Business writing and communication best practices

Business Writing and CommunicationBest Practices

Christine Miles

Effective and Ethical Communication Professionalism in the Workplace Intercultural Communication Writing Tips Electronic Messages and Digital Media Positive and Negative Messages Presentations Reports, Plans and Proposals

Agenda

Recognize communication barriers Select the appropriate method for

communicating Evaluate the ethics in a problem

Effective and Ethical Communication

Bypassing

• Definition: Misunderstanding a word.

• Avoid vague words including: probably, always never, usually, often, soon and right away.

Frames of reference

• Because of different experiences everyone has different expectations for the same event.

• Seek to understand others expectations early, and clearly communicate your own.

Distractions

• Forms of distraction include: emotional (both sender and receiver), physical and digital.

• Solutions:• Remain objective and

focus on the content of a message.

• Avoid background noise for oral communication

• Practice good grammar and formatting for digital communication.

Communication Barriers

(Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

Em

ail • Meeting

minutes• Request for

information• Status

updates• Quick

digital delivery of documents

• Benefits:• Documente

d• Timely• Multiple

people can be included in the same message.

Lett

er/

Pro

posa

l • Job Offers• Sales

proposals• Appraisals

• Benefits:• Formal• Detailed• Can be

legally binding

• Documented for future reference

Ora

l • Delivering bad news

• Reaching a consensus

• Need real time feedback

• Benefits:• Provide

nonverbal cues

• Reduced mis -communication

Text

/ IM

Communication Channels

Image Source: onwardstate.com

Image Source: www.mywordtemplates.org

Image Source: www.actioncoach.com

Image Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk 

• Need a quick answer

• Urgent news/ data

Benefits:• Very

timely• To the

point

(Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

Evaluating EthicsUse these questions to evaluate ethical dilemmas and make the right choice.

Is it legal?

How would the other side view this?

Are there alternative solutions?

Can you discuss the problem with someone in a position of

trust?

How would you feel if other people knew about your decision?

This includes family, friends and coworkers.

Sou

rce:

coll

eg

e.m

on

ster.

com

(Guffey & Lowey, 2011, p29)

Professionalism – Confrontation

Picture Source: themindsetmaven.com

Share responsibility – Both parties

need to be involved in finding the

solution

Never attack the other person –

Focus on the issue, situation or

behavior.

Define the problem and agree on the

problem 1st.

Control emotions – If your emotions

are rising, take a break and then

revisit the conversation.

Listen – Learn their point of view,

don’t just focus on convincing them

of your own. A great phrase to use

is “Help me understand. . .”

(Katz, 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcFB0NZHLo

Learn about other cultures behaviors (Newman and Ober, 2012).

Behaviors

Attitudes

Customary traits, including nonverbal communication

Avoid ethnocentrism. One culture is not superior to another

(Barger, 2008).

Intercultural Communication

Source: anyainvestigatingcultures.wordpress.com

Intercultural communication includes:

Race Gender Socioeconomic status Age Sexual orientation Religion

(Fritscher, 2007)

Oral

Learn foreign phrases

Use simple English, avoid

jargon, slang and idioms.

Listen without interrupting

Check frequently for

comprehension

Follow up a oral

conversation in writing

Intercultural Environment Communication Best Practices

(Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

Written Observe title and rank. Use short sentences and

paragraphs.

Avoid idioms, slang and

ambiguous expressions.

Image source: www.areyounet.com

Adapt to the culture by observing body

language and listening strategies. Mirror

what is observed. Be careful to avoid

appearing as if you are making fun of

them.

Watch nonverbal cues. Make

adjustments if the other person appears

uncomfortable.

Understand cultural expectations around

time and personal space (Chitakornkijsil,

2010).

Avoiding Misunderstanding

Source: voices.yahoo.com (Fritscher, 2007)

Prewriting: Analyzing, Anticipating, Adapting

Writing: Researching, Organizing, Composing

Revising: Revising, Proofreading, Evaluating

Business Writing – 3x3 Process

}50%

} 50%

(Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

Business Writing - Prewriting

The purpose of the writing is to communicate with the audience.

The audience’s needs are central to how the writing is created.

Conduct an audience analysis Who is the audience? How do you know them? What is your

relationship? How do you expect them to react? What knowledge do they already have?

(Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

Steps involved in revising include:

Reviewing the content - Have enough

supporting information and be as

streamlined as possible.

Style – Style should be consistent throughout

the document. Avoid long sentences

Correctness – Spelling, grammar and

punctuation.

