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Org 536 Business Writing and Communication PP
1. Best Practices
Presented By:
Sonjia Richey
ORG 536-1
Contemporary
Business Writing
and
Communication
March 10, 2014
Dr. Brian Neff
BUSINESS WRITING AND
COMMUNICATION
Source: www.citynetevents.com
2. PRESENTATION INFORMATION
Please silence all cellphones
Handouts
Presentation information
Time
Usefulness
Updates (if any)
3. Effective and ethical business communication
Professionalism in the workplace
Intercultural business communication
Writing tips for the business professional
The use of electronic messages and digital media for
business communication
Positive and negative messages
Business presentations
Business reports, plans and proposals
TOPICS TO BE COVERED
5. “Communication is the act or process of using words, sounds,
signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to
express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to an individual or
group” (communication, 2014)
For communication to be successful, the receiver must
understand the message as the sender intended it
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION
7. Ethics
should be:
Clear
Communicated
Covered
ETHICS IN THE WORKPLACE
Source: http://soniajaspal.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/ethics.png
8. “a form of communication that aims to share information
across different cultures and social groups (intercultural
communication, n.d.)”
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Source: http://www.stanford.edu/group/ccr/blog/7.jpg
9. COMMUNICATION CHANNELS IN THE
WORKPLACE
Source: http://images.flatworldknowledge.com/collins/collins-fig08_009.jpg
10. Cultural
Barriers resulting from
differences among people
of different cultures
Functional
Barriers resulting from
communication between
different divisions within
the company
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
Image source: http://images.flatworldknowledge.com/collins/collins-fig08_011.jpg
Image source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk-
21mEGhXI/T1gE5qPkf1I/AAAAAAAAADA/_pBnSHKTEa8/s1600/cult+barr.jpg
12. Writing needs to purposeful, persuasive, economical,
and oriented toward the audience
3 X 3 Writing Process
Prewriting
Writing
revising
THE WRITING PROCESS
Source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/90784020/Mary-Ellen-Guffey_-Essentials-of-Business-Communication_4_
13. The initial task of the first stage in writing is to conduct an
audience analysis.
Who is the audience for the message?
Who are the readers of your writing?
How will the audience react?
What do they already know?
Choose Topic
Brainstorming
Mind mapping
Cluster
List
Narrow Topic
PREWRITING
Source:
Downhttps://mytutor.sfasu.edu:8080/owl/sites/default/files/imagepicker/3/clustering02.png
20. BUSINESS PRESENTATION
Prepare
Practice
Present
• Determine Purpose
• Analyze Audience
• Select Delivery Method
• Mock Audience
• Know Material
• Provide Handouts
• Give time for Q&A
Definition: “a talk to a group in which information about a new product, plan, etc. is
presented”
21. Purpose
Report
Explain
Persuade
Motivate
Tips
Establish credibility up front
Provide a Goal
Use supporting Material
Use Quotes/images to make a point
Ask questions
Use odd facts
Be prepared for difficult questions and have back-up questions in
case
BUSINESS PRESENTATION
22. Formal
upper management or
circulated outside your
organization
Informal
internally and will go to
other members of the
department and
department heads
BUSINESS REPORT
23. formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons they
are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals.
Components
Executive Summary (Mission and/or vision statement)
Company Description
Product and Service Description
Market Analysis
Strategy and Implementation
Organization and Management Summary
Financial Plan
Appendix
BUSINESS PLAN
24. Written request to engage in business with another company
(Belt, 2010)
Components
Current situation
Proposed Methodology
Time and Cost
Qualifications
Benefits
BUSINESS PROPOSAL
26. Anthony, L. (n.d.). About communication & ethical issues in business. Houston Chronicle
[Houston]. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/communication -ethical-issues-
business-4886.html
Belt, S. (2010, June 25). What is a business proposal? An overview for small businesses - Yahoo
Voices - voices.yahoo.com. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/what-business-
proposal-overview -small-6255422.html
Chapter 1: Ef fective and ethical communication at work. ( n.d.). Retrieved May 1 , 2014, from
http://classroom.sdmesa.edu/sspangler/Lectures/Chap%201%20 -%20Rev%201.pdf
Business plan. (2014, May 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:03, May 9, 2014,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Business_plan&oldid=607658373
Clayton, S. (1996, January 31). 7 steps to a winning business proposal. Entrepreneur. Retrieved
from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/21834 #
Guf fey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business communication: Process and product (7th ed.).
Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.
