1. Business Communication

2. Audience Strategy
The Audience

3. Who are they?
Source:

4. 1. Who are they? A. Primary Audience B. Key Influencers
C. Secondary Audiences

5. Who are they?
A. Primary Audience
Message Directly

6. A. Primary Audience 1. Audience unknown, find out about their:
Demographics
Age
Education
Organization or department
Geographic location
Organizational rank
Language fluency

7. A. Primary Audience 1. Audience unknown, find out about their:
Knowledge and beliefs
Background
Values

8. A. Primary Audience 1. Audience unknown, find out about their:
Preferences
Level of formality
Channel preference (e.g., versus face-to-face)

9. A. Primary Audience 2. Audience is familiar (analyze them)
Demographics
Knowledge
Channel preference
Likes and dislikes

10. B. Key Influencers
Decision-makers
Opinion leaders
Gatekeepers

11. C. Secondary Audiences Receives message indirectly Colleagues in cc
Bosses
Employees
Assistants
Intermediaries

12. What do the audience know and expect?
Age
Ethnic Origin
Occupation
Gender
Source:
Culture
Education

13. 2. What do they know and expect?
Identify and define the jargon
Simplify the information

14. 2. What do they know and expect?
Deal with mix background needs.
Provide background material
Acknowledge the experts
Aim your message

15. 2. What do they know and expect?
Consider their format expectations
Timing
Visual
Formality

16. What do they know and expect?
Address second-language issues
Check use of idioms and metaphors.
Avoid sarcasm, humor.
Adjust delivery.

17. 3. What do they feel? What emotions do they feel?
How interested are they in your message?
What is their probable attittude?

18. 4. What will persuade the audience?
Persuade the audience with benefits
Persuade with credibility
Persuade with message structure

19. 4. What will persuade them?
Benefits
Tangible benefits
Career or task benefits
Ego benefits
Personality benefits
Group benefits
Consistency benefits

20. 4. What will persuade them?
Credibility
Shared values credibility and common ground
Goodwill credibility and reciprocity
Goodwill credibility and liking
Image credibility and emotionality
Rank and expertise credibility by association
Rank credibility and punishment

21. 4. What will persuade them?
Message structure
Opening and closing
The problem/solution structure
One-sided versus two-side structure
Pro/con versus con/pro
The inoculation technique
Ascending versus descending order
The “ask for less” technique
The “ask for more” technique

22. Message Strategy Harness the power of beginnings and endings.
Use direct approach.
Use indirect approach (delays your main point until the end).

23. Message Strategy
Overcome the retention dip in the middle.

24. Message Strategy Organize your message.
Organize the main ideas in the body of your message.

25. Message Stragegy
Connect through stories.

26. Channel Choice Is there an audience cultural preference?
How much audience interaction do you want?
Do you want to communicate nonverbally?
Do you want to control the timing of your message?
Do you want a permanent record?
How much detail do you want to communicate?
What are the risks?

27. Culture Strategy Time Fate Communication style Group or individual
Autocratic or democratic

28. Culture Strategy
Credibility
Audience selection
Persuasion

29. Culture Strategy
Gender-bias tendency
Message structure
Channel choice

30. Culture Strategy Nonverbal behavior Space and objects
Greetings and hospitality