07 Jan The miscommunication

Embery ENGL222 Module 1 Discussion

Module 1 Discussion – Tooling Your Career

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When employers advertise a position they’re seeking to fill, they articulate a number of skills they consider necessary to do the job. But beyond the specific technical or core assets are over-arching “soft” skills that drive hiring decisions. The “ shopping list” companies use to hire talent may surprise you. The National Association of College and Employers (NACE) and International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) regularly survey employers on what qualities they seek in prospective employers. Click on the following links to review their findings.

10 Things Employers Want From A New Hire (Links to an external site.)

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Based on a NACE survey.

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Source: YouTube

Highlights from the Research Foundation/Buck Consultants Employee Engagement Survey (September 2010) (Links to an external site.)

Study the results of the two surveys and answer the following questions:

Why do you believe employers responded the way they did?

Can you cite any changes in the workplace that potentially might contribute to the employers’ position?

Post your responses in this discussion. Be sure to return later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 2 Discussion

Module 2 Discussion – The New Diversity – A Melding

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For the first time in American history, we have four different generations of employees in the workplace – Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers, the latter commonly labeled “The Millennials.” And each group represents different beliefs, values, attitudes, and behavior norms. Call it the “New Diversity.” Potentially, the situation has enormous ramifications. The multi-generational mosaic can affect how members of these groups work in teams, implement new business practices, and perform the job. And the generational differences have performance implications as well in terms of the level of commitment to goals, recognition of authority and understanding work instructions. The mission for business is to harness the energies of each generation and create a synergy that breeds winning interpersonal relationships.

Review the following for further insight into the melding of generations:

Generational Differences Chart (Links to an external site.)

The “Millennials” Are Coming (Links to an external site.) by Morley Safer for 60 Minutes

Millennials — Who are they? The original 60 Minutes interview from 2008 (3:14M) (Links to an external site.)

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Discuss the following questions:

What problems do you foresee occurring with four generations as members of the same work group?

What strategies would you suggest that might minimize the differences and create a cohesive team?

Post your responses in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 3 Discussion

Module 3 Discussion – Selecting the Right Medium

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“The medium is the message”is a phrase coined by the late Marshall McLuhan, former professor of Literature at the University of Toronto and a communications-media theorist during the 1960-1980 period. In business communication, we often find that the media channel supersedes the content in importance – or it’s not what is written or said but how it’s conveyed. Certain medium can provide a richness that makes a difference in delivering information.Likewise, certain medium can obstruct and obscure information. The business world provides countless examples of this concept. For instance, a marketing team has completed an important project for management which requires members to report on their findings and recommendations. Typically, members would prepare a written report as required but, due to the delicate and complex nature of the information, they opt to make an oral presentation to the executive staff as well. The oral presentation gives the team feedback on management’s reaction; it allows the group to answer questions not possible with a written report; ultimately, it fulfills the mission.

Each of us has had a “medium is the message” experience. Describe a situation [business or personal] you recall which required the communicator to strategize and select the right medium for the message.

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 4 Discussion

Module 4 Discussion – Business Romancing Social Networks

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Online Social Networks (OSNs) began with people seeking to connect with friends and family and stream entertainment content, but eventually the business world caught the wave. Review the two articles regarding the application of social networks in the business context and how companies are adapting these media tools to share data, reach out to customers, support employees, and facilitate the exchange of ideas.

How to Use Location-Based Social Networks for Your Business (Links to an external site.) by Lou Dubois

How to Use Internal Collaboration and Social Networking Technology (Links to an external site.) by Tony Byrne

Would you consider OSNs in business a trend with long-term staying power or a karaoke fad that will soon turn into a media that outlives its usefulness? Explain your position.

Post your response in this discussion. Then read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 5 Discussion

Module 5 Discussion – Burdening the Bad News

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One of the challenges in the business sector is addressing adverse situations which are delicate and sensitive. Review the attached scenarios and discuss which one you find the most difficult to handle.

Conveying bad news is always a tough job. Which of the following scenarios do you believe would be the toughest to convey?
– A supervisor who must lay off a dedicated 55-year old veteran employee.
– A business owner who must notify employees the company has mismanaged its finances and will no longer be able to meet the payroll.
– A manager who must advise the president of the company that his department has been covertly engaging in fraudulent activities and its activities are now being investigated by the state attorney general’s office.

