Indicators of Inadequate Communications I have listed selected, possible indicators of inadequate communication policies and practices. I use "possible" because there may exist factors other than or, in addition to communication problems in a specific environment. Although my primary education is in art with some education administration courses, my 12 years experience in administration, 9 years of advertising and public relations experience, and an interest, made me a keen observer and researcher in all communication practices. I primarily wrote this for students, including international students with limited English, so I tried to avoid jargon, particularly jargon from the various communication-related fields.
Gerard Bowles
©1998
Indicators (selected, possible indicators)
- High advertising costs, sometimes with poor response
- Poor visual communication principles in printed and other media communications
- Improperly handled. slow, or lost mail, email, telephone or personal client and public communications
- Inundating rumors, innuendos, or misinformation on all levels
- Frequent turnover in sales, middle management, or worker personnel
- Enthusiasm low in workers, sales and client communications personnel
- Low customer enthusiasm
- Employees complaining they were "not informed"
- Frequent complaints from clients
- Low public opinion of company (information from stealth surveys)
- Inadequate communication channels to the clients and public
- Paranoia about client and public image
- Paranoia about personnel dissension
- Individual administrators seeking personal support from outside the company
- Emphasis on style not substance in public image
- Overly conservative or traditional client and public relations
- Frequently reactionary decision-making regarding policy to clients
- Inadequate or poorly-written personnel policies
- Shuffling responsibility
- Lack of notification of meeting agendas
I have given detailed examples however, Josef D. Moorehead, Ph.D., in his course "Organizational Behavior & Environment Business Communications" at California State University, Sacramento, summarizes this topic as:
Results of Ineffective Communication:
(http://www.csus.edu/indiv/m/moorehead/chap1/tsld007.htm)
- Misunderstanding
- Poor Performance
- Negative Feelings
Solutions A study of communication practices and procedures from an outside consultant is always required. The review may be addressed to specific areas, or an overall study. Ideally, the analyst should be known by one administrator and his secretary. This review must include detailed examples and suggested improvements. The analyst should direct the study, and randomly choose and examine all forms of communication. In some cases the analyst, or the analyst's trained researcher, should be willing to pose as a worker in any level of operations, as low as the shipping department if necessary. The analysis could take a week, or as long as 3 months depending on the desired depth of the study. Improvement in business functions should be apparent within a month after recommendations are implemented, and continue to improve.
In the past, some of these responsibilities have been given to industrial psychologists. They are knowledgeable in communication motivations, but are they knowledgeable in communication methods?