Required ResourcesTextPlease read the following chapters in .docx

Required Resources
Text
Please read the following chapters in Integrated marketing
communications: Advertising, public relations, and more:
· Chapter 7: Public Relations
· Chapter 12: Trends in IMC
Articles
Breaking (some of) the rules during a crisis. (2006). PR News,
62(34), 1. Retrieved from the ProQuest database
How to...pitch a blog. (2006). PR News, 62(34), 1. Retrieved
from the ProQuest database.
Ovaitt, F. & Jeffries-Fox, B. (2006). Tip sheet: In an eventful
time, what's the sponsor's ROI? PR News, 62(36), 1. Retrieved
from the ProQuest database.
Recommended Resources
Websites
American Marketing Association (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external
site. (https://www.ama.org/Pages/default.aspx)
BBDO Worldwide (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site. (http://www.BBDO.com)
Council of Public Relations Firms (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.prfirms.org)
DDB Worldwide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. (http://www.ddb.com)
Direct Marketing Association (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site. (http://www.thedma.org)
Grey Group (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. (http://www.grey.com)
Leo Burnett Company, Inc. (Links to an external site.)Links to
an external site. (http://www.leoburnett.com)
MarketingProfs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. (http://www.marketingprofs.com/)

Outdoor Advertising Association of America (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.oaaa.org)
Pearson (2014). Online resources for CLOW (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site. . Retrieved from
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/clow/.
Public Relations Society of America (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.prsa.org)
Communication Provides Foundation for Being a
Best Place to Work
Skidmore-Williams, Kathleen . Public Manager ; Alexandria
42.2 (Summer 2013): 52-56.
ProQuest document link
ABSTRACT
At nearly every turn, federal workers are facing pay freezes (no
cost-of-living increase in three years and counting),
no awards, threats of government shutdowns, fiscal cliffs, hiring
freezes, and sequestration (and with that,
furloughs). The federal workforce is often denigrated as a key
reason why there's a bloated federal bureaucracy,
but in reality there are fewer federal workers doing more work
today than ever before and most take their charge to

serve their country very seriously -- and proudly. This year's
average overall score of job satisfaction for
participating federal organizations from the survey of federal
workers by the Partnership for Public Service was
60.8% -- the lowest score since the partnership began reporting
these statistics in 2003 and a drop of 3.2% from
last year. Army Audit auditor general Randall Exley has made
improved communications a top priority for his
agency.
FULL TEXT
These are tough times to be a federal employee. At nearly every
turn, federal workers are facing pay freezes (no
cost-of-living increase in three years and counting), no awards,
threats of government shutdowns, fiscal cliffs,
hiring freezes, and sequestration (and with that, furloughs). The
federal workforce is often denigrated as a key
reason why there's a bloated federal bureaucracy, but in reality
there are fewer federal workers doing more work
today than ever before and most take their charge to serve their
country very seriously-and proudly.
This year's average overall score of job satisfaction for
participating federal organizations from the survey of

federal workers by the Partnership for Public Service was 60.8
percent-the lowest score since the partnership
began reporting these statistics in 2003 and a drop of 3.2
percent from last year.
Despite this downward trend across the federal government, the
U.S. Army Audit Agency had the highest score for
job satisfaction (85.7 percent) of all participating federal
agencies-large, midsize, small, and subcomponent. The
agency also placed first among 292 subcomponent agencies in
this year's rankings, making it one of the federal
government's best places to work.
So, in this challenging environment, what makes a federal
agency a great place to work and how does it get there?
According to the Army Audit Agency's leader, Auditor General
Randall L. Exley, there are a number of important
factors but none more important than communication. "An
informed and happy workforce is a productive one," he
says, "and happiness depends, to a large degree, on trust, which
is built by effective and open communication."
A Top Priority
Exley has made improved communications a top priority for
his agency. "Whether it's between peers, between
supervisor and staff, or between auditor and client,
communication is vital to our continued success and to

