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Case
2.1: Report to the Board
Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to learn how to present a message that
effectively manages the probabilities of the communication process.
Situation:
You are the newly appointed "communication advisor" to
the president of a large local bank with 15 branch offices. You
are in charge of both internal and external communications. From
time to time, you are asked to advise the president on major speeches.
The president is a highly cerebral person who is risk averse. He
runs a conservative operation, steering clear of risky loans and
investments. His dedication and attentiveness to detail is legendary.
His sole luxury is a 35-foot sailboat that he escapes to on weekends
with his family.
The problem
is that he has to make a major presentation to the board next month.
This will be the third straight year the bank has not made its projected
financial goals. In previous years, he argued that the results were
an aberration. Why this is continuing to happen is a bit unclear.
There are a few new (but not serious) competitors and growth in
the region, while not great, remains steady. He is frustrated about
pinpointing the exact cause of the problem. He expresses much of
this in a memo he sent to you (see below).
In the back
of his mind is a serious concern about his credibility. What advice
would you give him?
Objectives:
- Specify
how you would answer his query.
- Provide
a rough outline of the two speeches.
- How would
you present your suggestions to the president?
- Characterize
the situation in terms of the ideas discussed in Chapter 2.
- Provide
a thorough rationale for your strategic and tactical recommendations.
memo
To: Communication Director
From: President
I'm scheduled to make two major addresses next month. We have not
achieved the financial results I expected. First, I must explain
that to the board. Please advise on the following issues:
- When should
I distribute the written documentation for the board meeting?
- What should
be the content of the documentation?
- When in
the presentation should I bring up the financial results? In addition,
I'll be addressing the following issues in the presentation: plans
for future expansion, progress with ongoing projects, current
economic pressures in our region, competitive pressures and progress
on our organization's corporate values.
- How should
I handle questions in regard to falling short of our financial
goals?
- What are
my options for explaining the situation?
- What sort
of proof (examples, statistics, graphs) should I use in the presentation?
Second, I'm
scheduled to give the annual "State of the Bank" speech
to our employees the week after the board meeting. Should this speech
be handled differently (see question above)? I've always freely
shared information with employees about how the bank is doing. I'm
wondering if this is the time and place to encourage employees to
make suggestions about how to improve our financial situation.
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