Ponder and Record

Taking into consideration the four items above (topic of conversation, urgency, familiarity, and audience), read through the following scenarios and try to determine which method of communication would work best for each of them (oral or written).

Scenario #1

You work in the food manufacturing industry and are in charge of selling and shipping ingredients to customers for personal use in their businesses. One of your biggest customers, a bakery owner, just called to inform you that the flour that you shipped to her came opened and spoiled. As a result, she does not have all the ingredients that she needs to create her baked goods in time for the holiday rush (the most profitable time of year for her business). She needs a new order of flour shipped to her within the next 24 hours or she may have to take her business somewhere else.

• Which form of communication (oral or written) should you use in this situation and why? Draw on the four considerations listed above to support your answer.

Scenario #2

You work in the IT department and are charged with the task of letting the staff know that a routine program update is scheduled to happen this coming Friday from 9:00–11:00 p.m. During that time, all company programs and applications will be inaccessible.

• Which form of communication (oral or written) should you use in this situation and why? Draw on the four considerations listed above to support your answer.

Scenario #3

For the past several months, you have been working with a small team of employees to create some large-scale improvements to some core programs and procedures within the company. After several weeks of deliberation, the executive board has approved the suggested changes and would like you to present those changes to all of the employees and also train them on how to use the new programs.

Which form of communication (oral or written) should you use in this situation and why? Draw on the four considerations listed above to support your answer.