Memo: Determining Audience Needs

IT 520 Module Five Memo Guidelines and Rubric This course includes five short business memos. These are designed to actively test your understanding and to apply that knowledge to potential real-world situations. These writing activities also provide practice in communicating your reasoning in a professional manner.

Determining Audience Needs (Module Five) As the new technical communications manager for International Gadgets (IG), you have developed a good idea of the various internal and external audiences for communications across the enterprise. You have learned that IG is organized into five main areas consisting of Research & Development (R&D), Manufacturing, Sales & Marketing, Technical Support, and Finance/Accounting. Each area has its own structure:

 R&D – New Product Development and Product Enhancement teams

 Manufacturing – Detroit, Shanghai, and Purchasing teams

 Sales & Marketing – U.S. Sales, U.S. Marketing, European Sales, European Marketing, Partner Management, and Online Sales teams

 Technical Support – the exception, as there is only a single team handling this function

 Finance/Accounting – Corporate Finance and Corporate Accounting teams

 Human Resources – Corporate HR team with ties to HR representatives at each work site In addition to the internal departments, IG staff interface with a wide range of external entities and individuals including customers (large accounts, individuals via web sales), distribution partners, component suppliers, subcontractors (design and occasional manufacturing). IG also contracts with Amazon to handle all its product logistics—warehousing, packaging and shipping, and returns. However, you have noticed that different audiences do not always have the same needs from similar announcements. For example, a communication announcing the launching of a new product means different things to different departments. In a memo to your communications team, instruct them on ways to discover the needs of the stakeholders in different areas of the company so that a new product announcement will be relevant to them.

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Review the Purdue Owl: Memo website for suggestions and formatting guidelines on memo structure.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Audience Analysis Meets “Proficient” criteria, and ideas are substantiated with specific and relevant details

Accurately identifies stakeholder and draws conclusions about that audience’s needs supported by specific detail

Accurately identifies stakeholder and draws conclusions about the audience’s needs, but does not support with specific detail

Does not identify a stakeholder

30

Recommendations Meets “Proficient” criteria with substantial detail for the rationale

Provides a discussion highlighting the recommendations, with sufficient detail for rationale

Provides a discussion highlighting the recommendations, but lacks sufficient detail for rationale

Does not provide a discussion highlighting the recommendations

30

Conclusions Meets “Proficient” criteria, and conclusions are substantiated with specific and relevant research

Draws informed conclusions that are justified with evidence

Draws logical conclusions, but does not defend with evidence

Does not draw logical conclusions

30

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to- read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Earned Total 100%