1. Best Practices in Writing and
Business Communication
Matt Browning
Colorado State University Global
ORG536 Contemporary Business Writing and Communication
May 4, 2014

2. Overview
Introduce
Business
Presentation
Evaluate each
theory
Provide critique as
to which theory is
most suitable
Future
directions, and
discussion

3.  Today’s workplace has changed from years past. No
longer do we allow or tolerate separate treatment for
works. Everyone is on the same team.
 Emphasis on the team environment, everyone working
together to achieve great things.
 Managers must ask the question how we can get
everyone together with such diverse backgrounds?
Effective and Ethical Communication

4.  Find common ground with your employees. Working through
differences and getting the most out of everyone is what
separates the good from the great.
 Learning these nuances will help you be a leader amongst your
employees and create a winning environment. Keeping and
treating everyone the same is how you do that.
Effective and Ethical ctd

5.  There are many ways to have effective communication at
work.
 Accroding to Colorado State Global “whether it be a
government agency, a small local start-up company or a
national corporate giant, you would see people
communicating in some way: by phone, writing emails, at a
meeting, making a presentation” (CSU Global 2014).
 Companies that actively engage in these activities will keep a
constant flow of information and communication through all
levels.
Effective Communication

6.  Workplace professionalism is always a fine line employees and
others walk. The “golden rule” applies. Treat everyone as you
would want to be treated.
 Monitor the fine line between supervisor and those that work for
you. Having these situations mixed up, can cause turmoil in the
workplace.
Professionalism in the Workplace

7.  Always keep in mind that you are in charge. Keep a good
working relationship with those under you, but do not cross the
line and put yourself in a situation that your leadership position
can be compromised.
 Separate work from play, do not allow the two to intermix.
Specifically when dealing with promotions and treatment of
everyone.
 Work place professionalism is critical in every line of
employment to ensure there is a break between management
and lower level employees.
Professionalism ctd

8.  Intercultural communication is critical to every company
succeeding in the 21st century. Doing so will allow your
company to expand globally.
 Colorado State University cites
http://youtu.be/lUjaNLnWl6o
Intercultural Business
Communication

9.  Communicating effectively to bridge any gap will allow
a successful company to utilize a foreign market in a
manner which wasn’t tapped before.
 Ensuring you are making eye contact with your
associates and others will keep the flow of
communication focused on what you are trying to
explain.
Communication ctd

10.  Examples of non-verbal communication would be: “eye
contact, facial expressions, posture, gestures, and the use
of time and space. Understanding the meaning of such
behaviors in the cultures of others is critical” (CSU
Global 2014).
 All of these forms of communication are common sense
and things people should be doing when working with
others.
Communication

11.  When writing to any audience, appropriate language and
tone will go further than anything else.
 Multple grammmatical errors can make your projected
audience lose focus and miss the message your trying to
get across.
 Focus on your deficiencies, make positive corrections
and correct them.
Writing Tips

12.  Guffey and Loewy write “good business writers
typically write in steps. The complexity of the writing
project, however, will determine how much time you
spend on each of these steps” (Guffey and Loewy 2011).
 These steps are easily defined and mastered through
hard work and paying attention.
 The first step is pre-writing, this is where your focus
should be drawn to the subject you want to write about.
Writing Tips ctd

13.  The next step is pre-writing. This step consists of identifying
who is your audience and how well of a relationship you have
with them.
 Talking to a group of strangers, may not be the group to share
personal stories with and to keep your discussion on the wave
tops.
 The final stage is writing as defined by Guffey and Loewy
“however, be mindful that you should not combine drafting
and revising. They are two distinct elements of writing, and
they need to be approached separately. The drafting/writing
stage is the process of getting your ideas down on paper; do
not worry about style here” (Guffey and Loewy 2011).
Writing Tips ctd

14.  Over the past 25 years how businesses communicate has
drastically changed. From hand written or typed reports,
now everything is done electronically.
 According to CSU Global examples of these are
“electronic messages, however, could come in a variety
of format: email, Instant Messaging (IM), text
messaging, podcasts, blogs, wikis, and various social
networking sites” (CSU Global 2014).
Electronic and Digital
Communication

15. Examples of Communication

16.  Using digital media has changed how business is
conducted and we present things.
 This presentation is an example of how digital media has
changed the work place.
 Being able to create an entire power point and remotely
put it on the internet for all to view.
Digital Media

