Thoughts on Assignment B for Executive Communication

Hello. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are now ready for the sprint to the Christmas/Hannukah holidays. I also hope that my comments on Assignment A were helpful (sometimes in small, picky ways) to help you polish your executive writing skills.

Just as our work with "tipping point communication" was somewhat cutting edge (you noticed that you can't look it up in many places, even though the idea of tipping points is well-established), similarly our Assignment B will take you into the relatively new territory of Communication Architecture.

I've talked with many of you about your papers. Here are four points that emerged in each of those conversations:

1. Communication channels and protocols ("rules") seem to spring up like weeds in organization, without plan or forethought. Your assigment B will give you the chance to describe a real or hypothetical communication system that is PLANNED. I, for example, would LOVE to plan a better communication system for our School.

2. If you're having trouble getting started, think of a past or present work experience (which may be disguised) where communication patterns and protocols (not personalities) lay at the heart of the organization's problems. A description of that bad situation becomes the first page of your paper. The remainder of the paper presents your analysis of how a better, planned approach to communication could have avoided the problems you described and, in addition, brought the organization many advantages.

3. In your analysis, consider "thinking time" or "executive time" as an endangered species, if many channels of communication are allowed to break into our day at will. In your plan, you may want to think through how you PROTECT your most creative people from communication overload.

4. Organizations have suffered (expensively) from the social dimension of communication. Frankly, it's fun (at times) to write or text funny stuff to your colleagues; it can be equally amusing just to chat by phone with friends within the company. Even admitting the need for good morale, such freedom to entertain oneself and one's colleagues during the workday can be enormously distracting in terms of productivity and mission. You may want to give some thought to the possible abuses of the social dimensions of various communication channels.

I hope these comments are useful. Feel free to give me a ring (415-422-6170) or email (bell@usfca.edu). Usually an email will bring a faster response because I check my email hourly and, at times, remotely when in meetings when I can't check my voicemail.

I learned volumes by reading your perspectives on tipping points in Assigment A. I look forward to the same kind of learning experience in Assignment B, and of course I hope the consideration of these topics are helpful to your executive development.

Art

Example of Minds Bonding in Action & Excellence

Hey all,

I am writing to state simply that I enjoyed seeing the group presentations yesterday. I for one really enjoyed working with a couple of my classmates and showing a collaborative effort. It was definitely Minds Bonding in Action & Excellence.

Additionally, the only way we are going to get better at presenting is to keep doing these, and accepting constructive criticism. Please don't hesitate to let me know what I can improve upon...particularly when/if you review my piece of our presentation (not looking forward to watching my performance).

Last, thanks to Tracy, Allan and whomever else worked on creating our poster. I love that we have it present every class. Picking off some of the principles that showed up yesterday, I saw:
Positive recognition - being done by a lot of you after each presentation
Assume and allow leadership - saw it on my presentation team from Gil, Annabelle and Jeff
Honor commitments - we all played a part on a team
Safe environment - I hope everyone felt as safe as I did yesterday...safe to present in front of you all
Constructive criticism - here's some from me...we ALL need to rehearse more before presenting...

Thanks, Duke

Exec. Communication will meet during MORNING session this coming Sat., Nov. 15

Prof. Roberts has graciously agreed to switch time slots for this coming Saturday. Executive Communication will take place during the morning session; Prof. Roberts' accounting class will take place during the afternoon session.

As indicated in previous emails and our blog (www.mbaecomm10.blotspot.com), our communication session this coming Saturday will be a workshop on best practices in oral communication. Your group will present its assigned topic and we will videotape your speaking. If you plan to use PowerPoint or other graphic supplement, please check out all technical details well in advance. (We don't want to be scrambling for the right cable or connector at the last moment.)

You will receive in-class feedback both from your instructor and classmates. You will also be able to view your video on Blackboard after your instructor has had a couple days to study it and offer you additional written feedback.

Please don't consider this experience a 'final performance.' It would be better, in the spirit of a workshop, to think of it as a 'dress rehearsal' where you are presenting a work in progress.

As I mentioned, in a later MBAE class where you have a formal presentation to give, I will sit in (with the instructor's permission) to give you constructive feedback on what your group considers a highly polished presentation.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!


Best,


Art Bell

MBAE 2010 After Class Meeting Spot

Hey everyone,

I'd like to propose a designate social meeting spot for quick after class drinks whenvever anyone is in the mood (Professors are welcome!).
"PolengLounge"
Great atmosphere
Great drinks (Tu-Fri Happy Hour from 4-5:30pm - think intensives!)
Yummy snacks
Best of all - its a block away from class!

This would allow us to simply go and not have to coordinate.....
I'll be there after class this week should anyone be interested!

-Anees

Assignment B Due Nov. 15

I loved your various notes--and the humor was much appreciated. Just to clarify where we're at:

Oct. 25 Please hand in Assignment A (posted on blog Oct. 4) to Prof. Kathy Kane. I will grade them and get you back some specific feedback as soon as possible (well before your Nov. 15 assignment is due).

Nov. 15 Your team will give a "practice" presentation, based on the blog assignment posted in early October. We won't consider this assignment a "graded" experience, since we haven't had time to work through an executive presentation class together. But let's do give the presentations, which I will videotape and give you feedback on. I'll work with Karl Boedecker to schedule a later date in your MBAE program (perhaps in coordination with a presentation for another class) so we can finish up our formal presentation work together, per the syllabus.

Nov. 15 ASSIGNMENT B is due. By this time you will have read about Communication Architecture and other topics of a "macro" nature to executive communication. The assignment: Please write about three pages describing how and why you would structure a human communication system (including technical links, of course, but focusing on how humans at different levels of responsibility can best communication) for a) an existing organization OR b) an organization you would like to develop. Feel free to include as appendixes any schematics or other visual representations of communication relationships in the organization you choose. (You may keep all identifying information about the organization anonymous.)

Why do this assignment? Human communication patterns and channels tend to grow up like weeds in organizations--unplanned, haphazard, unmonitored, redundant, and expensive especially in terms of salaried time. We can DO BETTER by thinking creatively about what kinds of communication access (personal and electronic) should be available to different levels of employees to maximize efficiency, productivity, and morale. Part of your planning and analysis may include cultural rules regarding communication habits in the organization ("rules of the road") which all participants tend to obey for the good of the organization. Feel free to email me with questions. I look forward to your best thoughts on this important topic. (Due Nov. 15 in class.)

Dear Dr. Bell
I wish you a speedy recovery and may we see you back very soon!
Gil Keinan

Professor Bell - I am sorry to hear this news. I wish you a speedy recovery and we hope to see you in class soon!

Best,
Bruno.