reaching the next level of organizational performance and
employee satisfaction," Exley says. "Improving our
already very good communication is of paramount importance
up, down, and across the organization."
The agency serves the Army's evolving needs by helping senior
leaders assess and mitigate risk, and by providing
solutions through independent auditing services for the benefit
of the American soldier. Though its authorized
level is 577, the agency has 550 staff divided into 20 func-
tional audit teams and a support staff directorate. About
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80 employees work at the agency's operations center at Fort
Belvoir, Virginia; the rest work at 20 field offices (18
offices are spread across the United States; the other two offices
are in Germany and the Republic of Korea). The
agency also deploys auditors to Kuwait and Afghanistan, where
they serve alongside soldiers downrange.
Fixing Staff-Management Communication
The auditor general and his executive team regularly visit field

offices for town hall meetings and separate group
meetings with staff members and with supervisors. It was during
these group meetings over the past few years
that Exley heard a recurring concern voiced by staff of a
disconnect in staff-management communications-from
top-level leadership to first-line supervisors.
Some staff felt excluded from the decision-making process for
their audits. Others felt that their managers didn't
trust them to work independently even though they were capable
of doing so. Without an explanation by
management, staff were left frustrated. Some staff also voiced
that management practices weren't consistent
within field offices or across the agency. Auditors had to learn
each supervisor's way of doing business whenever
they changed teams.
Exley recognized that this disconnect was creating missed
opportunities to capture and expand the flow of ideas
that could make the agency an even more fulfilling place to
work. Consequently, he tasked the agency's
workforce management team to develop an effective and
affordable plan to train all agency managers, dedicating
time and resources to improving communications and fostering
open and transparent dialogue.

Tailored Training Puts Work into Context
After extensively researching training programs and products,
the workforce management team recommended an
off-the-shelf program from a contractor that provides
communications training programs. The team then devel-
oped a short, closed-ended, and anonymous survey for agency
employees to get their perception of current com-
munication in the organization. Survey results helped ensure
that the training focused on areas with the lowest
scores. In the end, the team incorporated the training program
into a tailored workshop full of practical exercises
that put the auditors' work into context.
Over six months, managers held 10 two-day sessions of the
workshop at various field office locations. Each
session was packed with valuable content and practical
exercises. Students completed course evaluations, and
the team modified subsequent iterations of the workshop to
make the training even more focused and effective.
During each session, participants were introduced to the
principles of communication contained in the off-the-
shelf training program. They then had opportunities to apply
these principles to critical conversations and situ-
ations that supervisors regularly encounter in the work- place,
including

? building trust and creating collaboration
? giving praise, criticism, and performance reviews
* gathering information
* disagreeing effectively
* resolving conflict.
"When I originally announced the workshop, I spoke about my
desire to create a culture in which effective
communication and candor are a natural part of how we work
together," Exley explains. He and other agency
senior leaders were very deliberate in explaining why the
training was mandatory for all agency leaders-including
the auditor general. "I wanted each of our managers to use the
workshop as an opportunity to get a little better
each day at this important part of our craft, and to coach their
team members on the principles of good communi-
cation," he says.
His executive team developed a strategic communications
message that Exley forwarded to the entire work-
force explaining that this effort was not to correct the mistakes
of a few, but to improve the agency as a whole
because everyone-no matter how good a communica- tor-had
something to gain from the training.

An Overall Communications Strategy
The workshop has been just one part of a multifaceted effort to
improve communication at the Army Audit Agency.
Subsequent to the workshops, the auditor general has asked for
feedback from agency leaders on how they are
applying the principles taught in the class.
At leadership meetings, program directors and audit managers
are regularly asked to share what they've done or
are doing to improve communication with their teams.
Communication has been added to performance stan-
dards for supervisors, and it's become a key criterion for agency
awards.
The agency's second-in-command, Principal Deputy Auditor
General Joseph Mizzoni, says staff members are
asked three questions: What information do you need to
successfully accomplish your mission? What informa-
tion do you need to feel like you're an important part of the
organization? What is the best way to get you that
information?
The workforce management division also created a handbook of

