Running head: CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

Creating Better Office Communication

Keith L. Miller
AET/570
March 16, 2015
University of Phoenix
Randy Howell

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

Creating Better Office Communication

Part I - Description
The purpose of creating a communication plan is for each employee to feel they are a
piece of the workforce and are valued. We know there are many personalities while working and
we will not be able to affect them all through better communication but there are times they may
be willing to participate in activities. Allowing personnel to create ways to improve work
relations by using fun activities like playspaces can contribute to better communication.
This plan will be designed primarily for office settings of twenty personnel or less,
although it can be used for larger organizations but it is recommended that a large group breaks
into smaller ones. From personal experience I have found communication can be improved by
working with smaller groups or teams. Over my years of employment I have found we spend
more time with our coworkers than we do with our families so why not get to know them. I
believe the program will bring coworkers closer and create a positive learning environment
because each member has built trust.
The goal of the plan is foster better communication in the workplace through playspaces.
Each employee will be allowed to create a playspace either alone or in teams that will be used
throughout the year. The playspaces can have a wide range but will not consist of activities that
may bring personal harm to any employee. All members will not have to participate in every
playspace created but will be expected to show up on outside activities. For example if there was
a fun run scheduled for the office a participant will be expected to show up but they may walk.
The object is to create teamwork to include participating in the activities.
Training uses a large portion of an organizations time and money. If employees feel they
are a part of an organization their production may remain at a high level. Creating a better place

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

to work will allow on-the-job training and apprenticeships to improve because employees trust
one another. Allowing all members to choose an activity gives them a sense of ownership. They
are sharing something they are passionate about and by doing so may gain interest from others.
Part II Needs/Gap Analysis

There is evidence of a requirement for an educational need in the workplace. Elliot

(2008) asks three questions from a Chief Operating Officers (COO) or Vice Presidents level of
what they value the most in an employee with a common answer being that Employees who
consistently produced outstanding results that supported corporate initiatives. How can
employees yield consistent results? I believe communication is a key to improving performance
in the office by using PlaySpace.
An observation within the office was conducted and I determined there is a need to
change. There is a military fitness requirement for active duty personnel but each member
completes their activities alone. How do we know what they are doing to meet the physical
requirements? Civilian employees do not have a physical requirement but are allowed a few
hours per week to participate in fitness activities.
Another is through interviewing a few office personnel; I have determined there is no
incentive program in place. Employees feel all they do is come to work and leave with no
reward. The office personnel are hand selected because they have been identified as exemplary
performers from their previous setting.

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

Social indicators are evident in the office. There isnt too much conversation among
coworkers and it seems the members just arrive, work and leave only to return to do it again.
Whenever there is a social gathering the same few from the office are absent. A playspace will
allow the members to create a social event they own and allow them to participate. Another is
allowing the use of social media. The office has a SharePoint Page but what if we introduced
social media like Facebook and YouTube. These social media tools can enhance training and
provide important information needed for those who can view important information about the
installation before they arrive. Its like giving them a sneak peak.
Informal interactions with others have leaded me to believe there needs to be some
changes made in the office. The office is one of the smallest in the organization but receives the
most attention through human interaction. Everyday there are customers who walk in and some
have appointments. All newly assigned personnel to the organization are required to in-process
using the services provided by the office.
I have noticed throughout my career that good performance is rewarded and allowing the
use of PlaySpaces will enhance any office and improve communication.

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

Part III Budget/Per Quarter
Budget Items

Cost Estimates

Personnel (External Facilitator Training) Cost

is for one week of training in San Antonio TX

$1050

Fringe Benefits Being able to participate in

outside activities

$0

External Staff provided by installation or

playspace locations

$0

Materials May consist of paper products and

flyers for advertisement

$10

Technical Support (Create and update

Website, SharePoint, ETC)

$100

Equipment

$0

Travel (Carpooling will be encouraged and

used to attend offsite playspace activities)

$10

Facilities

$0

Supplies (Office)

$10

Miscellaneous (Fees)

$10

Total Cost Estimates

$1090
Income Estimates

Donations (Booster Club)

$30

Participant Fees

$10

Grants (Sponsors will be used to support

offsite playspaces)

$20

Miscellaneous (additional donations)

$20

Total Income Estimates

$80

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

Part IV Staffing Plan

Staffing is an important piece to any training program and there must be people who are
qualified to carry out the plan. This training plan requires additional qualifications to be a
facilitator for resiliency and suicide awareness training. Each section is required to have a
resiliency and suicide facilitator on a 1:20 ratio. The organizations that have more than 20
assigned will have the required trained facilitators. Training required to become a resiliency
facilitator is one week (outside training) and to become a suicide facilitator (inside training)
requires four hours of training.
There are no specific qualifications or skills required to identify a playspace other than
when one is chosen the leader should be familiar with it. The time and number of personnel
required will depend on the playspace chosen.
Internal resources are available for resiliency and suicide facilitators for an organization
that does not have one or neither assigned. The list of qualified facilitators will be kept by the
installation program owner to fill gaps.
External resources will be provided on a service basis when each organization
participates in playspace activities. There are no identified additional resources required at this
time. If at any time we experience a shortfall other organizations on the installation can offer
their services. Facilitators for each subject are available from a pool of personnel maintained by
the lead office.
A summative evaluation will be completed quarterly following each session. This
evaluation is required to determine the effectiveness of the program. The facilitators will be
present as some comments may be provided verbally. Following each playspace activity office

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

personnel will be required to complete a summative evaluation to see if the playspace is

effective. The results will be released to the office after completion of each evaluation.

