The Guardian
This paper will be about a press release part of the website of the Guardian. This press release narrates the hurdles a young girl underwent in war tone Somalia. I selected this company because the press releases are about sensitive issues that affect many communities globally. This company seems to be targeting governments, powerful people, and those people in the affected communities that have no idea of what transpires around them and how the same issue affects the lives of many young girls.
Integrated Business Communication
Two primary concerns regarding the effectiveness of integrated communications are discussed in the succeeding paragraphs. The first concern is that all of the needed information is presented. For this site, the needed information was presented as follows:
The first needed element of information that was integrated in this article was the reason why girls in Somalia undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). The use of first parson narration fussed with direct speech from the victim of such a tragedy enabled effective delivery of information (Stuart, 2007). The targeted audiences obtain the reason why girls still undergo the FGM procedure. These reasons include lack of information on the negative impacts of such a practice and the fear of being alienated from the rest of the girls.
The second needed element of information that was integrated in this article was how such people could be assisted. The article does not directly highlight how to help the young girls who are being forced, or willingly undergo FGM. However, the article opens up the readers’ mind by exposing the possible ways through which such a vice can be handled. One of the strategies that can be used is narration of the ordeal which the victim underwent. Besides, the reasons why she had to undergo the procedure are vital. This is a form of communication that relays information indirectly (Stuart, 2007).
All of the needed communications were consistent throughout the site. The given information is detailed enough since it has several contributions from different people. The individuals who presented information in the press release included the girl and their teachers, and the author of the article. The use of data from the United Nations enhances the credibility of the information (Stuart, 2007).
Media Richness
The media richness of the site will be evaluated as indicated below.
The site sought feedback to ensure understanding by creation of ways that allowed direct assessment of the information by the readers. The major way employed was allowing readers to commend on the issue directly on the website’s discussion board. The links and use of social media networks were also utilized in ensuring that feedback on the information was available. The social media platforms utilized included twitter and Facebook (Moore, 2013).
The site offered multiple clues of the intended communications by directly quoting the girl’s own words as she was describing the ordeal and the reasons why she underwent the FGM.
The site was effectively tailored to suit the target audience by making the information unanimous and not targeting a specific individual or group (Moore, 2013). The site also had an information portal where victims of FGM could seek help from any location on the globe. This included individuals who were affected indirectly by the vice. The language used in the communication is emotional and simple at the same time. Any accessing this type of information will be able to read the whole content (Integrated Business Communication, 2013).
The site reflected the sender’s emotions by allowing the girl to describe her personal experiences as she underwent the procedure of FGM. The author of the information also uses words such as “describes the traumatic event” in order to create a communication environment that is emotional (Moore, 2013).
Framed Message
The primary theme that the site is attempting to convey is illiteracy and female genital mutilation. This press release tries to relate FGM in Somalia to the lack of education among most people in Somalia. The site was framed to accomplish transmitting the theme by the following means:
The first means of framing the message was the use of an educated Somali girl who accepted that by the time she was undergoing the procedure, she had no idea of the related negative effects.
The second means of framing the message was the comparison of the girl to her age mates in the UK who were brought up in well-educated families. These girls have no idea that such a practice exists. The girl also talks about her father who believed that education would enable her to control the most important aspects of her life.
Opinion Leaders
The theme being transmitted was obviously developed after seeking advice from one or more opinion leaders. These leaders are quoted in the site as indicated below.
The first opinion leader to be quoted was the Somalia-born model Waris Dirie. She has put in place campaigns against FGM. This shows that she is completely against FGM.
The second opinion leader to be quoted was Khadija, the narrator of her ordeal as a young girl in Somalia. Her perspective is that if she had been well educated, and her people equally informed of the negative effects of FGM, she could have never accepted to undergo such a practice.
The communication in this article is effective and can be understood by any person. Hence, the targeted audience must have understood the information. There is too much use of emotional words, especially at the point where the girl describes the FGM procedure. This should be adjusted so that any other person reading the information does not avoid certain areas due to highly tense emotions (Integrated Business Communication, 2013).
References
Integrated Business Communication (2013). Anti Essays. Web.
Moore, K. G. (2013). Integrated Marketing Communications – 5 Primary Communication Tools. Web.
Stuart, B. E. & Sturart, L. (2007). Integrated business communication: In a global marketplace., Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.