best practices in communication, which was
disseminated to all staff. And the agency has dedicated a full-
time staff member to its newly formed Strategic
Communications Branch.
The auditor general continues to reinforce effective
communications throughout the year through blog posts and
email, and at town hall and agency leadership meetings. Exley
has an image he likes to show at these town hall
meetings: a bottle of water next to a dead plant. No matter how
good the quality of the water, it cannot bring a
dead plant back to life. He extrapolates this to good
communication. "No matter how well-organized and well-
presented your message is," he says, "communication will not
be effective if it's about the wrong things."
He recognizes that effective communications is hard work. "It's
a balanced mixture of art and scientific method.
It's more about receiving than sending, and it requires more
listening than presenting," Exley says. He continues:
"It's as much about how you communicate as it is what you
communicate. It's as much about your knowl- edge of
your receivers and your relationships with them as it is about
the subject of conversation."
Heightening Empowerment

Exley notes that employees are seeing a difference in both the
frequency and nature of communications with their
leaders and feedback from staff shows that the course has
markedly improved communication (see Figure 1).
Audi- tors feel like they have a voice and are listened to. One
commented, "Open communication has made
relationships with peers and supervisors much better."
Additionally, staff feels more empowered. "Generally speaking,
we're given enough authority to talk to people,
gather data, analyze it, and make decisions (or at least
recommendations) to complete our work," one staff mem-
ber said.
Managers are creatively passing on the communication
principles they have learned. Some have made "office
communication" the topic at team meetings or the focus of a
field office "lunch and learn." One field office posts
photos and supportive messages; another has a "thank you"
whiteboard where anyone can write a note thanking
someone for something nice or helpful he or she has done.
Some offices have instituted employee advisory boards to
facilitate better communication between staff and
management. "As with any new initiative, it will take time to
achieve our goals," Exley says, "but this progress in

such a short time is heartening and fills me with pride in our
management team."
One staff member adds, "What makes our agency great is that
leadership listens and takes action. We iden- tified
that communication needed improvement and our leaders
stepped up and addressed the deficiency. The com-
munications workshop, our human capital plan, the auditor
general's blogs.... all of these are examples of how our
agency listens to the concerns of its employees and then takes
meaningful steps to try to address the concerns."
The emphasis on communication also has helped staff members
feel even more like they're part of a team. One
auditor noted, "My management allows me to voice my opinions
openly and freely-they always listen and they
make you feel like what you're saying matters. They value your
input and say thanks. They treat me more as a peer
than an employee-it's about accomplishing the mission as a
team."
According to Mizzoni, after listening, leaders must act.
"Without the next step (acting upon what the staff says),
the words are empty," he says. "We want to listen because we
want to know what to address to make the agency
better."
Another staff member commented, "With clear goals and

mission and message-and how we go about
accomplishing them successfully-staff are empowered to excel
and care about what they do."
One of Exley's guiding philosophies is to communicate
broadly and deeply-and to lead transparently. He regularly
blogs to employees, sharing what he and his executive team
hear at top-level Pentagon and command meetings so
staff knows what's happening almost as soon as he does.
According to Mizzoni, "We need to share all the information we
can. When you don't fully disclose all information,
people will fill in the blanks with either the wrong or worst-
case information." Mizzoni discussed the auditor
general's initiatives when he participated in a recent panel
discussion on effective communications sponsored by
the Partnership for Public Service with leaders from several
other highly successful organizations.
Exley says agency auditors are an integral part of the Army
team, seeking to improve the Army by providing timely,
value-added audit services. "We are the Army's internal
auditors," he explains. "We audit what matters most to
Army senior leaders and quickly deliver results in support of

soldiers, civilians, and families."
Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh congratu- lated the
agency on winning the Best Places to Work award.
"Your accomplishments are great news for the Army, and we are
inspired by your sustained and excep- tional
performance," he wrote in a letter. "You stand as a stalwart
example of success for our Army organizations and the
rest of the federal government. You have estab- lished a high
standard of excellence and I am proud to serve on
the Army team with you."
Sidebar
At the U.S. Army Audit Agency, communication is vital to
success and to reaching the next level of organizational
performance and employee satisfaction.
Sidebar
This disconnect was creating missed opportunities to capture
and expand the flow of ideas that could make the
agency an even more fulfilling place to work.
Sidebar
Auditor General Randall Exley discusses his priorities and

