1. Planning Business Messages
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2. The Three-Step Process
Planning
Writing
Completing
Analyze Situation
Gather Information
Select Medium
Get Organized
Revise
Produce Message
Proofread Message
Distribute Message
Adapt to
the Audience
Compose
the Message
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3. Organizing the Message
50% planning
25% writing
25% completing
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4. Analyzing the Situation
Who is the audience?
What is the purpose?
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5. Define Your Purpose General Specific Inform Persuade Collaborate
Your goals
Audience thoughts
Audience actions
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6. Analyze Your Purpose Will anything change? Is your purpose realistic?
Is the timing right?
Is the purpose acceptable?
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7. Profile Your Audience Identify primary audience
Determine size and location
Determine composition
Gauge level of understanding
Review expectations and preferences
Forecast probable reaction
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8. Gather Information Views of others Company documents
Coworkers or customers
Audience input
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9. Uncover Audience Needs
Required information
Accurate
Ethical
Pertinent
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10. Select the Medium Oral Written Visual Electronic
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11. Oral Communication Conversations Interviews Speeches Presentations
Meetings
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12. Written Communication
Memos
Letters
Reports
Proposals
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13. Visual Communication Communicate fast Clarify complexity
Overcome barriers
Expedite memory
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14. Electronic Communication
Oral media
Written media
Visual media
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15. Choosing the Right Medium
Media richness
Message formality
Media limitations
Sender intentions
Urgency and cost
Audience preferences
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16. Organizing the Message
Makes you more productive
Helps your audience understand
Helps your audience accept
Saves time for your audience
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17. Defining the Main Idea The topic is the broad subject of the message
The main idea is a specific statement about the topic
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18. Generating Creative Ideas
Brainstorming
Storyteller’s tour
Journalistic approach
Question-and-answer chain
Mind mapping
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19. Limiting the Scope Length Limitations Support Points Audience attitude
Depth of research
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20. Choosing the Approach Direct approach Indirect approach Deductive
Inductive
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21. Outlining the Content Alphanumeric Decimal I. First Major Point
A. First subpoint
B. Second subpoint
1. Evidence
2. Evidence
C. Third subpoint
II. Second Major Point
1.0 First Major Point
1.1 First subpoint
1.2 Second subpoint
1.2.1 Evidence
1.2.2 Evidence
1.3 Third subpoint
2.0 Second Major Point
2.1 First subpoint
2.2 Second subpoint
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22. Basic Message Structure
Start with the main idea
State the major points
Illustrate with evidence
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