Communication Guide Web viewEffective communication is essential in any organization. Whether...

Running head: COMMUNICATION GUIDE 1

Communication Guide

Alison Chateauneuf; Kurtis Hargett

COM/520

March 10, 2014

Jody Newman

COMMUNICATION GUIDE 2

Communication GuideIntroduction

Effective communication is essential in any organization. Whether presenting to

colleagues, training new employees, or teaching students in a classroom, communication will

play the most important part in getting your point across to an audience. The most basic aspect of

teaching and training is to communicate information to another in order to enhance their

knowledge of a particular subject. Today’s organizations expect employees to communicate

through a variety of mediums. From technology to an oral presentation such as a speech,

expectations are high. To overcome barriers to effective communication such as noise and

distractions, channel breakdowns, competing messages, and filters, one has to make a focused

effort to prepare the presentation material in the best way.

This communication guide is intended to be a resource for corporate professionals who

need to make an effective presentation. The main objective of this guide is to explore the five

most important criteria to use when a message needs to be communicated effectively to an

audience.

The topics discussed in this guide will first explore identifying your audience. We will

review imagined vs. actual audiences and information on the audience demographics, culture and

opinions. Secondly, the guide addresses the content and tone of the message that will be

delivered. Emphasis is placed on effectively encoding the idea of the message and how to choose

your words carefully to ensure the proper tone translates to the audience. Thirdly, the method of

communication you can use to relay your message to an audience is analyzed. We will discuss

the available social media, written, and oral message delivery options, followed by some ways to

determine which delivery method suits the audience. The fourth criterion addresses ways to

encourage feedback through clear channels of communication. We will discuss how to set


expectations when asking for feedback. Strategies will be recommended for how to appropriately

react to feedback by setting aside your personal feelings and identifying constructive feedback.

The fifth and last section of the guide will review how to actively listen to your audience. Tips

will be provided on how to overcome personal barriers by using the listening process and

ignoring biases. Empathy will be encouraged when listening and strategies will be recommended

to avoid verbal and non-verbal distractions. When followed, this guide will ensure high quality

results for corporate professionals who need to communicate a message to an audience.

Knowing Your Audience

When you need to communicate a piece of information, spend time planning for the

audience that you will be delivering the message to. Thill & Bovèe (2013) advise to “craft

messages to generate a specific response from a specific audience” (p.4). The factors to consider

when you are starting the planning process consist of the size, location, and composition of the

audience. “A message aimed at 10,000 people spread around the globe will probably require a

different approach than one aimed at a dozen people down the hall” (Thill & Bovèe, 2013, p.

97).

During the planning process, when an audience is not fully known or understood, there is

also potential for a presenter to use an imagined audience. The imagined audience is the mental

conceptualization of the people with whom we are communicating (Litt, E., 2012, Knock, knock.

Who's there? The imagined audience). An example of this would be a user of social media. Litt

(2012) also notes that without being able to know the actual audience, social media users create

and attend to an imagined audience for their everyday interactions. The risks of an imagined

audience can sometimes outweigh the time and effort it will take to research the actual audience.

With an imagined audience, you can only hope that your imagination is close to the actual result.


This can risk leaving the presenter unprepared for difficult questions, or leave a presenter open to

the actual audience rejecting your message as it was not tailored to their needs. If a presenter is

not sure of whom the audience will be, they should ask questions so they can better prepare.

This brings up another important part of planning for an audience. When planning to

present to an audience, you will also want to plan for the audience’s probable response. Thill &

Bovèe advise that potential audience reaction affects message organization (p. 98). You need to

be conscious of preparation you need to take for both a favorable reaction and a reaction that is

not favorable. “If you expect a favorable response, you can state conclusions and

recommendations up front and offer minimal supporting evidence. If you expect skepticism, you

can introduce conclusions gradually and with more proof” (Thill & Bovèe, 2013, p. 98).