solicits feedback from staff at a town hall meeting at
Fort Meade, Maryland.
Sidebar
Staff from the St. Louis field office participate in one of the
agency's communications workshops.
Sidebar
Communication has been added to performance standards for
supervisors and it's become a key criterion for
agency awards.
AuthorAffiliation
Kathleen Skidmore-Williams is chief of the Army Audit
Agency's editorial branch. Her team edits more than 200
audit reports, attestations, and follow-up audits each year. In
her spare time, she enjoys arguing the merits of the
serial comma and sharpening red pencils. Contact her at
[email protected]
DETAILS
Subject: Federal employees; Polls &surveys; Compensation;
Employee involvement; Job

satisfaction; Interpersonal communication
Location: United States--US
Classification: 9190: United States; 9550: Public sector
Publication title: Public Manager; Alexandria
Volume: 42
Issue: 2
Pages: 52-56
Number of pages: 5
Publication year: 2013
Publication date: Summer 2013
Section: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Publisher: Association for Talent Development
Place of publication: Alexandria
Publication subject: Public Administration
ISSN: 10617639
Source type: Scholarly Journals

Language of publication: English
Document type: Feature
Document feature: Illustrations Tables Photographs
ProQuest document ID: 1406222044
Document URL:
search.proquest.co
m/docview/1406222044?accountid=33337
Copyright: Copyright The Bureaucrat, Inc. Summer 2013
Last updated: 2015-07-18
Database: ABI/INFORM Collection
Bibliography
Citation style: APA 6th - American Psychological Association,
6th Edition
Kathleen Skidmore-Williams. (2013). Communication provides
foundation for being a best place to work. Public

Manager, 42(2), 52-56. Retrieved from
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ountid=33337
Terms and Conditions Contact ProQuest
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Provides Foundation for Being a Best Place to
WorkBibliography
BBA 2026, Organizational Communication 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
3. Explain communication techniques that improve employee
trust and engagement.
Reading Assignment

In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s)
below:
Erdil, G. E., & Tanova, C. (2015). Do birds of a feather
communicate better?
The cognitive style congruence between managers and their
employees
and communication satisfaction. Studia Psychologica, 57(3),
177-193. Retrieved from
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://s
earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=a9h&AN=110055805&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Mintzberg, H. (2010). Managing on three planes. Leader to
Leader, 2010(57),
29-33. Retrieved from
earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=a9h&AN=51237063&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Hugo, A., & Mujkic, E. (2016). Leadership behaviors and trust
in leaders: Evidence from the U.S. federal
government. Public Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 156-179.
Retrieved from
earch.proquest.com.libraryresources.c
olumbiasouthern.edu/docview/1770073259?accountid=33337
Skidmore-Williams, K. (2013). Communication provides

Manager, 42(2), 52-56. Retrieved from
Smothers, J., Doleh, R., Celuch, K., Peluchette, J., & Valadares,
K. (2016).
Talk nerdy to me: The role of intellectual stimulation in the
supervisor-employee relationship. Journal of
Health and Human Services Administration, 38(4), 478-508.
Retrieved from
Click here to view the Unit IV Presentation.
Click here to view the Unit IV Presentation transcript.
Unit Lesson
Introduction
According to Henry Mintzberg (2010), managers engage in
multiple functions throughout the workday. Within
the organization, managers need to collect and convey
information, make decisions, and promote unity. All of
these functions are carried out through communication.
Mintzerg (2010) explains that managers have an

image of themselves as decision-makers, but their jobs entail
much more. Managers have to balance roles as
facilitators and analysts. They also have to create an effective
corporate culture.
UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Improving Employee Trust and Engagement
Through Communication Techniques
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earch.proquest.com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/docv
iew/1770073259?accountid=33337

