Communication Strategies in the Workplace

Applying communication strategies in the workplace is a necessary undertaking that will enable any organisation to operate efficiently and effectively. If done correctly, your organisation becomes better equipped to achieve its goals and objectives. This undertaking requires continuous work and effort. Much like any other venture, it begins with the planning stage.

For you to successfully employ communication strategies within your organisation, you must first prepare for communication.

This stage involves five sub-steps:

1. Identify the work activities that would require communication.
2. Establish the communication requirements for your identified work activities.
3. Identify communication roles for yourself and others to complete the necessary activities.
4. Seek assistance or clarification regarding communication objectives as required.
5. Select the appropriate method of communicating information internally and externally based on your organisational requirements.

Work activities for communication

In essence, every interaction you will ever engage in requires some form of communication. The same goes in the workplace, where interactions are at the core of your operations. There are key work activities, however, which are done in every organisation. These activities especially require communication. The following merit further discussion:

Reporting

Reporting is an integral activity that is done to present details of various undertakings. In the context of the workplace, reporting is an activity that may be done before, during, and after projects, meetings, etc. These would provide summaries, progress updates, and other important pieces of information necessary to assess the work being done in the organisation.

Reports can be done in various ways. One may opt to present their report through a formal document (i.e., a report), through electronically assisted means (i.e., email or instant message), or through face-to-face interaction (i.e., presentation).

Coordinating with Clients

Every business has clients, and this is the reason why coordinating with clients is a work activity fundamental to all organisations. Coordinating with clients involves external communication, which is the interaction with people outside of the organisation. This activity is done to ensure that the needs of a client are understood and met sufficiently.

Like reporting, this activity is done during different points in your undertaking (i.e., before, after, and during a project). Coordinating with clients can also be done through face-to-face interaction or digital means.

Meetings and Consultations

Perhaps the most important work activity one can engage in, meetings are a key part of the operations of every organisation. You can have different kinds of meetings for various purposes – everything from planning to the evaluation of your different work-related functions and activities. These meetings can be attended by various stakeholders – both internal and external – and can be as small or as large, as necessary. Thanks to technology, you are no longer limited to having meetings in person. You can now have video conferences as meetings as well.

Consultations are a unique yet equally essential form of meeting that every organisation must hold. Consultation is the process of formal discussion and collaboration with at least one other person. This is done to help you identify key information necessary for various organisational matters (i.e., challenges, issues, perceptions, trends) and determine what can be done about these matters to improve operations.

Training Initiatives

Training is a necessary job activity in any organisation. This is due to the fact that all workplaces are made up of people, and these individuals must be well trained in order to perform the job responsibilities that are required of them. For the most part, training initiatives require internal communication. However, there are instances when professional help or assistance is required. This is especially true when the specific skills or knowledge to be taught seek the expertise of industry leaders and/or experienced trainers.

There are several training initiatives that employees can engage in throughout their careers. These include everything from induction activities that are designed to help them learn about their roles and the organisation to specific training sessions that enable employees to expand their skillset and continuously develop themselves and their careers.

Communication requirements

Now that you have identified your different work activities, you can sufficiently determine the communication requirements for each. Given the varying natures of the work activities you engage in, different communication requirements emerge.

Your communication requirements are essentially an overview of the different needs you have in communicative interaction. The basis of establishing your communication requirements is, therefore, the nature of the activities you are to engage in. In essence, the determination of your communication requirements is done by seeking answers to the question: ‘What do you need to successfully engage in communication in a given work activity?'

Generally speaking, the different communication requirements for each work activity are as follows:

Information Requirement

Your information requirement or need is essentially the pieces of information expected from an information source. These are the matters that need to be shared and discussed through your communication. Information requirements would vary depending on the nature of your work activities. Information requirements for each identified work activity include:

Reporting

When reporting, there is a variety of information you may require. This would be dependent on what you are reporting on. The most common information requirements include goals and objectives, budgets, sales projections, issues and subsequent resolutions, system changes, updates or adjustments, project updates and results, etc.

COORDINATING WITH CLIENTS

In coordinating with clients, the most important thing to do is make sure that you and the client are on the same page; this is why the different information requirements you have would cover a variety of matters. These include product details and specifications, agreed-upon timelines and deadlines, project updates, delays, and problems encountered.

MEETINGS AND CONSULTATIONS

As with reporting, there is a variety of information your meetings and consultations may require. The most common of these include project updates, timelines and deadlines, organisational requirements (i.e., goals and objectives, policies and procedures, codes of conduct) and subsequent changes to these, conflict, and conflict resolution.

TRAINING INITIATIVES

There are many information requirements depending on the kind of training you engage in. For one, induction training activities would need job roles and applications, organisational requirements (i.e., goals and objectives, policies and procedures, codes of conduct), processes, and house rules. Other training sessions, such as those geared to developing specific skills for employees, would likewise require information such as technical guidance, in-depth details, processes, rules, procedures, techniques, etc.

Audience

In every communication activity, there needs to be an audience that one intends to communicate with. The audience is the recipient of the message/s you send; they are the ones you are trying to reach out to for any given interaction. As with any other communicative activity, your audiences vary depending on your work activity.