It is important to note that while you should research your audience, it is important to

remain flexible. You will have to make adjustments during your presentation for things that you

may not have planned for. Some examples of situations where you may need to immediately

adapt you content stem from individual personalities in the room. You may have someone in the

audience who comes with a negative attitude or is determined to resist your message. You could

have someone who thinks they already know all there is to know about the subject you are

presenting. They may ask questions to purposely try and show that they know more than you do

and how a presenter handles these questions will determine if they remain credible with their

audience.

Content and Tone

A communication’s content and tone play a large role in whether the message will be

delivered effectively. If the content of the message is not on point, the communication will not be

viable. Content is the essence of your message. It is important to research the topic you are


presenting thoroughly. The content needs to be accurate and relevant to your audience. Thill &

Bovèe (2013) advise you should “verify that you present enough support to make the main idea

convincing and compelling” (p. 165).

Organization of your content is also crucial. Once you have researched your topic, you

will need to make a decision on how much you need to say and the best order to use the content.

Presenters should avoid the temptation to engage in wordplay and create concise, specific, and

informative headlines (Thill & Bovèe, 2013 p.183). There are many different strategies available

when it comes to ways to organize your content. Some of these methods include comparison

showing the similarities and differences between two or more options, listing items by

importance, sequencing, sorting in a chronological order, listing topics geographically, or

categorizing content (Thill & Bovèe, 2013, p. 347).

In addition, remember to consider time factors and other needs as the content of the

presentation is being prepared. Organizing your content in a clear and logical way, progressing

from point to point will save time in your presentation. Thill & Bovèe (2013) note that using

templates saves you the time of making numerous design decisions every time you create a chart

or graphic (p 393).

Hand in hand with content goes the tone of your message. Henry (2008) defines tone as a

function of both content and word choice. (Journal of Business Communication). As the tone

will determine how the message comes across to an audience, presenters need to pay careful

attention to the personality and attitude displayed during a presentation. Your tone is your

delivery mechanism. When setting your tone you want to convey confidence and a level of

expertise without seeming defensive or combative. “A positive tone can be achieved by focusing

on positive outcomes and/or by describing outcomes in a positive way” (Henry, 2008, Journal of


Business Communication). Presenters must not allow too much emotion to play a part in the tone

of their message or they will lose effectiveness and risk failure in getting their message across.

Thill and Bovèe (2013) advise that if you know your audience reasonably well and your

presentation is likely to meet with their approval, you can adopt a fairly informal tone. A more

formal tone is appropriate for longer reports, especially those that deal with controversial or

complex information.

When determining the tone of your presentation, you should choose your words carefully.

Thill & Bovèe recommend “in addition to examining individual word choices, consider using

metaphors and other figures of speech” (p. 301). Once you know your audience, choosing words

that will motivate them or capture their interest may come more easily to your mind. If you know

you will have a resistive audience, then finding the right words may be more difficult. You also

want to measure the weight of your words based upon your position. A flippant comment made

by a high ranking individual of an organization can easily be misinterpreted or provide the

audience with the wrong message. Thill & Bovèe (2013) advise to keep in mind that the

impressions you leave behind can have a lasting effect on you and your company—so make sure

to leave positive impressions wherever you go (p. 52).

Method of Communication

Once you have a feeling for your audience and have put thought into the content and tone

your message will need to incorporate, you will need to make a very important decision about

the medium you will use to get your message across. There are countless methods of

communication available to presenters. Messages today can be delivered orally, visually, in

writing, or through electronic media. Picking the method that meets your need can be

challenging as there are many advantages and disadvantages to each. According to Batts &


Winter (2012) “it is vital to consider not just the communication method that is most comfortable

to you, but the communication needs of those you are addressing” (Communication, culture and

context: Best practice for working internationally).

In Figure 1. (Thill & Bovèe, 2013, Excellence in Business Communication, p 105 table 4.1), the advantages and disadvantages of each available communication method are reviewed.

Social Media is a common form of electronic communication. There are many different

options available to a social media user including Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and Podcasting.

