Business communications

The Basics Writing Business Messages Planning Composing Revising

Planning Identifying Your Purpose Why am I sending this message? Inform Request information Give responses Confirm decisions Provide directions Textbook: 35-43: Understand each step of planning

Planning: Objective What do you want to achieve? Inform Persuade Promote Goodwill

Planning: Choose a Channel Blog Face-to-face conversation Face-to-face group meeting Fax Instant message (chat) Letter Memo Phone call Report or proposal Voice mail message Videoconference wiki Textbook: page 36 chart

Planning: Analyze the Audience Primary Audience Who is it? Relationship? Position? Knowledge? Expected Response?

Planning: Analyze the Audience Secondary Audience Who else is it? Difference to primary audience? More background information? Reshape message?

Adapting to the Task and Audience Be careful of the tone Tone- how the receiver feels upon getting a message Provide Audience Benefits Use empathy Use “You” Language Composing

example

Audience Benefits Sender FocusAudience Focus The human resources Department requires that the enclosed questionnaire be completed immediately so that we can allocate our training resource funds to employees. Our warranty becomes effective only when we receive an owner’s registration. We are proud to announce our new software virus checker that we think is the best on the market.

Audience Benefits Sender FocusAudience Focus The Human Resources Department requires that the enclosed questionnaire be completed immediately so that we can allocate funds to employees. By filling out the enclosed questionnaires, you can be one of the first employees to sign up for our training resource fund. Our warranty becomes effective only when we receive an owner’s registration. Your warranty begins working for you as soon as you return your owner’s registration. We are proud to announce our new software virus checker that we think is the best on the market. Now you can be sure that all your computers will be protected with our real-time virus scanning.

Audience Benefits “I/We” View “You” View I’m asking all employees to respond to the attached survey about working conditions. I have granted you permission to attend the communication seminar. We have shipped your order by UPS, and we are sure it will arrive in time for your sales promotion December 1. Because your ideas count, please complete the attached survey about working conditions. You may attend the seminar to improve your communication skills. Your order will be delivered by UPS in time for your sales promotion December 1.

Organizing and Formatting the or Memo To Line: enter receiver’s address From Line: Your address. Cc and Bcc Cc- carbon copy- sends a copy of the message to another person Bcc- blind carbon copy- hides names and addresses of all receivers Subject: A short but descriptive summary of the topic

Organizing and Formatting the or Memo Subject line Must be informative Summarize central idea Abbreviate Make your subject line talk (verb) Capitalize initial letter of principal words (not “a, the, to, etc”) Query: Request: Invitation: Submission:

Organizing and Formatting the or Memo What are 3 formatting areas that s and Memos have in common? 1. To: 2. From: 3. Subject:

Organizing and Formatting the or Memo

Organizing and Formatting the Salutation: Start with a greeting: Dear + Mr./Ms/ (Mrs./Miss) + Surname (formal) Hello + Name (more informal and personal) Group of people ex: Dear students, managers, etc Janet,

Organizing and Formatting the Opening Line Restate the purpose Font: Serif: more formal and professional Times New Roman Tahoma Sans serif: more informal Arial Calibri

Organizing the Explaining in the Body Cover only one area Keep the less than 100 words Use white space Double space between paragraphs Use bullets if possible Listing Giving instructions

Closing Include cordial expressions All the best Warm regards Best wishes Include your name Include a signature block 5 or fewer lines