1. Commercial Communication

2. Commercial Communication
Week 2
Unit 2

3. Importance of Writing
In an information economy, good writing is not just a tool for doing business, it is an important business product.
Information Economy: Economy in which knowledge is the primary raw material and source of value. Businessdictionary.com

4. Business Depends on Communication
Plan products and services
Hire, train, and motivate employees
Coordinate manufacturing and delivery
Persuade customers to buy
Bill and invoice customers

5. Importance of Writing Study of 120 major coporations in US
At least 70% say most of their workers have specific writing responsibilities
(100% of employees)
122 business s sent / received
205 Billion
Presentations with visuals, such as PowerPoint slides (100%)
Memos and correspondence (70%)
Formal reports (62%)
Technical reports (59%)
Communication functions are LEAST likely to be outsourced
National Commission on Writing

6. Writing is the top desired skill in college grads
Yet one of the weakest skills of college graduates
“Effective business communication skills are a stumbling block”
Spelling, grammar, misuse of words in s, reports, presentations

7. Common myths assistant templates writing not implied in job title
phone calls
Assistants have more complex jobs these days, and more duties (training, database management, research…)
Templates can help in routine situations, but these are increasingly computerized or automated. Higher your position, the less routine it gets, requiring more creativity
Almost every entry level or managerial job requires s, talking to small groups, presentations of annual reports…
Even phone calls require follow up s, documentation, record of complex information

8. Why should you care? Competitive job market
Regardless of your position, you will need to communicate
The higher your position, the higher the expectations
Promotion
$$$$$$$$
Fear the consequences

9. Consequences NASA and Lockheed Martin
Toyota recall and delayed response
BP’s constant apologizing
Unaware of policies
Yahoo Internal communication leaks outside

10. Agenda A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
B. The Cost of Correspondence
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence
E. Criteria for Effective Messages

11. Agenda A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
B. The Cost of Correspondence
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence
E. Criteria for Effective Messages

12. Managers have three basic jobs:
A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
Managers have three basic jobs:
to collect and convey information
to make decisions
to promote interpersonal unity
conversations, the grapevine, phone calls, memos, reports, databases, and the Internet.
meetings, speeches, press releases, videos, memos, letters, and reports.
Management by walking around

13. A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
Effective managers
are able to use a wide variety of media and strategies to communicate.
know how to interpret comments from informal channels such as the company grapevine
can speak effectively in small groups and in formal presentations; they write well

14. Receivers A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
Internal audience
External audience
Other people in the same organization
Superiors, subordinates, coworkers
People outside the organization
customers, suppliers, unions, stock- holders, distributors, potential employees, government agencies, trade associations, the press, and the general public.)

15. A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
Informal listening, speaking, and working in groups are just as important as writing formal documents and giving formal oral presentations.
to find out what you're supposed to do and to learn about the organization's values and culture.
Networking
grapevine, an informal source of company information

16. Document Types to inform to request or persuade to build goodwill
A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
Document Types
to inform
you explain something or tell readers something.
to request or persuade
you want the reader to act
Must motivate and convince the reader to act
to build goodwill
you create a good image of yourself and of your organization
Encourages others to want to do business with you

17. Internal Documents

18. External Documents

19. Agenda A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
B. The Cost of Correspondence
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence
E. Criteria for Effective Messages

20. B. The Cost of Correspondence
To produce a written page in business costs between $15-$45
54 minutes to plan, compose, and revise a business letter
10 min to dictate
Cycling between writer and superior before exiting company
Longer documents can involve large teams of people and take months to write.
Good communication is worth every minute it takes and every penny it costs.