These means are better when you have a message that needs to be delivered in a hurry. When

using social media to relay your message, Karen Friedman (2012) advises presenters to think

about “if you only had 140 Twitter characters to make your words matter, how would you say it?

That's good practice for cutting the fat” (You're on! How strong communication skills help

leaders succeed). Social Media is a small part of the larger world of electronic media available to

presenters. According to Thill & Bovèe (2013), email has been a primary business


communication medium for many years, although newer tools such as instant messaging, blogs,

microblogs, social networks, and shared workspaces are taking over specialized tasks for which

they are better suited” (p. 195).

Written messages allow the author to exert total control over the content they include and

allow for a permanent legal record of the interaction. According to Thill & Bovèe (2013), “non-

electronic written messages have been replaced in many instances by electronic media, although

printed messages still have a place in business today” (p. 102). A printed memo or letter is likely

to be perceived as a more formal gesture than an email message (Thill & Bovèe, 2013, p. 105).

Orally relaying a message can be a nice touch in some situations and essential in others.

Thill & Bovèe (2013) remind us oral presenters “have an array of choices these days, from live,

in-person presentations to webcasts” (p. 455). The determination of when to use oral

communication can depend on the nature of the message. Karen Friedman (2012) notes “the

world may be technologically advanced but nothing can replace face-to-face contact when times

are tough. Even world leaders hold town hall meetings so they can deliver messages face to face

(You're on! How strong communication skills help leaders succeed). Culture can also play a role

in the decision to deliver a message orally or through another medium. Some cultures expect

messages to be delivered in a certain way. Thill & Bovèe (2013) advise presenters to “be sure to

consider which medium or media your audience expects or prefers” (p 107). Thill & Bovèe

(2013) state an example of this would be how “business people in the United States, Canada, and

Germany emphasize written messages, whereas in Japan professionals tend to emphasize oral

messages—perhaps because Japan’s high-context culture carries so much of the message in

nonverbal cues and “between-the-lines” interpretation” (p. 107).


Selecting the appropriate method is critical to the effectiveness of your message. In their

article Communication, culture and context: Best practice for working internationally, Batts &

Winter (2012) advise that when selecting a method of communication presenters should:

“…depend on such factors as the complexity and sensitivity of the topic, the likely

difference in understanding and background of the communication parties, and the nature

and length of the relationship. If it is important that all your overseas colleagues read

your message quickly, a group email might be the most appropriate method. If you are

building a new relationship with offshore colleagues, or need to have a difficult

conversation where seeing the facial expressions of others would help, a videoconference

might be more appropriate. A telephone call will often be an excellent option for

effective communication, but can be challenging when you don't share the same language

and are deprived of the benefit of any visual clues.”

Encouraging Feedback

Feedback is defined by Thill & Bovèe (2013) as information from receivers regarding the

quality and effectiveness of a message (p. 28). Hattie (2007) defines feedback as “information

provided by an agent (e.g., teacher, peer, book, parent, self, experience) regarding aspects of

one's performance or understanding (The power of feedback). Hattie (2007) also notes that

feedback needs to provide information specifically relating to the task or process of learning that

fills a gap between what is understood and what is aimed to be understood(The power of

feedback). Feedback can be sent to the presenter in both verbal and non-verbal forms. Whether

written, spoken, or communicated through body language such as gestures or facial expressions,

a presenter must be open and willing to accept feedback, when provided by an audience.


To obtain feedback, a presenter needs to provide clear channel of communication for the

audience. There are many different mediums that allow the sender or presenter of a message to

obtain feedback. According to Thill & Bovèe (2013), the richest medium is face-to-face

communication; it’s personal, provides immediate feedback (verbal and nonverbal), and conveys

the emotion behind a message (p 105). Similarly, soliciting feedback through electronic media

enables audiences to be interactive in the feedback process, however, it may not encourage an

immediate response from those who are involved. Email is a great example of an electronic

media tool that allows people to respond at their own convenience, which may not necessarily

match the urgency with which the presenter was hoping to receive feedback on a presentation.