https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Busi
ness/BBA/BBA2026/16I/UnitIV/UnitIV_Presentation.htm
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Busi
ness/BBA/BBA2026/16I/UnitIV_Transcript.pdf
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Managers collect information through conversation, reports,
memos, phone calls, meetings, e-mail messages,
speeches, and videos, and managers distribute the information
along the same channels. Effective managers
utilize a wide variety of media and strategies to communicate.
As Mintzerg (2010) explains, managers need to
listen to employees at all levels of the organization, build a
strong group with people who care about the
company and its core values, and encourage employees to be
innovative.
In “Talk Nerdy to Me: The Role of Intellectual Stimulation in
the Supervisor-Employee Relationship,”
Smothers, Doleh, Celuch, Peluchette, and Valadares (2016)
describe how vital it is for managers to employ
communication techniques that improve employee performance.
If the employees trust the managers—if the

communication fosters engagement—then job performance and
the psychological well-being of the
employees will increase. The authors stress communication
transparency and leader integrity as key points.
Galip Erdil and Cem Tanova (2015) focus on employee
perception of trust and how managers communicate
in “Do Birds of a Feather Communicate Better? The Cognitive
Style Congruence Between Managers and
Their Employees and Communication Satisfaction.” The extent
to which employees feel that their managers
listen to them and respect their opinions influences the
employees’ feelings of trust toward the organization.
The style that the managers use to communicate to the
employees makes a difference in comprehension.
In all three articles, certain core ideas are highlighted:
communication, trust, and employee engagement. But,
how do all of these concepts work together? The focus of this
unit will be an in-depth examination of the
communication techniques managers in an organization can use
to improve employee trust and engagement.
In this unit, we will be revisiting terms and ideas first discussed
in Unit I and in Unit II. It may be helpful to
review the information.
Organizing Information to Fit the Audience, the Purpose, and
the Situation
In Unit I, the lesson focused on the sender, the channel, and the
receiver. The Unit I graphic showed that the
interaction moved in a straight line. In the units that followed,
concepts of feedback were introduced. The
graphic no longer moved in a straight line but, rather, looped
back onto itself as the sender “received”
information from his or her audience after the message had

traveled along the channel.
But, there is yet another step in the process—audience analysis.
When added to a graphic, it would appear
as shown below:
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Audience Analysis
Preparation is required to effectively communicate messages to
employees so they understand the reasons
for a decision and also grasp how it affects them. In the very
first step of any type of communication, the
sender of the message needs to focus on who will be receiving
his or her words. This type of consideration
should occur for both written and verbal communication forms.
Some experts feel that this step needs to
occur even before the sender forms the idea for the message;
other experts believe this should happen
concurrently. In part, this depends on the sender’s perspective
toward the receivers; how essential is it to
know information about the employees in the organization?
Mintzberg (2010) believes that managers should

focus first on the people involved. It is a more nuanced
approach than beginning with the information and
requires reflection prior to action (sending the message). Erdil
and Tanova (2015) feel it is essential that the
sender be aware of the receiver’s cognitive style.
Acknowledging the way the receiver processes information
will improve satisfaction with the communication process. This
will also help to build a constructive
relationship between the two parties. Being proactive rather
than reactive in this regard will help to improve
communication and establish a more productive relationship
with the employees in an organization.
The sender needs to transcend his or her own perspective and
consider the needs/interests of the audience;
then, the sender should decide how to account for this in the
message. Certain questions, such as those
listed below, can assist in this step:
1. Which employees make up the audience? The message could
be constructed differently for
executives and technicians, for example.
2. If the message needs to be delivered to more than one person,
how do the people in the audience
differ? The sender has to account for diverse needs of his or her
audience. In a written document, for
example, the sender may write separate sections that address the
needs of the different audiences.
3. What factors impact the way the audience feels about the
subject? There are factors outside of the
sender’s control, such as recent news reports, the economy, and
even the weather that may influence
the way the message is received. All of these aspects affect the

