Communication Needs and Practices

 

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you detail communication needs and practices with considerations of:
? Possible public sector stakeholders and partners
? Cultural and ethical considerations for public sector communications
? Differing public administration communication genres
Address the following in your paper:
? In what ways does the public sector differ from the private sector in regard to stakeholders?
? Does the purpose of the communication change when factoring in cultural and ethical considerations and factors?
? How do the differing genres affect communication style and practices?
? Should there be training mandatory training for public sector employees in these areas?
Format your paper according to APA guidelines.
Communication Needs and Practices
• Paper/ ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
• no new messages
Objectives:
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you detail communication needs and practices with considerations of:
• Possible public sector stakeholders and partners
• Cultural and ethical considerations for public sector communications
• Differing public administration communication genres
Address the following in your paper:
• In what ways does the public sector differ from the private sector in regard to stakeholders?
• Does the purpose of the communication change when factoring in cultural and ethical considerations and factors?
• How do the differing genres affect communication style and practices?
• Should there be training mandatory training for public sector employees in these areas?
Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

Week1
Uniqueness of Public Sector Communication
Sep 13 – Sep 19 / 10 points
Objectives/Competencies
•
o 1.1 Determine implications for communications based upon the possible stakeholders.
o 1.2 Identify cultural and ethical considerations for public sector communications.
o 1.3 Compare public administration communication genres.
Learning Activities
Required
•
•
Week One Listen to Me First
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• •
Business Communication, Ch. 1
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Business Communication, Ch. 2
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• •
Human Resource Management in Public Service, Conclusion
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Media Now, Ch. 1
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Media Now, Ch. 14
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Cultural and Language Communication Barriers: Solutions
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Week One Electronic Reserve Readings
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Assignments
Assignment Status Friendly name Title Due Date Points Unread Comments

Week One Participation
Due Sep 19, 11:59 PM /4

Communication Needs and Practices
Due Sep 19, 11:59 PM /6 no new messages
Total Points /10

READINGS:

Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online 9 edition

Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online 9 edition

Amy Newman

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013934363

ISBN-13: 978-1-285-18704-4

ISBN-10: 1-285-18704-0

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
Front Matter
Part 1 Foundations of Business Communication
Chapter 1 Understanding Business Communication
Chapter 2 Team and Intercultural Communication
Chapter 3 Interpersonal Communication Skills
Part 2 Developing Your Business Writing Skills
Chapter 4 The Writing Process
Chapter 5 Revising Your Writing
Part 3 Written Messages
Chapter 6 Neutral and Positive Messages
Chapter 7 Persuasive Messages
Chapter 8 Bad-News Messages
Part 4 Report Writing
Chapter 9 Planning the Report and Managing Data
Chapter 10 Writing the Report
Part 5 Oral and Employment Communication
Chapter 11 Oral Presentation
Chapter 12 Employment Communication
Reference Manual
A Language Arts Basics
B Formatting Business Documents
C Common Types of Reports
D Glossary
Subject Index
Front Matter
About Amy Newman

Amy Newman specializes in business communication at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. As a senior lecturer, she teaches two required communication courses: a freshman business writing and oral communication class and an upper-level persuasive communication class. Amy also teaches an elective, Corporate Communication, which focuses on communication strategy, crisis communication, and social media.

Amy was an adjunct instructor at Ithaca College; Milano, The New School for Management and Urban Policy in New York City; and eCornell, where she taught classes online. She has won several awards for excellence in teaching and student advising and grants to develop technology-based learning solutions.

Amy’s research focuses on social media and other communication technologies. She has published articles and delivered presentations about instant messaging, email, and social media.

Prior to joining Cornell, Amy spent 20 years working for large companies, such as Canon, Reuters, Scholastic, and MCI. Internally, she held senior-level management positions in human resources and leadership development. As an external consultant, Amy worked to improve communication and employee performance in hospitality, technology, education, publishing, financial services, and entertainment companies.

A graduate of Cornell University and Milano, Amy is author of Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online, 9e. Amy has developed several multimedia company scenarios to accompany the book and maintains a blog, BizCom in the News.
Acknowledgments

Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online was inspired by my teaching and learning from students at Cornell, and I am grateful for how they have shaped my thinking about business communication and who I am as an instructor. Several research assistants contributed to this revision and its supplements. Without their help, the book would not have the currency and life that I intended: Katie Satinsky, Shannon Comolli, Grace Lee, and Abigail Needles.

Throughout the 9e revision process, I have consulted many colleagues, friends, and family for valuable feedback on book content and, when needed, a sympathetic ear: Daphne Jameson, David Lennox, Maria Loukianenko Wolfe, Peggy Odom-Reed, Valerie Creelman, Joshua Bronstein, Daniel Meyerson, Laura Newman, and Crystal Thomas.

