is further backed up in act 1 scene 5 upon where we see The Fool speak the truth to the king; â€Å"Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise† (1:5:36) presenting hope in that the king might listen.The allegiances formed in this scene contrast one another, clearly demonstrating to the audience their various agendas, and allows the audience to understand the alliances of characters without any dialogue required. Following on from this notion of unspoken alliances, characters relationships inspire hope in the audience as well. While Lear is initially the main spark of suffering for the other characters, and despite the fact that his own suffering is self inflicted, the audience does sympathize for his position amongst the rest.The â€Å"infirmity of his age† (1:1:284) results in his malicious, self satisfying, daughters manipulating him with ease, and abusing the power he entrusts onto them. But in the same way we see Kent step in for Cordelia, we see him return to aid Lear at this stage in the play as well. The strength of there relationship is seen in Kent’s unfaltering loyalty for his King: â€Å"If thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemned, so may it come thy master, whom thou lov’st, shall find thee full of labours. † (1:4:6) and as a result does instill hope into the hearts of the audience that Kent may in fa ct put things right.Suffering comes in many forms during King Lear, however despite the darkly lit stage, black costumes of the characters, and general tragic story Lear follows – hope is always a present emotion amongst the audience. Dramatic irony, stage setting, character relationships and proxemics are all dramatic devices employed by the director of one particular dramatic interpretation of the play. They contrast the darker elements of Lear and without them, the play would loose the very key to its brilliance.That key, that unlocks the particularly controversial entertainment value, being hope within the audience. Without the subtle hope shakespeare and modern directors try and install into the very weave of King Lear, the audience would find themselves simply enduring this seemingly deepening pit of death, despair, and disappointment. This is why I am able to conclude that by considering a few of the dramatic effects used in King Lear, despite the ever present tone of suffering, hope is always ingrained within the audience. Forever seeking resolution to the slope on which they travel down.

How an HR Practitioner ensures the services they provide are timely and effective Essay

Prioritising Conflicting Needs The needs of customers may sometimes be conflicting (for example, managers want production results and longer working hours whereas employees want more time off and focus on work/life balance). HR would ascertain which demands were the most urgent and important, taking into account the ease and speed of dealing with each issue whilst maintaining focus on the overall needs of the organisation. It is important to keep all customers informed of what HR can provide in the way of services and set realistic expectations. HR needs to be flexible, easy to contact and able to respond swiftly and effectively. However on occasions where the customer’s need cannot be dealt with promptly, a full explanation must be given along with estimated timescales for resolution. Effective Service Delivery Delivering Service On Time By prioritising needs, HR can ensure that issues are handled according to urgency. For example, taking into account the effect of each request on the business and considering: Maintaining the wellbeing of employees Organisational mission, policies and values Meeting performance demands Current legislation Satisfying the demands of internal stakeholders (employees, board members, and management) and external stakeholders (trade unions, shareholders, partners, job applicants). HR good practice would involve developing a case record that could be reviewed to check progress, looking at areas of responsibility and delegation of tasks to ensure needs are dealt with punctually. Plans would be reviewed and updated at regular intervals to check progress and consider any changes in the situation. Delivering Service on Budget At all times HR must consider the financial implications of delivering service by liaising with finance/accounts departments and ensuring service is provided within budget limitations. It is also important to have a clear record of all resources available to the organisation to protect against unnecessary spending. For example, consider using in-house services as more cost effective than buying services in from outside the organisation. Dealing with Difficult Customers Dealing with difficult customers can have a range of implications to staff and the organisation. HR needs to consider: Where difficult customer behaviour may arise and where it would be considered a risk Suitable support for staff and managers handling difficult customers in line with company procedures, such as case conferences or guidance. Consider the needs of external customers including unions and contractors. The most frequently reported difficult customer behaviours are: Verbal Abuse – swearing, arguing, offensive remarks. Hostile Behaviour – body language, threatening gestures. Physical Abuse – that may result in injury Ideas for dealing with difficult customers may include: Keep concise records and ensure these are discussed openly with the customer. This ensures they are aware that their behaviour will be on file and they cannot deny their actions in the future. Adjust to their character; communicate in a way that fits their personality to make them feel more comfortable and avoid confrontation. Always follow correct organizational procedure. Customers will be less likely to dispute actions taken in line with guidance/ law. Ask questions, listen carefully, show an interest in the individual, use non-threatening body language and maintain eye contact. Keep level head and do not respond to their negative emotions or abuse. Never make promises! Handling and Resolving Complaints HR will handle complaints on a formal or informal basis. Each situation must be dealt with promptly as it arises and be handled in a fair and consistent manner. Regular interventions or an open door policy can encourage employees to talk about problems before they escalate. HR should clearly communicate the policy for raising a grievance (eg informal complaints, written complaints, how complaints may be escalated and estimated timescales). Explain that the organisation values it’s customers and wishes to resolve any problems that may arise. Ensure customers feel assured that their issues will be taken seriously and dealt with confidentially and encourage customers to feedback any issues before they intensify. Methods of Communication Effective communication between all stakeholders is vital to ensure all interested parties are informed and involved in the decision making process. The method of communication used depends on the customers needs, the type of information and how much information they need, and how the customer is likely to react to the information also. (Bad news is best conveyed in  person rather than in writing to allow questions and discussion to take place). Three Different Communication Methods Method of Communication Advantages Disadvantages Email Fast and convenient Can be sent at any time of day/night Cheap Can be sent to individuals or groups Attach files & share information Can be encrypted to send confidential information Confirmation of delivery/reading can be set up Conversation/information is recorded in writing Recipient has time to respond Relies on recipient having access to email account Not suitable for group discussions Less personal & may lead to misunderstanding May have long wait before getting a reply Computer viruses Telephone Easily accessible to most people everywhere (mobile) Conversation can be private, or conference call Ideal if a fast response is required Messages can be left on answerphone Person may be engaged/ have no signal, so unable to take call Mobile/Overseas calls can be expensive It is not easy to record the conversation Spoken information only, cannot share images, documents etc Cannot interpret body language Face to Face Immediate feedback Can read body language or facial expressions Can share documents/images and discuss Builds stronger relationships Good for delicate situations Logistics-may prove difficult/expensive to get participants together in one place No record unless note-taker present, so conversation not accountable Discussions may become heated Reference http://www.teach-ict.com/gcse_new/communication/comm_methods/miniweb/pg3.htm http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/hmrc/getting-the-message-across-the-importance-of-good-communications http://davidlivermore.hubpages.com/hub/Difficult-Employees