Explain your rationale.

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 6 Discussion

Module 6 Discussion – Correcting a Performance Issue

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Read the following guidelines on How to Conduct an Effective Disciplinary Interview (Links to an external site.) by Ruth Mayhew.

Consider the following case study:

You are the manager of a team of workers, and Drew is one of your employees. Before joining your department three months ago, Drew worked six months in another area. Since assigned to your unit, Drew has been repeatedly late for work or absent. Other employees are complaining they have to pull Drew’s weight. You’ve learned that Drew had a similar problem in the other department.

Company policy states that if an employee is warned of such a problem and it continues, the individual can be given a three-day suspension without pay.

One important item to consider: Drew, when he’s on the job, is a top performer and someone you definitely want to keep on the payroll. He can run circles around the other people. He just has problems getting it together.

You plan to meet with Drew to address the matter to create a strategy for the best approach:

When do you feel is the best time of day and day of week to hold the meeting?

Where is the most appropriate location for the meeting? Drew’s work station? Your office? Other locations?

What do you believe is the best action to handle the problem? Counsel Drew and issue a verbal warning? Write a letter of reprimand? Suspend the employee for three days without pay? Other actions?

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return later in the week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 7 Discussion

Module 7 Discussion – Motivating Change

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Progress comes at a price. To stay afloat with advancing technology, businesses often must reinvent themselves. Recasting is even more imperative when a spiraling economy forces a business to reorient its direction, restructure its organization and practices. For some companies in impacted industries, motivating change has become as much a core function as marketing, accounting, and similar activities. Change is difficult, costly, and time consuming, no matter the circumstances, requires the persuasive powers because people fear change.

The emergence of General Motors from bankruptcy and a landmark bailout compelled the manufacturer to not only change its business model but to persuade consumers, investors and its own employees that GM had reformed its practices and regained its competitive strength.

Review the following videos that describe GM’s campaign to restore its image and public confidence.

GM Reinvention(00:01:11)

Source: YouTube

General Motors Re:invent(00:01:03)

Source: YouTube

GM Repaid Government Loan Ahead of Schedule(00:01:00)

Source: Brightcove

What central themes and key words do you find that resonate in these videos? For a moment, ignore the script and study the sound and visual content. How do they contribute to the persuasive message?

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.

Embery ENGL222 Module 8 Discussion

Module 8 Discussion – Speaker Gallery

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Speeches can resonate from the platform to the playing field, and the manner will vary according to the occasion and venue. The six videos below reflect a range of styles from the formal, solemn and uplifting panegyric to the informal, stirring pep talk. Select any two of the six speeches and write a 100-word critique of each presentation. Some of the criteria you may want to consider:

Content Delivery

Interesting Audience Contact

Clear Voice Quality

Well-Organized Posture

Engaging Gestures

Tone

Stage Presence

Solis.jpg Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor Brooks.jpg Coach Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell)

King.jpg Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (audio) Powell.jpg Retired General & U.S. Statesman Colin Powell

Schwatrzkoph.jpg Retired General Schwarzkopf Obama.jpg President Barack Obama

Embery ENGL222 Module 9 Discussion

Module 9 Discussion – Saga of the Sago Snafu

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Review the following:

Miscommunication Followed Tragedy (Links to an external site.) by the Associated Press

‘Sound of moans’ led rescuers to surviving miner (Links to an external site.) by CNN

Dead WV miners reported alive – WABC-TV Jan 4, 2006 11pm (Links to an external site.)

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Source: YouTube Repeater

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Sustained Outrage

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Source: PBS Exposé

The miscommunication surrounding the 2006 Sago mine disaster in West Virginia illustrates how even the most reputable news sources can generate erroneous, misleading information. On January 4, 2006, Americans awakened to read in their morning papers that the trapped miners were found alive. This was reported by major news services. Yet when Americans turned on their television sets that same morning to watch the early news, the report was altogether different. Only one miner made it out alive.

What caused the miscommunication? The media is subject to deadlines, and the initial report of a successful recovery ironically hit at the same time editors were putting their news to bed. Yet less than an hour later, the grim facts were confirmed; unfortunately the presses were already rolling.

What might have authorities at the scene done to avoid such a miscommunication and better control the release of information?

Post your response in this discussion. Be sure to return to the forum later this week, read the viewpoints of your classmates and comment on their statements.