Real-Life Communication
When someone stands to gain money and someone else stands to lose
money based on your decision as a fruit and vegetable grader, tempers might
flare.
"It's important to have some kind of experience in handling
difficult people, because when someone starts yelling at you...for giving
them something other than what they expected on inspection results, you have
to be able to handle yourself in a professional manner," says grader Jeffrey
Honey.
"The inspector's job isn't about how to out-shout or
out-argue. It's about communicating a point effectively, concisely, and
leaving if the situation is deteriorating," he says.
Most people can
see just by looking at a load of fruit and vegetables if it looks bad. But
there are very specific rules and regulations a grader must follow in carrying
out an inspection and determining grade -- rules that not everyone understands.
You
must deal with many people from many different backgrounds. It's just
as important to be able to communicate with the person who just bought 200
containers of South African grapefruit as it is to be able to explain to an
immigrant with little formal education why you want specific samples from
a particular lot of fruit or vegetables.
Come up with some suggestions
on what you could do to improve communication with your clients so that they
understand how and why you make the grading decisions you do.