Thill & Bovèe (2013) tell us “for some presentations, you should plan to be flexible and respond

to audience feedback, such as skipping over sections the audience doesn’t need to hear and going

into more detail in other sections” (p. 455).

When setting the expectations for receiving feedback, you want to make sure that you

address which channel you were expecting to receive your feedback through. Presenters need to

provide clear guidelines and Thill & Bovèe (2013) note that a presenter needs to “consider how

your audience wants to provide feedback” (p. 331)

Once a presenter has determined the channel by which they would like to receive

feedback, and have set that expectation with the audience, they need to prepare themselves for

reacting to the information they will receive. A presenter has to be open to accept feedback and

set aside personal feelings they may have. Thill & Bovèe state “When you receive constructive

feedback, resist the understandable urge to defend your work or deny the validity of the

feedback” (p. 42).


It is important that you can identify constructive feedback as a presenter. According to

Thill & Bovèe (2013), constructive feedback focuses on the process and outcomes of

communication, not on the people involved: (p. 60). “Remaining open to criticism isn’t easy

when you’ve poured your heart and soul into a project, but good feedback provides a valuable

opportunity to learn and to improve the quality of your work” (Thill & Bovèe, 2013, p. 42).

Constructive feedback will be specific and discuss improvement rather than flaws in your

presentation. It should be looked at as an opportunity to improve and not as an attack on the

presenter.

Active Listening

The final criteria we will discuss in this guide is actively listening. Active Listening is

defined as making an effort to truly listen to what the other person is saying. Thill and Bovee

(2013) provide us with an interesting fact to think about:

“Listening is a far more complex process than most people think—and most of us

aren’t very good at it. People typically listen at no better than a 25 percent

efficiency rate, remember only about half of what’s said during a 10-minute

conversation, and forget half of that within 48 hours. Furthermore, when

questioned about material they’ve just heard, they are likely to get the facts mixed

up” (p.48).

Following the listening process is extremely important if you want to demonstrate active

listening techniques. The listening process is defined in five parts which are illustrated

below in Figure 2. Thill & Bovèe (2013) let us know “if any one of these steps breaks

down, the listening process becomes less effective or even fails entirely” (p. 48).


Figure 2- Based on Thill & Bovèe, 2013, Excellence in Business Communication, p. 48- Understanding the listening process.

In order to exhibit the most effective active listening skills, one must ignore any

biases they may have towards the material or the presenter. Thill & Bovèe advise “research

suggests that people often have beliefs and biases that they’re not even aware of—and that may

even conflict with the beliefs they think they have” (p. 71). As a presenter, you also must be

careful to ignore biases in your content. Thill & Bovèe advise “if you or the organization you

represent have certain biases that influence your conclusion, ethics obligate you to inform the

audience accordingly” (p. 337)

When you make the effort to ensure your message speaks to the audience and clearly is

focused them and their needs, you are exhibiting another important trait of listening called

empathy. People are likely to pay attention to messages that relate to their own individual

ReceivingStart by physically hearing the message and recognizing it as incoming information.

Decoding

Assign meaning to sounds, according to your own values, beliefs, ideas, expectations, roles, needs, and personal history.

RememberingStore the information for future processing.

EvaluatingEvaluate the quality of the information.

Responding

React based on the situation and the nature of the information. If any one of these steps breaks down, the listening process becomes less eff ective or even fails entirely. As both a sender and a receiver, you can reduce the failure rate by recognizing and overcoming a variety of physical and mental barriers to eff ective listening.


concerns (Thill & Bovèe, 2013 p. 48). Practicing empathy involves many small acts of courtesy

demonstrated towards another party.

“By listening with empathy, you help the individual vent the emotions that

prevent a calm, clear-headed approach to the subject. Avoid the temptation to

jump in with advice unless the person specifically asks for it. Also, don’t judge

the speaker’s feelings and don’t try to tell people they shouldn’t feel this or that

emotion. Instead, let the speaker know that you appreciate his or her feelings and

understand the situation (Thill & Bovèe, 2013, p. 48).”

