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- Tools Used For Formal Communication Effectiveness
- How To Make Formal Communication Effective
The communication which follows rules & regulation is called formal communication. Maintaining effective formal communication channel is helpful and fruitful for the success of every business organization.
Formal communication can be made in the form of (i) Upward (ii) Downward (iii) Horizontal way where the following tools can be used for effectiveness:
A. For Upward Formal Communication
1. Report: Different types of reports are placed to superiors which may be daily, weekly, monthly or yearly based on their need.
2. Grievance Handling Procedure: Renowned companies have grievance handling procedures which help employees to push their grievances to the upper level for necessary action.
3. Complaint or Suggestion Box: In a large organization, complaint or suggestion box are kept at suitable places where employees drop their complaint or suggestion to notify top level.
4. Open Door Policy: This policy gives a feeling to the employees that the manager's door is open to them to talk about their problems.
5. Questionnaires & Survey: Managers can obtain various information like attitude, motivation, morality and perception of employees of an organization through questionnaires an survey.
6. Interview: During interview valuable inputs are given by subordinates to the top level managers which are needful for strategic decision making.
7. Employees Meeting: This meeting allows employees to participate and discuss or operational, technical or functional issues and make necessary decisions.
8. Quality Circles: This is a small group of efficient improvement area of various work fields and suggest solutions.
9. Counseling & Mentoring Meeting: If employees are demotivated then top level management team arranges meeting for counseling & mentoring so that employees get chance to tell their problems without any hesitation. Managers utilize such feedback to make better decisions.
10. Informal Gathering: On different occasions company arranges informal gathering or tea meeting where employees are encouraged to talk freely about their day to day concerns. It is one one kind of informal communication, But also works in formal communication.
11. Idea Hunt: In a large organization, such event is organized to allow employee participation for creative ideas for betterment of product or services offered to customers.
B. For Downward Communication
1. Directives: Organization issues various directives to communicate policies and procedures. Such directives are commonly distributed for informational purposes.
2. Memos: It is widely used for business communication. It carries a specific message such as order, warning or adjustment issue which is usually exchanged between and among the departments of an organization.
3. Bulletin Board: This board displays urgent and interesting news and views of an organization to make employees up-to-date. This sort of board can be of on-line or off-line. It placed in such a place where employees assemble daily.
4. Dash Board: This board is also an On-line board used to display performance picture on a daily, weekly or monthly basis in a large organization.
5. Company Periodicals: Periodicals are important to convey information to the subordinates. Articles from the top management states about current affairs of the company.
6. Annual Report: This report states about organizational activities, status and achievements during a year to the employees.
7. Letters & Electronic Mail: These are widely used to maintain downward communication. To update, inform or taking necessary action, top level managers send letters and electronic mail to their subordinates.
8. Employee Handbooks: Employee handbook contains codes of conduct, rules & regulations, employee benefits etc. When a new employee joins such handbook is given for understanding.
9. Meeting: Meeting is one of the important forms of downward communication. A meeting is called at any time if needed to update or give necessary information or direction.
10. Loud Speaker: Sometimes loudspeaker is used in an organization to notify employees urgently.
11. Pay Slip: Pay slip is given to each individual stating monthly benefits and allowances given in a particular month. It may also contain certain directions of advice.
C. For Horizontal Communication
1. Meeting of the heads: Meeting is the essential tool for departmental or divisional heads to settle down various problems or sharing current situation. Such meeting happens on daily, weekly or monthly basis.
2. Face to Face Conversation: Employees make face to face conversation to exchange news, views or ideas time to time for effective communication.
3. Telephonic Conversation: Where personal access is restricted, telephone can make easy communication. For overseas or nationwide issues, there is nothing alternate than telephone communication.
4. Letter, Memo, Electronic Mail and Fax: These tools are widely used in an organization for communication among peer colleagues.
5. Tele-conferencing: This is a popular tool for effective communication in a multinational organization.
Usually The above discussed tools are used in formal communication to make effective communication. The top level management can mix any tools each other for better result.
