WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

1. Description

b) The reason I chose this speech is because it was a very awkward process I experienced just two short years ago. There is a mandatory five-day Transition Assistance Program training every Soldier must attend before transitioning out of the Army. I personally felt the process just touched the surface of what you will face in the civilian world once you transitioned. I went through the mandatory It’s a process that you will continue to refine over and over.

2. Goal

a) The goal is to provide one on one assistance to help create the individual for the target job market. Whether that is based off the individual’s military background or providing assistance to individuals looking to embark on a new career field.

3. Audience

The audience is the program manager for the Transition Assistance Program, senior military personnel, senior government personnel as well as the individuals who will be providing this assistance to the transitioning war fighters. This modification in the transition program will add additional hours overall to the mandatory requirement for all transitioning Soldiers, but it will provide them with the necessary head start needed to keep their lives in balance.

i. What are the professional positions of the audience members

a. Assistant to the Army Chief of Staff in charge of personnel

c. Transition Assistance Program manager

d. Transition Assistance Program counselors

e. Transition Assistance Program trainers

f. Human Resource Manager

g. Personnel Chief

ii. What is the demographic characteristics will the audience comprise?

Professional decision makers who can approve this course of action based on perceived results to increase the level of service provided to service men and women looking to transition into the workforce.

iii. What is your relationship to the audience?

I would work as an independent contractor for the government. I retired from the military April 2016. I found this process to be extremely confusing. The anxiety you experience from knowing you are leaving the military and you do not have a secures source of income to supplement the military annuity you will be receiving is simply nerve wracking. After the five-day training I received, I felt no more confident about my upcoming job search than I did before I participated in the training. Speaking to several participants in the training, the consensus was the training was a check the block for the Army to say all individuals were transitioned better prepared for the outside world.

iv. What background knowledge and expertise does the audience have?

The audience is comprised of 90% military veterans and government civilians with extensive knowledge in the human resource personnel arena. Most of which have been through the process personally or supported the transitioning of military service men and women as civil service employees.

v. What does the audience know, feel about, and expect concerning this communication?

Armed service executives are always looking to improve the service and support provided to the men and women who serve the United States of America honorable. This will be more of a decision brief by introducing a change that can further the benefit Soldiers separating from the military using the Transition Assistance Program. In addition to giving them more tools to use to construct their resume to make it more competitive with the outside job seekers.

vi. What are the preconceptions or biases do you posses that might prevent you from building a rapport with your audience?

Now that I am retired, I have been on the side of job searching

where you don’t know if your resume is strong enough to compete

other professionals applying for the same jobs. In addition to knowing

the stress related to that unknown. I speak with passion and

to do all I can to assist all veterans and reduce the stress and fear of

knowing they put the best product of themselves out there for hiring

managers to decide.

b) What information if available about your audience?

The audience are leaders with searchable biographies at their respective agencies

as well as professional profiles on LinkedIn.

i. What research/sources will you use to obtain information about the

audience?

Researching the audience on their respective websites to view their professional background. As well as, searching the audience by their LinkedIn profile. Use my networking connections to find anyone in my circle who knows them personally.

ii. What conclusions have you been able to draw from the audience?

The only conclusion is they are all dedicated professionals looking to improve the Soldiers way of life during and after the military. I must capture their attention early to not lose them during the discussion.

c) What tone will you use to convey your message?

i. Is the setting casual or formal?

The setting will be formal. It will be informative briefing. There will also be a question and answer session immediately following the briefing to field any questions by the audience or clarify points made during the brief.

ii. Is the communication personal or impersonal?

The goal is to make it personal. I want the audience to be able to relate to what happening at the lowest level for service members transitioning into civilian workforce. With 90% of the audience having a military background, the more personal the communicating can be the more they will relate to Soldiers are really going through. The decision makers will be more compelled to implement the change to meet the need.

4. Key Message

a) What is the key message you must convey to your audience?

Transitioning to a new way of life after living and working a certain way for so many years can be terrifying to an individual getting ready to embark on that change. The more prepared and confident we can make our service men and women, the better their chances will be outside of the military.

i. Is this message compelling or memorable?

This message is compelling because it’s coming from personal experience along with those have come ahead of me as well as those coming after me.

ii. Is the message clear and concise?

The message must be clear and concise, or the effort will be lost in the communication.

iii. Is the message aligned with your audience goals and needs?

Supporting service member is in the best interest of everyone in the audience.

5. Supporting Points

a) What three to four points, reasons, or justifications support your message?

i. An average of 250,000 service men and women transition out of the military every year since 2003. Some will be successful with the transition and some will have a difficult time finding employment outside of the military.

ii. Teaching them how to document their military experience on a resume so any employer can apply their skills to the skills the hiring organization is looking for will give our service men and women a better opportunity for employment.

iii. There are multiple organizations looking to hire veterans because of their dedication, selfless service, and commitment to duty. It’s an injustice for them to miss that opportunity because of their resume.

iv. Transitioning veterans will help the economy.

b) What research/sources will you use to obtain facts/data about your message?

Use the internet, government sites and Strayer library collection of data.

6. Channel Selection

a) What communication style will you employ (Tell/Sell or Consult/Join), and why?

I will use Tell/Sell. My goal is informing the audience. Give them documented facts about this communication to earn their trust and support. The communication will be more from a selling perspective to add this change to the Transition Assistance Program to help the struggling service members on their job search to have a better chance of getting to the interview to sell themselves to the hiring manager.

b) What channels will you use to deliver your message, and why will they be the most effective?

i. Microsoft Powerpoint Presentation: To emphasize key points and well as depict historical data from reliable sources. Embed videos to highlight critical points.

ii. Sharepoint: To allow access to the information after the briefing for the audience to revert to later.

iii. Email: The most common way to disseminate information.

c)What purpose is served by each channel you have selected?

i. Microsoft Powerpoint Persentation: will be used as a guide to illustrate key points, the use of charts and graphs.

ii. Sharepoint: Primary used for information sharing as well as an information hub to post the latest data and updates.

iii. Email: Primary source of communicating, coordinating times and Inprocess Reviews.

7. Action Request

a) Is your call to action you making to audience clear, concise, and easily actionable?

My plan of action is designed to be clear, concise and easily actionable. The implementation of this plan is in addition to the current program already established.

References

Defense Department’s annual Demographics Reports. US Department of Defense. (2003-2014). Demographics Reports. Retrieved from http://www.militaryonesource.mil/footer?content_id=279104. I