Presentation detailing the best practices in business writing and communication.

1. Jolynne Dziengel
ORG 536 – Contemporary Business Writing and
Communication
Colorado State University – Global Campus
Dr. Brian Neff
March 2, 2014

2. Communication is the backbone to a
successful business. Businesses must
be able to communicate globally with
customers, employees, and suppliers.
Lets take a look at the top business
writing and communication practices!

3. Effective
Communication
• Understand how information flows
within organization
• Understand best uses of oral and
written communication
• Understand communication barriers
 Different reference points
 Lack of language skills
 Distractions

4. Ethical
Communication
• Are you being ethical? Ask yourself
these questions:
 Is the action legal?
 How would the other side see the issue?
 What are the alternate solutions?
 Can the issue be discussed with a trusted
source?
 How would you feel if your friends or family
learned of your actions?

5. Goals
of ethical communication
• Abide by the law
• Tell the truth
• Be objective
• Communicate clearly
• Use inclusive language
• Give credit where credit is due

6. Create
effective teams:
Keep groups small
Team must agree on a purpose
Team must agree on procedures
Members must be respectful of others
Members should demonstrate effective
communication techniques
• Encourage collaboration not competition
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7. Tips
for conducting successful
meetings:
• Start on time
• Only schedule necessary meetings
• Invite only necessary participants
• Participants should arrive early, be
prepared, contribute respectively and
don’t interrupt others

8. Basics
of good listening skills:
• Control external & internal distractions
• Be an active communicator/participant
• Separate facts from opinions
• Don’t interrupt others
• Ask clarifying questions
• Paraphrase information received
• Take notes to improve retention

9. Individual
qualities that show
professionalism
• Speak clearly and concisely
• Written correspondence must have
proper grammar and sentence
structure
• Be mindful of personal email names
and social networking site content

10. Understand
cultures and customs:
• High context or low context culture
• Clear policies regarding different
cultural business customs
Actions
to avoid:
• Stereotypes
• Prejudices
• Generalizations

11. Diversity
• Creates improved work teams
• Brings new ideas to the group
• Enhances problem solving
• Reduces group think
Embrace Diversity!!!

12. Oral
Communication
• Learn foreign phrases
• Use simple English and speak slowly
• Encourage and listen to feedback
• Check for comprehension
• Accept blame
• Document discussions

13. Written
Communication
• Consider local styles
• Observe titles and rank
• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Correct grammar
• Check number styles
• Match tone and style of receiving party

14. Use
3x3 writing process
• Pre-write
• Write
• Revise
Communication
• Email
• Formal letter
• Fax
channel selection

15. Anticipate
audience reaction
• Strive to be positive
• Always be courteous
• Never use biased language
Maintain
high ethical and legal
standards
• Protect personal information
• Know copyright laws

16. Conduct
research
• Formal research methods
 Investigate sources
 Conduct experiments
• Informal research methods
 Surveys
 Interview target audience
• Brainstorming

17. Teams
and group collaboration
• Best used for:
 Large projects
 Short deadlines
 Expertise is needed
• Creates a better end product
 Broader scope of ideas
 Improved solutions/problem solving

18. Tools
for group communication
• Email
• Blogs and Wiki’s
• Discussion boards
Finalize
document
• Revise for clarity
• Design readable document
• Proofread

19. Email
• Always use the subject line
• Use proper greeting
• Short, concise and usually 1 topic
• Closing to recap message
• Include signature block
 Name with contact information
 Organization

20. Instant
messages/Text messages
• Confirm allowable
• Use proper grammar
• Keep message very short – limit to a
specific question or statement
Podcast, Wiki
and Blogs
• Disseminate information
• Access point for market research

21. Social
Networking
• Bonuses
 Easy way to make announcements
 Improve employee communication
 Promote new products or services
• Draw-backs
 Must be mindful of what is posted as it
reflects directly back to organization

22. Positive
Messages
• Use direct organizational style
• Focus on the news being conveyed
Negative
Messages
• Deliver with sympathetic tone
• Choose wording carefully
• State rationale
• Best received in person

23. Choosing
a communication style
• Direct communication style
 Use for positive or negative messages
 Use if negative message is:
 Not personally damaging
 Message may be overlooked
 Receiver prefers direct communication

24. Choosing
a communication style
• Indirect communication style
 More challenging than direct style
 Best used if
 Negative message is upsetting
 Potential for hostile reaction
 Customer relationship is threatened
 New is unexpected

25. Ensure
clear communication
• Understand material, purpose and
goals
Visually
appealing
• Text stands out
• Not overly colorful
• Font between 24 and 36
• Use templates

26. Use
visual aids
• Maps
• Photographs
• Diagrams or charts
Information
availability
• Hot links to websites, charts and videos
Distribution
• Publish to internet or intranet site

27. Informal
reports
• Short reports or memos
• Describe periodic, recurring or non-
recurring events
• Used to track organizational progress
• Used in decision making

28. • Two types of informal reports
 Analytical
 Create through reasoning, present
conclusions and recommendations
 Informational
 Summaries
 Activities report on regular intervals
 Special needs or problems

29. Formal
Reports
• More detail than informal report
• Presented to senior leadership
• Used to respond to outside agencies

30. Proposals
are:
• Written offers for work
• Written offers for good or services
• Suggestions to solve a problem
Two
types of proposals
• Solicited proposal
• Unsolicited proposal

31. Plans
• Used to gain financial backing for a
new business venture
• Very detailed
• Indicate aspects of business operations
• Usually include:
 Executive summary & mission statement
 Company and product descriptions
 Market analysis and financial reports

32.  Slide
presentation can be found at:
www.Slideshare.net
 Questions
or comments?