Sample audiences for each identified work activity include:

REPORTING

The audience of your reporting would depend on the purpose of your report. Two specific audiences can be identified:

1. First, supervisors, managers and other higher-ups are the usual audiences of internal reports. Reporting is usually done to inform those in higher positions of the different matters that they ought to be aware of. This is because they themselves do not always have the time to get directly involved in every work-related process.
2. Second, clients are also a common target audience for your reports. By virtue of being clients, they require sufficient updates and information on the projects they have a stake in.

COORDINATING WITH CLIENTS

As the name would suggest, the main audience for your coordination with clients would be the clients themselves. Different clients may have different attitudes and personalities, and this is something you will need to note as you communicate with them. Further guidance on this is provided later in this manual.

MEETINGS AND CONSULTATIONS

This is perhaps the work activity with the widest range of possible audiences. Given that meetings and consultations can be done for a variety of reasons, your target audience for every meeting may change. This may include everyone from members of your team and department, employees across different departments, supervisors, and other higher-ups. On the external side, your audiences may also include clients, suppliers, consultants, and subject-matter experts.

TRAINING INITIATIVES

Your training initiatives usually involve employees who require guidance for various matters. This would include new hires that need to learn the ropes of the company, employees that are struggling with certain tasks, as well as those who would like to expand their skillset and expertise.

Developing communication

When developing communication, you must also consider the style in which it is presented. All professional communication, internal or external, must be clear, concise and correct. It is recommended you complete a full spelling and grammar check before circulating anything. This will pick up and suggest corrections for any grammar, punctuation and spelling errors which can make you look unprepared and unprofessional.

Along with these identified requirements, there are a number of others that you may encounter as you engage in different work activities. This would include your documents, visual aids, and prompts as well as the different technologies you may need to supplement your activities. These are necessary to ensure that you are able to make your communication as effective as possible.

Along with your communication requirements, you must identify the different roles that you and others must fulfil in each activity. In the process of doing so, you must also assign these roles and articulate them sufficiently to the necessary personnel.

Communication Roles Defined

In essence, communication roles refer to the part a person plays in a communication activity. This role would involve the different tasks they have during a given activity that involve communication. For each of the previously identified work activities, there are a number of communication roles that can be recognised.

Reporting

In reporting, the main roles of those engaged in the activity are the reporter and listener or audience. The reporter is the person in charge of presenting the information that needs to be conveyed. The listener or audience is the person who needs to know about this information. In some cases, the reporter/s may need help from key persons. This may include subject-matter experts who can further substantiate the data being presented. Sometimes, those in the audience may also include observers or approvers who are evaluating the performance of the reporters and the merit of the report, respectively.

Coordinating with Clients

When coordinating with clients, the two main communication roles represent the two parties engaged in the activity: the business and the client. You and any other employee you are with represent the former. As the name would suggest, the client and any other party they are with represent the latter. Your role is to ensure that the interests of the business are given sufficient consideration. This means you have enough allowance for working on the given undertaking with respect to the other work you need to fulfil. On the other hand, the role of the client is to make sure that their own interests are still paid attention to and balanced with the concerns of the business.

Meetings and Consultations

In meetings, there are several communication roles that are to be fulfilled by the attendees. First, there is the chair who is in charge of facilitating the entire activity. They are tasked with managing the flow of the meeting and ensuring that everything goes as planned. There is also the note-keeper who records the minutes of the meeting and consolidates the information into a formal document later on. Meetings may also have timekeepers who are tasked to ensure that the meeting starts and ends on time and that all matters in the agenda are given sufficient discussion time.

In consultations, a special communication role may be given to subject-matter experts who can provide relevant and credible information that would enhance the consultation process.

Training Initiatives

Although there are different types of training initiatives, there are two main roles in each one. The first is that of the trainer. This may be fulfilled by one or more persons who will be providing the necessary training and development to the employees. The second role is that of the trainee, which is fulfilled by the employees who require training.

Assigning Communication Roles

Although there is no one strict way to assign communication roles for your different work activities, there is a general process for doing so. The steps involved in assigning communication roles are as follows:

1. Define communication roles.
   The first step in assigning communication roles is to determine what the required roles for your work activity are. In doing so, you will note the different tasks that you may need in any given activity. The discussion above may provide guidance for the roles that are associated with the most common work activities.
2. Identify viable personnel.
   Once you have determined the communication roles necessary for your activities, you must then identify who will be able to fulfil the given roles. This is especially important for roles that require a certain skill set or level of expertise. As you identify the viable internal and/or external personnel who can be assigned to the different roles, you must also consider their availability to fulfil the role. For instance, if you are trying to reach out to a subject-matter expert, they may not be available to engage in your activity if they have prior commitments scheduled.
3. Assign and explain communication roles.
   After identifying your communication roles and the personnel who can fulfil these, you can assign them their roles. Along with assigning the communication roles, you must ensure that you are able to sufficiently explain said roles. This is to make sure that they are understood and be fulfilled properly.
4. Engage in work activity.
   Now that you have everything set, you can engage in your work activity and subsequently have the personnel fulfil their respective communication roles. As you do, ensure that everyone assigned is able to properly do their assigned tasks and that the activity runs smoothly.

Activity

How do you communicate with your team at your workplace and how do the communication roles work? Share your ideas in the forum. Don’t forget to comment on what your classmates say.

As you prepare for communication, you may find it necessary to seek clarity on the objectives of your different communication tasks. If such is the case, you will need to seek out the necessary assistance or clarification from key personnel.

