How can a company like CarMax, which faces significant challenges during a recession, use the FAME method to communicate with its employees? For the most part CarMax has already used the FAME method while communicating with its employees about what was going on. The CEO communicated with shareholders and employees to get the point across. He laid out the plan to the employees of how they were going to face the tough time. He made it clear how each employee was going to fit into the equation and what must be done to make it work.
He made sure that those that weren’t able to stay with the company were taken care of which gave the rest of the employees some peace of mind about staying with the company throughout the rough period. The Company had a clear focus for what they wanted the employees to think and do. 2. Create a communication policy for CarMax that incorporates all four elements of the FAME method. When communicating with employees maintain a clear focus on what you want them to think about the company.
Always keep a positive attitude and never talk down about CarMax or its policies. Create a slogan that employees can remember and repeat so that it is instilled into their brain every time they have a question about the company’s objectives or goals. Always keep a positive attitude and outlook regardless of the situation. Your attitude reflects leadership. Lead and show your employees how it is done. Keep employees engaged so that they know where they fit into where the company is going. 3.
What are non-verbal methods by which CarMax sales representative can communicate its commitment to customer service and integrity? They can keep a friendly attitude, keep good eye contact with the customer, be attentive and acknowledge the customer. Follow through with whatever the customer needs. Make the customer feel welcome and grateful. 4. How would you design a training program to teach communication methods for the sales associates? I would set up several scenarios where the sales associate would have to interact with a customer based on situations that actually occur.
I would make the associates handle the situations in front of their peers so that a group discussion can be held on what the associate did right and what they did wrong and what can be done to correct the situation. There would be training where communication techniques would be discussed to get certain points across and how to handle everything with tact and respect. 5. CarMax CEO Tom Folliart believes in a process of open, realistically optimistic communication. How would such a process work when the news is mostly bad? It would work the same as it would if it were good news.
You would still maintain a positive and optimistic outlook throughout every level of communication. As long as you are realistic and truthful then everything should work fine. 6. Give a real example of ineffective communication that you have experienced firsthand in an organization. Explain the situation and the impact of the ineffective communication. Provide an alternate communication plan that may have provided a more positive impact? I have seen several different types of communication during my four years working for government contracts many of them were ineffective and downright just pointless.
Others however had a positive result from a great leader that had excellent communication skills. The worst ones that I have seen are communications by e-mail. Email communication may be effective for some things but for others it may not be the appropriate. Sometimes a good old conference or meeting is necessary to get information out to the employees so they can see and feel emotion in the words that you are speaking. This form of communication is effective to reach an audience on multiple levels. It is hard to motivate and inspire someone just from an email.
