Effective communication in business is essential to success.

Top managers spend approximately 85 percent of their time communicating with others. However, at the advertising agency The Factory, Mike, the new art director, is finding out just how difficult this can be, and why he needs to improve his skills.

In a conversation with Natalie, an account director at the firm, Mike finds out that his efforts at connecting with people so far have been lacking. Mike points out that he is finding it is more difficult to speak with clients than with other employees.

Benny, the creative director, notes that Mike needs to learn how to communicate internally with upper management and externally with clients. Benny points out that having external communication skills is particularly important because, when he is dealing with clients, Mike is the face of the company. A Messenger tells Mike that this requires him to be practical, factual, concise, clear, and persuasive.

After Mike takes the advice of the Messenger, his communications skills improve, and he receives positive feedback for his efforts. Mike’s clients are happier because they believe that he really understands their needs and goals. Mike knows that he still has much to learn, but recognizes that he already has come a long way.

Discussion Questions

1. In which phases of the communication process discussed in Chapter 9 is Mike having the most trouble when he communicates with clients?

2. How does the Messenger in the video clip suggest that Mike improve the process of encoding?

3. Mike is having trouble with both internal and external communication. Using the techniques to improve communication presented in Chapter 9, what would you recommend Mike do?