Ensuring Effective Communication Across the Enterprise Created by David R. Barnes Jr. National Director, Student Support Services

 Communication Plan Purpose  Enterprise Wide Communication Threads  Identified Communication Gaps  Proposed Systemic Remedies  Next Steps

As a result of developing and implementing this communication plan the organization will;  Improve overall communication in the “new organization” in relation to is recent growth and increasing complexity  Not lose or misunderstand critical information and data or miss capitalizing strategic and tactical opportunities  Information transfer will be more effective yet more efficient  Information transfer follow up loops will improve follow up and task completion

Vertical Thread CEO/CFO Directors Asst. Managers Department Function Leads Function Workers Horizontal Communication Thread CODTR SSSI&PPrivHR Acctg Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings/Conference Calls Instant Messaging Voice Mail

Vertical Thread CEO/CFO Directors Asst. Managers Department Function Leads Function Workers  Inconsistent communication between CEO/CFO  Information “Black Holes” or “Pockets”(were information is forwarded to but no feedback or response is returned)  Lack of communication of meeting agendas and meeting objectives  Depth and breath of information flow to the right people at the right time  To much detailed information exchanged in relation to time required to produce information which take Leads and Function workers off of their primary deliverables

Vertical Thread CEO/CFO Directors Asst. Managers Department Function Leads Function Workers  Every vertical meeting should have a meeting agenda and expected meeting outcomes sent out a minimum of 24hrs prior to the meeting.  Weekly performance management and data update meetings to be held with every succeeding level in the vertical thread to roll up information to the CEO/CFO Monday – Leads meet w/function workers & create updates Tuesday – Leads meeting with Asst. Manager/Directors Wednesday – Directors meet to discuss organizational related performance issues Thursday individual departmental meetings held with both CEO and CFO CEO/CFO meet later in the week to discuss strategy and vision topics and report back to organization  Meeting templates to be developed for meetings at each level that roll up only key information to the next level

Vertical Thread CEO/CFO Directors Asst. Managers Department Function Leads Function Workers  2 full time administrative assistants for the CEO/ CFO and the Directors to manage meetings and information flow ( s, agenda’s, meeting notes, meeting arrangements etc. )  Develop specific meeting templates for meetings at each level so all meetings follow a specific format  Select a secure master task list external website and have all projects and tasks inserted onto that website so all assigned project administrators can update document so all managers can se the status of all assigned projects  Create meeting notes “repository” on the “S” drive so all organization meeting notes can be reference by “cleared” level by level employee’s

Horizontal Communication Thread CODTR SSSI&PPrivHR Acctg  Important decisions are made, events take place, or information is received and it is not always communicated to another department in a timely manner  There is no standardized communication protocol or structure  Current meeting objectives are not clear and do not build to an strategic improvement outcomes  Peer standardized communication is sporadic

Horizontal Communication Thread CODTR SSSI&PPrivHR Acctg  Establish organizational “Intranet” which will become the primary vehicle for the dissemination of all organizational information in relation to in the moment organizational information, repetitive information, operational information, market information school district information, etc.  Establish “Peer” to “Peer” cross functional regular meeting’s that focus on peer level issues, updates, and data trend review Directors – 2x per month to focus on strategy, staffing, organizational trends, SWOT analysis Asst. Managers - Weekly to focus on day to day operational events, issues, and updates Leads - Weekly (rotating one lead from each department) to review performance management issues, opportunities, and performance metrics Note: Meeting notes from lower level would be included in the next levels meeting to review

Horizontal Communication Thread CODTR SSSI&PPrivHR Acctg  All other issues will be addressed in Non Tech/Tech Communication Thread

Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings, , Voice Mail, and “S” Drive Folders  No effective and efficient enterprise wide meeting set up, execution, follow up, and information repository protocol  No standardized , Instant messaging, paging, and conference call protocol  Excessive use of communication of communication vehicle inappropriate trying to be “efficient” vs. effective” which reduces productivity and employee’s get stalled on vehicles (i.e. )  Employee’s not trained on communication effectiveness just how to use vehicle in employee handbook

Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings, , Voice Mail, and “S” Drive Folders Communication Vehicle Effectiveness Definitions Instant Messaging (InBit) – Quick information exchanges that do not require documentation (both singular and broadcast messages) Telephone Call – Longer information exchanges that do require documentation (all “significant” business conversations should be documented) Voice Mail – New protocol, upon connecting to voice mail state;  Name  Department  Title  Purpose for the call  Expected follow up actions

Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings, , Voice Mail, and “S” Drive Folders Communication Vehicle Effectiveness Definitions – To increase effectiveness and efficiency of sending and answering s the following protocol should be followed (used in some F500 companies) s should only be used to send information the requires a “documentation” (sent, received, or information transferred, or action required) s should be sent with the focus on being “user friendly’ to the “receiver” vs. the “sender” so the receiver can take the appropriate action quickly and effectively

Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings, , Voice Mail, and “S” Drive Folders Communication Vehicle Effectiveness Definitions cont’d - In order to improve reading by priority and taking the following “Headers” should be “Prefixes” in the “Subject:” areas of s  URGENT: (along with ! ) = To acted on immediately  HIGH PRIORITY = To be acted on within 24hrs  IMPORTANT = Important information to be read immediately  ACTION REQUIRED = Some action needs to be taken that requires the receivers attention  All other s will consider informational and can be read at a later date

Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings, , Voice Mail, and “S” Drive Folders Communication Vehicle Effectiveness Definitions cont’d – An example of what an “Inbox” might look like ACTION REQUIRED:PDFJNVIJINIJNG ACTION REQUIRED: VPIJNVIJIJV HIGH PRIORITY: G IJNVIN VIVIGF IMPORTANT: VVUUV IMPORTANT: GJNVOJGVIOIJJVJNFG URGENT:JVIUNHBGGGBNBG URGENT: OJNJINVIWNIJG DFONWINIRTNBIRBIUBIU GFJGBPIJJSNIPJGFIJGIJG As you can see it helps take the appropriate action in a timely manner

Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings, , Voice Mail, and “S” Drive Folders Communication Vehicle Effectiveness Definitions Meetings/Conference Calls – Should be held when;  Information needs to be disseminated to a group  Feedback is required from a group  A group needs to exchange or act on information  A group needs to plan and execute on a plan  A group needs to update members of like or dissimilar departments, functions, or other employee groups

Non-Technological & Technological Communication Thread Meetings, , Voice Mail, and “S” Drive Folders Communication Vehicle Effectiveness Definitions Meetings/Conference Calls - Protocol  Meetings and meeting rooms should be schedule a minimum of 48hrs in advance to allow for appropriate meeting preparation  Every meeting should have a meeting agenda sent out with the meeting consisting of a agenda that includes a minimum of the following topics  Meeting Objectives (location and time)  Attendees  Prior Meeting Recap/Accomplishments  Topics to be Discussed  Meeting Outcomes/Decisions Made  Next Steps/Tasks, Owners, Due Date