Communication Objectives Defined

Communication objectives are the aims that you are trying to achieve as you engage in different work activities. These are grounded on the messages that you intend to send to those you are communicating with.

Your communication objectives simply need to provide you with a clear idea of what you want to happen during your communication activity along with when it should happen. To better illustrate this concept, the following examples are provided for the different identified work activities:

Reporting

• to discuss project updates for the entire month
• to report issues and concerns raised in the past week.

Coordinating with clients

• to come up with a timetable for the project
• to finalise the budget for the project

Meeting and consultations

• to learn about the work health and safety concerns of employees for the past month
• to brainstorm ideas for a new project

Training initiatives

• to teach newly hired employees about company policies and procedures
• to teach employees about the use of a new software being adapted by the organisations.

Seeking Assistance or Clarification on Communication Objectives

Sometimes, the objectives you come up with may not sufficiently align with the overarching project goals you have. As such, you must seek assistance or clarification from relevant personnel. This would include colleagues as well as higher-ups who have experience or knowledge regarding your communication activity that would help them guide you in determining what your objectives should be. In seeking their aid, you must simply approach them and ask them for their guidance.

The final step in preparing for communication involves the selection of the appropriate methods of communicating information internally and externally. To do so sufficiently, you must take into consideration the different organisational requirements with which you must align your communication.

Methods of Communication

The main difference between internal and external communication is the receiver of the information you intend to send. As the name would suggest, internal communication involves the interaction between or among members of the organisation. On the other hand, external communication occurs between organisational members and external stakeholders (e.g., clients). For both types of communication, you have a variety of methods you can use to reach out to those you intend to communicate with. These include verbal and written forms discussed below.

Verbal Communication

Also referred to as ‘oral communication,’ verbal communication methods involve actual conversations between or among communicators. These methods make use of spoken words to transmit information. For both internal and external communication, verbal communication can be done through the following methods:

FACE-TO-FACE CONVERSATIONS

Perhaps the most common method of verbal communication, face-to-face conversations occur every single day. This may be both informal or formal, meaning conversations may or may not have strict agendas to follow. They may be brief and in passing or extensive and planned.

TELEPHONES

The use of telephones to communicate may sound outdated, but such is still a reliable method of communication that is widely used in various companies. Most offices have telephones set up in almost every table, allowing employees to communicate with each other internally. Moreover, telephones may also be used to reach out to external stakeholders who have made their telephone numbers available.

MOBILES

Mobiles are a method of communication that have emerged in recent years. They have come to replace traditional telephones and are especially useful for reaching out to external stakeholders quickly and easily. Unlike the wired telephone, the compact and wireless design of mobile phones makes them easy to bring along even outside the office premises. This makes it easier to contact employees you want to reach out to when you are away.

VIDEO CONFERENCES

Thanks to technology and the internet, you no longer have to rely on face-to-face conversations to verbally communicate with others. Video conference is an emerging communication method that allows you to hold virtual meetings with everyone – from remote workers and employees who are away to customers who are in hard-to-reach locations. All you need to facilitate this method of communication is the right equipment and a stable internet connection.

Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is a common way to express your thoughts and feelings without using words. It occurs during face-to-face or visual interactions but does not involve verbal cues. Non-verbal communication includes:

BODY LANGUAGE

Nodding or shaking your head as someone speaks is a sign of active listening as it shows you are engaged and demonstrates a level of understanding, that you agree or disagree or disapprove of what they are saying.

Moving your body towards someone or leaning in toward them is another sign that you are listening, whereas if you turn away or have your shoulders facing away from the person you are communicating that you are disengaged.

PERSONAL PRESENTATION

Personal presentation refers to how you look. If you look professional (neat and tidy, appropriate clothing and stylish hair) as you present at your workplace meeting, you generate a positive impression on your peers or managers and generate a level of credibility as knowledgeable in the area of discussion.

FACIAL EXPRESSION

Our faces offer a window to the mind and as such, are a great way to express how we are feeling. This can show we are listening by maintaining eye contact, smiling to show we are happy or interested and frowning to show confusion or dislike.

GESTURING

Gesturing can be used to emphasise a point (through movement), express appreciation/friendship (through touch) or simply greet people (waving). Gesturing is very effective, however, when overused or if not aligned to the verbal message it can undermine what you are trying to say.

Written Communication

As the name would suggest, written communication methods involve the use of writing to send messages. Unlike verbal communication, written communication tends to be stricter and more formal. These methods of communication also face the disadvantage of having delays since they must first be sent and read by the receiver. However, a clear advantage of written communication is that it produces an output that both senders and receivers can refer to at any point after it has been sent. For both internal and external communication, written communication can be done through the following methods:

EMAILS

Perhaps the most popular method of communicating in the workplace, emails are used for everything from scheduling meetings with employees and clients to submitting proposals, contracts, and project outputs. As a general rule of thumb, the use of email has a formal undertone. It is a reliable method for reaching out to any number of people, both internally and externally.

SMS

Text messaging, also known as using short message service (SMS), is another trend that has emerged with the use of mobile phones. The use of SMS has enabled the rise of speedy communication between and among employees and their clients as well. This comes in handy when you need a quick response from someone who may not have access to their email or cannot take a call.

INSTANT MESSAGING

Like text, instant messaging allows for short, real-time messaging, however it is app/systems based and is not necessarily limited to mobile phones.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is another emerging form of communication that enables you to reach out to external stakeholders through different websites and platforms that facilitate content sharing and creation. The biggest advantage of this communication method is that it allows the receivers of messages to engage with the material that you release. This makes communication more meaningful and interactive.