Part V Stakeholders and Goals

Stakeholders (minimum of five)
Newly Assigned Personnel
Current Assigned Personnel

Partnership goal

Ways to build support

Get them interested in the

program before they arrive
Training creates a better working
conditions

Get them interested in

participating in activities
Allowing personnel to take
ownership of activities
Offer to fill gaps of training when
there isnt a qualified trainer
Allows for more participation for
installation personnel to
participate
Recognize a top program and
use it as a benchmark for other
organizations to follow
Provide participants with awards
for participating in sponsored
activities

External Program Owner

Increase training

Other Installation Personnel

Work with others to establish a

solid program

Air Force Key Leaders

Keep the core values and intent

of the program

External Agencies

Sponsorship for Military

Part VI Communication Plan

Marketing Logo and Slogan

You Can Do It! By Communicating

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

Fact Sheet

Resilience is defined as the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after
something bad happens (Merriam, 2015). This is one way to communicate in the workplace and
the other is through Playspace. The Air Force has seen an increase in suicides over the past
couple of years and communication training through resiliency can help.
How do we communicate better in the workplacemaybe the use of a playspace?
Communications Four Keys to Success

Thinking

Listening

Speaking

Nonverbal Cues

Communicating in the workplace should be a priority for any organization

CREATING BETTER OFFICE COMNUNICATION

There are many things that occur in everyday life and military members are no different.
We experience other stresses like deployments and change of locations every one to three years.
During this time things can happen that create stress. Communication needs to be an emphasis to
help reduce the rigors of everyday military life and using playspaces can help along with
Resilience and Suicide facilitators.
The benefit of creating a resiliency training program is to bring people together. In my
personal experiences of more than 29 years working with the Air Force I have found the closer
we are with coworkers the happier we are working. We become more productive and want to do
more versus being told to do more. In December, 2010 the Air Force hit an all-time high in
suicides of 54 (Stars and Stripes, 2010). Svan, 2010 continues in saying the Air Force believes
suicide prevention efforts continue to have a positive impact on airmens quality of life, but are
rolling out additional programs to assist. Fox news reported (January, 2015) that overall active
duty suicides have risen to include the Air Force. So what is the best way to communicate this to
our service members?
I believe if military members cannot share how they feel at work how will coworkers
know when or if they are experiencing problems. Each newly assigned member to my
organization will be able to view a SharePoint and Facebook page developed locally. Information
will be posted on the events times and locations. They will be able to see the difference this
organization has over others prior to arriving.
This instruction plan enables any member that is assigned to lead an activity during a
session. Any activity that is safe can be used to include a local run/walk each Monday sponsored
by the City of Tucson, specifically called Meet Me at Maynards. This is a run/walk of 1-4 miles
long through downtown Tucson. Since military members require some type of fitness why not

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add this to a workout routine why bring coworkers closer together. This event is rain or shine and
members do not have to participate each Monday. The sponsors even provide accolades for
reaching certain milestones and best thing, its free.
Another example of an activity everyone can participate in is bowling. Although many do
not bowl its a great way to improve comradery. Its important to select something that everyone
can participate in the activity.
Communication at any level requires us to understand how to Think, Listen, Speak, and
use Nonverbal cues. Becoming a resiliency facilitator teaches us how to use all four skills and
sharing them on a regular basis increases communication.
Part VII Program Evaluation
Before any program can truly be evaluated it will require development, design, and
implementation. I am sure this program will require changes as we have come to learn using
Instructional Systems Design. Using ADDIE we can evaluate a training program easily and find
deficiencies at any phase.
The militarys rank structure usually identifies a member with the highest rank is in
charge. As for this plan it will be the Resiliency and/or Suicide facilitator assigned to each
section will be responsible for leading training on the days directed by leadership. Any other
activity or playspace will be chosen from personnel of each section. All individuals assigned to a
workcenter have an impact on the success of the program.
A summative evaluation will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training
program. Since this program has different intervals for activities each month a survey will be
provided after each event to determine the value of the training. At the end of each quarter a
summative evaluation will be completed. This evaluation is necessary and will consist of

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questions about the training program, its effectiveness, recommended changes, and how it can be
more effective using playspaces. The end result is to reduce the number of suicides the Air Force
experiences each year.
Overall results of the evaluation are to see if the Air Force can reduce the number of
suicides each year by keeping members interested in other activities at work and non-work
related. Another is improving communication so employees feel safe to express their feelings.
We will collect data every month to include what, when, where, and how effective the
playspace activities are related to everyday work. This data will be collected using a survey
provided after each activity. A quarterly data input will be collected during the summative
evaluation to see if the program is working.

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References
Elliot, P. H. (2008). Chapter 6: Identifying Performance and Learning Gaps ASTD
handbook for workplace learning professionals. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.
Fox News Military suicides up slightly in 2014 January 13, 2015 retrieved from:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/01/13/military-suicides-up-slightly-in-2014navy-air-force-see-increases-army-marine/
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2015) Retrieved from:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resilience
Stars and Stripes (2010) Air Force suicide rate highest in 17 years retrieved from:
http://www.stripes.com/news/air-force-suicide-rate-highest-in-17-years-1.129579