Evaluate – Is the message communicating

what you want it to? Is the purpose being

met?

Business Writing - Revising

(Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

When to Use and Popular Uses

Reaching people often tied to their computer monitor or phone.

Convey urgent information without interrupting like a phone call

or meeting would.

Get to the point without having to exchange pleasantries.

Identifying if a person or multiple people are available for a

meeting (Primeaux, 2004).

Carries a higher read and response rate than email (Henn, 2013)

and (Lacey, 2009).

Electronic Media – IM and Text

(Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

When not to use

Delivering bad news (such as firing

someone) (Guffey and Loewy, 2011)

Relaying confidential information – IM is

not as secure as email (Primeaux, 2004).

Sending a lot of detailed information.

Text has a 140 character limit, and

neither application allows for formatting

of any type (Business Today, 2013).

Electronic Media – IM and Text

Source: blog.privacychoice.org

Positive and Negative Messages

Ways to organize your messageIndirect Plan

State the main idea

Direct Plan

Provide explanation

Give details

Provide explanation

State the main idea

Give details

Close in positive tone, not on topic of message

Close expressing appreciation, and summarize the request

Positive and

Neutral Messag

es

Bad News

Messages

(Jansen and Janssen, 2013)(Newman and Ober, 2012)

Play to your Strengths

Plan Delivery and Develop Stage

Presence

Frame the Story

Business Presentations

Introduce the topic – an idea, story or problem being solved

Explain why you care about itConvince audience they should care too

Don’t read, avoid cue cards, memorize if you can.

Be conversationalMake eye contact with the audience

Be yourself in creation and delivery.

When using PowerPoint keep them simple. It is not an outline for delivery.

TIP

(Anderson, 2013)

Formal and Informal Reports

Audience/Purpose Formal InformalExecutive Audience x Shared Externally x

Summarizing a meeting xUpdating polices/procedures x

Budgets x Parts of the Report

Cover Page x xAbstract/Summary x

Introduction x xBody x x

Conclusion x xReferences x

Recommendations x Appendix x

(Rasel, 2013)

Many of the tips and ideas presented for different

situations can be summarized as:

Know your audience. Chose communication channels,

content and formats based on the audience.

Always employ the basics – grammar, spelling,

formatting

It’s possible to be professional in ethical situations and

confrontation. Follow the steps presented and you will

be able to respond positively and confidently.

Conclusion

Anderson, C., (2013). How to Give a Killer Presentation. Harvard Business Review. 91(6), 121-125

Barger, K. (2008). Ethnocentrism. Retrieved from http://www.iupui.edu/~anthkb/ethnocen.htm

Baxamusa, B.N. (2011). How to write a formal report. Buzzle.com. Retrieved from

www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-write-a-formal-report.htm

Business Today, (2013). Last but Not Least. Business Today. 22(2), 109-110

Chitakornkijsil, P. (2010). Intercultural Communication Challenges and Multinational Organization

Communication. International Journal of Organizational Innovation. 3(2), 6-20

Fritscher, L., (2007). Intercultural Communication: Surviving in a Global World. Retrieved from:

http://www.lifescript.com/soul/self/growth/intercultural_communication_surviving_in_a_global_w

orld.aspx?_page=4

Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business communication: Process and product (7th ed.). Independence,

KY: Cengage Learning.

Hen, S., (2013). Online Marketers Take Note of Brains Wired for Rewards. Retrieved from:

npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/1013/07/24/204621/ONLINE-REWARDS

Jansen, F., & Janssen, D. (2013). Effects of Directness in Bad-News E-mails and Voice Mails. Journal of

Business Communication. 50(4), 362-382

Katz, R., (2006, February). Positive confrontation? Strategic Finance, 87(8), 36-40

References

Lacey, F. (1/18/2009).  Text Messaging Offers a 97% Read Rate.  Retrieved

from: http://www.betternetworker.com/articles/view/text-message-marketing-offers-97-read-rate

Newman, A., & Ober, S. (2012). Business communication: In print, in person, online (8th ed.).

Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishers

Primeaux, R. O., & Flint, D. (2004). Instant Messaging: Does It Belong in the  Workplace?.

Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, 16(11), 5-7.

Rasel. (2013). Difference between formal and informal reports. Business Communication Articles.

Retrieved from: www.businesscommunicationarticles.com/difference-between-formal-and-informal- reports/

Rzadkiewicz, C. (2010). How to write a formal business report. Suite101.com. Retrieved from

suite101.com/a/how-to-write-a-formal-business-report-accurately-and-concisely-a270293

References cont.