1. PLANNING AND FORMATTING BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech Communication Skills

2. Planning Messages Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech Planning is a pre-requisite for getting things done. In business writing, careful planning and proper formatting are key to producing memos and letters that reflect positively on you and your company or organization. There are two things you need to do:- i. Determine your reader’s reaction ii. Improve the message content and presentation

3. DETERMINE YOUR READER’S REACTION Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech The first step in planning a message is to determine what your reader’s reaction will be to your message. Almost all reader’s reactions will fall into any one of these four categories:- i. Pleased Reaction ii. Neutral Reaction iii. Displeased Reaction iv. Little Or No Interest Reaction

4. Pleased or Neutral Reaction Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech If your reader will be pleased to get your message, or perhaps have a neutral reaction to it, you can go directly to the point i.e. the good news or information. In the direct approach:- i. You state the main point of the message straight away as you open your sentence. ii. Follow the opening statement with supporting information and then lastly; iii. Close with an upbeat ending.

5. Pleased or Neutral Reaction Summary Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech Direct Approach Good News Supporting Information Upbeat Ending

6. Displeased Reaction Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech If your reader will be displeased to get your message, or perhaps even hostile or unwilling, you can use indirect approach. In the indirect :- i. You use a buffer that presents background information. ii. Never start a message with bad news iii. Sandwich the bad news in the middle of the message

7. Displeased Reaction Approach Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech InDirect Approach Buffer Reasons/Explanation Bad News Buffer

8. Little or No Interest Reaction Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech If your recipient will receive little or no interest in your message, you must market the message you are selling the recipient. So you use the persuasive approach: i. Begin by getting the reader’s attention at once ii. After hooking the reader, encourage the reader iii. Then provide additional information and a closing argument.

9. Little or No Interest Approach Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech Persuasive Approach Attention getter Interest Desire Action

10. Improving the Message Content and Presentation Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech After determining your reader’s reaction, then you now need to plan how to leave a lasting impression on your reader. The approaches to achieve this purpose include:- i. Use the six Cs of Communication ii. Use special Formatting and Mechanical Techniques.

11. The six Cs of Communication Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech i. Be clear:- Give specific(unambiguous) information ii. Be complete:- include all pertinent information without omitting anything important. iii. Be concise:- Be brief and get to the point quickly. iv. Be consistent:- Apply the same treatment for similar items. v. Be correct:- Verify that the information is accurate. vi. Be courteous:- Use the you-attitude i.e. consider the reader’s view point always.

12. Special Formatting and Mechanical Techniques Amoud University Communication Skills Class Notes: Prepared by Edwin Omondi Okech i. Use enumeration to list all important items ii. Use bullets to emphasize several points when the sequence of the items is not important iii. Use bold, underline, italics, solid capitals or centring to emphasize important details. iv. Use columns with headings to make reading and understanding easier v. Use underlining or bold and heading to show natural breaks in a message. vi. Use colour-coding to attract attention