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Semelhante a Business Communications Chapter 2 notes
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Business Communications Chapter 2 notes
- 3. Improving Your Business Writing To improve your writing skills, you need Good teaching materials with excellent model documents An effective writing process A trainer (like your instructor) Practice
- 5. Prewriting Analyzing the purpose and the audience Identifying your purpose Selecting the best channel Switching to faster channels
- 6. Factors Determining Channel Selection Importance of message Amount and speed of feedback required Necessity of a permanent record Cost of the channel Degree of formality required
- 7. Factors Affecting Media Richness Speed Interactivity Verbal and nonverbal cues Everyday language Focus on individual
- 11. E-mail What channel is best to announce decreased insurance benefits for 250 employees? Fax Letter Memo Report Telephone Voice Mail Meeting Conversation Web
- 12. What channel is best for a sales message promoting a new product to customers? E-mail Fax Letter Memo Report Telephone What channel is best for responding to similar customer inquiries? Voice Mail Meeting Conversation Web
- 13. Prewriting Analyzing the purpose and the audience Anticipating the Audience Identifying your purpose Selecting the best channel Switching to faster channels Profiling the audience Responding to the profile Adapting to the task and audience
- 14. Asking the Right Questions to Profile Your Audience
- 15. Asking the Right Questions to Profile Your Audience (concluded)
- 16. Spotlight Audience Benefits Shape your statements to involve the reader. Instead of this: Try this: We are promoting a new plan that we believe has many outstanding benefits. You will enjoy total peace of mind with our affordable hospitalization plan that meets all your needs.
- 17. Spotlight Audience Benefits Draw on Familiar Words Cultivate A “You” View Create a Message That Suits Your Audience Use Inclusive Language Sound Conversational Employ Positive Language
- 18. Cultivate a “You” View Emphasize second-person pronouns (you/your) instead of first-person pronouns (I/we, us, our) Instead of this: Try this: Before we can allow you to purchase items on this new account, we must wait two weeks to verify your credit. You may begin making purchases on your new account in two weeks.
- 19. Create audience benefits and use the “you view.” Revise these sentences: These are better: We are now offering H-P computers at discounted prices. We are pleased to announce that you have been approved to enroll in our leadership training program. You can now purchase H-P computers at discounted prices. Congratulations! You have been selected to enter our leadership training program!
- 20. Sound Conversational Instead of this: Try this: The undersigned takes pleasure in . . . I’m happy to . . . It may be of some concern to you to learn that your check has been received and your account has been credited for $250. We’ve credited your account for $250.
- 21. Levels of Language Use Unprofessional Conversational Formal Found in Some comic strips, and songs, some commercials, some conversations, some IM and email messages Business messages, novels, most newspapers, and most magazines Scientific writing, legal documents, scholarly books, formal essays, proclamations
- 22. Unprofessional Conversational Formal Examples wasted nab bad-mouth dough, bread stewed, plastered I ain’t humongous tight ruined catch criticize money intoxicated, drunk I’m not enormous frugal annihilated apprehend disparage currency inebriated I am not prodigious penurious
- 23. Revise to make the tone conversational, yet professional and concise. Revise these sentences: These are better: To facilitate contract ratification, your negotiators urge that the membership respond in the affirmative. Kindly inform the undersigned whether or not your representative will be making a visitation in the near future. We urge you to approve the contract by voting yes. Please tell me whether your representative will be visiting before June 1.
- 24. Unprofessional Conversational Formal Correct grammar and punctuation, conversational tone, simple sentence structure, familiar words Correct grammar, serious tone, complex sentence structure, polysyllabic words Characterized by Incorrect grammar, unpredictable sentence structure, inappropriate punctuation, slang, vulgarisms
- 25. Employ Positive Language Instead of this: Try this: Employees may not use the Employees may use First Street entrance during the Market Street entrance during remodeling. remodeling. We cannot fill your order until we receive an exact model number. We can fill your order once we receive an exact model number.
- 26. Hidden Messages Some words and phrases convey a negative and unpleasant tone. They may imply a hidden message that the writer does not intend. Think twice before using the following negative expressions.
- 27. Negative Language Hidden Meaning You overlooked You are careless You state that But I don’t believe you You failed to You are careless You claim that It’s probably untrue You are wrong I am right You do not understand You are not very bright Your delay You are at fault You forgot to You are inefficient and careless
- 28. State ideas more positively. Revise these sentences: These are better: We must withhold payment until you complete the job satisfactorily. You will be paid promptly once the job is completed satisfactorily. By following each requirement, you will receive your $50 rebate. If you fail to follow each requirement, you will not receive your $50 rebate.
- 29. Use Inclusive Language Instead of this: Try this: Have you called a salesman? Have you called a salesperson? Every executive has his own office. All executives have their own offices. Every executive has an office. All executives have offices. Every executive has his or her own office. This alternative is wordy and calls attention to itself
- 30. Revise to use inclusive language. Revise these sentences: These are better: Any applicant for the position of policeman must submit a medical report signed by his physician. Applicants for police officer positions must submit medical reports signed by their physicians. All employees are entitled to see their personnel files. Every employee is entitled to see his personnel file.
- 31. Adopt Plain Language Avoid federalese, bureaucratese, and inflated language. Federalese: Each person to whom the request is herein addressed is henceforth solicited to submit, or to have his or her department representative submit, to the Department of Labor official described above, a comment on whether the proposed plan, in his or her considered view, meets the requirements of the 2003 law. Simple Translation: You may wish to comment on whether the proposed plan meets the requirements of the 2003 law.
- 32. Draw on Familiar Words Avoid long, difficult, and unfamiliar words. Use short, simple, and common words whenever possible. Less familiar words Simple alternatives encounter extrapolate meet project obligatory required terminate end
- 33. Revise the following sentences using simpler language. Please ascertain whether Please find out whether we must perpetuate our we must continue our current contract. current contract. He hypothesized that stock values would deteriorate. He guessed that stock values would fall.
- 34. Revise the following sentences using simpler language. Because we cannot monitor all activities, we must terminate the agreement. Because we cannot check all activities, we must end the contract. I’ll interface with Mark to access his people. I’ll talk with Mark about using his staff.
- 35. Seven Ways Technology Can Improve Your Business Writing Fighting writer’s block Collecting information electronically Outlining and organizing ideas Improving correctness and precision Adding graphics for emphasis Designing and producing professionallooking documents, presentations, and Web pages Using collaborative software for team writing