Communication Research

Question 1

Different communication methods

Staff Meeting

Answer 1

• Can be formal or informal
• Formal meetings will produce a record, such as a minute of meeting
• Useful for bringing people together from different areas to solve a problem
• Often used to consult with staff about decisions and changes to the organisation
• Can be time consuming and sometimes expensive
• Can be difficult to control large numbers
• Different personalities may clash

Question 2

Different communication methods

Interviews/One-to-One Meeting

Answer 2

• Good way to deal with problems or confidential issues
• Useful for personal development and appraisal meetings with staff
• Info can be quickly transmitted
• Easier to express feeling so less chance of misunderstanding
• Instant feedback
• No record of what was said

Question 3

Different communication methods

Letters

Answer 3

• Mainly used for external communication
• used for internal communication when dealing with important , confidential information such as staff redundancies
• Permanent record of what was said
• Everyone receives the same information
• Can take longer to prepare
• No immediate feedback
• Higher chance of misunderstanding - facial expression/body language not used

Question 4

Different communication methods

Notice Boards

Answer 4

• Inexpensive way of communicating a ot of information to a large number of people
• Will display informal information such as social events and formal information such as health and safety bulletins
• Must be regularly maintained as information quickly becomes out of date

Question 5

Different communication methods

Staff Handboook

Answer 5

• Usually given to staff when they join the organisation and regularly updated
• Provides information on matters such as organisation structure, history, products and services, conditions of employment, procedures
• Often provided on the intranet system of the organisation rather than paper-based

Question 6

Different communication methods
Digital
Phone Call

Answer 6

• Information can be quickly transmitted
• Cheaper than preparing and copying a letter
• Instant feedback
• Agreement can be reached faster than with e-mail or letters
• Important decisions still need to be followed up by a written method
• No record of what was said - can cause problems if there is a disagreement
• Detailed or complicated messages may not be understood
• The timing of calls may not suit the recipient and lead to a loss of productivity

Question 7

Different communication methods
Digital
Intranet

Answer 7

• Staff can access, use, and download information
• All employees have access to the same current information
• Timed saved as information only needs updated once
• Cost savings - paper, photocopying and storage
• If there are problems, no staff will be able to complete work as no one can gain access
• In needs to be kept up to date to remain valuable to staff
• Staff may need training to help them to use the intranet efficiently
• needs to be easy to navigate - if information cannot be found, staff will stop using and all benefits will be lost