When actively listening, it is also crucial to avoid distractions. Listening requires focus

and everyone must do their part to keep verbal and non-verbal distractions to a minimum. You

can minimize distractions when you are presenting in simple ways such as asking your audience

to turn off mobile devices, or ask that all questions be saved until the end of the presentation.

You can also do your part by make sure that the venue you have chosen fits the audience and is

comfortable for them. It is also important to keep the audience focused by eliminating clutter in

your presentation. Graphics in a slideshow can look great, but too many words or complicated

charts will take the focus off of you and your presentation. Your audience will be too busy

reading your slides to actively listen to your point. Taherkhani (2011) says that perhaps the most

valuable way to teach listening skills is to model them. Create an environment which encourages

listening with positive interaction, actively listening and responding in an open and appropriate

manner. (Active and passive students' listening strategies).

Conclusion

Five critical criteria for effective organizational communication have been discussed, as

well as how each of these criteria can assist presenters with developing and relaying a successful


message. This guide revealed how knowing the audience, reviewing and determining the content

and tone of your message, choosing your method of communication, encouraging feedback and

active listening will make your presentations successful. Communication skills can make or

break a presentation. A poor presentation can affect one’s reputation and credibility within their

industry or organization. It is crucial to consider the points in this guide when bringing any

presentation in front of an audience. Whether you are presenting for a close friend or for an

international audience, you will want to make sure that your point is heard. By following this

guide, you will be able to successfully prepare for situations that may arise while you are

creating and presenting your message.


Annotated Bibliography

Argenti, P. (2006). How technology has influenced the field of corporate communication.

Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 20(3), 357-370. Retrieved

May 23, 2011 from University of Washington Library, Sage Publications –

This is a follow up article from communications expert Paul Argenti, who wrote

“Corporate Communication as a Discipline: Toward a Definition” in 1996. He talks

about how much corporate communications has changed over the last 10 years because

of technology. Customers are now able to talk to companies more directly through

online channels and company communicators also have many more channels to talk to

customers as well as employees. This changing dynamic can be rewarding and

challenging for corporate communications departments. With more access to online

communications such as blogs, employees have more opportunities to be company

advocates and potential publishers of company content, which may not always be

positive. Yet, the new technologies can provide more opportunities to communicate

with employees to keep them better informed and engaged. Argenti provides excellent

case studies of how employees and customers are communicating with each other and

how these technological advancements are great opportunities for future academic

research. This article is highly relevant to inform the reader on the present and future

capabilities of corporate communications.

Batts, S., Breslin, J., & Winter, S. (2012). Communication, culture and context: Best practice for

working internationally. Legal Information Management, 12(4), 278-283.


This article speaks to the ease and effectiveness of different forms of

communication as well as emphasizing the multi-dimensional ways we can

communicate to others. The three authors have many years of combined experience

working internationally and focus on enhancing corporate communications with our

counterparts overseas. In addition, it reviews the different ways we can use each

method of communication to turn them into effective tools for getting a concept or

message to an audience. Focus is also placed on cultural dimensions of a message and

scenarios are provided for different methods of communication when presenting to a

multi-cultural audience. Advice on valuing colleagues’ time and getting to know your

audience is also featured.

Friedman, K. (2011). You're on! How strong communication skills help leaders succeed.

Business Strategy Series, 12(6), 308-314.

This article describes how communication is important to the presenter and how

to perform that role effectively. The author has worked with both executives and

organizations and provides us with her examples based on her experience to

demonstrate how the right communication techniques can determine the difference

between failure and success. The article also includes great information for leaders and

tips on how to shape perceptions and influence outcomes under changing

circumstances. It focuses on how verbal and non-verbal cues can be used to help get the

intended message across as well as how passion, engagement and quick connections

can make the difference between a successful presentation and an unsuccessful one.


Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research,

77(1), 81-112.

