COMM11003 Professional

1
COMM11003Professional Technical Communication

• Lesson 3
• The Medium and the Message

2
Communication Options

• Lots of options available to you.
• Need to select the most appropriate.
• Ask yourself
• What am I trying to communicate?
• What response do I want?
• How best can I achieve this?

3
E-mail

• Benefits
• Informal and formal
• Inexpensive means of communicating overseas
• Disadvantages
• Can be used to dodge issues
• Lack of familiarity on how to use or access
• Most appropriate
• Informal/ongoing discussion
• Medium to send requested details
• Manage for success
• Follow up with phone call

4
Videoconference

• Benefits
• Promotes a sense of group
• Disadvantages
• Requires formal training
• Ineffective if poorly managed
• Most appropriate
• Group can see/hear issues first hand
• Manage for success
• Training on equipment use
• Established agenda

5
Teleconference

• Benefits
• Promotes a sense of group
• Disadvantages
• Sense of alienation for those uncomfortable with
  phone
• Participants able to be distracted
• Time-consuming and frustrating if equipment fails
• Most appropriate
• Group can hear/solve issues first hand
• Manage for success
• Training on equipment use
• Established agenda
• Assertive Chair who encourages discussion and
  includes all participants.

6
Meetings

• Benefits
• Action points
• Forum for discussion
• Disadvantages
• Can be seen as waste of time if no agenda
  established or no outcomes
• Most appropriate
• Where group input or consensus is required
• Manage for success
• Established/formal agenda
• Assertive Chair who encourages discussion and
  includes all participants

7
Report

• Benefits
• Concise, direct and focussed
• Disadvantages
• Sit in in-tray for weeks
• Most appropriate
• Formally record information
• Manage for success
• Correct structure
• Follow up

8
E-group

• Benefits
• Fosters sense of community
• Forum for discussion
• Disadvantages
• No real leadership
• Not outcome driven
• Technology reliant
• Most appropriate
• Linking teams for discussion on issue
• Creating sense of community
• Manage for success
• Rules of group well-defined

9
Face to Face

• Benefits
• Direct/concise
• Disadvantages
• Conflict/discomfort which can lead to
  miscommunication
• Most appropriate
• Frank discussion
• Resolve issues
• Manage for success
• Common understanding of acceptable behaviour

10
Web site

• Benefits
• Versatile, cost - effective
• Can be designed for wide range of users
• Disadvantages
• Passive relies on users being proactive
• Most appropriate
• Accommodate changes
• Message boards
• Interactivity sense of community
• Manage for success
• Correct content design and management

11
Issues

• Each different medium will have specific issues
  that require addressing in order for it to be
  used to maximum effect.
• Always have a fall-back strategy when using
  technology.
• Think about how you use technology to
  communicate, and why.

12
Consider everyone

• Consider all members of your audience, and any
  specific needs, eg.
• People with a disability
• People whose first language is different to that
  being used.
• Use inclusive language where appropriate.
• Do not exclude on the basis of gender, geography,
  departments, culture.

13
Readings

• Textbook Business Communication Building
  Critical Skills
• Module 9 Formats for Letters, Memos and E-mail
  Messages
• Module 10 Informative and Positive Messages
• Module 12 Persuasive Messages
• Module 13 E-mail Messages

14
Exercise 3

• You will review an exercise (13.18 Asking for
  More Time and/or Resources) in your textbook,
  which requires you to write an e-mail responding
  to a request.
• You will critically reflect on this by writing
  one paragraph answering the following question
  Is an e-mail the most appropriate way to respond
  to this request?
• See your study guide for full details.