message and need to be considered
when the sender constructs it.
Purpose Analysis
What is the purpose in sending the message? What does the
message need to accomplish to serve the
organizational problem? What do the readers/listeners need to
do? Planning the purpose of the message
helps to create focus on the part of the sender. Even a simple
message may have several related purposes.
What information needs to be included in the message? Plan by
creating a list of necessary points. Determine
what reasons or benefits the audience will find convincing. The
message may first originate with the sender,
but feedback from the audience can often alter the information
and the subsequent message(s).
Case Study: Being a “Best Place to Work”
In “Communication Provides Foundation for Being a Best Place
to Work,” Kathleen Skidmore-Williams (2013)
describes the working conditions of federal agencies in recent
times. Federal workers face negative aspects
such as pay freezes, hiring freezes, no awards, sequestration,
the year-to-year threat of plunging over the
fiscal cliff, and government shutdowns. In 2013, the overall job
satisfaction for federal agencies that
participated in the Partnership for Public Service Survey was
60.8 %. However, the U.S. Army Audit Agency
had the highest score for job satisfaction among employees at
87.5 %. Employees consider it one of the best
places to work in the federal government (Skidmore-Williams,
2013, p. 52).

What sets the agency apart from the others? Auditor General
Randall L. Exley explains that the U.S. Army
Audit Agency has made communication a top priority for the
organization (as cited in Skidmore-Williams,
2013). He believes that information and transparency helps to
build trust in an organization, which leads to a
happier workforce. Clear, concise, and open communication will
increase productivity (Skidmore-Williams,
2013).
During the course of the year, Exley and his executive team
have on-site visits to field offices, and they
conduct group meetings with staff members and with
supervisors (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). Regarding the
years when the overall job satisfaction was low, staff members
routinely expressed concerns about being
excluded from the decision-making process for their audits.
Some staff felt that the supervisors did not trust
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
them to perform their duties because of micromanagement.
Other staff stated frustration with the
inconsistency of management practices.
After gathering information, Exley decided that effective and

open communication between staff and
managers would improve the situation (Skidmore-Williams,
2013). His first step was not to form an idea but to
gather information about his audience and to analyze it. This
preparation allowed him to focus on the people
involved and, eventually, gave him the opportunity to craft his
message so that it met the needs of his
audience.
For Exley, there were two different types of audience
members—staff and supervisors—and he had to
address the needs of both in his message. He and his
management team developed a plan to gather
information and to utilize it. They created a short, anonymous
survey for agency staff that collected data on
current communication issues in the organization. Exley and his
management team then hired a contractor to
create two-day workshops for managers at the various field
offices that took these surveys into consideration
(Skidmore-Williams, 2013).
In the article, Exley explains that the workshops were designed
to improve communication and candor
between managers and to address the staff concerns (as cited in
Skidmore-Williams, 2013). The managers
who attended the workshops were expected to develop their
skill levels. When they returned, the managers
then needed to coach their teams in the principles of good
communication (Skidmore-Williams, 2013).
Exley sent an agency-wide message announcing the workshops.
He explained that the workshops were not
targeted toward the mistakes of a few but had been designed to
improve everyone’s ability to communicate.
The workshops were mandatory for everyone—including the
auditor general (Skidmore-Williams, 2013). The

agency-wide message helped to establish transparency in the
process right from the start.
To distribute the information, the management team created a
communication best-practices handbook for
the supervisors and staff. The organization formed a Strategic
Communications Branch. To build support,
Principal Deputy Auditor General Joseph Mixxoni, the second-
in-command of the U.S. Army Audit Agency,
makes sure that staff members are asked what they need to
accomplish their mission and to feel like an
important member of the team. They are also asked the best
channel to use to get them that information
(Skidmore-Williams, 2013). Exley uses multiple channels, such
as blog posts, e-mail, and town hall meetings,
to foster effective communication (Skidmore-Williams, 2013).
Exley’s message to improve communication worked. Within the
agency, there is an increased frequency of
communication between staff and supervisors. The quality of
the communication has improved as well. Staff
reports indicate that the employees feel empowered; the
supervisors are listening to their ideas (as cited in
Skidmore-Williams, 2013). At the same time, supervisors are
imparting the communication principles they
have learned through the workshops to the staff at topic team
meetings or office “lunch and learn” sessions.
One agency staff member summarizes the results by stressing
the fact that the leadership now listens to the
concerns of the staff and also takes action on those concerns.
This is meaningful. The staff also appreciates
the multiple channels of communication that are now available;
including the auditor general’s blogs, the
workshops, and the human capital plan (Skidmore-Williams,
2013, p. 56). This has led to the agency being