17.  Words mean things. This is a very simple phrase and has
such a deep meaning.
Negative Messages

18.  Negative messages can go worse than what positive
messages can. To avoid making these mistakes, you
must be careful in how you convey the message.
 “The bad news that you must deliver in your message is
not going to change, but how you craft the message may
shape how your recipient will react to the news” (CSU
Global 2014).
 This skill may take years to master, but once you do it
can save heartache and misinterpretation down the road.
Negative Messages ctd

19.  Positive messages are much easier to convey than being
the bearer of bad news.
 Using “if necessary, give an explanation and details to
your message, but include only that which is absolutely
necessary. It is important to end your message on a
friendly tone, expressing appreciation and summarizing
your request politely” (CSU Global 2014).
 Being friendly and treating someone with respect in your
message allows you as the messenger to hit your target.
Positive Messages

20. Business Presentations
Business presentation are a critical part of everyone’s job. You may have a
fear of talking, but nailing your presentation may separate you from your
peers on a promotion or a bonus. Getting over these is difficult but is
something all professionals must adhere to.
When making your presentation, you have to understand what you are trying to say
and deliver a clear and concise message. Conducting proper research and pre-writing
prior to sitting down and writing can set a presenter up for failure. Knowledge of
your topic allows a clear message to be given without missing your mark.

21.  Once you’ve narrowed down your research and put
everything together. It’s time to practice.
 Practicing in front of a mirror, friends or any who will
listen enables your thoughts to be conveyed and
feedback to be given on weak spots.
 After the presentation has been given, and corrections
made. This should set any person up for success for
when it comes to game time.
Business Presentations ctd

22.  Creating a solid business plan is the goal of all business
and employees. There are many different forms of
business plans. These range from informal, to formal
Business Reports
Informal
Are done with the idea of
reporting information for
a certain period
Is clearly broken down
into an introduction, body
and conclusion.
Formal
Has transitions in its writings
and headings identifying what
the report is based on
Typically are done through
progress reports or trip
reports. Formal reports have a
very specific purpose

23.  Business plans consist of different agendas or items
and how business/company plans to achieve a goal
or some present an agenda.
 These can be done through reports or proposals. All
of these items can be tied to one another.
 Without a proper plan, an organization has no direction
to achieve any goals
Business Plans

24.  CSU Global writes “utilizing the direct strategy, the
writer first identifies the problem or need. Next, the
writer, using strong action verbs, announces the
recommendation, the solution or the action concisely. A
more thorough explanation follows that lists the benefits
of the recommendations or the steps necessary to solve
the problem” (CSU Global 2014).
 Making a proposal to a board or employees requires
practice and tedious work.
Business Proposals

25. Business Proposal ctd

26.  Use communication to create a positive
workplace
 Whether your Business Communication weaknesses
are speaking or writing finding out where you can
improve will create better value to your work.
 Create leadership that is interested in promoting
growth.
 Use your skills to create a better company, through
communication and a positive work environment.
Recommendations

27. Colorado State University-Global Campus (2014). Module 1: Research Basics and Business Presentations.ORG536-
Contemporary Business Writing and Communication Greenwood Village, CO: Author.
Colorado State University-Global Campus (2014). Module 2:Intercultural Communication.ORG536- Contemporary Business
Writing and Communication Greenwood Village, CO: Author.
Colorado State University-Global Campus (2014). Module 4:Workplace Communication: Digital Media Persuasive
Messages.ORG536- Contemporary Business Writing and Communication Greenwood Village, CO: Author.
Colorado State University-Global Campus (2014). Module 5:Workplace Communication: Positive and Negative Messages.
ORG536- Contemporary Business Writing and Communication Greenwood Village, CO: Author
Colorado State University-Global Campus (2014). Module 6: Research Basics and Business Presentations.ORG536-
Contemporary Business Writing and Communication Greenwood Village, CO: Author
Colorado State University-Global Campus (2014). Module 7: Informal and Formal Business Reports, Plans and
Proposals.ORG536- Contemporary Business Writing and Communication Greenwood Village, CO:
Author
Colorado State University-Global Campus (2014). Module 8: Employment Communication.ORG536- Contemporary Business
Writing and Communication Greenwood Village, CO: Author
Guffey, M., Loewy, D. (2011). Business Communication: Process and Product (7th Ed.). Independence , KY: Cengage
Learning. P473-476
Flatley, Marie, (September 2007). Business Communication Quarterly. Teaching the Virtual Presentation. Retrieved
from https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail?vid=2&sid=45822c3a- d20f-430d-
b1fd-877ce9c3589e%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bh
&AN=27538760
References