Ohio University College of Business Communication Standards

Executive Summary (Sample with Headings)
Clear Communication #
The purpose of this executive summary is to give an overview of the article, “Clear
Communications and Feedback Can Improve Manager and Employee Effectiveness,” by
Stephen Xavier. This article appears in the summer 2002 issue of Employment Relations
Today. In this article, Xavier discusses the importance of communication in the workplace.
He offers advice for improving manager and employee effectiveness through two key areas:
clarifying roles and responsibilities and delivering valuable feedback.
Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities
Xavier describes how to clarify roles and responsibilities within an organization. He gives an
example of how to test the way in which employees and managers prioritize their tasks. The
test requires employees and managers to list their current projects by level of importance.
Xavier states that most managers find that employees have difficulty in organizing their
workloads and often lose track of which tasks are urgent.
To help solve this problem, managers should outline specific standard operating procedures
(SOPs) for their employees. They should assess these SOPs periodically and encourage
employees to ask questions. Most importantly, managers should be clear about their
expectations for employees. Xavier provides a few guidelines for managers to follow:
1. Know the employees’ roles, responsibilities, and capabilities.
2. Plan delegation of tasks to employees in advance whenever possible.
3. Use clear and concise communication when unexpected situations arise.
Time management is also a key element in clarifying roles and responsibilities. Employees
and managers must work together to budget time effectively.
Delivering Valuable Feedback
Feedback also plays a vital role in improving employee performance. Feedback should share
information with employees, whether by giving corrective guidance, or rewarding employees
for a job well done. Feedback should always be delivered in private and managers should
always be well prepared. Xavier presents a seven-step model of feedback for managers:
1. Clearly state the purpose of the feedback.
2. Describe the action or behavior that you observed.
3. Describe your reaction to what you observed.
4. Give employees an opportunity to respond.
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