Win a cash prize for your professional communication skills.
Write an email responding to the case below by Wednesday, April 20. Submit your entry as a .docx file to bethany.tisdale@moore.sc.edu. Winners will be notified by email on Friday, April 29.
The prizes are:
- 1st place $250
- 2nd place $150
- 3rd place $100
Contest Prompt
In December 2021, Better.com CEO Vishal Garg surprised 900 employees by firing them over a group Zoom call. This round of layoffs went viral due to what many considered his poor taste in communication channel. Garg’s misstep led some executives to exit the company, and he was put on a brief leave of absence. See an update to the story.
Put yourself in Garg’s position: how could you announce these layoffs are coming in a way that wouldn’t result in infamy? When everything is remote/virtual, how can you communicate this message in a way that reaches 900+ people at once?
Write an email to Better.com employees that communicates an upcoming reduction in force without causing panic. Be sure to format your submission as an email with a sender, recipient, and subject.
About the Center for Business Communication
The Center for Business Communication (CBC) is the Moore School’s in-house writing and presentation support service. We were one of the first business communication centers in the United States and one of few to offer the expertise of faculty consultants in lieu of student peer tutors. The CBC is a free service for the entire Moore School community, providing consultations to individuals and teams on any kind of communication-related project at any stage of development.