Persuasive Organizational Message Flowing Downward: Revising Miserable Memo

The following memo (with names changed) was actually sent.

Your Task. Based on what you have learned in this chapter, improve the memo. Expect the staff to be somewhat resistant because they have never before had meeting restrictions.

TO: All Managers and Employees FROM: Rita Nelson, CEO

SUBJECT: Scheduling Meetings

Please be reminded that travel in the greater Los Angeles area is time consuming. In the future we are asking that you set up meetings that

1. Are of critical importance

2. Consider travel time for the participants

3. Consider phone conferences (or video or e-mail) in lieu of face- to-face meetings

4. Meetings should be at the location where most of the participants work and at the most opportune travel times

5. Traveling together is another way to save time and resources.

We all have our traffic horror stories. A recent one is that a certain manager was asked to attend a one-hour meeting in Burbank. This required one hour travel in advance of the meeting, one hour for the meeting, and two and a half hours of travel through Los Angeles afterward. This meeting was scheduled for 4 p.m. Total time consumed by the manager for the one-hour meeting was four and a half hours.

Text Book: Business Communication: Process and Product By Mary Ellen Guffey, Dana Loewy.