Introduction
Effective internal and external communication is the key to the success of any organization. One of the primary premises for the development of proper communicative channels and strategies is the identification of the audience and its needs. It has been acknowledged that the outline of the target groups’ needs enables the communicator to articulate the message that is understood by all recipients (Simon, 2015). This memo includes a description of several methods to identify the needs of the audience when communicating messages on diverse topics.
The Needs of Potential Audiences at GI
IG has five central departments, including manufacturing, research and development (R&D), sales and marketing, finance and accounting, technical support, and human resources. Each of these target groups is committed to reaching organizational goals, but they still focus on specific operations and processes. For instance, when communicating a new product launch program, it is critical to pay more attention to the areas specific groups are interested in. The description of the launch of a new program should include a detailed outline of budgets and terms. R&D teams will better respond to messages where specific characteristics of the new products are highlighted.
Employees involved in manufacturing will concentrate on the data concerning the product properties, materials needed to produce it, and terms and schedules. Salespeople also focus on the product properties, but they will also need more information regarding the costs of the product, as well as the peculiarities of supplies. Technical support teams may need some details related to the groups that will be involved in the project in order to set effective communication channels.
Determining Audiences’ Needs
Clearly, the needs of the audiences outlined above are not confined to one or two areas. Ingre and Basil (2016) claim that the communicator should predict some questions that can arise and provide a detailed answer. In order to identify each group’s concerns, it is possible to implement some research with the focus on employees’ responsibilities and their past involvement in similar projects (Ingre & Basil, 2016). It is important to consider the exact ways the groups will benefit from the provided message. A brief preliminary outline of a message can be sent to the heads of departments who can be asked to check whether other details may be needed (Simon, 2015).
It can be appropriate to conduct a brief survey among the representatives of the departments. The heads or managers of the departments can be interviewed to gain insights into the specific topics to be covered in further communications regarding the project in question. The review of the current literature related to the matter is another option that should not be ignored.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the articulation of every message requires paying close attention to the target audiences’ needs. This focus will ensure a sufficient level of understanding of the new information. The central groups to concentrate on include manufacturing, R&D, sales and marketing, finance and accounting, technical support, and human resources. The communicative strategies employed in each case will differ depending on people’s responsibilities, past involvement in diverse projects, as well as any other aspects uncovered during a survey.
The research implemented to identify the needs of the corresponding audiences may take the form of an interview or a survey of the concerns of each department’s representatives. When developing communication strategies and exact messages, it is necessary to foresee the most common questions and provide detailed answers.
References
Ingre, D., & Basil, R. (2016). Engineering communication: A practical guide to workplace communications for engineers (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Simon, P. (2015). Message not received: Why business communication is broken and how to fix it (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.