In the modules that we have been covering so far, we’ve looked in detail at the skills of speaking and listening. This week, we are going to move onto another essential skill of your ‘communication toolbox’ and that is the skill of effective writing. We will look at:
- The importance of effective organisational communication
- The choice of ‘channel’ to communicate
- The importance of editing and proofreading
- Effective Email – theory, tone and structure
To start this week, I’d like you to think about what the ‘internal communication’ looks like where you work. Managing communication is an extremely important function of any organisation. There are significant organisational benefits to performing this essential function well and a lot of confusion and negativity when it is not.
For this course, we will be focusing on the function and effectiveness of internal communication – which is communication occurring within the organisation.
Think about where you work at the moment, or if you are not working currently, reflect on managing communication within an organisation you are familiar with (e.g. school/volunteering.?)
- Name five (5) internal communication functions of the organisation you have chosen and WHY they need to occur? (e.g: staff memo’s, answering phones, reception dealing with customers…)
- What are the benefits of these being managed effectively? Name three (3) - you can consider both business and employee benefits.
- What would happen if these were managed poorly? What are some of the possible outcomes? Name four (4) - two for the business and two for employees of the business.
Now, we are going to discuss the ‘channel’ of communication. Put simply, this is the way in which we choose to communicate or deliver our message. It could be an email, a phone call, a face to face meeting or a formal letter. What is really important to understand, is that the ‘channel’ of communication is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Using one channel for every situation is not a viable option, if you want your messages to be received and understood by the right people, at the right time. Choosing the right channel will have a significant impact on how successful your communication might be.
I would like you to watch the clip and then read the content in the following links: Please take notes on both the video clip and the links. At the end of this section, you should have a comprehensive set of notes on:
- The most commonly used channels and strengths and weaknesses of each.
- An understanding of what sort of situations you would use different communication channels to meet your communication goals
- A wider understanding of some other ideas in this area, to give you wider context.
Here is the first clip (4 minutes). Please take notes.
Now, after watching the video please review the following links to expand your notes and topic understanding:
Lastly, download this Channel Selection Guide.pdf and review.
To conclude this section, I’d like you to conduct a short reflection.
Let’s consider the role of your manager where you work (internal organisation communication):
- How often does your manager communicate with you?
- What channel do they use to do this?
- In your opinion, is the channel effective? Please provide examples of situation and context to support your response.
- How would you improve the communication where you work? In your answer, please discuss choice of channel, tone and structure.
Editing and Proofreading
I’d like you to start with this clip from Editing and Proofreading Made Simple. Please watch the whole program and take notes as you watch:
Now that we’ve got you beginning to reflect on the quality of your written work, please take this short quiz. You can assess your spelling skills on some frequently misspelled words….Don’t worry if you have always found spelling a little tricky (!) – this is only intended for some self-assessment and to give you a handy reference list of those more difficult words.
Once you have completed the quiz, print and review the two documents that you will find in the link
Now – let’s stop and reflect for a moment:
How often do you rush through a written communication and not check for errors?
What do you think the outcome of poorly edited written work might be in the following situations?
- A job application
- A company flyer communicating a price rise to customers
- An internal staff memo about a change in staff benefits
- An essay for university study
Outline your ideas and be prepared to discuss on this week’s discussion board. Please access the discussion board Here (and note responses):
We will conclude the content for this week by looking at some of the theory on Effective Email. Email is a widely used tool for business communications – it’s very useful and highly convenient, but not without pitfalls….it can regularly cause tension, confusion and other negative consequences.
Please review the following guidelines on how to write more effective emails that get the outcomes you want and avoid some of the common pitfalls.
Watch the following clips and take notes on the key points. It is important for you to create your own notes as we move through this section and undertake the practice exercises. Please use the following headings to guide your note taking:
- Over-communication by email.
- Use subject lines well.
- Keep messages clear and brief.
- Be polite.
- The importance of tone.
- Proofread.
- Other important points?
Please watch these two short clips and begin to build your notes for this week:
Writing Effective Emails, Communications Skills by Mind Tools | 2:46
Writing Effective Email: Write Business Email That Has A Clear Purpose | 3:48
Please click on the following link
Scroll down to the heading that says Stick to a Standard Structure (for email). Read this information and print off the document HERE that has the exercises for you to practice your new email structure. This exercise requires you to answer some questions and draft two new emails. Please be prepared to bring this to the next workshop for discussion.
Lastly, please review the full online article (link below) that contains the headings we have been using to create this week’s notes. Please read this article in full and add to your notes as required:
In conclusion, you might want to have a look at these two clips:
The first one is a YouTube clip that is a funny, but effective explanation on the ineffective side of email:
Email Etiquette | 3:29 mins
Secondly – something we will all encounter at some point. How to deal with a Frustrating Email:
I’ll look forward to seeing you all next week and as always, please get in touch if there is anything that you need – Anja
Credits:
Created with images by raedon - "macro shrub ornamental shrubs" • AnaManzar08 - "at work" • caio_triana - "work stressed accounts" • moise_theodor - "juggler trick apple" • Pexels - "contemporary flash indoors" • Pexels - "apple books computers" • aracelymitsu - "office work computer"