© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter ResearchProcess Find and AccessInformation AccessInformation Evaluate and Finalize Sources Evaluate and Finalize Sources Understand Topic and AssignmentUnderstand Assignment InterpretFindingsInterpretFindings AnalyzeDataAnalyzeData ProcessInformationProcessInformation

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Understand the Topic and Assignment PreliminaryInformationPreliminaryInformationProblemStatementProblemStatement Questions and Subquestions Subquestions

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Using Secondary Sources of Information BusinessBooksElectronicDatabasesNewspapersPeriodicals DirectoriesAlmanacsStatisticalResourcesGovernmentPublications

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Business Information in Cyberspace Internet Public Library Company Websites News Release Sites

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Searching The Internet SearchEngines Directories Portals

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Select Appropriate Databases Use Multiple Search Engines Replace Concepts with Key Words Use Short Phrases and Single Terms Avoid Stopwords Avoid Words in the Database’s Name Searching Databases

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Use Variations of Search Terms Specify Logical Relationships Use Boolean Operators Use Proximity Operators Use Wildcards Refine Searches as Needed Searching Databases

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter GatheringInformation Searching in Cyberspace PullTechnology PushTechnology PersonalAgents

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Tracking Progress Take Notes Copy Search Results BookmarkWebsitesRecordComments Download or Print Files Prepare a Bibliography

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Primary Information DocumentsExperimentsObservations

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Effective Surveys Provide Clear Instructions Use Short Questionnaires Get Easy-to-Analyze Questions Avoid Leading Questions Ask One Question at a Time Pretest All Questionnaires

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Effective Interviews Interview Participants Required Information PurposePurposeStructureStructure Overall Length Stylistic Issues Organization Overall Length Stylistic Issues Organization Collect Information Make Decisions Clarify Issues Collect Information Make Decisions Clarify Issues

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Types of Questions Open-Ended Direct Open-Ended Direct Open-Ended Restatement Close-Ended Information Quality Interviewer Control More Less

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Preparing Questions Think About Sequence Sequence Mix Types of Questions Questions Ask Smart Questions QuestionsEditQuestionsEditQuestions Rate the Questions QuestionsLimit the Number Limit

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Processing Interview Information Processing Interview Information Write Down Your Ideas Review Notes Organize the Material TranscribeRecordings

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Purpose of the Material IndependentVerification Logic and Good Sense Honesty and Reliability The Author Timeliness PotentialBias Data Collection Methods Completeness Evaluating and Selecting Sources

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Process the Information Getting Organized Reading the Material Taking Notes

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Presenting Information Direct Quotes Enhance the Argument Preserve Original Text Paraphrasing Enhance Your Understanding Condense Original Text

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Documenting Sources QuotationsParaphrasedMaterial GeneralKnowledge Fair Use Doctrine

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Analyzing the Data Mean Median Mode Trend Correlation

© Prentice Hall, 2003 Business Communication TodayChapter Interpreting Your Findings Assumptions Judgment Values Facts Conclusions Recommendations