Planning for Success: Good and Bad News

1. Planning for Success: Good and Bad News Isobel M. Findlay BsCom 100 Lecture Week 5

2. Objectives • define the phases of the writing process • explain general and specific purpose and core idea • explain value/elements of audience analysis • explain forms of organization • describe elements of effective good /bad news messages • list functions of document design • explain importance of editing, revising, checklists

3. Planning for Success • Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.—Martin H. Fisher (CBC 108) • I would have written you a short letter, but I didn’t have the time.—Winston Churchill (qtd. in Guffey 160)

4. Planning for Success CBC 102-89 • planning • researching • organizing • composing • designing • revising

5. Writing Planning/Process Testing readability Revising Editing Proof- reading Research Channel Purpose— General Specific Core idea Organizing Drafting Designing Audience Analysis Matching audience and writer needs

6. Audience Analysis CBC 111-14 • identify primary and secondary audience--age, interests, occupation, education, status • identify other stakeholders • assess audience knowledge, needs, response—receptive, skeptical, hostile • assess importance, timing, nature of response • assess constraints—legal, time, etc. • identify reader benefits • put self in reader’s shoes (diversity) • ask questions reader might ask

7. ResearchingCBC 105, 114-15, 223, 307-17, 579-87 Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.—Zora Neale Hurston

8. Informal Internal Research CBC 310 • consult files and colleagues • review examples • brainstorm and outline • Formal Research and Documentation—see Lecture Week 3

9. Organizing CBC 105, 128-32 • determines the order of ideas, what is included and highlighted, and logical connections among ideas • is determined by • occasion, objectives • audiences, formats • begins with mindmapping, clustering • groups similar ideas and clarifies patterns • creates relationships • controls use, access, response, action

10. Composing CBC 105, 144-49 • follows outline/guideline to produce first draft • means filling pages • involves rewarding selves • Second draft • refines beginning, middle, and end • involves choices about language and tone • involves choices about integrating evidence

11. Designing CBC 105, 144-49 • makes information accessible & useful • clarifies organization • creates hierarchies • uses paragraphs, headings, enhanced text, lists, • creates success

12. Revision: Business Standards • Writing without revision is like getting dressed without looking in the mirror. —Joanne Buckley • In a typical business organization, the average draft goes through five revisions before it is finally approved. —Thill, Bovée, and Cross

13. Constructive Feedback • keep focus on outcome (effective document) • focus on document purpose, audience, content, and clarity • be critical and constructive • be specific about what needs adding/deleting • write examples of changes to help writer • avoid judgmental language • use checklists to keep advice impersonal • encourage writer to see feedback as a necessary part of the process of writing • encourage questions about/ restatements of feedback • consider time demands and effect on morale

14. Constructive Feedback? • Your proposal opening is much too tentative. If you cannot grab the reader’s attention at the beginning, you might as well forget the rest. • I particularly like how you elaborate the solution to the problem in the middle of the proposal, although you might consider beginning with some of your most striking data to engage the reader more thoroughly.

15. Revising: A Checklist Open-minded, critical, disciplined • Clear opening, middle, and conclusion • appropriate language, tone, organization • key terms/contexts defined • sentences/paragraphs short and varied • you-centred approach • overgeneralizations modified • evidence relevant, valid, current, sufficient, varied, integrated, analyzed, documented • transitions effective (read topic sentences) • conclusions consistent with data • punctuation, grammar, spellings • names, numbers, facts • design consistency

16. Why Organize? If the writer doesn’t start with the bottom line, we--as readers--do. We make the bottom line the top line by skipping ahead. We take charge of the organization because the writer didn’t. --Edward P. Bailey (CBC 133)

17. Organizing effectively • announce purpose clearly • give context and define terms • offer conceptual map/forecasting • ensure global and local coherence • effect smooth transitions • conclude with summary that invites agreement, action, response and maintains goodwill

18. How to Organize? CBC 128-37 • direct/indirect • deductive/inductive • problem/solution • cause/effect • climactic order • chronological order

19. How to Organize Resistant audience Receptive audience INDIRECT DIRECT Buffer—compliment, benefit, background Reasons—facts, details, testimonials, credibility bad news Future action, benefits, deadline, goodwill main idea details action, deadline, goodwill

20. Good news CBC 213-42 • direct organization • clear, informative, positive • opening reasons, middle detail, end action • letters of request, credit, adjustment letter • follow-up, transmittal letters/ memos • positive personnel, invitation thank-yous • greetings, congratulations, sympathy • messages to intimates, equals

21. MemoTo: T. LeaderFrom: A. StudentDate: 15 January 2003Subject: Effective Communications Effectivecommunications is a critical tool when you are writing reports. In the future employees will require effective communications skills for even the most routine of business responsibilities. Since communication is required at all levels of an organization, good communications skills are an asset. However, communications is also a matter of building or maintaining external relations with clients, customers, and suppliers. We communicate not only verbally but also via communication technology which overcomes geographic boundaries and allows suppliers to communicate with customers across the world. If telecommunications can prove costly and inefficient, electronic communication offers a less costly and more efficient channel.