The following instructors participated in the editorial review board for the ninth edition. Throughout each stage of the revision process, they offered creative input that shaped the chapter content and dynamic design. I thank each of them for their valuable feedback and suggestions:

Kate Archard, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Fiona Barnes, University of Florida

Christina Bergenholtz, Quinsigamond Community College

David Bolton, University of Maryland

Dominic Bruni, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh

Melisa Bryant, Forsyth Technical Community College

Marilyn Chalupa, Ball State University

Sara Cochran, Drury University

Cindi Costa, Mohave Community College

Melissa Diegnau, Riverland Community College

Pat Farrell, Roosevelt University

Peggy Fisher, Ball State University

Jorge Gaytan, North Carolina, AT&T

Beverly George, University of Texas at Arlington

Bill Graham, Seton Hall University

Valerie Gray, Harrisburg Area Community College

Mary Groves, University of Nevada, Reno

Teresa Horton, Baker College

Gloria Lessman, Bellevue University

Andrew Lutz II, Avila University

Molly Mayer, University of Cincinnati

Karen Messina, SUNY Orange

Bill McPherson, Indiana University-Purdue

Zachary Owens, University of Cincinnati

Hem Paudel, University of Louisville

Jessica Rack, University of Cincinnati

Renee Rogers, Forsyth Technical Community College

Jean Anna Sellers, Fort Hays State University

Stacey Short, Northern Illinois University

Lynn Staley, University of Missouri, St. Louis

Kathleen Taylor, SUNY-Utica

Sanci C. Teague, Western Kentucky Community and Technical College

I would also like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their thoughtful contributions on previous editions:

Lisa Barley, Eastern Michigan University

Lia Barone, Norwalk Community College

Carl Bridges, Arthur Andersen Consulting

Annette Briscoe, Indiana University Southeast

Mitchel T. Burchfield, Southwest Texas Junior College

Janice Burke, South Suburban College

Leila Chambers, Cuesta College

G. Jay Christensen, California State University, Northridge

Cheryl Christiansen, California State University, Stanislaus

Connie Clark, lane Community College

Miriam Coleman, Western Michigan University

Anne Hutta Colvin, Montgomery County Community College

Doris L. Cost, Metropolitan State College of Denver

L. Ben Crane, Temple University

Ava Cross, Ryerson Polytechnic University

Nancy J. Daugherty, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Rosemarie Dittmer, Northeastern University

Gary Donnelly, Casper College

Graham N. Drake, State University of New York, Geneseo

Kay Durden, The University of Tennessee at Martin

Laura Eurich, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Mary Groves, University of Nevada, Reno

Phillip A. Holcomb, Angelo State University

Larry R. Honl, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

Kristi Kelly, Florida Gulf Coast University

Margaret Kilcoyne, Northwestern State University

Michelle Kirtley Johnston, Loyola University

Alice Kinder, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Emogene King, Tyler Junior College

Richard N. Kleeberg, Solano Community College

Patricia Laidler, Massasoit Community College

Lowell Lamberton, Central Oregon Community College

E. Jay Larson, Lewis and Clark State College

Kimberly Laux, Saginaw Valley State University

Michael Liberman, East Stroudsburg University

Julie MacDonald, Northwestern State University

Marsha C. Markman, California Lutheran University

Beryl McEwen, North Carolina A&T State University

Diana McKowen, Indiana University, Bloomington

Maureen McLaughlin, Highline Community College

Sylvia A. Miller, Cameron University

Billie Miller-Cooper, Cosumnes River College

Russell Moore, Western Kentucky University

Wayne Moore, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Gerald W. Morton, Auburn University of Montgomery

Danell Moses, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC

Jaunett Neighbors, Central Virginia Community College

Judy Nixon, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Rosemary Olds, Des Moines Area Community College

Richard O. Pompian, Boise State University

Rebecca Pope-Ruark, Elon University

Karen Sterkel Powell, Colorado State University

Seamus Reilly, University of Illinois

Carla Rineer, Millersville University

Jeanette Ritzenthaler, New Hampshire College

Betty Robbins, University of Oklahoma

Joan C. Roderick, Southwest Texas State University

Mary Jane Ryals, Florida State University

Lacye Prewitt Schmidt, State Technical Institute of Memphis

Jean Anna Sellers, Fort Hays State University

Sue Seymour, Cameron University

Sherry Sherrill, Forsyth Technical Community College

John R. Sinton, Finger Lakes Community College

Curtis J. Smith, Finger Lakes Community College

Craig E. Stanley, California State University, Sacramento

Ted O. Stoddard, Brigham Young University

Vincent C. Trofi, Providence College

Deborah A. Valentine, Emory University

Randall L. Waller, Baylor University

Maria W. Warren, University of West Florida

Michael R. Wunsch, Northern Arizona University

Annette Wyandotte, Indiana University, Southeast

Betty Rogers Youngkin, University of Dayton

Finally, I am grateful to the inspiring team at Cengage Learning. It is a true pleasure to work with this team and their staff, who nurtured the book from a list of ideas to printed copy and every step along the way:

