Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter 9 Sharing Informative and Positive Messages with Appropriate Technology

9-2 Informative and Positive Messages  Informative message - receiver’s reaction neutral  Positive message - receiver’s reaction positive  Neither message immediately asks receiver to do anything Good news!

9-3 Primary Purposes  To give information or good news to audience  To have receiver view information positively

9-4 Secondary Purposes  To build good image of sender  To build good image of sender’s organization  To build good relationship between sender and receiver  To deemphasize any negative elements  To eliminate future messages on same subject

9-5 Communication Hardware  These tools help improve productivity in the workplace  Smartphones  Portable media players  Tablets  Videoconferences

9-6 Information Overload  Employees are bombarded with junk mail, sales calls, spam, and other ads  Even routine communications are becoming overwhelming WARNING: Protect your communication reputation!

9-7 Common Media: Face-to-Face Contact  Use face-to-face contact to  Visit a colleague  Build a business relationship  Save multiple calls or s  Engage in dialogue or negotiation  Acquire something immediately  Avoid leaving a paper trail  Increase visual and aural cues

9-8 Common Media: Phone Calls  Use phone calls to  Convey appropriate tone  Save multiple phone calls or s  Acquire something immediately  Avoid leaving a paper trail

9-9 Common Media: Instant Messages, Text Messages, and Wikis  Use IMs and TMs to  Be less intrusive (than visit or phone call)  Ask questions on tasks that fellow colleagues are working on  Leave a communication trail  Use Wikis to  Bookmark and summarize web pages  Upload drafts of working documents  Create new entries about workplace practices

9-10 Common Media: Social Media  Use social media to  Connect with many users quickly  Connect inexpensively  Post profiles, updates, blogs, useful links  Four common types  Facebook  Twitter  Blogs  LinkedIn

9-11 Common Media: Letters/Memos  Use letters to  Send messages to people outside your organization  Use memos to  Send messages to people within your organization  Use to  Accomplish routine business activities  Save time  Save money  Allow readers to deal with messages at their convenience  Communicate accurately  Provide details for reference  Create a paper trail

9-12 Organizing Informative and Positive Messages  Start with good news or the most important information  Clarify with details, background  Present any negative points positively  Explain any benefits  Use a goodwill ending  Positive  Personal  Forward-looking

9-13 Subject Lines  Serves three purposes  Aids in filing, retrieving  Tells readers why they should read  Sets up framework for message  Specific  Differentiate message from others on same topic  Concise  Usually less than 35 characters  Appropriate for the kind of message  Must meet situation and purpose  Include important information/good news  Name drop to make connection  Make sound easy to deal with  Create new subject line for reply when  Original becomes irrelevant  Re: Re: Re: Re: appears

9-14 Managing Information in Messages  Give audience information they need  Consider your purpose  Develop a system that lets people know what is new if you send out regular messages  Use headings, bullets, numbered lists, or checklists in long s  Put the most vital information in s, even if you send an attachment  Check message for accuracy and completeness  Remember s are public documents

9-15 Audience Benefits  Use audience benefits when  Presenting policies  Shaping audience’s attitudes  Stressing benefits presents the audience’s motives positively  Introducing benefits that may not be obvious  Omit benefits when  Presenting factual information ONLY  Audience’s attitude toward information does not matter  Stressing benefits makes audience seem selfish  Restating them may insult audience’s intelligence

9-16 Ending  Not all messages end same way  Goodwill ending – focuses on bond between reader, writer  Treats reader as individual  Contains you-attitude, positive emphasis  Omits standard invitation  Ex: If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call.

9-17 Story and Humor  Use stories in messages to  Gain attention  Place information in context  Connect with emotions  Use humor in messages when  You know your audience well  It is appropriate for the situation

9-18 Varieties: Transmittals  Tell reader what you're sending  Summarize main points  Give details to help reader grasp message  Tell reader what will happen next

9-19 Varieties: Summaries  Conversation summary  Identify…  People who were present  Topic of discussion  Decisions made  Who does what next  Document summary  Start with main point  Give supporting evidence or details  Evaluate document if audience wants such advice  Client / customer visit summary 1. Put main point (in your company’s view) in first ¶ 2. Use umbrella paragraph; name points 3. Give details to support your conclusions; use lists, headings to make structure clear

9-20 Varieties: Thank-You Notes and Responses to Complaints  Thank-You Notes  Make people willing to help you later  May be short; must be prompt  Must be specific to seem sincere  Positive Responses to Complaints  Mention rectification in first sentence  Don’t talk about decision process  Don’t say anything that sounds grudging  Give reasons for mistake only if it reflects responsibly on the company