Here is a draft one-page memo: To: CEO From: HR Manager Date: Subject: Proposed strategy for employee termination notifications I am writing to propose a more compassionate strategy for notifying employees of termination. While e-mail is convenient, dismissing hundreds of employees via e-mail is dehumanizing and damages employee morale and the company's reputation. Research shows face-to-face meetings are preferable as they allow for explanation, questions, and closure. Notifying employees individually with empathy and respect maintains their dignity during a difficult experience. It also shows leadership and care for people. A suggested process is to have managers schedule private meetings to notify affected employees in their work location

1. Introduction to business
communication

2. • “Introduction to Business Communication”, introduces students to
the value of communication in the business world and talks about
barriers to the same.

3. • Understand the value of communication in the business world
• Appreciate the role of technology in shaping business
communication.
• Appreciate the significance of maintaining lines of communication.
• Learn about the barriers to communication and their influence on
organizational and personal communication.
• Understand the role played by the internal communications
department in facilitating eff ective communication

4. • Five factors have contributed to the growing importance of effective
interpersonal communication at the workplace:
• Technology
• Diversity
• Time Constraints
• Legal Liabilities
• Dispersal and Decentralization

5. • The advisory firm Corporate Executive Board (CEB) conducted a survey that revealed
that, in order to retain talented people, a company should direct its employees towards
the right goals through proper communication. Just 21 per cent of the surveyed
employees were found to be completely aware of, and working towards, the company’s
goals. Poor communication and an incompetent manager might be the reason behind
this. If the manager-led approach doesn’t work, then the Town Hall approach, in which
the senior management engages directly in a dialogue with employees, might be
successful. The survey also revealed that employees who were more engaged in the
process of job design were likely to be more satisfied with their jobs.
• A major Indian IT company recently caught an employee in the finance department
embezzling funds. In order to avoid such cases, it is always important to improve
employee confidence in the organization. The top managerial rung should be consistent
in behaving ethically and dealing decisively with misconduct. It is also important for the
management to recognize the emotional toll that recession takes on employees and to
ensure that communication regarding finances is always frank and focused on employee
concerns

6. • GOALS OF COMMUNICATION
• Organizational communication is purposeful. Th ere are three
objectives to such communication:
• To inform
• To persuade
• To mobilize
• Communication is considered complete when the target has received the
message and understood it, and agrees to act upon it

7. ONE-WAY AND TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
• “Tress passers prohibited”
• Feedback

8. DIRECTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
• Vertical
• Horizontal
• The main uses of vertical downwards communications are:
• To give orders or instructions
• To provide or ask for information
• The main uses of vertical upwards communication are:
• To describe the results of actions
• To provide information that has been requested
• To make requests or appeals
• The main uses of horizontal, or sideways, communication are:
• To keep equals informed of actions taken or results achieved
• To seek the counsel or opinion of peers
• To discuss problems
• To chat informally

9. CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION
• Spoken
• Written
• Electronic

10. METHODS OF COMMUNICATION
• Meetings
• Presentations
• Written messages
• Public Notices
• Memoranda
• Bulletins
• …………..

11. COMMUNICATION NETWORK
• A communication network demarcates the positions of the senders
and recipients of information in a communication loop.
• Who should be a part of a particular network?
• What channels of communication should be devised to carry the information
forward?
• Who are the primary and secondary recipients of the information?
• Who controls or regulates the flow of information from one point to the
other?

12. Type Internal External Form
Formal Memoranda, circulars,
notices, newsletters, pre-
printed forms, short
reports, proposals
Letters, press releases,
reports, proposals
Written
Formal Voice calls Faxes, voice calls Electronic
Formal Face-to-face
departmental or company
meetings, voice calls,
presentations
Presentations,
negotiations, sales calls
Spoken
Formal Decision support systems,
e-memos
Video conferences, audio
conferences, decision
support systems, e-mails
Electronic
Informal Instant messaging, blogs,
links to Web sites
Instant messaging, blogs,
social networking sites
Electronic

13. NEW COMMUNICATION MEDIA

14. Verbal and non verbal communication

15. • Several studies have explored the use of the grapevine. One study by De
Mare5 contends that nearly 70 per cent of all organizational
communication occurs at the grapevine level.
• BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
• The Noise Barrier
• Feedback Problem Evaluative, supportive, interpretive, Probing and Understanding
• The Problem of Media Selection
• Mental Barriers :assumptions, stereotyping, fixed beliefs, and a closed mindset
• The Problems of Language and Articulation
• use of improper words, the use of jargon, and ambiguity
• Physical Barriers
• Personal Barriers
• Cultural Barriers

16. • Interpersonal Barriers
• Interpersonal communication is communication between two people, groups,
departments, or organizational units.
• Withdrawal: Withdrawal is where interpersonal contact is shunned and an individual
refuses to be in touch.
• Rituals: Rituals are when interpersonal contact is perceived to be mere formality, devoid
of genuine interaction.
• Pastimes: Pastimes are where interpersonal relationships are perceived as social but
superficial activities to be indulged in when one is free.
• Working: This is when interpersonal activities are confined to discussions at work, but no
further.
• Games: This is where interpersonal activities are considered to be subtle, manipulative
interactions that are about winning and losing.
• Closeness: This is the aim of interpersonal contact, and happens when there is a high
level of honesty and acceptance of yourself and others.
• Technology: This is where interpersonal satisfaction is sought through social networking
sites.

17. COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN: SEVEN
CARDINAL MISTAKES MANAGERS MAKE
• Communicating Without Adequate Preparation
• Underestimating the Intelligence of the Audience
• Using Inappropriate Channels of Communication
• Believing that Words Speak Louder than Actions
• Listening Only to Good News
• Playing Guessing Games with Employees
• Rarely Talking to Employees

18. COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
• Internal communications can help on several different levels:
• Tell: Informing people of the direction taken (non-negotiable).
• Sell: This is done while anticipating some form of backlash, and it requires
some amount of persuasion.
• Consult: Soliciting specific areas of input to the decision-making process.
• Involve: Seeking varying degrees of involvement and co-creation.

20. Class Exercise
• Read the following situation and answer the question that follows.
Companies have fired thousands of employees in the recent
economic downturn. A few years ago, RadioShack Corporation sent e-
mails to approximately 400 of its employees, informing them that
they had lost their jobs. It is part of the culture of certain
organizations to communicate important messages through e-mails.
As the HR manager at RadioShack, write a one-page memo to
persuade the CEO to adopt a more suitable and less dehumanizing
strategy for notifying employees that they have been let go.
• https:// hbr.org/2013/04/how-to-avoid-virtual-miscommun