Organisational Requirements Relevant to Workplace Communication

To ensure that you select your communication methods appropriately in every activity you may have, you must have a key understanding of your organisational requirements. These requirements underlie all organisations, and all your efforts must be aligned with these.

Organisational Goals

Organisational goals are essential to all businesses. These goals represent the long-term aspirations of your organisation. All communication efforts must remain relevant to your organisational goals. If they fail to align with these, they become unnecessary and can be considered nothing more than noise.

Organisational Objectives

Your organisational objectives are short-term aims aligned with organisational goals. When achieved, these enable you to realise your overarching goals. Organisational objectives must be set up to be SMART – that is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based.

SMART Goals

• SPECIFIC: Define the goal as much as possible with no ambiguous language. Who is involved, what do I want to accomplish, where will it be done, why am I doing this (reasons/purpose), which constraints/requirements do I have?
• MEASURABLE: Can you track the progress and measure the outcome? How much, how many, how will I know when my goal is achieved?
• ATTAINABLE: Is the goal reasonable enough to be accomplished? how so? Make sure the goal is not out of reach or below standard performance.
• RELEVANT: Is the goal worthwhile and will it meet your needs? Is each goal consistent with other goals you have established and fits with your immediate and long-term plans?
• TIMELY: Your objective should include a time limit. "I will complete this step by month/day/year." It will establish a sense of urgency and prompt you to have better time management.

Policies and Procedures

Organisational policies and procedures work hand in hand. They guide employees in performing their roles and ensure that all efforts are aligned with organisational goals and objectives. Policies are rules and guidelines while procedures are the logical and clearly defined action steps that tell you how to enact your policies. Organisations have policies and procedures that would regulate communications within the organisation.

Some examples of types of policies and procedures that relate to communication in the workplace may include:

• Code of conduct – how employees are expected to behave in the workplace (including how they communicate internally and externally).
• Communication style guide – outlines the look and feel of communication from the language used to the way it is presented.
• Privacy and confidentiality – rules around how the different types of information can be communicated.
• Digital communication in the workplace – rules and processes around what communication types are to be used for what purpose.
• Information management/protection – How information should be stored securely.
• Social media etiquette – outlines rules governing how employees use social media as it relates to their workplace.

Protocols

Protocols are another organisational requirement worth discussing. These refer to the set of rules and standards your organisation prescribes to make sure that decisions are made in line with best practice. They are closely related to your procedures as your protocols essentially define the steps – the procedures – those employees are to follow to satisfactorily accomplish given tasks. Organisations would have communication protocols to instruct employees on how to best communicate in the organisation.

Codes of Conduct

Similar to workplace policies, codes of conduct within your organisation are a set of rules that outline the accepted norms employees must adhere to. Codes of conduct are more focused than policies, providing guidance on how employees should act in specific situations. Your organisation would have codes that teach employees acceptable ways to communicate in various scenarios.

Organisational Reputation and Culture

The final organisational requirements you must consider as you communicate are your reputation and culture. The reputation of your organisation refers to the way stakeholders – both internal and external – perceive the organisation. It is important to maintain a positive reputation so that people are more inclined to engage in business with your company. The way you communicate both internally and externally would influence the way your organisation is perceived. As such, it is crucial to keep communication efforts aligned with your goals, objectives, and desired image.

Organisational culture, on the other hand, is the system of shared beliefs, values, and behaviours within an organisation. Communication is perhaps the most visible manifestation of organisational culture, and different organisations have different cultures for workplace communication. This reflects in the use of language, styles, and tones shared among employees as well as the practices in place to promote communication.

Legislative Requirements Relevant to Workplace Communication

Along with your internal requirements, you must consider the external requirements relevant to your workplace teams. These come in the form of legislation that has an impact on your communication. Legislation refers to the collective laws that give definitive guidelines for organisations to follow and the corresponding penalties should you fail to comply. Relevant pieces of legislation include:

Anti-Discrimination Laws

In New Zealand there are several laws in place which protect minorities from discrimination. It is illegal to discriminate against anyone on the basis of age, race, gender, sex and disability. Anti-discrimination laws apply in many areas of public life, including employment.

Your organisation will develop practical policies and procedures and codes of conduct to comply with these laws. Communication will form a component of these documents with a focus on ensuring content does not include or imply any bias against anyone based on the criteria above. More generally it will require all communication be fair and equitable across all demographics in relation to its language, accessibility and tone.

Open the link to The Human Rights Act 1993 to read more detail about it.

Privacy Act 2020

The Privacy Act 2020 is a law which aims to protect and promote the privacy of individuals. It is particularly concerned with how organisations, including New Zealand government agencies, handle personal information. One particular section of the law is worth looking at in more detail as it relates to the use of personal information:

Part 3, Subpart 1, Section 22 Principle 11

This subsection deals with when it is permissible for an organisation to disclose personal information they hold on an individual. Some of the reasons an organisation may legally disclose personal information include:

• to allow law enforcement of punishable offences
• for the protection of the public revenue
• for relevant court proceedings
• for the benefit of public health and/or safety
• for the protection of the health of the individual concerned or another individual
• to allow intelligence and security agencies to perform their functions.

Open the link to The Privacy Act 2020 to read more detail about it.

