Sara klarich mod 8 -final

Best Practices in Business Writing & Communication

Sara KlarichMay, 4, 2014

Live in Chino Hills, CA Married with two yellow Labradors Work for Abbott Laboratories Travel for work—domestic and international Graduated from Virginia Tech with Bachelors

in Human Development

Sara Klarich

Email Memos Reports Instant Messenger Texting Sales Pitch Press Release Face to Face What are some others???

Business Communication Types

Effective and Ethical Business Communication

Professionalism in the Workplace

Intercultural Business Communication

Writing Tips for Business Professionals

Business Communication in the Digital Age

Positive and Negative Messages

Business Presentations

Business Reports, Plans, and Proposals

Best Practices for:

How important are communication skills in business?

Total estimate cost of employee misunderstanding: 62.4 millions dollars a year

Companies where leaders are highly effective communicators have 47% higher total returns to shareholders

Leaders who are highly effective communicators have higher employee engagement leading to better performance

Grossman (2011)

Effective and Ethical Business Communication

12 components of effective communication:

◦ Relax

◦ Stay present

◦ Silence inner voices

◦ Be positive

◦ Focus on inner values

◦ Recall a pleasant memory(Manning, Waldman, Lindsey, Newberg & Cotter-Lockard, 2012)

Effective Business Communication

12 components of effective communication:

◦ Maintain eye contact

◦ Be complimentary and express appreciation

◦ Speak with warmth in your voice

◦ Speak slowly

◦ Speak briefly

◦ Listen carefully(Manning, Waldman, Lindsey, Newberg & Cotter-Lockard, 2012)

Effective Business Communication

To be ethical, communication must be factually accurate, non-deceptive, and complete.

Advertising claims? Sales reports?

Product safety?Environmental issues?

Ethical communication builds trust, while unethical communication abuses or damages it.

Ethical Business Communication

“Employers want new workers to be responsible, ethical, and team oriented, and

to possess strong communication, interpersonal and problem solving skills.

Wrap all these skills together and you’ve got professionalism”

Department of Labor (2014)

Professionalism in the Workplace

Self Assessment on your Professionalism:

◦ Am I punctual?

◦ Am I honest?

◦ Am I hard working?

◦ Am I polite?

◦ Do I treat others with respect?

◦ Do I communicate effectively?

◦ Do I listen?

◦ Do I dress sloppy?

Professionalism in the Workplace

Global business requires that we adapt and learn about cultural differences in

communication including:

How loud we talk

How we express emotion

Rules for turns of talking

Use or avoidance of silence

Intercultural Business Communication

Posture

Eye Contact

Proximity

Touching

Kissing

Tone

Hand movements

Non-Verbal Cues in Intercultural Communication

Business Writing is like a Road Trip Know where you are going

◦ Clear vision of where you are headed so your readers can follow

Follow the map◦ Create an outline that lays out the path to your

destination Take advantages of Breaks

◦ Use breaks as a time for rest and reflection. Breaks can wake up creativity and deliver new ideas and insight.

Lynda McDaniel (2013)

Writing Tips for the Business Professional

Guffey and Loewy (2011) developed the business writing approach known as 3x3 process:

1. Prewriting2. Writing3. Revising4. Proofreading5. Evaluating

Writing Tips for the Business Professional

50%

50%

Define Audience

Plan Message

Draft Message

Revise for Content, Style, & Correctness

Read, edit, re-read, edit againCheck for grammar, punctuation,spelling, & word usageDid you achieve communicating your message?

1. Mind Mappinga. Start by writing one word or key ideab. Take 10 minutes and map any associations,

thoughts, feelings, or anything else that comes to mind

2. List of 20a. Come up with a list of 20 options or new ideas

3. The Devils Advocatea. Think beyond your own ideas and recognize

potential problems or opportunities

Brainstorming Techniques for Writing

Example of a Mind Map

Image obtained fromLearningfundamentals.com

We all do it!Email, Texting, Instant Messenger (IM), Blackberry Messenger

(BBM), Facetime, Skype

Step 1: Determine the appropriate method for message

Text to set up a call, do not text important details or entire conversations

Avoid slang abbreviations (LOL, OMG) or emoticons Stop and think about the paper trail and confidentiality

Electronic Message & Digital Media in Business Communication

Step 2: Draft your message Lost in translation?? Think about the tone of your message Consider the context of your message Check for grammar and spelling. It is easy to quickly send

a message and have an auto-correct mistake

Step 3: Follow up to your message If a phone call or video chat, follow up with an email to

capture main points If texting or IM’ing about a meeting, schedule the meeting

on the calendar

Electronic Message & Digital Media in Business Communication

How do you communicate positive or negative messages?

Determine the best method to communicate Don’t hide the main message in fluff,

especially a negative message Provide details and explanation, but only

what is relevant to the message

Positive and Negative Messages

Delivering Positive Messages◦ Be polite◦ Provide information, as needed◦ Express appreciation◦ Make the message easy to respond to

Delivering Negative Messages◦ Cushion the bad news◦ Be empathetic◦ Provide reasons◦ Avoid negative words◦ Stay professional

Positive and Negative Messages

“Focus on how to get your message over to the audience clearly and concisely” (Bratram, 2014).

What is the purpose?

Who is the audience?

Prepare tools and aids

Organize slides and talking points in a logical and easy to follow

structure

Provide strong examples to support and clarify ideas

Be conscious of time and engage with the audience

End with a highlight of the key take away points

Provide next steps

Business Presentations

How to Handle the Public Speaking Jitters

Practice and feel comfortable with what you are talking about

Don’t expect perfection and roll with the mistakes…we all make

them

Accept that its normal to be nervous and embrace it

Gain experience by participating in clubs like Toastmasters

Pace yourself and slow down–you are speaking faster than you

think

Show energy but be professional by speaking at a brisk pace that

is understandable, smiling, and varying tone, pitch, and volume

Business Presentations

Business ReportConvey information from one person, group, or company to another and include facts, figures, and information pertaining to business matters.

Analytical Reports Informational Reports Research Reports Financial Reports Progress Reports Recommendation Reports

Business Reports, Plans, & Proposals

Business Plan

Business Reports, Plans, & Proposals

Image obtained from (Dinu, Business Plan)

Business ProposalA written document that proposes an idea or plan to initiate a discussion. One of the most effective ways to get business and continue growth.

Summary Introduction-quick overview of objective and problem

Detailed problem statement Work statement—proposal on what will happen

to solve the problem Project management statement-logistical

information on solving problem

Business Reports, Plans, & Proposals

Bartram, P. (2014). 8 ways to…improve your presentation skills. Financial Management, Feb 2014, 42-43.

Dinu, A. (Artist). Business Plan [Print Drawing]. Retrieved from lerablog.org

Grossman, D. (2011, July 17). The cost of poor communications. Retrieved from http://www.holmesreport.com/opinion-info/10645/The-Cost-Of-Poor-Communications.aspx

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

Manning, C., Waldman, M., Lindsey, W., Newberg, A., & Cotter-Lockard, D. (2012). Personal inner values: A key to effective face-to-face business communication. Journal of Executive Education, 11(1), 37-65.

McDaniel, L. (2013, Aug). Business writing is like a road trip. Communication World, 30(5), 9-11.

References