Part 3
COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY FOR DIVERSE AUDIENCES AND CONTEXTS: PART 3
This week, you will develop a third presentation based on the scenario from Weeks 1 and 2. As a reminder, you are a manager with Allied Products, a U.S.-based manufacturer of consumer packaged goods. 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 set of three presentations 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 presentations must include title slides and references slides that include appropriate academic and professional support for your ideas. You will also need to provide an accompanying script in the Notes section of each slide that you would use if you were delivering your presentation to your fellow group of U.S.-based managers. Each content slide should contain 3–5 bullet points (no more than 1 sentence each), with additional details and explanation provided in the accompanying script.
The objectives for your presentation this week are to help the managers understand key considerations when communicating in a virtual team and to give the managers a framework that will help them plan for and run effective team meetings.
BY DAY 7
Submit your presentation and accompanying script in the Notes section of each slide. Be sure you are fully addressing the following in approximately 6–8 slides, excluding references:
INTRODUCTION
· Provide an introductory slide that grabs the audience’s 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)
COMMUNICATING VIRTUALLY AND PLANNING FOR TEAM MEETINGS
· Develop 3–5 clear, specific, and actionable recommendations for communicating effectively in virtual teams. (1 slide)
· Identify best practices for: (3–5 slides)
· Clarifying the purposes and outcomes of the meeting
· Including a team cohesion activity
· Clarifying types of outcomes for agenda items
· Sharing discussion leadership
· Managing time
· Evaluating the meeting
· Reviewing action items
For each item, support the best practice identified with at least one source.
CONCLUSION
· Provide one concluding/wrap-up slide in which you offer a compelling conclusion to the material by summarizing key points and reinforcing suggested practices through script contents that keep the audience engaged. (1 slide)
Refer to the Week 3 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.
