Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Planning Spoken and Written Messages Business Communication, 15e Lehman and DuFrene Chapter 3 Lecture Slides

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western The Importance of Strong Business Writing Skills Majority of jobs require writing skills 1/3 off all worker write poorly Could be a competitive advantage for you! $3.1B spent annually in training

Process for Planning and Preparing Spoken and Written Messages Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western

Step 1a: Determine the Purpose of the Message Get information? Answer a question? Accept an offer? Deny a request? Seek support for or sell a product or idea? Apologize? What do you hope to accomplish with the message?

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Step 1b: Select a Channel (Cost vs. Personalization trade-off) Situation Channel/Justification Tell a customer damaged merchandise will be replaced Telephone or face-to-face: Lends importance to the message; more personal Notify a sales rep of job termination Face-to-face: Lends importance to the message; tells employee, “You matter.” Inform employees of a new Internet usage policy Routine matter; mass distribution

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Step 1b: Select a Channel (Cost vs. Personalization trade-off) Figure 3-2 on Page 76 2-way, Face to Face –1:1 Conversation –Group Meeting –Teleconference 2-way, Not Face to Face –Telephone – , IM, or Text 1-way, Not Face to Face –Letter –Report/Proposal –All 2-way Not Face to Face methods

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Step 2: Envision the Audience Age – appropriateness, lingo Education and work background – watch out for acronyms and jargon Needs and concerns of receiver Culture – language, expressions, style Rapport – existing relationship dynamics Expectations of receivers What should you learn about your audience?

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Step 2: Envision the Audience Envisioning the Audience in advance will allow the sender to: 1.Establish rapport and credibility 2.Address the receivers needs = providing the right information efficiently (step 3) 3.Simplifying the task of organizing the message (step 4)

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western 1.Focus on the Receiver’s Point of View 2.Communicate ethically and responsibly 3.Build and protect good will 4.Use simple, contemporary language 5.Write concisely 6.Project a positive, tactful tone Step 3: Adapt the Message to the Audience

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western 1.Focus on Receiver’s Viewpoint “Me” Attitude “You” Attitude I want to congratulate you on your award. Congratulations! You are the Employee of the Year. I am interested in ordering... Please send me... (You is the understood subject.) I give you permission to take an extra day of vacation. You earned an extra day of vacation because of your performance.

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western 2. Communicate Ethically and Responsibly State information as truthfully and fairly as possible Do not exaggerate facts (tempting!) Support viewpoint with facts and differentiate facts from opinions State ideas with consideration – avoid anger, criticism, embarrassing people as well as illegal defamation (libel) Design honest graphics and charts

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western 3. Build and Protect Goodwill “Euphemisms” can be okay, but can be transparent – don’t perfume the pig! Avoid “corporate speak” – trying to sound professional while hiding the truth Avoid condescending or demeaning expressions (ex: bean counters) Specific vs. General – it depends – see page 89 Watch out for biases – gender, ethnicity, age, disability (pages 89-92)

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western 4. Use Contemporary Language and Simple Words Eliminate outdated expressions Don’t try to be too formal Eliminate clichés Choose simple, informal words (audience dictated) Use jargon only when entire audience shares understanding Watch out for multi-meaning words

Watch out for Multi-meaning Words Alex Rodriguez scored a run. Did you ever see Jesse Owens run? I have a run in my stocking. There is a fine run of salmon this year. Are you going to run this company or am I? You have the run of the place. What headline do you want to run? There was a run on the bank today. Did he run the ship aground? I have to run (drive the car) downtown. Who will run for president this year? Joe flies the New York–Chicago run twice a week. You know the kind of people they run around with. The apples run large this year. Please run my bath water..

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western 5. Write Concisely (pages 96-97) Eliminate redundancies Use active voice Include only relevant details Eliminate clichés Do not restate ideas that are implied Shorten sentences wherever possible and logical

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Project a Positive, Tactful Tone (pages 98-99) Use positive language Pleasant ideas – use 2 nd person (“you”) Unpleasant ideas – avoid 2 nd person Use subjunctive mood where possible Include a pleasant statement along with a neutral or negative one

Step 4: Select an Outline for Spoken and Written Messages Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western

Benefits from Outlining Encourages accuracy and brevity = credibility and professionalism & increased likelihood of receiving paying attention Saves time in structuring ideas Improves continuity between thoughts Provides increased confidence in the quality of the message Facilitates emphasis of main points and de- emphasis of minor ones Makes relationships between ideas easier to remember = greater receiver recall/learning Increases the odds of a positive reaction to the message and the sender

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Outlining Steps – Figure 3-3 page Identify what your central idea is, because you will need to decide where to place it 2.Predict what the readers’ reaction(s) will be 3.Decide whether to go with: –Deductive Order – main idea first, then details to follow (pleasant or routine news) –Inductive Order – details first and main idea at end (unpleasant news or receiver may need to be persuaded)

Chapter 3 Business Communication, 15 th edition by Lehman and DuFrene  Copyright 2008 by Thomson/South-Western Outlining – Sequencing of Minor Ideas After determining deductive vs. inductive order of central idea, minor points may be sequenced… Chronologically By steps in a process By complexity, from simple to complex By importance – first to last or last to first By value – least to greatest or vice versa