Week 8 assignment for ORG 536

1. By Amanda Marenda

2. "Developing excellent communication skills is
absolutely essential to effective leadership. The
leader must be able to share knowledge and
ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and
enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a
message across clearly and motivate others to
act on it, then having a message doesn't even
matter.“
— Gilbert Amelio
President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp.
(Leading Thoughts, 2010, para 3)

3. • Leaders must have excellent writing and communication
skills in order to be an effective and successful leader.
• The following topics will provide guidance for best
practices for business writing and communication.

4. Effective and ethical business communication
Professionalism in the workplace
Intercultural business communication
Writing tips for business presentations
Using email and digital media for business
Positive and negative messages
Business presentations
Business reports, plans, and proposals

5. Communication - is the
transmission of information
from one individual or group
to another.
Communication – involves
speaking, listening, non-
verbal communication, and
writing.
Communication – is done in
business by phone, emails,
meetings, presentations,
business proposals and
reports, and face-to-face.
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo Images

6. • Effective business communication is essential in order to
properly communicate with your audience. The ACE
method is a tool one can use to ensure effective
communication:
• What is the purpose or desired
message?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Determine if you need to share
information or persuade the audience
Analyze
• Organize information
• Show professional image
• Effective delivery of message
Compose
• Revise, edit, and proofread
• Determine if desired outcome was
achieved
• Is there a more effective way to deliver
message?
Evaluate
(Snyder & Shwon, 2011)

7. Communication will fail if one cannot learn to successfully
recognize barriers that can disrupt the communication
process.
Bypassing
•When use of vague
language causes
misunderstanding
Differing
frames of
reference
•When one’s
experience,
expectations, and
personality creates
a unique frame of
reference
Lack of
language
skills
•When one uses
poor language and
communication
skills.
Distractions
• Other barriers such as emotions,
physical distractions, and
digital media that can lead to
distractions
(Guffey & Loewy,
2011)

8. • Ethics refers to the
conventional standards of
right and wrong that provide
guidance on what people
should do:
• Must follow the law
• Be honest at all times
• Be objective
• Use inclusive language
• Give credit for others ideas
• State facts v. opinions clearly
(Clegg, 2010)
Source: Yahoo Images

9. PROFESSIONALI
SM TRAITS
Specialized
Knowledge
Competency
Honesty and
Integrity
Respect
Accountability
and Self-
Regulation
Professional
Image
(MindTools, 2014)
Having good manners
and projecting a
professional demeanor
are important soft
skills to have when
communicating.
(Guffey & Loewy,
2011)

10. • Effective business communications directed at an
intercultural audience must include a review process to
mitigate misunderstandings due to linguistic and cultural
differences.
• Create an outline
• Limit text to six lines
• Anticipate potential questions from audience
• Make sure communication does not violate legal or ethical
protocol
• Show respect towards audience
• Be patient
(Duggan, 2014)
Source: Yahoo Images

11. Know target
audience
Avoid using
acronyms and
buzzwords
Use strong
active voice
Detail benefits
for reader
Write from
customer
perspective
Use strong
facts and
reputable data
Don’t use
flowery
language
Be clear,
concise, and
get to the point
Edit, edit, and
edit again
(American Management Association, 2010)

12. Editing Phase
• Utilize an Editor
• Use a second and a third set of
eyes
• Come back later and re-review
• Read material backward
• Read material out loud
(Sampson, 2008)
Source: Yahoo Images Source: Yahoo Images

13. CHANNEL BEST USE
Blog When one person needs to present digital information easily so that it is
available to others
Email When you don’t need immediate feedback
Face-to-face conversation When you need a rich, interactive medium. Useful for bad-news and
personal messages
Face-to-face group meeting When group decisions are important
Instant message When you are online and need an immediate response for unimportant
details
Letter When a formal written record is required, particularly with customers,
government agency, or outside organization
Phone Call When you need to deliver or gather information quickly
Report or proposal When you need to deliver considerable data internally or externally
Video conferencing When group consensus and interaction are important, but members are
geographically dispersed
Wiki When digital information must be made available to others. Most
useful for collaboration amongst a team because participants can
easily add, remove, and edit content
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

14. DRAFTING PROFESSIONAL EMAILS
•Explain details
•Be cautious with
information
•Provide facts and data
•Request action
•Provide closing
thought
•End professionally
•State purpose of email
•Supply information
directly
•Draw reader in
•Summarize central
idea
•Avoid empty words
SUBJECT
LINE
OPENING
BODYCLOSING
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

