Problem
You are the communication director at Acme Widget Co. and oversee a small team of direct reports. The CEO has recently brought three items to your attention that he would like you to address.
Communication Plan
The first item impacts external communication strategies. A new bicycle model that was part of a prerelease trial recently received many poor reviews on a prominent online marketplace website. One of the most-read reviews was from a customer with a high user following. The review read:
"I'm an avid biker, and I was all for the automatic downhill braking feature on this bike, but ten minutes into my first ride, the automatic braking kicked in while I was still on a flat stretch and threw me over the handlebars directly into the road. Thankfully, there was no traffic and I walked away with just some nasty scrapes and bruises. This could have been a lot worse if I were riding on a busy road. If you're riding in any kind of high-traffic area or intend to go faster than 5 mph, do NOT get this bike!"
There was a problem with the prerelease braking sensor, but it was fixed before it was released to the general public. You need to explain to your team how you can work together to rebrand the product and use multiple mass-media channels to reach various audiences to increase sales, despite the poor reviews.
The second item impacts internal communication. It has come to the CEO's attention that employees aren't reading the monthly newsletter, a lengthy but helpful print publication that addresses everything from birthday shoutouts to organizational announcements. Recently, employees have been chatting about an upcoming reorganization of staff and getting anxious, but aren't reading the newsletter that has accurate information. It is important for employees to read the publication so they can get accurate information at appropriate times, avoid spreading misinformation and speculation, and keep everyone informed. You'll need to create a few key strategies that can help increase the efficacy of information sharing with employees.
Specifically, address the following:
1) Business Problem Identification:
a) Define each problem the business faces in the scenario.
b) Identify and explain the communication theory or theories that most appropriately explain the root cause of the problems.
2) Potential Solutions:
a) Draft a few possible solutions to each business problem in the Part I scenario. (These will be refined at a later date, and bullet points are okay to use in this section of this milestone.)
3) Theory:
a) Explain how you are considering communication theory as you brainstorm and evaluate potential solutions.
i) Describe specific theories that can help you understand the business problem.
ii) Explain how a potential solution could be supported by a specific theory.
iii) Explain how a potential solution can be ruled out as ineffective based on a specific theory.