How to Write a Business Plan. ( n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation -
structure/starting- managing-business/starting-business/thinking-about-starting
REFERENCES
27. Hull, P. (2013, February 21). 10 essential business plan components. Forbes. Retrieved
from http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickhull/2013/02/21/10 -essential-
business-plan-components/
Intercultural communication. (2014, May 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved 17:00, May 9, 2014, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intercultural_communication&oldi
d=607275947
Newman, A., & Ober, S. (2012). Business communication: In print, in person, online (8th
ed.). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishers.
Patil, R. (n.d.). 3x3 Writing Process [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/122275637/3x3 -Writing-Process
Presentation. (2014). In Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus. Retrieved
May 2014, from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/business -
english/presentation
Theriault, M. (2013, November 4). 9 tips for more powerful business presentations.
Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2013/11/04/9 -
tips-for-more-powerful-business-presentations/
REFERENCES
Notes de l'éditeur
Introduce yourselfRemind the audience the following things:Turn off cellphonesHandouts have been provided and a copy of this presentation will be available on the internet. A link is provided at the end of the handout. Presentation will be 15-20 minutes and hopefully will give some insight into writing and communicating in business. Depending on who I present to there are sometimes changes I like to give up front in case someone has already seen this
Just read them since you’ll be explaining each one in detailPresentation is broken down into 3 parts: CommunicationWritingTools
Make sure to start with a joke about communication:A man comes home from the office and tells his wife he had a frustrating day at work."Ahhhhh, tell me all about your day honey," his wife says.The husband looks at her and says, "Well.. I just did.“Now what do you think the woman was expecting? Of course she thought there would be more to the story. Communication is a funny thing. Communication is the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to an individual or group. Do you think we always provide the best communication? What about when you’re in a rush, not sure what you’re needing, or just can’t get the words out?For communication to be successful, the receiver must understand the message as the sender intended itHave the class draw a picture from your instructions. Explain to them they only have 5 questions totalReference: http://www.cleanjoke.com/humor/Communication.html
Do you ever feel you are just talking and no one is getting it.Consider your audience when you talk. Make sure to keep them engaged. Looking at the slide, this is how it’s processed
Clear:Communicated:Clear:
Just read the slide since you’ll provide more information on the next one. If you want to engage the audience and ask them what they think this is that’s fine.Consider the audience
Now the previous slide was how a typical face-to-face communication might go but consider all the ways you communicate on a daily basis at work. SN: Ask the audience to provide types: write them down on the boardExactly you might IM, email, text, phone call, or even video chat. In doing these forms, you really don’t know the mood of the receiving person (except if you are video chatting then you might be able to see clues) so you have to make sure that the communication channel used is clear and concise. Knowing your audience is important to the success of any form of communication
Cultural Barriers: Barriers resulting from differences among people of different culturesDo not read this word for wordEffective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking--ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. Thus the same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they talk the "same" language. When the languages are different, and translation has to be used to communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases.Stella Ting-Toomey describes three ways in which culture interferes with effective cross-cultural understanding. First is what she calls "cognitive constraints." These are the frames of reference or world views that provide a backdrop that all new information is compared to or inserted into.Second are "behavior constraints." Each culture has its own rules about proper behavior which affect verbal and nonverbal communication. Whether one looks the other person in the eye-or not; whether one says what one means overtly or talks around the issue; how close the people stand to each other when they are talking--all of these and many more are rules of politeness which differ from culture to culture.Ting-Toomey's third factor is "emotional constraints." Different cultures regulate the display of emotion differently. Some cultures get very emotional when they are debating an issue. They yell, they cry, they exhibit their anger, fear, frustration, and other feelings openly. Other cultures try to keep their emotions hidden, exhibiting or sharing only the "rational" or factual aspects of the situation.All of these differences tend to lead to communication problems. If the people involved are not aware of the potential for such problems, they are even more likely to fall victim to them, although it takes more than awareness to overcome these problems and communicate effectively across cultures.http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/cultrbar.htmFunctional Barriers: Barriers resulting from communication between different divisions within the company
Research: This stage allows the writer to gather any information, data, and facts that are needed to write the message. Research can involved search engines, books, personal surveys and interviews, among other methods.Organize: Use diagrams and outlines to help group similar ideas together and narrow the focus of the message. A good rule of thumb is to combine information into groups of three to five categories which will ultimately become the main ideas or headings of the message. Compose: First drafts are often written quickly and are in no way perfect, but they serve as a way to initially lay thoughts down on paper for future refinement.http://www.scribd.com/doc/122275637/3x3-Writing-Process
Content: When you review your draft for content, ensure that all needed information is included in your draft, but be sure only needed information is included. Too much information may cloud your purpose, and the message may be unclear to the reader. Remember, the goal is for you to create the best possible message, therefore it might mean making significant changes, if warranted, to your draft. Style: It is important, also, that you revise for style. Your writing must have a rhythm and a flow. Look for those long sentences. Read them aloud. It may be that they are too long and no longer convey the message that you originally intended.Correctness: Remember to revise for correctness; that is called proofreading or editing. It is critical that you identify word usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Without a doubt, your computer’s spell and grammar checker can be a valuable tool, but they are not always reliable. Be sure to have other strategies in place to find such errors in your paper. It is your responsibility.
