The importance of communication

Clear communication is essential when managing activities. Amway needs to communicate regularly with its 35,000 distributors in order to help them prepare for their increasingly challenging role.

Communication is the passing on of ideas and information. In business, it is essential to have good clear channels of communication.

This case study focuses on how Amway uses a range of communication methods and processes to help individual distributors develop their own business opportunities. There are many possible objectives and benefits from a close and well developed communication system as shown below:

Communication is only successful when the intended result is achieved. This effectiveness is dependent on the choice of recipient, the clarity of the message and the choice of communication medium.

It would be inefficient and wasteful to send a message to every distributor regarding every single issue, particularly if some issues only concerned a few individuals. Similarly, members of an organisation should not be overburdened with communications. If there are too many messages, distributors may simply stop reading them. This could mean that they may miss the most important messages!

Effective communication at Amway, therefore, involves making prior decisions about who needs to receive the message.

Sometimes it is necessary to repeat a message. For example, in the classroom, a lecturer will attempt to explain a task in clear and simple terms, but if students are unsure about the message, he will rephrase it until the students understand. Repeating messages through a different communication channel can also aid the target market's understanding.

Messages to Amway's distributors should, therefore, be as clear and direct as possible, limiting areas in which misinterpretation could arise. A good understanding of the audience using terms and language they are familiar with is vital.