DELIVERING BAD NEWS TACTFULLY

Delivering bad news effectively requires tact and communication skills. Advanced preparation is a must. Planning the direction of the conversation, anticipating the responses from the other party, and deciding on which conflict resolution technique to utilize is all part of the planning stage before the face-to-face conversation. Here is an example of a case study that requires tact and my suggestion on how to handle the situation.

                                                             

CASE STUDY

Here is the case study.  I am a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services. I have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service. One of my employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and I have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment. I must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.  

THE PLANNING STAGE

In order to handle the above case study, I will begin by planning on how I want to direct the conversation in advance. I will take the time to study all the positive attributes of this employee. Then, I will attempt to anticipate how this employee will respond and plan how to steer the conversation to end positively with a clear understanding of the seriousness of the situation.

THE ACTUAL MEETING

After the planning stage as above, I will call a meeting with this employee in my office or in a conference room where we can talk behind closed doors. I will begin the meeting on the positive side. I will mention how this employee is adding value to the organization. I will mention specific contributions this employee has given to the department. Then I will proceed with mentioning the expected employee behaviors in our organizations and talk about the complaints I have been getting from co-workers and customers. I will mention the specific unacceptable behaviors and the effects of those unwanted behaviors. Then I will give the employee time to explain, defend or excuse her behaviors. I will let the employee speak without any interruption. Once the employee finishes talking, then I will firmly respond back and reiterate where expectations were not met or where the organizational rules are not met. Then I will give the ultimatum that in order to continue working at the organization, this employee’s behavior has to change or termination will follow if expectations are not met.  I will then ask if the expectations of the organization or the consequences of not meeting the expectation are clear to the employee. Then, I will close the meeting.

 

SUMMARY

In summary, my game plan to deliver bad news tactfully entails beginning with the positive in the relationship, proceeding with delivering the bad news and then allowing for discussion time and ending with restating the future expectations and the consequences of not meeting expectations and allowing for more questions and answers.   

MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

The impact of technology in the field of communication has been significant.  Media consumption is constantly evolving due to advances in media technology. Because of the constant innovations in technology, the way media is transmitted and consumed is changing in conjunction with technology. Media technology is changing the audiences’ preferences. Even TV and the press media are adapting to newer technology to reach the masses. This blog will describe four of the many media technologies and describe the corresponding audience for each media.

THE INTERNET

 The internet has been a source of information and entertainment since its inception.  With the rise in technology, the media preference of the audiences is rapidly changing. The majority of the audience is enjoying the convenience that the internet has brought to their lives. The internet integrates sound and sight dynamics which audiences find superior to radio and print which are only limited to either sight or sound media. Online media are opening up two-way communication. They also encourage the formation of groups around a common interest. 


Here is an interesting comparison on internet usage in just a decade.

Audience of the Internet

The audience of the internet is diverse. Internet users range from the student to the professor, from the rich to the poor and from the young to the old. According to Pewinternet.org in 2010, 79% percent of the American adult population uses internet. In the same year, 62% of the users use the internet daily. The major audiences for the intent are the youth (18-24 year olds), the X generations (those born in 1965 – 1980) and the Y generation (those born in 1980 -1994). These demographic groups have grown up with technology. ). Recently though, the trend is showing that the older generation is adopting the usage of this technology.  According to Neilson/NetRating, the senior audience is the fastest growing segment showing a 25% increase in 2003 (Cameron, 2009).

ETHNIC PRESS

Ethnic or racial press is a growing niche market due to the growing diversity of the American population. People from different countries have continued to migrate to the United States. The ethnic population has been growing five times faster than the general population (Cameron, 2008).

                                                              

The audience of Ethnic Press

The audiences for the ethnic or racial press are the ethnic people who belong to that demographic group such as Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans. Ethnic press catering to each segment of this population has been using different technologies to reach the different demographic groups within that ethnicity or race. For instance, 162 Hispanic publications and 245 African American publications are listed on the Gate Directory of Publications and Broadcast media (Cameron, 2008).  The selection of the media is dependent on the preference of ethnic group.  For instance, surveys show that an average Hispanic uses the radio 26-30 hours to obtain news and entertainment (Cameron, 2008). For this reason, there were 678 Hispanic radio stations in 2005.  Another media technology that has been utilized by the different Ethnic and racial groups is television. Currently there are two Hispanic networks that are watched by millions of people. Another example of an ethnic media is BET that is targeting the 18-34 age groups.  Even cable and satellite providers are offering different ethnic packages to basic and standard services to cater to this niche market.

