Chapter 1

2. Chapter 1 Business Communication, Management & Success • Types • Reasons/Purposes • Audiences • Benefits & Costs • Criteria • Goodwill • Trends • Conventions • Analysis • Problem Solving

3. Types of Communication • Verbal • Face-to-face • Phone conversations • Informal meetings • Presentations • E-mail messages • Letters • Nonverbal • Computer graphics • Company logos • Smiles • Size of an office • Location of people at meetings

4. Reasons Managers Communicate • To convey information • To aid decision-making • To create records • To motivate employees • To save money • To send effective messages Good writer$ earn more Good communicators make good managers

5. Communication Purposes • All business communication has three basic purposes • To inform (explain) • To request or persuade (urge action) • To build goodwill (make good image) • Most messages have more than one purpose

6. Audiences • Internal • Go to people inside organization • Memo to subordinates, superiors, peers • External • Go to people outside organization • Letter to customers, suppliers, others

7. President VP Production VP Marketing VP Sales VP Finance VP Human Resources Sales manager East Sales manager Midwest Sales manager West Sales manager Int’l. District 1 manager District 2 manager District 3 manager Sales rep Sales rep Sales rep Sales rep Sales rep Internal Audiences of Sales Manager – West To superiors To peers To subordinates

8. Unions Subsidiaries Professional services Customers Clients Suppliers Stockholders Investors Lenders Organization Employment agencies General public Potential employees, stockholders, customers Courts Special interest groups Foreign governments and offices Media Organization’s External Audiences Distributors Wholesalers Franchisees Retailers Agents Legislators Gov. Competitors Trade assns.

9. Benefits & Costs • Effective writing • Saves time • Increases one’s productivity • Communicates points more clearly • Builds goodwill • Poor writing • Wastes time • Wastes effort • Loses goodwill Stiff, legal language Selfish tone Buried main point Vague requests Misused words

10. Criteria for Effective Messages • Clear • Complete • Correct • Saves receiver’s time • Builds goodwill

11. Goodwill = Positive Image • A goodwill message— • Presents positive image of communicator and their organization • Treats audience as a person, not a number • Cements good relationship between audience and communicator 432

12. 10 Business Trends • Technology • Focus on quality, customers’ needs • Entrepreneurship • Teamwork • Diversity

13. 10 Business Trends, continued… • Globalization and outsourcing • Legal and ethical concerns • Balancing work and family • Job Flexibility • Rapid rate of change

14. Conventions • Conventions—widely accepted practices you routinely encounter • Vary by organizational setting • Help people recognize, produce, and interpret communications • Need to fit rhetorical situation: audience, context, and purpose

15. Analyze Situations: Ask Questions • What’s at stake—to whom? • Should you send a message? • What channel should you use? • What should you say? • How should you say it?

16. Solving Business Communication Problems • Gather knowledge • Answer six analysis questions • Brainstorm solutions • Organize information to fit • Audiences • Purposes • Situation • Make document look inviting

17. Solving Business Communication Problems, continued… • Revise draft for tone • Friendly • Businesslike • Positive • Edit draft for standard English Names Numbers • Use replies to plan future messages

18. Six Analysis Questions • Who are your audiences? • What are relevant characteristics? • How do listeners / readers differ? • What are your purposes? • What must the message do? • What must audience know, think, or do?

19. Six Analysis Questions, continued… • What information must you include? • List all required points • De-emphasize or emphasize properly • To de-emphasize • Bury in ¶ and message • Write / speak concisely • To emphasize • Place first or last in ¶ and message • Add descriptive details

20. Six Analysis Questions, continued… • How can you support your position? • Reasons for your decision • Logic behind your argument • Benefits adapted to the audience

21. Six Analysis Questions, continued… • What audience objections do you expect? • Plan to overcome if possible • De-emphasize negative information • What part of context may affect audience reaction? • Time of year • Morale in organization • Relationship between audience and communicator

22. Organize to Fit Audience, Purpose, Situation • Put good news first • Put the main point/question first • Persuade a reluctant audience by delaying the main point/question

23. Make Message Look Inviting • Use subject line to orient reader • Use headings to group related ideas • Use lists for emphasis • Number items if order matters • Use short paragraphs—six lines max.

24. Create Positive Style • Emphasize positive information • Give it more space • Use indented list to set it off • Omit negative words, if you can • Focus on possibilities, not limitations

25. Edit Your Draft • Double-check these details   • Reader’s name • Any numbers • First and last ¶ •  Spelling, grammar, punctuation • Always proofread before sending

26. Use Response to Plan Next Message • Evaluate feedback you get • If message fails, find out why • If message succeeds, find out why • Success = results you want, when you want them