Effective Communication Channels

Effective communication channels are vitally essential in an organization. Using the appropriate channel to communicate to the staff and management in a company has a far-reaching positive impact and cultivates organizational culture. However, when inappropriate mode of information is utilized, it culminates to negative consequences and distortion of the message. This paper will analyses channels of effective communication including business card, resume, policy handbook and policy mauls as well as departmental memorandum.

Business Card

The purpose of a business card is to convey the contact information of the person and organization to potential customers. Business cards contain the name of the business, the name of the owner, the title and the telephone number. Street address and email address are also indicated on a card. A business card helps customers to remember the person and the company. Besides, the card reflects the values and the culture of the company. Moreover, it serves the purpose of differentiating the organization from the other competitors and make the company stand amongst the rest. Business cards have unique designs, and the words are written fonts that are attracting customers. Some of the cards usually have the photograph of the owner to help people remember them. They have unique designs which differentiate them from the others and intended to make an impact on the receiver (Men, 2014). The text on cards have few words that suggest the company product or service. Business cards are colored to suit the business attributes.

Technology has made business cards to look attractive and market the organization. Technological improvements have eliminated the old-fashioned concept of making cards and newer models are evident in the increasingly globalized world. Besides, technology has resulted in cost savings. The information on the business card is intended for an external audience; the customers. It is meant to appeal to customers and make them buy the products and the services of the company. The card exposes the content information of the person, and it is thus not private. However, the language used on the card needs to be formal and appeal to ethical considerations. Below is an example of a business card.

Resume/CV

The purpose of a resume is to provide a summary of the person’s abilities, skills and accomplishments. It quickly advertises the owner, and it is a snapshot of the academic qualifications as well as emphasizes the individual’s interests. It is a primary tool for a job search. A CV is usually arranged logically, and this helps the reader to grasp information quickly. For example, education of the person is written in a chronological order. The essential elements of a CV include the personal details of the owner, personal statement, workplace experience, education, skills, hobbies, and references. These details make a resume to be different from other genres of communication such as a business card. Technology has fundamentally impacted on CV writing. The design of modern resumes have vitally changed due to improvements in technology.

Currently, a person can customize his or her CV to match the company norms and themes as well as include the letterhead.  Graphics designs in CV have been revolutionized and display creativity. This role of technology is also similar to business cards which have improved model design promote creativity. The details provided in the CV are effective in communicating the information of the owner. The reader is able to understand the background information of the person, skills, and abilities. The interests of an individual are highlighted and similar to the business card, CV contains the contact of the person. The information is intended for external audience who are seeking for to hire new employees in a given field. CV is not private because it exposes all the personal information the individual. The language used is ethical and formal. Below is an example of a CV.

Policy Handbook

Policy handbook offers clear communication to the employees on the organizational policies, rules, and regulations. It contributes to the overall culture of the workplace and informs the values and norms of business. It creates a level of uniformity through the employee rights and responsibilities and more importantly gives policy direction. The policy handbook is developed in a way that grasps the readers’ attention and take note of what is required and expected. The policy handbook has a connection between the mission and the vision of the organization (Elbert, 2004). It has workplace guidance and employees’ conduct, company culture and policies. The policy handbook employs professional language that alludes to clarity, conciseness, and coherence. These features foster a clear understanding of the intended audience. Policy handbooks are typically well organized with headings and subheadings and have proper grammar. It is different from the other genres as it contains rule and guidelines that are to be followed by the employees, unlike a CV which is used for job search. It contains employment basics, employee code of conduct, compensation and development and benefits. Policies relating to resignation and job termination are also detailed along with the employee working hours. Innovations in policy handbook underpin organizational competitiveness, and they have developed to conceptualization and typology of innovation policies. Present meta-evaluations due to technological advancements have impacted on policy instruments and analyses mix which reflects on the metrics of tangible improvements. The policy handbook is intended for an internal audience including employees and management. Below is an example of employee policy handbook.  

Departmental Memorandum

The purpose of the departmental memorandum is to share news, and keep employees informed of the latest happenings such as management issues and change in the corporate policy. Memos are essential in explaining any changes made in the company and address the problem of the organization along with the issues raising concern in the management. It also purposes to make requests such as changes in the work procedures, meetings, and permission. It contains instructions and recommendations for carrying out requests and it is formally written with professional language. Departmental memos are intended for internal communication, and are essentially shot having the company letterhead. This feature differentiates it from business card. Progress in technology have enabled departmental memorandum to be sent electronically for example through mail (Men, 2014). Memos provide feedback on the services, programs, and company products. Memos are to be private to the internal audience only. An example of a memo is illustrated below.  

Policy Manual

Similar to policy handbook, a policy manual is designed to provide policies relating to the organization. However, the manual provides accurate and timely information. It guides practices and procedures pertaining to the given subject. It contains a set of performance expectations for the staff and the management basing on the operational needs. It contains policies, procedures, work instructions, and records. It documents the principles that govern the company’s departmental practices. It is intended for internal communication on the control system and guidelines on the policies. It provides a criteria to ensure the procedures are uniform. Through technology, internal control system checks and balances help to identify irregularities, fraud, prevent waste and abuse and hence revolve discrepancies of the process operations (Smith & Mounter, 2008). The language is formal, ethical and it is not confidential to the staff.

Conclusion

There are various communication channels which are used for various purposes. They inform the reader on what is required and the expectations. Every communication channel has special features and it depends on the type of information that it is intended to pass. For example, a CV is used to inform the employer about the potential employee while a memo is used to inform the organizational members on what is happening in the company.

References

Elbert, B. (2004). The satellite communication applications handbook. Norwood, MA: Artech House.

Men, L. (2014). Strategic Internal Communication. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(2), 264-284. doi: 10.1177/0893318914524536

Smith, L., & Mounter, P. (2008). Effective internal communication. London: Kogan Page.