one of the best places to work year after year.
References
Erdil, G. E., & Tanova, C. (2015). Do birds of a feather
communicate better? The cognitive style congruence
between managers and their employees and communication
satisfaction. Studia Psychologica, 57(3),
177-193.
Mintzberg, H. (2010). Managing on three planes. Leader to
Leader, 2010(57),
29-33.
Skidmore-Williams, K. (2013). Communication provides
Manager, 42(2), 52-56.
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

Smothers, J., Doleh, R., Celuch, K., Peluchette, J., & Valadares,
K. (2016). Talk nerdy to me: The role of
intellectual stimulation in the supervisor-employee relationship.
Journal of Health and Human
Services Administration, 38(4), 478-508.
Learning Activities (Non-Graded)
Apply What You Have Learned
Consider organizations where you have worked in the past or
where you are currently employed. Have you
encountered any situations where it was difficult to
communicate with a supervisor? If so, how did this affect
your working environment and job performance?
Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in
their course of study. You do not have to
submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for
further guidance and information.
Unit IV Essay
For this assignment, compare and contrast two communication
techniques that can be used to improve employee trust and
engagement. Feel free to use the channels or techniques
discussed in “Communication Provides Foundation for Being a
Best Place to Work” by Kathleen Skidmore-Williams—an
article that is located in the Unit IV Required Reading section—
or feel free to research your own.
Your assignment should include the components below:
Explain why communication is essential in an organization.
Explain the ways that effective communication improves
employee trust and engagement. Focus on

comparing/contrasting two types of channels or techniques
(e.g., on-site meetings, employee surveys, workshops).
Explain the types of situations where each channel or
technique would be most effective. Provide examples and facts
for your audience. Avoid simply offering an opinion; rely on
valid, academic research.
APA format should be used. The assignment should be a
minimum of three pages in length. Content, organization, and
grammar/mechanics will be evaluated.
Question 1 (350 Words)
What is the role of public relations within an organization’s
integrated marketing communications (IMC) plan? Evaluate
how the success of a PR campaign can be measured. Support
your position. Incorporate concepts and examples from this
week’s lecture in your post
Question 2 (350 words)
An increasing trend in marketing communications is to use
“content marketing.” Discuss the components of content
marketing and how each component contributes to the integrated
marketing communications (IMC). Support your position.
Incorporate concepts and examples from this week’s lecture in
your post
Lecture and resources attached
Ogden, J. R., & Ogden, D. T. (2014). Integrated marketing
communications: Advertising, public relations, and more
[Electronic version]. Retrieved from:
https://content.ashford.edu/
Public Relations
Welcome to the world of public relations! Just what is public
relations? Is it advertising? Is it marketing? Is it community

activities or crisis management? What do public relations
professionals do? Has anyone known a PR professional?
Exposure to this individual will reveal a flurry of unending
energy and enthusiasm. One of the most important skills of this
individual is the ability to develop relationships and contacts
with every kind of person. A PR professional can call a CEO
and have his or her phone call returned! In addition, a PR
professional must possess superior writing skills as well as
verbal communication skills. Could this be why Ashford faculty
members hold high, rigorous standards for writing?
According to the Public Relations Society of America, public
relations professionals communicate with the external publics of
an organization. Is this the same as marketing or sales? No!
According to Cameron, Wilcox, Reber, and Shin (2008), sales is
a function of marketing. Sales is focused on an organization’s
customers and selling the products of the organization. The
objective of sales is to increase market share and profitability.
Ogden & Ogden discuss three differences between public
relations and advertising: since the organization does not pay
for PR, it cannot control the message; PR may not always be
positive; and the third difference is the public tends to believe
the information from PR is from a trusted and reliable resource
(Ogden & Ogden, 2014).
Public relations is focused on building relationships and
implementing communications strategies that will build
goodwill for the organization. Public relations is what we see
when organizations are working on Habitat for Humanity or the
Salvation Army bell ringer or the Toys for Tots campaigns.
Public relations' only focus is to build a positive relationship
and create goodwill with its publics. PR never thinks of sales or
market share or profitability.
One important function of the public relations professional is to
be the liaison between its publics and the organization in times
of an emergency, conflict or crisis. Did you know there are four

