MM001 Communicating Effectively for Diverse Audiences and Co…

Communicating Effectively for Diverse Audiences and Contexts

For the purposes of this assessment, you are a manager with Allied Products, a U.S.-based manufacturer of consumer-packaged goods (CPG). 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 presentation 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 presentation must include a title slide and references slides that include appropriate academic and professional support for your ideas. You will also need to provide a script that you would use if you were delivering your presentation to your fellow group of U.S.-based managers. Each content slide should contain 3 to 5 bullet points (no more than 1 sentence each), with additional details and explanation provided in the accompanying script.

The objectives for your presentation are as follows:

1. Provide some basic information on the key components and process of communication.
2. Highlight the importance of self-awareness and being a competent sender.
3. Help the managers understand key considerations when communicating in a virtual team.
4. Provide guidance about communicating effectively with those from a higher-context environment (such as Mexico) than the United States.
5. Give the managers a framework that will help them plan for and run effective team meetings.

******* 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)

********Part 1 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)
• Include one transition (review/preview) slide that offers a compelling conclusion to the material you just presented and connects to the material you are presenting next. The script contents should keep the audience engaged. (1 slide)

*********Part 2 Develop three to five clear, specific, and actionable recommendations for communicating effectively in virtual teams. (1 slide)

• Synthesize three to five clear, specific, and actionable recommendations for communicating effectively in high-context, low-context, and mixed-context cultures. (3 slides)
• Include one transition (review/preview) slide that offers a compelling conclusion to the material you just presented and connects to the material you are presenting next. The script contents should keep the audience engaged. (1 slide)

***** Part 3 Planning for Team Meetings

• Identify best practices for:
• Clarifying the purposes and outcomes of the meeting (1 slide)
• Including a team cohesion activity (1 slide)
• Clarifying types of outcomes for agenda items (1 slide)
• Sharing discussion leadership (1 slide)
• Managing time (1 slide)
• Evaluating the meeting (1 slide)
• Reviewing action items (1 slide)
• For each item, support the best practice identified with at least one source.

********* Conclusion

• Provide one concluding slide in which you summarize key points and reinforce suggested practices through the script contents. (1 slide)