Assignment task:
Now, you are going to be asked to put yourself in one of five roles depending on which message you select. You will either be in the role of an ESS Lead, a Reception Centre Manager, an ESS volunteer, the DEM, or an out-of-town partner of a displaced individual. You are being asked to communicate a message to a receiver of your choosing.
First, select one of the messages below:
The final ESS Strategy has been approved (Sender is the ESS Lead)
There is a notice of an upcoming open house for evacuees at an ESS centre (Sender is the Reception Centre Manager) (Note: An ESS Open House is an event where various agencies, organizations, programs are grouped together in one location where evacuees go to learn about their supports and services. Evacuees can move from one table (agency) to the next and speak with different professionals and gather the information that is applicable to them. It's a strategy to bring multiple resources to people at one time. Open houses are often organized during the response to aid in the transition to recovery.)
There is a deceased client at an ESS centre (Sender is an ESS volunteer)
An event has occurred and an ESS centre needs to be set up (Sender is the Director of Emergency Management)
An individual is looking for a loved one who has been displaced. (Sender is the partner of the displaced person. The partner is out of the country for work.)
Additional pillows and blankets have arrived at an ESS group lodging facility and the new staff shift will be starting soon (Sender is the Reception Centre Manager)
Second, based on the message you selected and the sender of the message (indicated in (brackets) next to each message), please:
1. Identify one receiver (recipient) of the message.
2. Identify your primary way to communicate your message with your recipient. (Set the stage for your colleagues by describing in detail how you would implement the communication method. For example, if meeting in person, is it a scheduled meeting or impromptu meeting, etc.? Or, if a phone is a suggested method, is it during or after hours, a private number, hotline, etc? Etc.
3. Indicate 1 benefit of the communication method you identified. Consider why the communication method best suited your recipient.
4. Indicate 1 challenge of the communication method you identified. Again, keep your recipient in mind and consider how the communication method could be improved to best meet their needs.