stages of the conflict cycle? Many organizations in our current
economic downturn are experiencing layoffs, job cuts, and wage
reductions. It is the PR professional's job to "spin" what is
typically viewed as a negative into something positive.
Crisis management is another area of responsibility for a PR
professional. A crisis is something that interferes with the
normal business operation. Spilling oil into the Gulf of Mexico
was clearly a crisis. Do you remember who the organization
used as their initial spokesperson? British Petroleum (BP) had
their CEO, Tony Hayward, in front of the cameras to reassure
the public all measures were being implemented to restore the
surrounding environment from the damage of the oil spill. Mr.
Hayward also told the public their vessel's leak had been
contained when that was not the case. What was the public
reaction? Outrage! Vehement outrage and an insistence on
containing the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. As you may
have read in the news, Mr. Hayward violated just about every
PR rule and was replaced. For more information, click
http://www.deepwaterhorizonsettlements.com/ (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site. to see the final outcome
and BP's legal responsibility.
Celebrities whose names have become their brand also hire a PR
professional. Think of celebrities such as Tiger Woods or Kobe
Bryant, for example, who have had negative publicity. How
have their managers handled the crisis and tried to rebuild the
positive brand image of the athletes? Has either athlete lost
endorsement contracts as a result of negative publicity? Who is
a recent celebrity in the news trying to rebuild a brand? The
world of PR can be a fascinating glimpse into what is happening
behind the scenes. Should a public relations policy be made in
the middle of a crisis? Of course not . Organizations should
have protocols and PR releases already on file that can be
implemented at a moment's notice.
Forbes School of Business Faculty
References:

Cameron, G. T., Wilcox, D. L., Reber, B. H., & Shin, J. (2008).
Public relations today: Managing competition and conflict.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Ogden, J. R., & Ogden, D. T. (2014). Utilizing a strategic
marketing approach to managing marketing communications.
San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Qualman, E. (2013). Socialnomics. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons.
The Paper should demonstrate understanding of the reading
assignments as well as the discussion points. The purpose of
this assignment is to integrate the concepts studied in this
course into a cohesive and comprehensive paper.
The Paper will be titled “An Integrated Marketing Strategy for
_______.” You will fill in the blank with an existing or a new
brand name of your choice. The goal of the paper is to integrate
theories and concepts from the textbook and readings into your
own ideas to create specific marketing ideas to promote the
brand (good or service) with a particular target market. Refer to
the previous assignments completed in this course for insight on
how to develop your Paper. You must
Provide an Overview/Executive Summary of the marketing
strategy.
Describe the good or service and desired brand image.
Describe the target market, including buyer motivations,
demographics, and psychographics.
Describe the overall marketing strategy, including
positioning strategy versus competitors.
Describe a promotions and advertising campaign that
includes a description of one advertisement.

Recommend and describe a Public Relations campaign.
Describe the use of an Internet marketing campaign,
including web site and use of email.
Describe a direct marketing campaign, including Customer
Relationship Management.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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succinct thesis statement.
course text, including a minimum of two from the Ashford
University library.
Ashford Writing Center.
Ogden, J. R., & Ogden, D. T. (2014). Integrated marketing
communications: Advertising, public relations, and more
[Electronic version]. Retrieved from:
https://content.ashford.edu/
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