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

This Act aims to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees in the workplace. It protects workers of all kinds, as well as other individuals who may be affected by work being done by these workers. This involves communication in several areas, including,

• workplace representation, consultation, co-operation and resolution of issues related to work health and safety.
• promoting improvements in health and safety practices
• promoting the provision of advice, information, education and training in relation to work health and safety.

Open the link to The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to read more detail about it.

Selecting the Appropriate Communication Method

When it comes to selecting the appropriate verbal and written communication methods, there are several factors you must take into account. Your two main considerations are the audience and the type of information that you must communicate. More specific guidance on this includes:

Verbal communication

• Often used for scenarios that require more in-depth discussion and feedback.
• Preferred for instances that require the use of auditory language to communicate information.
• Including brainstorming, presentations and group meetings

Written communication

• Suited for scenarios that require the sharing of direct or explicit information.
• Preferred for instances that require the use of written language to communicate information.
• Includes sending documents, sharing and making announcements.

Summary

• There are key work activities done in every organisation, and all of these require communication.
• These integral work activities include reporting, coordinating with clients, meetings, consultations, and training initiatives.
• There are different communication requirements for each identified work activity that you must sufficiently prepare for.
• You must properly identify as well as assign communication roles to yourself and to others to complete your identified work activities satisfactorily.
• You must properly establish the communication objectives of your work activities and seek assistance or clarification regarding these, as necessary.
• You must select the appropriate verbal and/or written communication method for reaching out to internal and/or external stakeholders.
• Your selection of communication methods must be aligned with the relevant organisational and legislative requirements.
• All communication should undergo a full grammar, spelling and punctuation check to minimise embarrassing errors.

Complete the following short quiz on communication strategies (4 questions)

The success or failure of a project hinges on effective communication with your team and with internal and external stakeholders. Clear communication involves where you should be communicating and who should be involved in receiving the messages. A good communication plan will help you to communicate information to relevant parties and not involve those who don’t need the updates.

A communication plan is an outline of how you are going to communicate important information on projects to your team and to stakeholders as well as the tools you will be using, when you will be using them and who to contact with them.

Communication plans should answer questions like

• Which communication channels will be used and what for?
• When should we communicate face to face vs asynchronously?
• What are the project roles?
• Who are the project stakeholders?
• How will important details be communicated and how frequently?

Face-to-face vs asynchronous

Face-to-face communication means live communication with another party in real time (i.e., “live” or “synchronous”) whereas asynchronous means communicating without expecting an immediate reply, for example through emails.

Communication Tools

Some examples of communication tools include:

• Email
• Apps such as Slack or Asana
• Zoom, Teams, Google Meet for team meetings.

How to write a communication plan

Example communication plan

Brand Campaign Communication Plan
Description	Frequency	Channel	Audience	Owner
Project Status updates	Weekly	Asana	All internal stakeholders and project team members	Project manager
Virtual project team meetings	Monthly	Zoom	All project team members, stakeholders optional	Project manager
External stakeholder updates	As needed	Zoom	Project manager and project stakeholders	Project sponsor
Milestone and deliverable updates	As needed	Asana	Project team	All project team members
Project check-ins	Daily	Slack	Project team	All project team members

^{Adapted from asana.com (Martins, 2022)}

Having sufficiently prepared for communication, you can now move on to the next order of business involved in applying communication strategies in the workplace. This second stage is to establish the communication requirements for the work activities you have identified. To ensure that you are sufficiently prepared to engage in workplace communication, you must use communication strategies to provide work instruction.

Using communication strategies to provide work instruction involves three sub-steps. First, you must use appropriate presentation methods to communicate information or instruction. Your selection of such methods will be based on the requirements of your audience. Likewise, you must use the appropriate methods of communication to communicate information or instruction based on the requirements of your audience. Finally, you must negotiate expected work requirements with others and clarify that the instructions that you have provided have been sufficiently understood.

Presentation Strategies

The first step in using communication strategies to provide work instruction involves presentation methods. More specifically, this means using the appropriate presentation method to communicate information or instructions. Though the two are closely related, there is a fundamental difference between them. Information is concerned with descriptive knowledge, often meant to be learned in passing. On the other hand, instructions are procedural, involving steps and guidance on how something must be done.

Presentation Methods Defined

Presentation methods are the different means through which you provide information and/or instructions to an audience. There are a variety of methods you can choose from, but the most important thing to remember is that your selection must be appropriate to your audience.

As previously stated, your target audience is the intended recipient of the messages you convey while communicating. It is critical to understand your audience since they are the ones with whom you are talking.

One aspect of your audience you must make an effort to recognise is their requirements. Audience requirements are essentially the factors you need to consider when communicating information or instructions. To select your presentation method appropriately, you must consider what would work best for the audience you are presenting to.

Given this, there are three presentation methods which merit further discussion.

Formal Presentation

Formal presentations are a fundamental method of communicating in every business. In general, a presentation is considered formal when you are given time to develop an information pack (presentation) to present ideas or information tailored to the needs and characteristics of the audience. Along with this invitation, presentations are deemed formal when they are conducted in formal situations (e.g., formal meetings, workshops, forums, etc.). Thanks to the internet, formal presentations are no longer limited to face-to-face meetings; you can now have presentations online as well.