This article details the importance of feedback. It also provides information

regarding research on feedback and provides a conceptual analysis of feedback in

learning and education. The authors describe feedback’s meaning and effectiveness and

provide different examples where feedback can be ineffective and can be most

effective. It details the four levels of feedback, as well as providing instruction for

educators, on how to get the most out of their feedback request by asking the right

questions of their students or audience. Finally, the article reviews the vast difference

between providing feedback and receiving feedback in each of the four levels detailed.

Henry, E. (2008). Are investors influenced by how earnings press releases are written?. Journal

of Business Communication, 45(4), 363-407.

This article focuses on the effects of message content and tone on investors. The

researcher’s analyzed press releases by carefully gauging reactions.

Telecommunications and computer services industries were used as the sample for the

study. Press releases are important to investors because they are the primary

communication tool used by companies. The tone of the releases was carefully

analyzed to determine if the communication created a positive reaction from the

investors. The tone of the message is captured from the word choice or language of the

releases. The researchers carefully watched stock changes after press releases. The

amount of releases and the optimistic tone had a positive effect on stocks.


Lapp, D., Shea, A., & Wolsey, T. D. (2012). Blogging and audience awareness. Journal of

Education, 191(1), 33-44.

The article discusses the benefits of an author’s awareness of the audience. It

further discusses that authors need to be aware of and use audience feedback, which

will allow them to change their writing habits. A teacher, her class of second-grade

students, and their parents were used in this study. Students would post learning items

onto a blog site that only the audience could access. The site used special tools to

encourage the writer or admire an item they posted. To encourage feedback and prevent

information overload, the teacher would post one students blog at a time. Data was

collected by analyzing student blogging is several different ways. At the completion of

the assignment, students were given two surveys.

Litt, E. (2012, July). Knock, knock. Who's there? The imagined audience. Journal of

Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 56(3), 330-345.

This article discusses the “Imagined Audience”, one’s mental concept of their

audience. The imagined audience is not a new theory but the immergence of social

media is rapidly expanding and changing the audience. This article explains that people

do not understand their actual audience and instead replace them with their imagination.

The actual audience is the people the user is reaching which can include friends, family,

coworkers, superiors, and potential employers. There are two common methods used to

evaluate the imagined audience. The first method is to manipulate the imagined

audience by experimenting. The researchers then measure the effects of their


manipulation. The second method used directly asks their subjects to explain their

imagined audience.

McCarthy, P., & Hatcher, C. (2005). Presentation Skills. 10(3), 164-184. Retrieved from

http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/10.4135/9781849209595.

This eBook focuses on presentation skills in general and chapter 10 focuses on

the use of technology as a medium of communication. It details when to use visual

support and the different method of communication that are available to get a message

across to an audience. The authors also provide information on how to use audio and

visual support, as well as graphs and text, in the proper way. There are also tips you can

use when choosing your medium of communication. This chapter also reviews

opportunities where communication could have been used in a more effective way to

get a message across to an audience.

McCuddy, M. K., Pinar, M., & Gingerich, E. F.R. (2008). Using student feedback in designing

student-focused curricula. International Journal of Educational Management, 22(7), 611-

637.

This research paper was written based on a study of a process employed in one

American school of business that incorporates student input into the curriculum. The

authors used information based on a study conducted using surveys and focus groups to

generate feedback. The surveys tested the student support in several areas including

adding of new major’s and minors. It compared the opinions of upper-level and lower

level students regarding purposed changes. In addition, the paper goes on to detail how


the feedback was used and what changes were made to the school’s program based

upon the surveys and focus groups.

Silva, J., & Bultitude, K. (2009). Best practice in communications training for public

engagement with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. JCOM : Journal of

Science Communication, 8(2)

This journal article is based on a survey that used both online technology and

telephone interviews to gain feedback on fifteen different training courses on

communication in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)

fields. The authors’ goal was to gain feedback regarding many aspects of each of the

individual training programs. Using this research they were able to develop guidelines

for effective communication training methods for students and trainee’s in the STEM

industry. The research emphasizes the difference between scientists and explainers and

advises that these audiences require different methods of communication and provide

different feedback depending on which role they fall into.

