Professional Written Communications

1. Professional Written Communications Unit 6: Career Development Lesson: CD2

2. Objectives Lesson Objective: • After completing the lesson on professional written communications, students will demonstrate their ability to apply the concept in real-world situations by obtaining a minimum score of 80% on a Professional Written Communication Etiquette Manual. Enabling Objectives: • Examine how the use of written communication can contribute to an agribusiness’s success or be detrimental if used unprofessionally. • Differentiate between successful social and professional communication and craft a professional email. • Examine how social media can be used effectively and ineffectively for business purposes.

3. Key Terms • Professional Communication • Social Communication

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5. Written Communication in Agribusinesses

6. Written Communication in Agribusinesses

7. Communication

8. A basketball game got rescheduled for this coming Friday night. You were supposed to work until 9 that night and then go to a movie with a friend. It’s an away game, so there’s no way you’re going to make either one. • How will you tell your • 1) friend • 2) boss

9. Your family was planning to take a week-long vacation next month to the Lake of the Ozarks. Your dad, however, was just in a farm accident and punctured a lung and broke a leg. No more family vacation for you. Instead, you would like to use the time to make some money working and maybe plan a special one day trip with a friend somewhere close by. • How will you let your • 1) friend • 2) boss know you’re available that week?

10. You run a lawn mowing business in the summer. You mow for a buddy of yours once a week and then a bunch of other customers in the area. Your mower just broke, and it’s going to take at least a couple days to fix it. • How will you tell • 1) your buddy • 2) a client who are both expecting their lawns to be mowed tomorrow that you won’t make it there until the following day?

11. Composing a Professional Email • Consider the audience • What’s your relationship with the audience? • What do you want the audience to think or assume about you? • Subject lines • Like newspaper headlines • Convey main point of email • Greetings and Sign-off • Polite greeting and signature • If unsure of how to address someone, do so more formally as not to offend him/her • CC: and BCC: • Can hide recipients • Can allow exact email to be sent to supervisor • The message • Decide purpose and expected outcome before drafting email • Organize thoughts so message is clear • Reflect on the tone that may be presented in message • Strive for clarity in message • Format for easy reading • Proofread

12. Social Media – The Good and the Bad • Read the assigned articles listed below • How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media • http://www.intuit.com/websites/small-business-social-media-infographic/ • Social Media at Work: Tips for Employers and Employees • http://www.agcareers.com/newsletters/Tipsforemployeesandemployers.htm • Four Things That Can Prevent You From Getting a Job • http://www.agcareers.com/newsletters/FourThings_GettingAJob.htm • Five Reasons You Should Be Connecting With AgCareers.com On Social Media • http://www.agcareers.com/newsletters/5Reasonstointeractwithagcareers.htm • Social Media in the Workplace • http://journalistsresource.org/studies/economics/jobs/social-media-workplace-research-roundup# • Cut out sections of the articles and place on a sheet of 11x17” paper • Add an icon to represent a key message from each section • Place sheets together to form a collage/bulletin board about the use of social media

13. Conclusion • Effective written communication can have a large impact on the sales process. Several forms of written communication can be used by salespeople, and each sales arena will utilize them differently. The salesperson needs to be familiar with them all so that he/she will be comfortable using them. • Written communication can also be seen in the use of social media. Social media, if used correctly, can be an efficient tool for a business. However, if used inappropriately, it can be detrimental to a business, an owner, or an employee.

14. Exit Cards • What did you learn today about professional written communications? • What questions do you still have about professional written communications?