Communication Management has Changed Drastically

Segmented Communication to Different Groups does not Work These Days

There is also the issue of adverse publicity about a company spreading fast through Web media. Unless the company becomes aware of what is being said about it and takes appropriate actions, its image can suffer seriously.

Management and Communication

Effective communication is extremely important in management. Unless a business' marketing communications are good, customers will not buy from it in a competitive market. Without good employee communications, the business' employees will not function effectively either because they do not know what to do or because they do not feel committed to perform well. The situation is similar with other groups; bad communications do not lead to desired results.

Organizational communication is a systematic exercise that involves planning, organizing and implementing all internal and external communications so that the organizational objectives are achieved.

The planning exercise will identify the target audience (who), the message to be communicated to them (what), the right time to deliver the message (when), the results expected from the message (why), the medium and method of delivering the message (how) and the person who will deliver the message and how to choose that person (by whom).

It has also become critically important to develop a consistent strategy for the whole organization and implement that strategy through all communication channels. If all communications originating from an organization project a desired image, great brands can be built.

Employee Communications

Employee communications has a special place in organizations. It is employees who execute the work of the organization, and also deliver all the communications. If they work with commitment and take care to communicate as they are asked to, the organization will benefit. Otherwise, the organization can suffer incalculable damage.

Then there are tasks like change management that requires highly effective employee communications. In today's fast changing scenarios,change management is something most organizations have to tackle.

Effective employee communications typically involve some key elements:

• Communicate in time: Decisions that affect employee compensation, working conditions and other aspects of the employee's life should be communicated to them in advance. Springing adverse decisions as a complete surprise is a sure way to destroy their morale and lead to significant wastage of working time (on complaining or shirking).
• Tell them why: People want to know why they are being asked to do or not to do specific things. Such knowledge not only helps them execute their tasks more effectively but also helps them accept the instructions and decisions more willingly. Even adverse decisions can be made acceptable if employees understand their rationale.
• Project the communicator's own commitment: If a communicator tells something but her or his behavior and actions convey something else, employees will see the dissonance. The result is not likely to be good. Walking the talk is important.

Interpersonal communications typically involve verbal and non-verbal elements. Gestures and facial expressions also communicate significant messages. Communication skills involve the ability to harmonize all the elements and convey a consistent message.

Business communications can occur inside an organization or between an organization and external entities. In both these cases, communications seek to create certain desired responses. Communication management seeks to enhance the possibility of obtaining such desired responses. It has become extremely complex to manage communications in today's networked world.