Professional Communication: The Corporate Insider’s Approach Chapter One The Discipline and Art of Professional Communication

Aristotle on Purpose Three primary purposes of communication: Arguments presented in defense of individual freedom Discussions of the affairs of government Eulogies

Heuristic Approach to Purpose Purpose based on a series of characteristics: Types of documents Readers’ knowledge of the topic Critical interests of the organization and writer

Components of the Rhetorical Situation—Flowers and Hayes Assignment—the task given to the writer Audience—the intended readership Reader—the effect intended on the audience Persona—the “voice,” or image the writer wants to send Meaning—The “coherent network of ideas” Text—the communication conventions associated with the assignment

The ability to create effective communication. . . is a direct function of how well we define the problems at hand and how well we respond to those problems.

Four Types of Purposes at Work in Professional Communications The assignment—the explicit task The influencing constituents—factors that immediately bear on the primary purpose or introduce purposes that must be dealt with within the context of the assignment Informing clients—those factors that further shaped primary and ancillary purposes The writer’s goals—the reader, persona, meaning, and text goals outlined by Flowers and Hayes

The Physics of Communication “The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skills. To raise new questions, new problems, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.” --Albert Einstein, The Evolution of Physics

The Price of Failure Failure to define and discover the full spectrum of purpose can result in Unimaginative solutions Inappropriate solutions

Discovering Explicit Purposes What do you want to happen? What impression do you want to make?

Discovering Embedded Purposes What are the origins of the assignment? To whom am I accountable? What is the significance/importance of the activity? How does this activity tie in with existing protocols/policies/corporate standards/corporate expectations? Are there direct or indirect precedents?

Discovering Embedded Purposes What fundamental issues (underlying values) are involved or at stake? Why is it important to take this action at this particular time? Is there a particular incident or issue that sets things in motion? Are there issues/ideas/related activities my action will bring to mind? Who in the corporation needs to see this? Who should not see it?

The Process of Purpose Define your explicit purposes Dig out the embedded purposes Record and prioritize purposes Use your purpose to share the line of attack Re-review the purposes and assess your effectiveness

Five Critical Lessons In business, assignments are not chosen; they are given. Assignments may involve many people, but they are generally owned by only one. Assignments are typically multidimensional with intertwined goals Sometimes not all purposes can be accommodated. You need to use a clear sense of purpose to evaluate your efforts before, during, and after writing.