Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 1 Communication Skills (603281) Communication Design

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 2 Objective Map out message goals Evaluate your audience Shape message content Select channels Acquire resources Generate source credibility Eliminate design flaws Send message

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 3 Communication Design Communication design is the interpersonal process of planning for and creating meaningful message. It depends on message, goal, and audience Communication design involves several steps before the sender transmits a message.

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 4 Steps for Communication Design Map out message goals Evaluate your audience Shape message content Select channels Acquire resources Generate source credibility Eliminate design flaws Send message Note: not all messages requires the whole eight steps.

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 5 Map Out Message Goals A goal is an outcome that you want to achieve and the reason of your communication. When determining your message goals, consider feasibility, intention and goal response

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 6 Map Out Message Goals (cont) Is the goal feasible?? –Feasibility refers to the practicality of your message goals –Is the goal realistic? –Can the goal be reasonably managed and attained? –Communication designers need to narrow their focus to manageable and realistic goals

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 7 Map Out Message Goals (cont) What is my Intention ?? –The intention is the reason you are communicating. –It is what you want or need from the receiver.

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 8 Map Out Message Goals (cont) What response do I want?? –Response is the reaction you want to expect fro your receiver. –The next slide show a table that highlights four message goals

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10 Evaluate Your Audience An audience is an individual or group who receives a designed message. Knowing your audience helps you design messages appropriate to their specific needs. Audience considerations include: –Size of audience –Type of audience (ex: business audience, public audience, intimate audience) –Audience demographics (ex: average age, gender, education level, occupation, culture, politics) –What ’ s known and what ’ s new

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 11 Shape message content Message content includes: your main idea, theme, argument, and other message elements. Present your main idea consistently with the theme of your message. Your argument is the evidence you offer to your audience to support your idea Message elements include various visual, color, sound, and language choice.

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 12 Select channels When designing your message choose the most effective human or technological channel. channel selection focuses on: – audience – content – channel availability – speed.

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 13 Select channels Channels could include: –Interpersonal: sight, sound, telephone, , non verbal body movements. –Print media: letters, direct mail, flyers, broachers. –Broadcast media: web page, TV, Radio. –Communication media: video conference, teleconference, web conference –Outdoor media: billboards, posters. –Internal business media: memos, reports, newsletters, telephone, , meetings.

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 14 Acquire resources To accomplish your message goals you well need to consider the following resources: –Time –Personnel –Outsourcing –Research –Money

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 15 Generate Source Credibility The source is the sender of the message. Credibility is making your message believable. Credibility depends on: –Source competence –Reliability –Dynamism –Similarity

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 16 Generate Source Credibility Competence is expertise or knowledge that a source has in a given area. Reliability is the trustworthiness of a message source.( honesty, dependability, responsibility) Dynamism refers to the demonstrated enthusiasm the source has about the message. Similarity is related to the source ’ s connection to the audience.

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 17 Eliminate Design flow Design flaws are anything that distracts an audience, they reduce the credibility of your message and its source. Design flaws can be simple mistakes such as spelling errors, color variation, inconsistent theme, poor formatting, or unnecessary information

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 18 Send Message The final step in communication design is sending the message. This includes: –When you transmit the message (Timing) –And where to transmit the message (Location)

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 19 Send Message Timing  –Good timing can be critical in determining how welcome your message will be to your audience. –Don ’ t forget that a time related message have a limited life span. Location  –Is enough space available? –Is the environment appropriate? –No matter how good your message content is, choosing the wrong place for delivery can spoil it

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 20 Summery What is Communication design??? Steps of communication design –Map out message goals Feasibility, intention, and response –Evaluate audience –Shape message content –Select a channel Channel selection Channel types

Banda Ramadan-Communication Design 21 Summery Steps of communication design (cont) –Acquire resources –Generate source credibility –Eliminate design flaws –Send messages Timing location