As a part of these conditions, you as a formal presenter are given sufficient time to prepare for the engagement and are also made aware of the rules or requirements you have to consider in your planning stage. The formal presentation method follows a strict format and has a defined purpose. Given this, it is important that you sufficiently prepare for the engagement. Steps in doing so would include:

ESTABLISH CLEARLY DEFINED GOALS

In line with what has been discussed in the previous chapter, it is important that you set clear goals for your formal presentation. Given the nature of your presentation method, the ability to establish clearly defined goals becomes even more significant. This is because the presentation method is stricter than less formal presentation methods.

CONDUCT RESEARCH

You are given sufficient time to prepare, and you should use it to conduct research for your presentation. The research you must conduct is two-fold. First, it is important that the materials you present are well-researched. Take the time to guarantee that your information and/or instruction comes from reliable sources and that the content you present is as complete and detailed as possible.

Along with this, you must take time to research your audience. As has been mentioned in the previous sub-section, it is important to have a key understanding of the audience you will be presenting to. Sufficient knowledge of your audience will enable you to make your presentation as effective as possible. Things you must know about your audience include:

1. number of audience members
2. knowledge level of audience members
3. cultural factors (i.e., age, race, gender, sex, etc.)

ORGANISE DELIVERY OF PRESENTATION

Formal presentations need to be well-prepared and well-rehearsed. As such, you have to make sure that your presentation follows a well-thought-of outline that flows well. Your presentation needs to be properly organised. This will benefit not only you but also your audience. Having a well-organised presentation makes it easier for you to plan and understand how you will communicate your content. Likewise, your audience will find it easier to understand your presentation.

PREPARE VISUAL AIDS AND PROMPTS

An integral part of your formal presentation involves the use of visual aids and prompts. These materials will supplement your presentation and make it easier for the audience to understand the points you are trying to make. Perhaps the most popular visual aid used in presentations is the PowerPoint presentation. However, the proper use of this visual aid is often overlooked by most people.

To improve your presentation, you must be aware of several tips and tricks that will make your PowerPoint presentations more effective and visually appealing. Guidance on this includes:

Along with the use of visual aids, you must also be sufficiently aware of key techniques in using visual prompts to enhance your PowerPoint presentation. These are techniques that will assist your audience to do something or direct their attention to specific points of a presentation. Visual cues include:

• highlighting or underlining key points of slides or presentation
• using title cards to indicate transitions in the focus of your presentation.
• including signs to indicate actions that can be done by the audience.
• optimise the use of white space.
• increase the readability of slides by using no more than three to five bullet points per slide and keeping each bullet point to a line of text.
• ensure the relevance of visuals in your presentation; use images only when they aid the text in a given slide.

Informal Meetings and Instructional Briefings

Compared to formal presentations, informal meetings are less heavily planned and regulated. The main purpose of informal meetings is to discuss matters (e.g. issues or announcements) that do not really have a place for discussion in formal meetings. This type of presentation method is more spontaneous and flexible than most.

Different types of informal meetings include:

ONE-ON-ONE MEETING

This type of meeting occurs between two people. For instance, colleagues may discuss ideas and share insights, or a manager may check on their employee to check on how they are doing or discuss any troubles they may be having.

INFORMAL TEAM MEETING

This meeting usually occurs when teams come together to realign and discuss problems they may be experiencing. It is a common occurrence that such meetings are called when an issue arises during the course of an undertaking. The process includes the following steps:

1. identifying the issue to be addressed
2. identifying team members/ stakeholders required in the meeting.
3. organising the meeting time and place
4. discussing the issues and potential solutions
5. agreeing to the next steps as required

INFORMATIONAL MEETING

This occurs when people come together to receive or share information or receive instructions such as announcements and news about the company (e.g., changes in organisational processes).

INSTRUCTIONAL BRIEFING

This occurs when people come together to receive instructions and guidance about an undertaking. A common example of an instructional briefing is the project briefing, which outlines the objectives and goals of the project and ensures that everyone understands these. During a project briefing, the scope, and key details, as well as the projected timelines, are discussed. Steps in conducting a project briefing include:

Written Instructions

The third and final presentation method comes in the form of written work instructions. These instructions are made to explain relevant processes or procedures for employees. Unlike the other presentation methods which come in the oral or verbal form, instructions come in the written form. This makes it easier to refer to them later on as necessary.

Among the different instructions you may have, perhaps the most common is your standard operating procedures (SOPs). A standard operating procedure is a set of instructions that provides step-by-step guidelines for carrying out different tasks. These tasks are often complex and routine, and SOPs are designed to help employees fulfil these as efficiently as possible.

To ensure that the SOPs you write are effective, you must have a key understanding of the four key components of an SOP. These are:

PROCESS HIERARCHY

There is a hierarchy for the kinds of SOPs you formulate, and it is represented by this figure:

Procedures describe the processes involved in your SOPs. This is further discussed below.

Work instructions and checklists provide detailed guidance on how to perform procedures that are less frequently needed and/or critical.

Process maps enable you to simplify complicated procedures. As the name would suggest, this is done by means of mapping the steps in your process.

A skills matrix is a table or a grid that outlines the competencies required of different employees in order to complete a given process, task, or procedure.

PROCEDURE

Procedures supplement your policies. They enable you to enact the policies which set the tone for how things must be done in your organisation. Among the SOP documents, they are the least frequently updated and the most widely used.

