1. Business Communication Skills for Managers
Module 11: Communicating Different Messages

2. Informative Business Messages

3. What is an Informative Message?
Definition: the sharing of meaningful information between people in an unbiased and professional matter
Short or long, formal or casual, internal or external, direct or indirect
Promotes understanding, encourages action, stimulates thinking, or promotes ideas
In form of IMs, chats, s, presentations, memos, blogs, podcasts, press releases, reports
Guidelines: get to main point quickly, use greeting to identify audience, be clear and concise, check message for grammatical errors, include call to action

4. Short Information Messages
Variety of forms: ex. quick communication to a teammate can utilize IM technology and provide vehicle for quick response More conversational in structure and resemble chat (or Twitter) more than

5. Long Informative Messages
Context of message is key to success Delivery Methods
s are “default” delivery method
Blog can be used to inform about, promote, and build a brand
Presentations communicate large amounts of detailed information or graphics to convey complex ideas
Podcasts give businesses opportunity to engage in more casual conversation

6. Team-Focused Messages

7. What is a Team-Focused Message?
Benefits:
Increase in creativity due to sharing of ideas & experiences
Increase in productivity from collaborative and empowered teams
Teams promote wider sense of ownership
Teams encourage healthy risk-taking
Teams contribute to employee satisfaction
The key is how organizations can create the proper environment to foster team creation, collaboration, and growth

8. Short Team-Focused Message
Anything from status updates and meeting requests to appreciation or meet-up after work In form of , especially for quick file attachment sharing Great vehicle to keep members informed, projects moving, and achieve strong results

9. Long Team-Focused Message
Report, blog, podcast, or document could handle amount of information, but each have drawbacks Best way to send and manage could be to take advantage of collaboration software programs (Stride, Slack, Workplace)

10. Professional Criticism

11. Types of Criticism
Definition: “the act of expressing disapproval and of noting the problems or faults of a person or thing” Negative thoughts can be applied to actions of colleagues, customers, or vendors Direct vs. indirect, constructive style, or passive vs. active voice Goal is to improve behavior of behavioral results of a person while avoiding personal attacks and blaming

12. Criticism of Other Businesses
Guidelines:
Be professional
Use direct writing structure
Be clear and concise
Be fair and even
Full text and analysis available here:

13. Criticism of Customers
Indirect strategy would be best
Start with complementary language about how valued relationship is
Next, full explanation of facts of matter and any context should be given
Finally, criticism or critiques should be followed by warm closing

14. Criticism of Employees
What effective criticism should be:
Positively intended and appropriately motivated
Specific: exactly what behavior is to be considered
Objective: so recipient is willing to do something
Constructive: conscious avoiding personal attacks
Criticism must have aim of constructing, scaffolding, or improving situation Can fight ideas that keep people down with ideas that unlock new opportunities

15. Criticism of Collegues
Guidelines:
Direct comments at behavior, not person
Keep tone neutral and objective
Try to include positive behaviors as well as behavior to be improved
Suggest positive steps in resolving issue

16. Responding to Criticism

17. How Do You Respond to Criticism
Positive Responses: Gratitude, questions, restatements, solutions, happy, initiate, gratitude
Time: Listen and ask for time to think it over
Transparency: Open up, don’t push away, drop it and move on, ask for affirmation
Negative Responses: “It’s your fault”, making it personal, standing aloof, minimizing, arguing, feeling attacked, finger pointing, excuse making, denial, “I’ll never be good enough”
Delays growth
Destroys progress
Loses respect

18. Remaining Professional When You’re Frustrated
“Professional”: Possessing knowledge and expertise, being in a positive mood, meeting obligations on time, respecting those you interact with, having proper language, etc. Techniques to help deal with emotional reactions to negative situations at work
Acceptance: step back and acknowledge emotions
Displacement: change of scenery
Articulation: talk out emotions with source of issue
Improvement: understand source so it can be solved going forward

19. Short Responses to Criticism
7 tips for dealing with criticism on social media
Get listening
Should you respond?
Don’t let negative comments linger
Always acknowledge, never deny
How to apologize
Take conversation offline
The bottom line

20. Long Responses to Criticism
Keep emotions under control and be professional and grateful no matter how you feel about criticism Guidelines for those on receiving end of criticism:
Solicit all of the facts, don’t be afraid to ask for details
Acknowledge what is stated and paraphrase
Agree if criticism is true, apologize if necessary
Disagree if criticism is not accurate; be respectful
Think about finding compromise position to alleviate concerns

21. Quick Review
Informative message is simply sharing of meaningful information between people in unbiased and professional manner
Guidelines: get to main idea quickly, use greeting, be clear and concise, check messages for grammar errors, include call to action
Short, informative messages use IM and Twitter, longer messages use , blog presentation, podcasts
Team-focused communication is important
Critical messages make up large segment of business communication (active vs. passive voice)
Reponses to criticism: stay professional