McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved.

Informative & Positive Messages Chapter 10 Informative & Positive Messages Overview Purposes Information Overload Common Media Organization Subject Lines Managing Information Audience Benefits Ending Varieties

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

Primary Purposes To give information or good news to audience To have receiver view information positively

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

WARNING: Protect your communication reputation! 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!

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

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

Common Media: Instant Messages Use IMs when to Be less intrusive (than visit or phone call) Ask questions on tasks that fellow colleagues are working on

Common Media: Letters/Memos Use letters to Send messages to people outside your organization Use memos to Send messages to people within your organization External Internal

Common Media: E-mail Use e-mail 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

Organizing 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

Subject: New Smoking Policy Subject Lines Serves three purposes Aids in filing, retrieving Tells readers why they should read Sets up message Subject: New Smoking Policy

Subject Line, continued… Specific Differentiate message from others on same topic Concise Usually less than 35 characters Appropriate for the pattern of message Must meet situation and purpose

Subject Lines—E-mail Specific, concise, and catchy Include important information/good news Name drop to make connection Make e-mail sound easy to deal with Create new subject line for reply when Original becomes irrelevant Re: Re: Re: Re: appears

Managing Information Give audience information they need Consider your purpose Develop a system that lets people know what is new if you send out regular messages Put the most vital information in e-mails, even if you send an attachment Check message for accuracy and completeness Remember e-mails are public documents

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

Audience Benefits, continued… Omit benefits when Presenting factual information ONLY Considering audience’s attitude toward information does not matter Stressing benefits makes audience seem selfish Restating them may insult audience’s intelligence

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.

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

Varieties: Summaries Conversation summary (internal use) Identify… People who were present Topic of discussion Decisions made Who does what next

Varieties: Summaries, continued… Document summary Start with main point Give supporting evidence or details Evaluate document if audience wants such advice

Summaries, continued… Client / customer visit summary Put main point (in your company’s view) in first ¶ Use umbrella paragraph; name points Give details to support your conclusions; use lists, headings to make structure clear

Varieties: Thank-You Notes Make people willing to help you later May be short; must be prompt Must be specific to seem sincere

Varieties: Adjustments and Responses Mention rectification in first sentence Don’t talk about decision making process Don’t say anything that sounds grudging Give reasons for mistake only if it reflects responsibly on the company