PROCESS

Processes further detail the enactment of procedures, catering specifically to different tasks and different people in the organisation to guarantee alignment of all procedures. Your process will mark who is responsible for the different procedures in your organisation. Moreover, processes ensure that the tasks involved are accomplished properly and on time.

INSTRUCTIONS

Instructions are your most basic SOP documents. These provide guidance for the enactment of basic work tasks.

To write clear instructions for your SOPs, you need to perform six simple steps and you may also need to welcome and incorporate feedback given by co-workers to improve your SOP. The six steps are:

Along with using appropriate presentation methods, you must also use the appropriate communication methods to communicate information or instructions. As it is with presentation methods, the determination of appropriate methods of communication will be done with consideration of the requirements of your audience.

Communication Methods Defined

Unlike presentation methods which are concerned about the ways you can provide information or instruction for your audience; communication methods are all about how you can engage in meaningful interactions with different audiences. Communication methods give your audiences a more active and participatory role in the interaction, and these are essentially the same as the different verbal and non-verbal methods discussed previously.

Following on from the previous section, there are a variety of techniques for communicating information and/or instructions. There are different considerations to be made for selecting a communication method, and a major concern is ensuring that your communication method aligns with the requirements of your audience. Communication methods worth considering include the following, arranged by order of the speed at which you can expect responses from your target audience:

Meetings

Meetings are an indispensable method of communicating within the workplace. There are different reasons meetings are held. Meetings may function to create forums, make decisions, or build or strengthen a team. For any type of meeting you may hold, the most important thing to remember is that you keep the needs of your audiences and keep them involved and aware. One way of ensuring this is through sufficiently planning before conducting a meeting. A key output of this stage is your agenda that outlines your plan for the meeting.

It is important to have a clear and structured agenda to make meetings more efficient and timelier while sufficiently considering what is most appropriate for the intended audience. Having a good agenda will enable you to set the right tone and clarify what output is required from the meeting, provide clear topics to ensure that discussion points are all related, prevent the discussion of points that the meeting will not address, and help drive the discussion towards a clear and defined goal.

It is important to ensure that you consider the needs of your audiences when deciding if a meeting is an ideal method of communicating with them. For instance, conducting a meeting is necessary when you need to conduct a training to explain in-depth a new process or change to team members and/or need to gain immediate and detailed insights from your intended audiences on certain matters. Communicating such information through any other means may not only be inefficient but would also make it difficult for your audience. You may not end up getting the responses you need.

Mobiles

This communication method is ideal for quickly reaching out to people you need to quickly and immediately speak to but are unable to interact with in person. This may be due to factors such as logistical concerns (e.g., you are not in the same location) and mismatch in schedules (e.g., although you are in the same vicinity, both of you are unable to commit to a face-to-face meeting because you are both otherwise occupied with other commitments).

Sometimes, the information or instructions you intend to communicate is a little too complex or lengthy to jot down. Moreover, it may be more effective to explain such matters verbally so that your audience would better understand you. When such happens, mobile is the most reliable method you can use to communicate.

It is important that your use of mobiles is aligned with the requirements of your audiences. You must keep in mind that this communication method is one that may not be preferred or suitable for many. For one, it is almost impossible to have a phone call with someone with a speech impairment or someone who is deaf or hard of hearing.

Short Message Services (SMS)

Perhaps the quickest written method of communication, SMS is ideal for reaching out to both internal and external parties from whom you need immediate responses. Unlike the email which gives recipients two to three days to work on a given request, the nature of SMS allows you to demand a response from the receiver as soon as they get and read your message.

The use of SMS is ideal for important and urgent matters that must quickly be addressed. For instance, if you are asking a co-worker working outside the office for a project update and you need the information immediately because you are currently coordinating with a client, you may opt to send them an SMS. This is especially true for instances where you have already sent an email but have yet to receive a reply.

As with the other methods of communication, you must sufficiently consider the requirements of your intended audience in deciding if SMS is the appropriate communication method to use. There are audiences who would rather communicate through SMS than through calls. This could be because of special needs and/or personal preferences.

Emails

This written method of communication is useful for reaching out to both internal and external parties quickly and efficiently. In situations that require sharing direct, detailed information, simple instructions, or providing a status update to one or more recipient, using this method is recommended. Moreover, information communicated via email should not be time-sensitive because, as a rule of thumb, responses via email will take time. The recipients of your emails may not read your emails immediately or at all. For instance, requests sent via email are usually accomplished within two to three days of being made – a response not as instant as the other communication methods.

Situations, where it is ideal to use this communication method, include notifying the team of updates to a process or a document, sending welcome messages to new employees, and submitting deliverables to a supervisor.

Once again, you must base your selection of this communication method on the requirements of your audience. Some audiences may be very responsive to emails, so it is easier and more sensible for you to communicate with them via email.

At the end of the day, you must always ensure that your selection and use of the communication methods discussed above is always suited to your audiences and sufficiently considers any requirements they may have.

Communication Styles

By definition, communication style is the way you interact and exchange information with others. There are different styles you can use, and you must be aware of the styles you and your audiences use so that you can adjust accordingly. In the context of the workplace, there are four different communication styles that merit discussion.

Analytical communication style

The analytical communication style is concerned with hard data and statistics and places heavy reliance on numbers and logic. This style values clarity and specificity; its users avoid vagueness and ambiguity. This is the reason that people who use this style may often be seen as cold or heartless.

