Internal - External Communication Best Practices
Posted 12/19/2024

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SFA students create communications guide for small businesses

A guide created by four students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business was selected by the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce to be used as the organization’s official recommendations when helping local small businesses with internal and external communications.

“Both internal and external communications are important for a small business,” said Kelly Augustine, president and CEO of the chamber. “Clear messaging in areas such as instruction, education and promotion will set a business on a path to success because effective communication is a big benefit for employees and customers.”

 

To help produce a short guide for small businesses, Augustine turned to students in SFA’s “Business Communication Technologies” course taught by Dr. Kristen Waddell, assistant professor in the university’s Department of Business Communication and Legal Studies.

 

Five student groups in the class designed surveys, collected data, and devised communication- and technology-driven strategies based on that data. They then created guides that outlined those strategies in a user-friendly way and presented them to chamber representatives.

 

Chamber representatives selected the guide by Chloe Adams, senior from Houston; Ava Hoffpauir, junior from Beaumont; Gisselle Rivera, junior from Houston; and Madeline Rivers, junior from Baytown. The students received $500 from the Rusche College of Business for their winning entry.

 

“The students provided a useful resource that our local businesses and organizations will value,” Augustine said. “We enjoyed working with the group, and the project submissions were impressive and can be easily implemented in a variety of business operations.”

 

Waddell said the project gave students an opportunity to directly apply the concepts discussed in class to a real-world scenario.

“It highlighted the importance of creating a communication strategy that includes different types of technology as well as the best practices for using that technology,” she said. “Most importantly, it connected students to the community, allowing them to learn from and engage with local business professionals.”

Rivera said learning about the chamber was a huge benefit of the project.

“I had no idea Nacogdoches was run like an organization,” she said. “They have people looking out for its small businesses and continuing its growth. It's interesting to see firsthand how what we learned in class is being used in our own community.”

Waddell and the students thanked the chamber representatives for their time and engagement.


“Working on this project with the chamber allowed me to grow my skills in a collaborative and supportive environment,” Rivers said.

Photo:
A guide created by four students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business was selected by the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce to be used as the organization’s official recommendations when helping local small businesses with internal and external communications. Pictured, from left, are Ava Hoffpauir, junior from Beaumont; Gisselle Rivera, junior from Houston; Madeline Rivers, junior from Baytown; and Chloe Adams, senior from Houston. The students received $500 from the Rusche College of Business for their winning entry.

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Newcomer Guide
Chamber Directory & Map
These premier Chamber publications are widely distributed throughout Nacogdoches County and beyond!
© Copyright 2005-2024 Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
2516 North St., Nacogdoches, Texas 75965 • (936) 560-5533
Unless otherwise noted, no part of this website may be reproduced without written permission.
Email us with questions or comments.