The Reply-All Paradox

Joe and Samantha call their department head in Seattle to air grievances, but end up on the same bridge line by accident.

The Reply-All Paradox

Listen and choose the right answer

Why are Joe and Samantha on the same call at the beginning?

• They planned a joint meeting to discuss the budget.
• They both called their manager separately, but their lines accidentally crossed.
• HR forced them to attend a mediation session.

What is Joe's specific complaint about Samantha's schedule?

• She always books critical strategy sessions at 8 a.m.
• She never attends the Monday morning stand-up.
• She schedules meetings on Friday evenings.

What annoying habit of other employees do Joe and Samantha both hate?

• Leaving the office kitchen dirty
• Replying-all to company-wide emails
• Arriving late to client pitches

How do they decide to resolve their disagreement at the end of the call?

• They ask their manager to separate their teams.
• They decide to report each other to HR.
• They agree to bury the hatchet and grab coffee together.

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Joe: Hello, is that you, Mark? Look, I need to ____ about Samantha right now because I'm at my absolute limit.
• Samantha: Well, maybe if you didn't ____ until you explode, we wouldn't need to resolve this on an open bridge.
• Samantha: I suppose we shouldn't take things so personally when we ____ each other during crunch times.
• Joe: You're totally right, Samantha. I tend to ____ when projects fail, but we're on the same team here.
• Samantha: Anytime, Joe. Let's grab that coffee and ____ before the afternoon sprint review.

Sources: photo by Vitaly Gariev on Pexels