Most business presentations have four purposes: to report, to explain, to persuade or to motivate (Newman & Ober, 2012).1. Establish Your Credibility Right Up Frontstart your presentation by establishing credibility before you give them information.You can use a short story about your background related to the topic, share an experience that shaped the presentation or conclusion, or even reveal the legwork or other references that support your information and is directly related to what you are about to tell them.Make a point about establishing credibility — don’t just hope it happens.2. Include a Goal Early in the PresentationIf your audience knows the purpose or goal of the presentation from the start, they are more likely to relate what you have to say with that purpose as you present your material. This makes it easier at the end to get the action you want, whether it’s funding, approval to proceed with an initiative, to change their minds, or simply get agreement and understanding.It will also help you shape your presentation by focusing you on that goal rather than straying from the primary purpose.3. Use Supporting Material LiberallyEven if you establish your credibility, you also need to establish the credibility of what you say during your presentation. Instead of just presenting the material, accompany it with information that supports it and gives it credibility. You don’t have to include it in your slides, but make sure it is in your speaking notes.For instance, you can tell a story, give statistics, reference research, or even provide quotes from well-respected figures that support your message.And don’t be shy about addressing credibility. You can even say “you may be sceptical about this, but …” or “I know this is surprising, but …”4. Begin Separate Ideas with Powerful Quotations or ImagesFor more impact, introduce each separate topic or idea with a relevant quotation or full-screen image that evokes the topic instead of using a stock title slide. Add a word or two about the topic if you have to, or simply say it out loud and let the quote or image support it.5. Ask Thought-Provoking or Rhetorical Questions6. Give odd facts7. Be Prepared for Difficult QuestionsConsider all the objections the audience might have or questions they may raise about your points and information. Include the most critical ones within your presentation to sideline objections, or be prepared to answer them when they come up.This can be as simple as being able to justify statements or address concerns about an approach from subject matter experts like finance, IT, HR, etc., who may be part of your audience.8. Have Your Own Questions Ready in Case Nobody Asks OneRegardless of whether you are doing a public presentation or a focused business presentation, you should leave time for questions and answers at the end. If nobody asks a question, be prepared with your own questions that you can then answer. Ease into them by saying something like “I’m usually asked…” or “One thing you might still be wondering about is …”
Use discussion board information that you put up:The major differences between the two are: informal reports are generally used internally and will go to other members of the department and department heads. They can be used for reports that will circulate throughout the company. The report may be several sections long, it will be shorter than a formal report. No contents page is included. Informal reports can even be formatted like a memo.Formal reports are used when it will be submitted to upper management or circulated outside your organization. They are also used for research papers in higher education. They will include an introduction and a conclusion. The report may also require a cover letter or memo and depending on length a table of contents is recommended.
A. Current Situation. Explain the background or problem that motivated the organization to issue an RFP. This section will be compiled from the background information outlined in the RFP, as well as from the research you performed in Step 2.B. Goals. Clearly explain the goals of your proposal. You formulated these in Step 2, based on the RFP and your understanding of the organization and their problems.C. Proposed Methodology. Describe each of the recommended steps, developed in Step 3, that will lead the organization to meeting their goals.D. Time and cost. Thoroughly explain the time and cost requirements for each step in the methodology, based on your calculations from Step 3. This section should also specify how you will be billing the client, and when payment will be expected.E. Qualifications. Fully describe why yours is the best company for this job. This information will be based on your competitive strengths and on the proposal's evaluation criteria, which you developed in Step 5.F. Benefits. Discuss the many benefits the client will receive by implementing your recommendations. This section is based on the benefits identified in Step 4.