August 16, 2023

Briefly describe the communication, including the primary message and your role in the communication.

Part A – Due 8/16/23 by 6pm

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

An important component of the communication process is the channel used to send the message. For example, you would not want to deliver lengthy and complicated technical instructions in a face-to-face conversation where the listener does not have the chance to take notes. Choosing the appropriate channel can have a strong impact on both the effectiveness of and response to your message. In this Discussion, you will consider the impact of a communication channel on a message.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Consider a time in which the channel chosen for a communication had a significant impact on your participation in and response to the communication.

Post an evaluation of the impact of communication channels on effective messaging. In your evaluation, do the following:

Briefly describe the communication, including the primary message and your role in the communication.

Explain the channel chosen for the communication and why this channel was selected. If the reason is unknown, provide your best assumption for why it was selected.

Analyze whether this choice of channel was effective and appropriate, supporting your analysis with this week’s Learning Resources.

Assess what you would do (or recommend be done) differently in the future regarding channel choice and “noise” elimination in similar situations.

Part B: Due 08/18/23 by 6pm EST

COMMUNICATING IN A CRISIS: PART 1

MODULE 3 ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

In this module, you will complete a two-part Assignment that is submitted over the course of 2 weeks. This week, you will complete and submit Part 1. You will complete and submit Part 2 in Week 8.

For this Assignment, you are a member of the executive team for a global nonprofit aimed at improving health and reducing child mortality rates in the developing world. Funding for the organization comes primarily from private donors (mainly in the U.S. and Canada) and through foundation grants. You have just learned that a shipment of straw-type personal water filters provided (but not manufactured by) your organization have been found to be defective. These filters are widely distributed by your organization in areas with contaminated water supplies and have proven highly effective at reducing instances of water-borne infections caused by bacteria and parasites. However, reports are coming in of increased illness rates from contaminated water in the areas where this shipment was distributed.

You have been asked, as a member of a quickly convened crisis response team, to outline a crisis communication response plan for the organization with an accompanying rationale (with appropriate academic and professional sources to support your report) that will be reviewed by the CEO, Mary Stevenson. Your communications report should be 7–9 pages in total (4–5 pages for Part 1 and 3–4 pages for Part 2), not including title page, references page, and appendix (with your completed Stakeholder Worksheet).

Submit Part 1 of your communications report in which you address the following in 4–5 pages (excluding references):

PART 1: CRISIS COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES

Identify key guidelines and/or principles to use in responding appropriately to a crisis, including social media considerations.

Illustrate steps for Ms. Stevenson to follow in formulating an effective and appropriate crisis message.

Choose methods for communicating with both virtual and geographically dispersed teams and stakeholders.

Resources:

dentifying and Analyzing Stakeholders

Consider an organization with which you are familiar. Do you know who the stakeholders are within this organization? What about individuals external to the organization who also have an investment or interest in it? By being able to better identify and understand an organization’s stakeholders, you can better ensure that you are taking their needs and interests into consideration. Using these resources, you will examine who stakeholders are and how to perform stakeholder analysis.

Communication Coach Alex Lyon. (2018, November 14). What is a stakeholder?Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube.

Note: The approximate length of this media pieces is 10 minutes.

Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). Stakeholder analysis: Winning support for your projects. Download Stakeholder analysis: Winning support for your projects.MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/…

Stakeholder Analysis: Winning Support For Your Projects. Management Training and Leadership Training-Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newPPM_07.php. Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

Time Estimate: 9 minutes

Applegate, L. M. (2008, May 14). Stakeholder analysis tool. Harvard Business School Publishing. http://hbsp.harvard.edu

Time Estimate: 2 minutes (plus time required to use tool)

Stakeholder Management

Consider some people whom you know well, such as a spouse, child, close friend, neighbor, parent, in-law, and so on. If you had to deliver some delicate information to those individuals, would you keep the message exactly the same, or would you tailor the message differently for each individual? What if these individuals were in a room together and you had to deliver the message to all of them at the same time? Communicating with stakeholders can be like that room full of individuals. Each stakeholder may have particular interests or assumptions or have a preferred method of receiving information, but it is the responsibility of an organization to communicate in accordance with the organization’s goals and needs as well as in light of stakeholder needs related to access to information. Through these resources, you will explore stakeholder management and communication.

Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). What is stakeholder management? Planning your stakeholder communications. Download What is stakeholder management? Planning your stakeholder communications.MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/…

Mindtools.com. What Is Stakeholder Management: Planning Your Stakeholder Communications. Management Training and Leadership Training-Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newPPM_08.php. Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

Time Estimate: 9 minutes

Nasdaq. (2020, April 8). What are the 5 rules for stakeholder communication?Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube.

Note: The approximate length of this media pieces is 9 minutes.

Communicating Effectively

You may have heard of the phrase “communication is key,” but it might be more accurate to say that effective communication is the real key. Consider a manager who shouts your name across the office to get your attention or emails you 5 minutes before the end of the day to inform you that you have to stay late. They technically communicated with you, but these examples would better describe ineffective communication. By making it a practice to communicate effectively, your objectives will be more easily understood. Using these resources, you will explore effective communication.

Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). The 7 Cs of communication: A checklist for clear communication. Download The 7 Cs of communication: A checklist for clear communication.MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/…

Mindtools.com. The 7 Cs of Communication: A Checklist for Clear Communication. Management Training and Leadership Training-Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newCS_85.php. Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

Note: Please disregard any reference to an embedded video in this reading.

Time Estimate: 8 minutes

Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). 10 common communication mistakes: Avoiding communication blunders and misunderstandings. Download 10 common communication mistakes: Avoiding communication blunders and misunderstandings.MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/…

Mindtools.com. 10 Common Communication Mistakes: Avoiding Communication Blunders and Misunderstandings. Management Training and Leadership Training-Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/common-communication-mistakes.php. Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

Time Estimate: 6 minutes

Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). Tune your communication: Picking the right channel for your message and audience. Download Tune your communication: Picking the right channel for your message and audience.MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/…

MindTools.com. Tune Your Communication: Picking the Right Channel for Your Message and Audience – Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/… Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

Time Estimate: 8 minutes

Communicating Strategically

In fiction writing, one of the main purposes of a character’s dialogue is to either drive the story or reveal their character. This is why most novels omit small talk about the weather or characters asking questions such as, “Hello, how is your day today?” In a real-life setting, both personally and professionally, this concept does not completely translate. However, one takeaway could be that the words you say and write can be used strategically—for a specific purpose. So, while there is nothing wrong with asking how someone’s day is going, you can also think about the purpose and intent of a conversation before you begin. Then, you can use a strategic mindset to drive the conversation toward a desired outcome. Through these resources, you will examine strategic communication.

Clampitt, P. G., Berk, L., & Williams, M. L. (2002, May). Leaders as strategic communicators: More is not always betterLinks to an external site.. Ivey Business Journal, 66(5), 50–55.

Time Estimate: 12 minutes

Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). Communications planning: Getting the right message across in the right way Download Communications planning: Getting the right message across in the right way. MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/…

Mindtools.com. Communications Planning: Getting the Right Message Across in the Right Way. Management Training and Leadership Training-Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/CommunicationsPlanning.php. Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

Time Estimate: 6 minutes

Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.). The communication strategy framework: Planning how to communicate clearly. Download The communication strategy framework: Planning how to communicate clearly.MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/…

Mindtools.com. The Communication Strategy Framework: Planning How to Communicate Clearly. Management Training and Leadership Training-Online. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/communication-strategy-framework.php. Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.

Time Estimate: 5 minutes

Requirements: as instructed

Module 3 Assignment Template

Communicating in a Crisis

Prepared by: Replace this text with your name.

Date: Replace this text with the submission date.

Walden University

WMBA 6695: Communication for Leaders and Managers

Part 1: Crisis Communication Guidelines