Welcome

Ron Marks

7/27/2014

ORG 536

BEST PRACTICES IN

BUSINESS WRITING &

COMMUNICATION

“The qualityof your

communicationis the quality

of your life.”-Anthony Robbins

Retrieved from http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/anthony-robbins-quotes/

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

Effective and ethical business Communication

Professionalism in the workplace

Intercultural business communication

Writing tips for the business professional

Electronic messages and digital media

Presenting positive and negative messages

Business presentations

Business reports, plans and proposals

“Communication is the transmission of

information and meaning from one individual or

group to another.”

EFFECTIVE & ETHICAL BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

Figure 1. Communication. Retrieved from http://itsmyideas.com/wp-

content/uploads/2013/04/best-communication-skills.jpg

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p.13)

The message itself

Intent of the message

‒Building relationships

‒Clarifying a message

Mode of communication

‒The right mode = the right situation

Effective & Ethical Business

Communication

Figure 2. Images of communication. (Purdy, 1999). Retrieved from

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf99128/start.htm(Bacal, 2014)

Sender and receiver

Noise = break in communication

Tone of communication

Accuracy of the message

Maintaining standard and consistent values

Consider extent of information to share

Effective & Ethical Business Communication

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Key dynamics in business communication:

Ah…now I

understand…

Figure 3. Image of Communication pathways. (Spiglanin, 2012). Retrieved from

http://tom.johnandrewrankin.com/2012/03/knowledge-has-to-be-shared-to-have-value

Effective & Ethical Business Communication

Defined by US Department of labor, professionalism means:

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE WORKPLACE

“communicating effectively

and appropriately and

always finding a way to be

productive.” ("Professionalism," 2014)

Business writing and communication

requires professionalism (Or v i , 2014) .

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE WORKPLACE

Figure 4. Professional vs. non-professional. Retrieved from http://www.top5percentincome.com/no-

professionalism-no-promotion

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE WORKPLACE

Responsible

Ethical

Team Oriented

Strong

Communication

skills

Problem solver

Characteristics of professionalism

("Professionalism," 2014)

INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

(Cañas & Sondak, 2014)

A. Cultural sensitivity

B. Cultural understanding

C. Respect for all cultures

D. Cultural communication

Today’s global business environment

must include:Japan = $

USA = OK

Russia = Zero

Brazil = Insult

Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/124763486/CROSS-

CULTURE-COMMUNICATION-MANAGEMENT---PowerPoint

INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

Figure 5. Cultural greetings. Retrieved from http://beaconnews.ca/calgary/2011/11/how-culture-controls-

communication/

(Kinsey Goman, 2011)

“

“

WRITING TIPS FOR THE BUSINESS

PROFESSIONAL

Figure 6. Better Business Writing. Retrieved from http://terristurner.com/business-writing/7cs-of-better-business-writing.html

Technology transformed the way businesses

communicate

‒Created greater accessibility

‒Faster communication

COMMUNICATING THROUGH

ELECTRONIC AND DIGITAL MEDIA

(Acevedo, 2014)

TECHNOLOGY MADE THE WORLD

SMALLER AND ACCESSIBLE

Types of modern business

communication media

Smartphones/PDAs

Social networking

media/sites

Electronic messages (Email)

Video Conference

World Wide Web

DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION

(Burbary & Herman, 2013)

Rules when using Email

Be clear, concise, and

accurate

Maintain courteous and

ethical standards

Consider minimizing

sensitive information

Use proper Email etiquette

USING EMAILS FOR BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

(Microsoft, 2014)

Positive messages

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MESSAGES

Are easier to write

Be courteous, precise

Start with the main

idea

Consider your target

audience

Consider cultural and

ethical issues(Tulsaccprof, 2014)

(Tulsaccprof, 2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watc

h?v=152hRhl_x60

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MESSAGES

Negative messages

More challenging to write

Nobody likes to hear “NO”

Consider cultural and

ethical issues

Direct or indirect approach

can be used

Direct approach requires

firmness

(WillozConsulting, 2014)

(WillozConsulting, 2014)(WillozConsulting, 2014)

(WillozConsulting, 2014)(WillozConsulting, 2014)

(WillozConsultnig, 2014)

https://www.youtube.com

/watch?v=f8Gs4rGAFKA

Negative messages

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MESSAGES

DO

Show empathy

Provide reason

Buffer opening

DO NOT

Use negative words

Digress from topic

(WritingCommons, 2014)

1. Establish credibility

2. Set goals

3. Use supporting material

4. Begin with powerful

quotations or images

5. Ask thought-provoking

questions

6. Use attention grabbers

BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS

(Theriault, 2013)

1. Establish credibility

2. Set goals

3. Use supporting material

4. Ask thought-provoking

questions

5. Begin with powerful quotations

or images

(Theriault, 2013)

Figure 7. Presentation. Retrieved from

http://www.spearhead-training.co.uk/sales/sales-

presentation-skills.php

BUSINESS REPORTS, PLANS AND

PROPOSALS

Informal reports

Formal reports

(Kokemuller, 2014)

Used to share and

exchange information

Questions?

References

Acevedo, L. (2014). The advantages of email in business communication. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-

email-business-communication-122.html

Bacal, R. (2014). What are communication channels and why are they important?. Retrieved from

http://work911.com/communication/channels.htm

Burbary, K., & Herman, C. (2013). Understanding the digital media landscape. Retrieved from

http://www.quepublishing.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2040823

Cañas, K. A., & Sondak, H. (2014). Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity: Theory, cases, and exercises (3rd ed.). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Coster, H. (2010, May 3). Ten tips for better business writing. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/03/better-business-writing-

leadership-careers-tips.html

Guffey, M. & Loewy, D. (2011). Business Communication: Process and Product (7th Ed.) Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.

Kinsey Goman, C. (2011, November 29). How culture controls communication. Retrieved from

http://beaconnews.ca/calgary/2011/11/how-culture-controls-communication/

Kokemuller, N. (2014). What is the difference between an informal & formal organization?. Houston Chronicle, Retrieved from

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-informal-formal-organization-18282.html

Martins, A. (2014). 101 Anthony Robbins quotes that will motivate the hell out of you. Retrieved from

http://www.mytopbusinessideas.com/anthony-robbins-quotes/

References cont.

Microsoft. (2014). 12 tips for better e-mail etiquette. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/12-tips-for-better-e-

mail-etiquette-HA001205410.aspx

Orvi. (2014, March 14). Professionalism leads to promotion [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.top5percentincome.com/no-

professionalism-no-promotion

Professionalism. (2014). Retrieved from www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/professionalism.pdf

Purdy, M. (1999, September). Communication . Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf99128/start.htm

Spiglanin, T. (2012, March 27). “Knowledge has to be shared to have value.” [Web log message]. Retrieved from

http://tom.johnandrewrankin.com/2012/03/knowledge-has-to-be-shared-to-have-value/

Theriault, M. (2013, November 4). 9 tips for more powerful business presentations. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2013/11/04/9-tips-for-more-powerful-business-presentations/

Tulsaccprof. (2014). Writing an effective good-news message [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=152hRhl_x60

Turner, T. (2014). 7 Cs of better business writing [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://terristurner.com/business-writing/7cs-of-better-

business-writing.html

WillozConsulting. (2014). How to deliver bad or negative news to a direct report [Web]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Gs4rGAFKA

WritingCommons. (2014). Delivering a negative news message. Retrieved from http://writingcommons.org/open-text/genres/business-

professional-writing/business-writing-in-action/negative-news-crisis-communication/826-delivering-a-negative-news-message