What are the characteristics of good communication?
Conciseness
Structure
Style
Presentation
Visualising information
What formats can be used?
Report
Note
Letter
Memorandum
Email
What is a report?
Tends to be very format and contain multiple sections and lots of data and information
What is a note?
This is informal way to provide a small amount of information
What is a letter?
This is typically used to provide information to outsiders of the organisation
What is a memorandum?
This is used for internal communications and is typically shorter than our report but longer than a note
What is an email?
This can replicate the role of a note a letter or memorandum
What are the considerations for internal communication?
Internal produced info can be provided to manager:
In his letter or as much detail as management require
Relating to whatever items management need
In whatever format is preferred
As often or not as often
When our tables and diagrams often used
To present data in an easy to understand way
What are the three main factors to decide whether a table or diagram is most appropriate?
The nature and complexity of the data itself
The audience that the data is designed for
The method of delivery of the data
What does the nature and complexity data itself mean?
Tables are better for presenting lots of data diagrams are better when only key points are needed to be made
What does the audience of the data is designed for mean?
Diagrams are easily understood by those who do not have the ability to understand the complex and technical data, tables are better for recipients who require all information and have the ability to understand the detail
What does the method of delivery of data mean?
Tables are suitable for written communications, but diagrams are often and better for supporting oral communications
Disadvantage for a table
May contain too much data
May require further analysis to determine some patterns
The most significant data does not always stand out
Advantages for a table
Can cope with large volumes of data
Easy navigation
Comparisons are easy
Basic patterns in data can be identified
Detailed data can be presented
Commonly used and understood
What do matrix tables add?
Visualisation to tables that the most important data can stand out
What kind of matrix include?
The road date if necessary it may even use diagrams rather than colours in each element of matrix
Advantages of matrix
Key data stands out
Quicker interpretation of data
Trend/problems are easier to see
Visualisation is preferred for many users
Disadvantages of matrix
The key may need to be explained
The detail is lost
Advantages of a bar/column table
More than one set of data be presented at once
Quickly interpreted
Relative importance/changes that is identified
Component charts can be used for further analysis
Disadvantages of table/column
Loss of detail and precision
Can become hard to understand if they are too many components
Advantage of pie charts
Good for splitting totals into the component
Commonly used and understood
Disadvantages of pie chart
Precision and detail is lost
Only one Set of data can be presented
Become too complex and less useful if there are lots of components in the pie
Advantages of graphs
Non-linear relationships are quickly identified
The direction of a relationship between two variables can be quickly identified
Trends and data can be easily identified