RSS FEEDS

RSS is the third media technology. RSS is an acronym that stands for Really Simple Syndication. This is a web-based process of searching and gathering together news and information. This information is then transmitted to the users’ computer or cell phone (Marsh, 2009). RSS is used to aggregate information from many internet sources into one. Instead of sifting through relevant and non-relevant information on the internet, users can get all information in one place.  RSS is currently being used by major news organizations, companies and businesses as well as bloggers to disseminate information. According to the Pew internet and American Life Project, 33% of all American internet users get RSS feeds (perinternet.org).

Benefits of RSS Feeds

The benefits of using the RSS are many. RSS gives the end- user to be selective on the subjects they wish to subscribe to. Secondly, the end-user can keep up to date on fresh web content of his/her choice. Another benefit is for those who use the RSS feed to disseminate information by giving them more exposure on the internet.  

The audience of RSS Feeds

The audience for this technology would be savvy internet users. This would include bloggers, students who do a lot of individual as well as group researches, public relations and communication specialists.  

PODCASTING

The last media technology that is being used is podcasting. The term podcasting is used to describe both the process and content of what is being transmitted. Radio, TV and film content are delivered electronically to users who can play the audio or video files at any time they would like to (Marsh, 2009). The media or video files can be downloaded to the user’s desktop or mobile devices such as smart phones, IPods and MP3/4 players. Podcasting uses the RSS technology to alert subscribers of the availability of new information.

Benefits of Podcasting                              

Podcasting can be used by different sectors of society. It can be used in the classroom to record and stream class lectures as well as discussions. This would be especially helpful in distance (online) learning. Podcasts can reach more people than the radio can because it can be used across the globe as it is not confined to regulations and limitations. Anyone can podcast with few basic tools such as computer, video camera or microphone.

Podcasting has many benefits. Podcasting, like RSS feeds above, gives the user more control. Similar to RSS feeds, the user can select the content that can be automatically downloaded to his/her device. Unlike email, which gives the control to the sender of the content, podcasting empowers the recipient to be selective of what information he/she sees. Another benefit of podcasting lies in making the information portable. Users can view or listen to the content at their convenience.   

   

The audience of Podcasting

The audiences for this media technology are similar to the ones using RSS feeds (i.e. the internet-savvy users). Most of the users of this media technology are the demographic groups known as generation X (29-42 year olds) and generation Y (18-28 year olds).  Gen X and Gen Y use the internet more than any other age groups and they are the early adopters of new technology (Cameron, 2008).

SUMMARY

In conclusion, the four media technologies mentioned above (the internet, Ethnic Press, RSS feeds and Podcasting) are playing a key role in modern society. All of these media technologies serve different audiences and various purposes. At the rate media technology is changing, one wonders what the next decade brings.

References:

    

Cameron, G. (2008). Public Relations Today: Managing Competition        and Conflict. Pearson Learning Solutions.

http://fordham.academia.edu/PhilipNapoli/Papers/175960/Toward_a_Model_of_Audience_Evolution_New_Technologies_and_the_Transformation_of_Media_Audiences

http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Presentations/2010/Jun/2010%20-%20062410%20-%20syracuse%20newhouse%20MOB%20conf%20NYC%20pdf.pdf

http://elf.westernsydneyinstitute.wikispaces.net/file/view/eLearning+STRIDE_Hb8_Full.pdf/114728879/eLearning%20STRIDE_Hb8_Full.pdf#page=120

Marsh, C., Guth, D., Short, B. (2009). Strategic writing: multimedia writing for public relations, advertising and more (2^nd edition). Boston: Pearson

CREATING A BLOG

Here is a summary of the knowledge I have gained from my research and the review of other professional blogs regarding the guidelines of purpose, design, content and audience in blog creation.

Purpose and Audience

Defining the purpose of the blog and identifying the audience for the blog are the first steps in launching a successful site. A blog can be created to inform, to persuade or simply to share a hobby or interest. 
  






Based on the purpose of the blog, the audience for the site can be identified. Generally speaking, the purpose of the blog defines who the targeted audiences are. Once the purpose and the audience are identified, the site needs to be tailored to meet the readers’ needs adequately. For instance, if the targeted audiences are multicultural or if they have known disabilities, the site can be tailored to meet their needs by such means as having multilingual links and built-in short cuts.  

Design

User-friendliness should be the driving element in the design of the site. The site needs to be easy to navigate. Simple backgrounds with contrasting text help in making the site easy to read on the eyes. Text should be single –spaced with extra spaces between paragraphs. The visual design should be consistent in all the pages. Visual consistency can be accomplished by making the header, footer, the background, typography the same on every page. Unnecessary graphics should be minimized to give the site a polished and uncluttered look.

Content

Content should be brief and easy to understand. Chunking (splitting content into groups) is highly recommended. This can be done by using frequent headings and lists and grouping like items together.    

Content should be also get updated frequently to encourage frequent visits from the targeted audience. Responding to visitor’s comments is also recommended to encourage interaction and interest.