22. “Effective communications means effective businesses” ( Findlay). In problem-solving, policy development, and strategic planning, effective business reports are invaluable. Produced individually or collaboratively for internal or external audiences, successful reports depend on effective communications: planning and research, tactful implementation, and careful revising and proofreading. • Planning and Research • Planning , the first stage of the writing process, importantly clarifies: • document purpose • audience knowledge, needs, possible responses • action and outline to meet objectives • Primary and secondary research adds to the authority of the report, while testing “the validity of the core idea and direct[ing] revision to reflect new information” (Boone et al 122). • Revising and Proofreading • Since “effective writing is effective revision” (BsCom 100 Home Page), revising and proofreading are critical to report credibility and success. These final stages change organization, argument, and wording to meet document purposes and audience needs, while ensuring report accuracy, reliability, clarity, and cogency. • Though it may be tempting to omit planning and research in report writing, BsCom 100 makes clear the investment of time and energy yields significant returns and helps the report effectively shape business and individual futures. To ignore planning, researching, and revising is to reduce productivity, increase costs, and weaken business relationships.

23. Works Cited Boone, Louis E., et al. Contemporary Business Communication. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall, 1999. BsCom 100.3 Home Page. 1999. Isobel M. Findlay, Department of Management and Marketing, College of Commerce, University of Saskatchewan. 2 February 2003. Available <http://www.commerce.usask.ca/classes/bscom100/> Findlay, Isobel. “Team Research, Writing, and Presenting.” Business Communication, University of Saskatchewan, 24 January 2003.

24. Bad News CBC 156, 243-68 • indirect organization (buffer, diplomacy) • reasons decisions • avoid misconstruction/extra messages • avoid promises/legal liabilities • promote credibility/reputation • no negative, judgmental, forceful words • impersonal tone, passives, chronology, subordination • Collections--reminder, inquiry, aggressive, last-resort CBC 289-91 • 3 specifics--amount owed, time, action

25. Bad News CBC 249-51 • Direct approach for : • supervisees, co-workers, client friends • policy memos • bottom-line clients • clients company wants to discontinue

26. Bad News Made Palatable? Dear Ms. Smith: The position for which you interviewed has been filled. We were very impressed with your qualifications, but we have appointed another candidate. I hope you will stay in touch. Sincerely, Terse A. Timid

27. Bad News Made Palatable I very much enjoyed our talk about your training in communications. You already have impressive credentials on which you will undoubtedly build. While the company is unable to offer you a position at this time, a similar opportunity is likely to become available within the next eighteen months. I hope you will stay in touch so that we can discuss possibilities. We appreciate your interest in Impact Communications. Sincerely,

28. Revise for Positive Message Guffey et al, 2001 • Although you apparently failed to read the operator’s manual, we are in any case sending you a replacement blade for your food processor. Next time read page 18 carefully because you should have known how to attach the blade. • We are sending you a replacement blade for your food processor. Please read page 18 of your operator’s manual on how to attach the blade for best performance.

29. Revise for Positive Message Guffey et al, 2001 • We cannot process your application because you failed to include your social insurance number. • As soon as we receive your social insurance number, we’ll be glad to process your application.

30. Revise for Positive Message Guffey et al, 2001 • Customers are ineligible for the 10 percent discount unless they show their membership cards. • Customers showing their membership cards are eligible for a ten percent discount.

31. Effective memo?To: All personalSubject: meetings Effective immediately meetings will will commence this Wednesday and continue forthwith until instructions are received otherwise. All members of staff will be involved. This is to ensure we build team unity so that we are all on the same page. Each member of the team will focus on his contribution. Thank-you for your attention to this.

32. Effective Policy Memo? It has come to my attention that there are visitors to the Company that are showing themselves to where ever it is they are going. It is very important that all visitors check in with either the 8th Floor receptionist or the 9th Floor receptionist. The receptionist will contact the employee that the visitor is here to see, and the employee will have to go to the recption area to escort their visitor. There should be no unescorted visitors walking through the Company. It is asked that you instruct any visitors that you are expecting to check in with the receptionist, and that you escort your visitor back to your work area from the reception area once you are called. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contactme at ext. 5405.

33. Effective Policy Memo? • To protect the confidentiality of our clients and the security of company records as well as the safety of all staff, please follow these procedures to handle visits to the main office: • Employees advise visitors to report to the receptionist • on the floor on which they work. • The receptionist informs the employee when the visitor arrives. • The employee escorts the visitor to and from the reception and meeting area. • Thank you for your cooperation in maintaining the high level of professionalism in our office. If you have any questions, please contact me at Extension 5405.

34. Guard against Negative Subtexts • you overlooked: you are stupid • you forgot: you are careless too • you suggest that: you are lying

35. Conclusions—or How NOT to Get your Message Across • omit research and planning • focus on your own needs • choose an inappropriate channel • ignore design features • fail to support claims with specific evidence • choose inappropriate organizational strategy • begin and end weakly • get the reader’s name wrong • insult, order, or blame the reader • use vague, ambiguous, or inaccurate terms • fail to revise, edit, and proofread