Communicating Effectively for Diverse Audiences and Contexts…

For the purposes of the Assignments in this module, you are a manager with Allied Products, a U.S.-based manufacturer of consumer packaged goods. Your company has recently acquired manufacturing operations in Mexico and will be using these facilities to vertically integrate production of several of your key product lines. You and a number of your U.S.-based counterparts will each be leading a profit center for a specific equipment type (yours is blenders). In the coming weeks, each of these profit centers will be forming a six- to eight-member team representing key functions in planning, manufacturing, marketing, and distributing its product. Each of these virtual teams will be led by a U.S.-based manager, some of whom are newer to the role and may lack experience in leading teams.

Your senior leader has asked you to create a set of three presentations for the group of managers about choosing appropriate communication methods and strategies for communicating effectively, taking into consideration the purpose of your message, your audience, and your context. In this case, you will want to highlight considerations for virtual teams, as well as culture, since Mexico is considered a higher context culture compared to the United States. Your presentations must include title slides and references slides that include appropriate academic and professional support for your ideas. You will also need to provide an accompanying script in the Notes section of each slide that you would use if you were delivering your presentation to your fellow group of U.S.-based managers. Each content slide should contain 35 bullet points (no more than 1 sentence each), with additional details and explanation provided in the accompanying script.

Introduction

• Provide an introductory slide that grabs the audiences attention and answers the why you should listen question for the audience. The script that accompanies this slide should introduce the topic and purpose of the presentation and provide the key objectives for the presentation. (1 slide)

The Communication Process

• Examine components of the communication process.
• Briefly define communication.
• Identify the parts of the process and how they work together to promote effective communication. (12 slides)
• Illustrate the importance of self-awareness in communication, including what it means to be a competent sender. (1 slide)

Conclusion

• Provide one concluding/wrap-up slide in which you offer a compelling conclusion to the material by summarizing key points and reinforcing suggested practices through script contents that keep the audience engaged. (1 slide)

The objectives for your presentations and the weeks in which they will be due are as follows:

Week 1: The Communication Process

1. Provide basic information on the key components and process of communication.
2. Highlight the importance of self-awareness and being a competent sender.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review, as needed, the following resource, which includes links to helpful information about using Microsoft PowerPoint:
• OASIS. (n.d.).
• . Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/academic-skills-center/microsoft-office/powerpoint
• Download the
• .

Rferences: The process of communication is not just about sending and receiving information. You should consider not only who sends and receives the message but also how those messages are sent and received, what the responses to the messages are, and the contexts in which the messages are sent and received. In these resources, you will explore the different aspects of the communication process.

• Emerald Works Limited. (n.d.).
• . MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/CommunicationIntro.php
• MindTools.com. Understanding Communication Skills Applying the Seven Stages of the Communications Process. Management Training and Leadership Training – Online. Understanding communication skills: Applying the seven stages of the communication process, by Mind Tools Ltd. Copyright by Mind Tools Ltd. Online: https://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/CommunicationIntro.php?route=pages/article/CommunicationIntro.php Reprinted by permission of Mind Tools Ltd. via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2022.
• Note: Please disregard any reference to an embedded video in this reading.
• Time Estimate: 5 minutes
• EPM. (2019, April 23).
• [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/AzBAicGgPws
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 11 minutes.
• Nutshell Brainery. (2017, February 17).
• [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/r2aGDXOCOBI
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.
• Stickle, T. (2018, November 23).
• [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/5a9AQeSFI1Y
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

A critical component of the communication process, the sender is the source of the initial communication. As such, the burden is on the sender to initiate the process of communication and set the tone for how that communication will be sent and (often) received by the other party. Of particular importance in being an effective sender is possessing self-awareness. Understanding how you communicate, how you are perceived, and how you react to others can be a crucial part of having your messages received as you intended. Through these resources, you will further explore the importance of self-awareness to effective communication.

• Earley, J. M. (2020, October 14).
• [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/2ldunUGKmUA
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.
• Finn, K. (2020, February 12).
• . Finn and Associates. https://drkarenfinn.com/divorce-blog/how-to-be-more-self-aware/549-how-self-awareness-can-affect-communication-with-anyone-in-incredibly-positive-ways
• Time Estimate: 4 minutes
• Nugent, I. (2020, January 22).
• [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/RA6oExHxBHU
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 12 minutes.
• McCroskey, J. C. (n.d.).
• . https://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/prca24.htm

Knowing why you are communicating is as important as knowing what you want to express. In business, it is critical to know the purpose behind the information you share and how that information can help your team, or your organization, achieve its goals. Whether you want to expand peoples understanding of a particular topic, influence others in their decision making, share ideas, or provide your perspective about a situation, being clear in your purpose can help you to meet one of the main goals of communication: achieving understanding.

• LaMarco, N. (2018, November 5).
• . Chron. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/purpose-communication-business-2830.html
• Time Estimate: 5 minutes
• Nutshell Brainery. (2017, February 20).
• [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/npHwTQ4iJWU
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 6 minutes.

As you plan to communicate information to others, another critical component is knowing who will be receiving your message. In a business context, not only does that include knowing specific details about the other person (or people)such as their role(s) in the organizationbut also their level of current understanding, what more information they might need regarding the situation at hand, how the information might impact any decision making, and any other contextual information that can help you consider how they might receive the information being sent. Through these resources, you will examine considerations related to the audience for your communications.

• Munter, M. (2001, March 15). . Harvard Management Communication Letter. http://hbr.org
• Time Estimate: 6 minutes
• Nutshell Brainery. (2017, March 5).
• [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/qFSXkIZ99ro
• Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.