21. Money Time Effort Goodwill Legal
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
70% of small-medium size business say ineffective communication is primary problem (SIS Intl)
Money
Time
Effort
Goodwill
What are some potential effects of poor writing?
Legal

22. Money To produce a written page in business costs between $15- $45.
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
Money
To produce a written page in business costs between $15- $45.
100 employee business spends 17 downtime hours per week clarifying communication = $525,000 per year (SIS Intl)
100,000 employee business: $62.4 million per year in US and UK
$26,041: cumulative cost per worker per year due to productivity losses resulting from communications barriers
NASA
(including actions or errors of omission by employees who have misunderstood or were misinformed about company policies, business processes, job function or a combination of the three) among 400 surveyed corporations in the U.S. and U.K. (average cost per company is $62.4 million per year)

23. Time bad writing takes longer to read.
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
Time
bad writing takes longer to read.
97% of our reading time trying to understand, not moving eyes
bad writing may need to be rewritten
ineffective writing may obscure ideas so it causes discussions
unclear or incomplete messages may require the reader to ask for more information.
30% of letters and memos in business are sent to get clarification of prior written communications
What are some potential effects of poor writing?

24. Effort Ineffective messages don't get results.
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
Effort
Ineffective messages don't get results.
“Per our conversation, enclosed are two copies of the above- mentioned invoice. Please review and advise. Sincerely, . . .”

25. C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
Goodwill
Whatever the literal content of the words, every piece of communication serves either to build or to undermine (harm) the image the reader has of the writer
Credibility
What are some potential effects of poor writing?

26. Several things are wrong with the letter typed above.
1. The language is stiff and legalistic. Note the obsolete [not used anymore] and sexist expressions
"Please be advised," "herein," and "expedite." "Gentlemen:"
2. The tone is selfish. The letter is written from the writer's point of view;
3. The main point is buried in the middle of the long first paragraph. The middle is the least emphatic part of a paragraph.
4. The request is vague. How many references does the supplier want? Are only vendor[person selling something outside] references OK, or would other credit references, like banks, work too?
5. Words are misused (herein for therein), suggesting either an ignorant writer or one who doesn't care enough about the subject and the reader to use the right word.

28. Legal Domino´s 30-min guarantee Senior Enron executives
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
Legal
Domino´s 30-min guarantee
Senior Enron executives
Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher
Credit Suisse First Boston banker Frank Quattrone
Hewlett-Packard Chairperson Patricia Dunn
Walmart Vice Presidents Julie Roehm and Sean Womack
Nothing you compose at work is private

29. Ad slogan mistakes
Electrolux
Pepsi: Come Alive

30. Agenda A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
B. The Cost of Correspondence
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence
E. Criteria for Effective Messages

31. D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence
Better writing helps you to:
Save time. Reduce reading time, since comprehension is easier. Eliminate the time now taken to rewrite badly written materials. Reduce the time taken asking writers "What did you mean?"
Make your efforts more effective. Increase the number of requests that are answered positively and promptly on the first request. Present your points to other people in your organization; to clients, customers, and, suppliers; to government agencies; to the public more forcefully.
Communicate your points more clearly. Reduce the misunderstandings that occur when the reader has to supply missing or unclear information. Make the issues clear, so that disagreements can surface and be resolved more quickly.
Build goodwill. Build a positive image of your organization. Build an image of yourself as a knowledgeable, intelligent, capable person.

32. Agenda A. The Managerial Functions of Communication
B. The Cost of Correspondence
C. The Cost of Poor Correspondence
D. Benefits of Improving Correspondence
E. Criteria for Effective Messages

33. E. Criteria for Effective Messages
It's clear. The meaning the reader gets is the meaning the writer intended. The reader doesn't have to guess.
It's complete. All of the reader's questions are answered. The reader has enough information to evaluate the message and act on it.
It's correct. All of the information in the message is accurate. The message is free from errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar, word order, and sentence structure.
It saves the reader's time. The style, organization, and visual impact of the message help the reader to read, understand, and act on the information as quickly as possible.
It builds goodwill. The message presents a positive image of the writer and his or her organization. It treats the reader as a person, not a number. It cements a good relationship between the writer and the reader.

34. Conventions Widely accepted practices that you routinely encounter
Help people recognize, produce, and interpret different kinds of communication
CV, Press conference, meetings, s, invoices…

35. Wiio´s Laws Communication usually fails, except by accident
If a message can be interpreted in several ways, it will be interpreted in a manner that maximizes the damage
There is always someone who knows better than you what you meant with your message
The more we communicate, the worse communication succeeds
In mass communication, the important thing is not how things are but how they seem to be
Work place
Classroom
News
Social networking sites