Erin Joyner, VP General Manager

Mike Schenk, Product Director

Michele Rhoades, Product Manager

Kristen Hurd, Brand Manager

Jason Fremder, Product Manager

Roy Rosa, Market Development Manager

Joanne Dauksewicz, Managing Content Developer

Jana Lewis, Content Project Manager

John Rich, Senior Media Developer

Stacy Shirley, Senior Art Director

Amy Newman
Part 1 Foundations of Business Communication
Chapter 1 Understanding Business Communication
Chapter 2 Team and Intercultural Communication
Chapter 3 Interpersonal Communication Skills
Chapter 1 Understanding Business Communication

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After you have finished this chapter, you should be able to

LO1 Identify the components of communication.
LO2 Identify the major verbal and nonverbal barriers to communication.
LO3 Describe criteria for choosing communication media.
LO4 Avoid potential legal consequences of communication.
LO5 Communicate ethically

The Learning Objectives (LOs) will help you learn the material. You’ll see references to the LOs throughout the chapter.

“T-shirts that combine ‘Just Do It’ ‘Get High’ with pictures of pill bottles ore a more than unfortunate twist on your corporate slogan, and I urge you to remove them.”1

–THOMAS MENINO, MAYOR OF BOSTON

Chapter Introduction: Nike’s “Get High” T-Shirts

When Nike produced T-shirts with messages about using drugs, the company didn’t expect a backlash—or did it? Displayed in a store window in Boston, shirts with sayings such as “Get High”and “Dope” weren’t well received by the city mayor.

In a letter to the company, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote,

Your window display of T-shirts with drug and profanity wordplay are [sic] out of keeping with the character of Boston’s Back Bay, our entire city, and our aspirations for our young people… not to mention common sense.2

With the handle @BizComlnTheNews, Amy Newman tweeted to @Nike for an explanation and received this response.

These tweets are consistent with Nike’s statement that the T-shirts were “part of an action sports campaign, featuring marquee athletes using commonly used and accepted expressions for performance at the highest level of their sport.” An article in Forbes summed up the company’s position this way: “if history is any guide, there is a next-to-zero chance that decision makers at the company did not anticipate some public outcry and have a planned response to it.”3

The controversy may have been invited, but the situation still calls the company’s ethics into question.
COMMUNICATING IN ORGANIZATIONS

Walk through the halls of any organization—a start-up company, a Fortune 500 giant, a state government office, or a not-for-profit organization—and what do you see? Managers and other employees drafting emails, attending meetings, reading articles online, writing reports, conducting interviews, talking on the phone, and making presentations. In short, you see people communicating.

Communication is necessary for an organization to achieve its goals.

People in organizations work together to achieve a common goal that can only be reached through communication. Groups of people must interact in order to communicate their ideas, needs, expertise, and plans. Communication is how people share information, coordinate activities, and make better decisions. Understanding how communication works in companies and how to communicate competently will make you more effective in every aspect of business.

But many employees lack the communication skills required by their employers, as illustrated by these studies and examples:
Figure 1 Employers Rate Importance of Candidate Skills/Qualities

• Written and oral communication skills are among the top ten skills that employers look for on college students’ resumes. According to The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook Survey, employers also rated “Ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization” and “Ability to create and/or edit written reports” among the most important skills for new college hires to have, shown in Figure 1.4
• “People who cannot write and communicate clearly will not be hired and are unlikely to last long enough to be considered for promotion,” reports The College Board, based on a survey of human resource directors.5
• The College Board also reports that one-third of employees in U.S. blue-chip companies write poorly, and companies spend as much as $3.1 billion each year on remedial writing training.6
• Two recent Wall Street Journal articles highlight poor business writing skills. One says that although “M.B.A. students’ quantitative skills are prized by employers, their writing and presentation skills have been a perennial complaint. Employers and writing coaches say business-school graduates tend to ramble, use pretentious vocabulary, or pen too-casual emails.”7 Another article, humorously titled, “This Embarrasses You and I*,” says that,“Managers are fighting an epidemic of grammar gaffes in the workplace. Many of them attribute slipping skills to the informality of email, texting, and Twitter, where slang and shortcuts are common.”8
• On a more positive note, companies that are considered highly effective communicators had 47% higher returns to shareholders than companies considered the least effective communicators. This study, by Towers Watson, a global professional services firm, calls communication “a leading indicator of financial performance and a driver of employee engagement.”9
• Employees who are happy with how their company communicates difficult decisions are twice as likely to be motivated to work for the company and four times as likely to recommend their company10