Real-Life Communication
The Lindsay Hill Banner is the new kid on the block. The town has
typically supported just one daily and one weekly. But now, with the addition
of the Banner, Lindsay Hill has a new daily. Editors Tom MacPherson and Holly
Brier are eager to make the Banner number one in the market.
One of
the ways they hope to do this is through regular meetings. Although meetings
are a daily occurrence at any paper, Tom and Holly hope to use the information
they gather from these meetings to make the Banner a better paper.
For
instance, the Banner prides itself on its openness and accessibility. Some
staffers have become concerned because not all of them are comfortable in
dealing directly with the public. It's just not something they have a
lot of practice at.
While the reporters and writers are out and about
all day making contacts, many of the support and production staff spend their
days hunched over a computer. When clients stop by or the phone rings, they
feel they are not living up to the Banner's reputation as the "daily
that listens."
A paper's vision is very important. "Clearly, you
must impart your vision to your staff, to the rest of the newspaper, and to
the wider community. You cannot ever assume people understand where you are
going, and you must explain operations and changes," says editor Kirk LaPointe.
Tom
and Holly want to have a one-day seminar on customer service for their inside
staff. They ask you to set this up.
You have to write a memo that includes
the following information:
- A general announcement of the seminar
- A request for supervisors to allocate staff so that all essential services
are maintained
- A schedule of the days' events
- The date of the follow-up seminar for those who had to keep
the paper running