Using this style is ideal when you need to deal with high levels of data and information. When you are dealing with complex information or instructions that would be difficult to communicate without a factual basis and sound reasoning, it is best to use the analytical communication style. Moreover, if audiences are more concerned about data analyses and technical information, it is best and most appropriate to employ this style.

Intuitive communication style

This communication style is concerned with seeing and highlighting the bigger picture. Unlike the detail-oriented analytical communication style, the intuitive communication style focuses on the overview of an entire project or initiative, placing value on meeting the end goal or point. A person using this style is seen as innovative, open to exploring new ideas, and encouraging interaction and creative thinking from audiences. On the flip side, however, people using it are often deemed impatient as they do not make an effort to go over each specific detail involved in processes and projects. This means they may end up overlooking important points.

Still, using the intuitive communication style is necessary when communicating with people who may not be too concerned about the nitty-gritty details of a project. This style compels people to see and appreciate the overall outcomes and bigger picture, making it easier to relate with people who simply want to understand the value of a given undertaking. This style is also quick and concise, so it is useful for situations where time for communicating is limited.

Functional communication style

This communication style is concerned with processes, details, and plans that underlie any initiative. Functional communicators are often relied on to implement and enact projects by virtue of their love for the process and the details. They can effectively evaluate the merit of initiatives and easily point out flaws and points for improvement. However, use of this style proves to be the most time-consuming due to the sheer amount of information the functional communicator has to discuss.

Using this style is ideal when you need to provide clear step-by-step plans to complete tasks or achieve goals, explain processes to those who need to know the specific details of a certain initiative, and give clear and constant feedback so that employees are able to improve on their overall performance.

Personal communication style

The fourth and final communication style is, as the name would suggest, the most personable one. The personal communication style is concerned about being able to connect with audiences on a deeper and more emotional level. People who use this style are considered relationship oriented. They want to understand their audiences and have meaningful interactions. Personal communicators tend to be active and effective listeners as well as diplomats who help resolve conflict and issues and glue teams together. Likewise, they value and respond better to honest and direct feedback, communicating honest thoughts and feelings and expecting others to do the same.

The personal communication style is ideal to use when you speak in person. It is useful when discussing matters that are less concerned about work and more concerned about the employees (e.g., team building, conflict resolution). This style may also come in handy when you are trying to establish rapport with important people (e.g., potential customers, board members).

The third and final step involved in using communication strategies to provide work instruction is negotiating the expected work requirements with others and clarifying that the instructions you have provided have been understood.

Expected Work Requirements

Expected work requirements are essentially the tasks and roles an employee must fulfil for any given undertaking. Of particular interest are your communication roles, which refer to the part a person plays in a communication activity. These are important as your work activities will not be properly fulfilled if employees do not know what is expected of them and clarify what such expectation would entail. You must, therefore, ensure that employees are made aware of these requirements and are also given a chance to negotiate their roles, as necessary.

Negotiation Process

The process of clarifying and negotiating communication roles is relatively straightforward. The so-called negotiation that takes place is informal and does not have any strict requirements.

The general steps involved in this process include:

1. Preparation: As with any endeavour, you still need to sufficiently prepare for the negotiation beforehand. Given your role as the one who is trying to negotiate with an employee, you need to ensure that you are fully equipped with any resources you would need.
2. Discussion: At this point, your negotiation process begins, and you talk about the matter at hand. In this case, you will articulate the role you would like the employee to fulfil and explain it in detail. Likewise, the employee will share their side and how they feel about the situation. It may be useful to note points of interest during this step so that you can sufficiently bring up and/or clarify these later on.
3. Clarifying Goals and Interests: Once you have fully understood one another, you are ready to clarify the goals and interests you have; those you share and those you do not. It is useful to rank these in terms of priority to understand how you can adjust to one another and work towards the next step of the process. During this step, you will also clarify any points that are unclear. This is especially important for the employee who may seek clarification regarding the role that is being asked of them.
4. Negotiating Towards a Win-Win Outcome: Having taken note of the goals and interests of both parties, you can now negotiate towards a win-win outcome. Perhaps, the employee is fine with certain aspects of the communication role such as the work and tasks involved but has issues with matters such as schedule. These are things you must talk about.
5. Agreement: Once both parties understand each other and agree to compromise and adjust to each other as necessary, you can now come to an agreement. Once again, you must make sure that you and the employee are on the same page. Clarify that they understand the instructions being given to them for their roles and the subsequent expectations asked of them. This will guarantee that they can fulfil the role satisfactorily moving forward.
6. Implementing a Course of Action: Finally, you can move on to the implementation of a course of action that will carry out the agreement made. In this case, this is the employee’s enactment of their role and the subsequent tasks they need to fulfil.

• To ensure that you use the appropriate presentation and communication methods, you must consider the requirements of your intended audience.
• There are different presentation and communication methods – both verbal and written – that you can use to communicate information and instructions.
• The methods available can be used for both internal and external stakeholders.
• It is important to align your selection of communication method with the communication style you and your audience use.
• You must successfully negotiate the expected work requirements with others to ensure that they clearly understand the roles, tasks, and instructions given to them.

Activity

Think of communication methods used at your workplace. Are they effective for the audience they are intended for? Share your thoughts in the forum and comment on what your classmates have to say.

Complete the following short quiz on communication methods (6 questions)

You’ve come to the end of this topic, well done! Before moving on to the next section be sure to complete all the exercises and go back over any linked videos and articles if you need to.