1. Discussion session 1 Breaking down the barriers to communication

2. Message Identify an owner
Use appropriate subject lines – use words like ‘important’ sparingly
Use templates to save time
Keep messages short and structured, one topic per message
Use links for more information
Keep handbooks short – some people found moving from a handbook to single sheet with links effective
Make sure language is clear and understandable to audience

3. Sender Target the message – find out who will be interested
Identify the appropriate channel(s)
Create new channels if necessary to target appropriate people
Make the message interesting so people will want to read it, but..
.. don’t assume people have read the message – check! (eg check read receipts on , see if calls coming to service desk change after message has been released)

4. Sender
Use appropriate language – this may require plain English or other training
Manage expectations – eg “we’ll update you in 2 hrs”
Get the timing right – eg Tuesday afternoons best time for newsletters
Have a procedure for sending allstaff s, with only certain people authorised – cut down on ‘spam’

5. Recipient
Remember different users have different skill levels and work in different ways (eg not everybody reads everyday)
Use appropriate language for the audience
Set up systems people can subscribe to (or opt out of)

6. Channel
Look for existing channels you can use – eg back of wage slips, faculty comms channels – and piggy back on existing projects (eg registration)
Have a single authoritative source of information, and make sure everybody knows what this is, but…
…provide multiple additional channels to allow for different preferences. Produce once, distribute to multiple channels
Consider how messages are cascaded
Put events in people’s calendars

7. Channel
Information should be available when it is required (eg popups)
Messages may go out on different channels at different times (eg 2 weeks before on website, one day before on Twitter)
Use external channels (eg Facebook, Twitter) – useful when internal network fails, but…
…Be careful about using students’ social spaces
We need to make better use of mobile technology

8. Channel What worked What didn’t work Face to face contact
Students providing peer support
Stall at freshers’ fair
- but students may suffer from information overload
Induction seminars
Compulsory distance learning workshop at start
- timing of session may conflict with other activities
- not successful for everybody
Talk at end of Library tour / joint publications with other services
Use local contacts to cascade messages
Messages may not always be cascaded in all areas

9. Channel What worked What didn’t work
Twitter / Facebook / RSS feeds / SMS – use throughout year
Self-help information on web
Podcasts on websites
Printed materials in unusual formats
Updating printed literature – often left until week before term starts
Develop a communication strategy, including stakeholder analysis

10. See also the discussion session at the UCISA 2010 User Support Conference - The paper chase − is technology a barrier to communication?