Taherkhani, R. (2011, May). Active and passive students' listening strategies. Journal of

Language Teaching & Research, 2(3), 705-708.

This article examined the use of active vs. passive learning strategies on a

selected group of participants. The seventy student participants were subjected to

multiple tests focusing on means of IQ measurement. Twenty students were eliminated

from the study due to the result of their testing. The remaining students were split into

active or passive groups based upon their scoring. The groups then selected a list of


topics that were relevant to them and their selections were compared. The active group

selected a wider range of topics than the passive group. The article concludes that

students do not have an effective knowledge of effective listening. The authors

encourage teachers to develop active listening skills. Our team can benefit from this

article because at certain portions of our project each team member will be either a

student or a teacher.

Thill, J. V., & Bovèe, C. L. (2013). Excellence in Business Communication (10th ed.). Retrieved

from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection Database.

This resource is the course textbook for the class in Organizational Communication in

Adult Education and Training. The authors provide us with information on the importance of

organizational communication as well as a detailed breakdown of the best practices, methods,

and fundamentals of communication in the workplace.

Usunier, J., & Roulin, N. (2010). The influence of high- and low-context communication styles

on the design, content and language of business-to-business web sites. Journal of

Business Communication, 47(2). 189-227.

This article examines differences in websites due to the context of their

information. Low-context communication styles are brief and easy to understand. This

style is transferable across cultures, and the language used reaches a large audience.

The researchers suggest that high-context communication is detrimental to the

accessibility and understanding of global websites. This study used a sample group

containing fifty seven countries’ five hundred ninety seven Business-to-Business (B2B)

websites. B2B websites were chosen because they are marketing sites that rely on the


ability to be easily identified. Researchers examined the structure of the sites, to

determine if the content was appropriately utilized. In order to effectively

communicate, website content and tone need to be carefully chosen for mass

acceptance. In conclusion, the article summarized that the sites are only partially

successful due to their countries high-context focus.

Weger, H., Bell, G. C., & Robinson, M. C. (2014). The relative effectiveness of active listening

in initial interactions. International Journal of Listening, 28(1), 13-31.

This article discusses the effects of active listening by focusing on the response

portion of listening. The authors explain that the initial encounter is important because

it has effects on all future encounters. The study involved one hundred fifteen

participants who were interacting with ten trained listeners. The trained listeners were

told to respond in one of the following ways: active listening, advice or simple

acknowledgement. The results of the study indicated that the participants who received

active listening showed positive effects towards their listener. Those who received

simple acknowledgements did not respond as positive. Lastly, those who received

advice compared similarly with the active listening participants. The use of advice of

active listening affects the empathy level that a student receives.

Wright, D., & Hinson, M. (2006). Weblogs and employee communication: ethical questions for

corporate public relations. Presented to 9th Annual International Public Relations

Research Conference, 1-17. Retrieved May 22, 2011 from

http://www.instituteforpr.org/topics/weblogs-employee-communication/


This study highlights how blogging is changing many aspects of employee

communications including empowering employees to communicate with internal and

external audiences. The authors say that there is a lot of research about employee

blogging, yet there doesn’t appear to be any research about the ethical concerns of

employee blogging. Through a web-based, international study of public relations

practitioners, the authors tackle the ethical concerns with employee blogging including

if employees are saying positive or negative things; is it ethical to monitor and measure

employee blogs and/or discipline for what is said. The study also looks at corporate

blogging policies and their effectiveness. This study gives perspectives on the present

and future of employee communications and the ethical boundaries for employers in

monitoring, measuring and disciplining this type of communication. This research also

provided a new perspective on the use of blogs as a current technology for internal

business communications.

Communication Guide Web viewEffective communication is essential in any organization. Whether...

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Transcript of Communication Guide Web viewEffective communication is essential in any organization. Whether...