2. There are numerous technologies
available in any organization that serve as
platforms to exchange information and ideas:
e-mail, phones, voicemail, inter-office
mail, on-line request and approval for routine
business needs, etc.
3. Having a variety of technologies at
one’s disposal is not a guarantee of
effective communication.
It is vitally important that what is stated
actually means something, and that the
recipients can understand that meaning…
4. MERRILL LYNCH: quot;When we became aware of a
potential problem, we investigated and have taken
steps as part of our continuing efforts to prevent
problems.quot;
A Merrill spokesman commenting on the fact that its
former chief energy trader is being investigated for $43
million of alleged fraud activity, as reported by the FT's
Gary Silverman. (The Babbler likes the soothing sound of
a company taking those first gentle steps in tiptoeing
away from one of its people.) - Aug 13, 2003 12:21 PM
EDT.
5. RESEARCH IN MOTION: quot;We are obviously pleased with
today's ruling and believe that the District Court's
decision to stay the injunction is especially appropriate
given the frequency of successful appeals at the
appellate level as well as the specific merits of RIM's
appeal and the impending reexamination of the
disputed patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.quot;
Lead counsel Henry Bunsow commenting in a press release on
a U.S. federal judge's decision to order the company to cease
production of its Blackberry device and pay $53 million in
damages for trademark infringement. (The Babbler is still
trying to understand why they would be pleased, much less
how that pleasure is supposed to be obvious.) - Aug 8, 2003
6:15 PM EDT.
6. AT&T: quot;To claim that everyone in the industry engages
in efforts to lower their access costs is a true statement.
That, however, is not the issue we are disputing with
MCI. MCI has not simply been shopping around for the
best deal. Instead, they have concocted an elaborate
scheme, shipping voice traffic originating with their
customers and routing it through three
companies, across an international border and onto the
AT&T network, for completion to high-cost areas in the
U.S. In doing so, they have not simply lowered their
costs. They have avoided them altogether. They have
committed a fraud upon the shareholders of AT&T by
tricking a competitor into paying a cost that is rightly
theirs.quot;
7. Spokeswoman Claudia Jones commenting on MCI's that its
alleged quot;call launderingquot; was actually normal industry
activity, as reported by the NYT's Stephen Labaton. (The
Babbler found it worth wading through 104 words to find
out the violation was quot;tricking a competitor.quot;) - Aug 6, 2003
1:53 PM EDT. (2003, p. 1-3)
The preceding examples illustrate how attempts at
communication can fail to actually convey any
discernible meaning.
Corporate communications should be clear and
concise, and adhere to the following general principles:
8. Avoid using “buzz” words and phrases
– this is particularly important in organizations
that are geographically widespread, as
regional dialects differ within a common
language, which in fact may not be the
primary language of all the recipients.
9. Always state the main subject of the
communication,
referencing previous communications when
applicable.
If the communication is general in nature and
addresses multiple areas of concern, say so.
10. Request some feedback from the
recipients
that will gauge whether the communication
was effective – ensuring that tactical and
strategic planning will continue to proceed in
the intended direction.
11. What organizations tend to forget
is that effective communication requires that the flow
of information is not uni-directional. Input from one
source should always result in some type of feedback,
even if it is only acknowledgement that the
information has been received.
The inherent danger of implementing a
communications model built along those lines is the
probability of information overload. Individuals and
groups within an enterprise must learn to gauge the
value of information and refrain from overloading the
system with redundant or irrelevant data.
12. quot;The major fallacies of communication
are the assumptions that
1) meanings exist in information or message
displays, and
2) meanings can be transferred from one
person to another.
In reality, information and displays can only be
presented or delivered to people; the
recipients must make sense out of the
displays.quot; (Pace & Faules, 1994, p. 20).
13. To facilitate communications between
individuals or groups the ideas
presented must be clear and
concise, and avoid ambiguities.
The following slides outline rules to follow
when utilizing the various communications
methodologies that exist in a corporate
setting.
14. E-mail – always include the actual
topic
of the correspondence in the subject header
of the e-mail. If there are numerous subjects
addressed, include two or three of the most
important items, and indicate that there are
additional issues included.
Indicate in the body of the e-mail if there is a
response required.
15. Voicemail – announce the subject
of the information to be presented at the
beginning of the message. Be brief, state your
preferred method of response if one is
required, an acceptable timeframe for any
response, and the phone number where you
can be reached if there are questions or
concerns related to your message.
16. Inter-office mail – although primarily
replaced by e-mail
there are still times when it is necessary to send
hardcopy documents to other individuals or
departments within an organization.
Include a note with the documentation with
some explanation as to why it has been sent –
don’t expect someone to automatically correlate
an e-mail that was received several days ago with
an envelope that was left on their desk today.
17. On-line forums – in the fast-paced
world of business
there is not always time to have meetings to
resolve issues, or address questions and concerns
related to mundane operational matters.
Corporate intranets are an ideal way to
communicate between and within functional
groups, especially when there are geographic
boundaries to consider. Bulletin boards and on-
line forums can be created as a means of
discussion that will minimize the impact of
differing schedules and the availability of the
interested parties.
18. Voice and video conferencing; data
collaboration...
there will always be situations in which real-
time interaction is the most effective method
of communication.
Most enterprises have the technology in place
to accomplish this methodology across
geographic boundaries.
19. Establishing good communications
practices is only the first step…
to whom those communications should be
addressed also requires careful consideration.
Organizational structure and communications
conduits should be constructed so as to be
complementary; keeping in mind at all times the
interdependencies of functional business units as
well as the strategic and tactical goals of the
corporation. Because procedural changes typically
have a ripple effect on the organization, it is wise to
consider a non-traditional structure to deal with
potential communications dilemmas.
Complete bibliography can be found at
http://williamcox.ws/Thesis.html