15. Different Types of Digital Media
Instant
Message
s
• Immediate interactive way to communicate
• Creates a permanent record
Text
Message
s
• Short messages sent through mobile devices
• Can either be used for person-to-person communication or
for marketing purposes
Blogs
• Website with journal entries
• Allows reader to comment and provide feedback
Social
Media
• Allows diverse group of people to communicate at the same
time in a public online forum
• Endless marketing opportunities for organizations
(Feigenbaum, 2014)

16. Direct Approach
• Good news leads the message
• Details follow
• Used for most communications
• Easier to deliver then negative
messages
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo Images

17. Indirect Approach
• Details and reasons lead
message
• Start with negative information,
but follow-up with positive details
• Use to deliver bad news
• Use for hostile audience
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo Images

18. Utilizing business presentations to present information is
one of the most effective ways to share information with a
broad audience.
There are several techniques one should follow to ensure
they create an effective business presentation.
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo Images

19. Helpful Techniques
- Select appropriate
theme and decide on a
slide design
- Select a font style,
format, and utilize
appropriate number of
bullet points throughout
presentation
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo Images
Source: Yahoo Images

20. Helpful Techniques
• Add in graphics and animation
where appropriate
• Use more photos and avoid
clip art when possible
• Animate graphics or photos,
but do not overuse
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo Images

21. Helpful Techniques
• Use hyperlinks to make
presentation more interactive
and to provide supplemental
information
• Engage the audience by
asking questions and utilizing
polls
• Share information online by
utilizing sites such as
Slideshare, Google
Presentations, Prezi, and
Zoho Show
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Presentations For Beginners
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/
Source: Yahoo Images

22. Helpful Techniques
• Make sure you know your
information before
presenting
• Practice, practice, practice!
• Thank the audience when
finished and ask if they
have any questions
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo Images

23. Business reports are very important in the business world.
Business reports provide an exchange of vital information .
The reports can be generated for managers, employees or
outside organizations or government entities. These reports
an be formal or informal depending on the purpose of the
report.
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

24. Formal Reports
• Longer in length
• Serious tone
• Analytical
• Intended for a broader
audience
• Usually deals with
more complex issues
Informal Reports
• Shorter in length
• Informal tone
• Presents basic
information
• Intended for a smaller
audience
• Usually deals with
routine matters
(Rasel, 2013)

25. Business
Plan
Executive
Summary
and Mission
Statement
Table of
Contents
Company
Description
Product or
Service
Description
Market
Analysis
Operations
and
Management
Financial
Analysis
Appendixes
Creating an effective
business plan is essential
for starting a new
business. Business plans
show potential investors
and banks that the
entrepreneur has done
their research and that
they know what they are
doing. The components
in the graph on this page
are essential components
for an effective business
plan.
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

26. Proposals are written offers to solve
problems, provide services, or sell
equipment. Some proposals can
be used internally to persuade
leadership to make changes or
improvements. Proposals Can also
be made for external use to obtain
new business.
Business proposals can also be
informal or formal depending on the
situation.
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Source: Yahoo
Images

27. • Leaders must have excellent writing and communication
skills in order to be an effective and successful leader.
• The topics presented throughout this presentation will
help a leader be a better communicator
• Use ACE method for effective communication
• Be ethical in all communications
• Be professional in the workplace
• Understand how intercultural differences can effect communication
• Utilize suggested writing tips for the business professional
• Understand which communication channel to use in various
situations
• Understand when to use positive and negative messages
• Utilize helpful techniques when putting together business
presentations
• Know when to use business reports, plans, and proposals

29. American Management Association. (2010). Business writing tips for professionals. Retrieved from
http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Business-Writing-Tips-for-Professionals.aspx
Clegg, W. (2010). Tips and best practices for ethical and effective corporate communication. Retrieved from
http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/corporate-communications-best-practices-tips-effective-business-
communication/
Duggan, T. (2014). Intercultural business communications. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/intercultural-business-
communications-3192.html
Feigenbaum, E. (2014). Digital methods of communication in business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/electronic-
methods-communication-business-2934.html
Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business communication: Process and product 7th ed). Independence, KY: Cengage
Learning.
Leading Thoughts. (2010). Communication quotes. Retrieved from http://www.leadershipnow.com/communicationquotes.html

30. MindTools. (2014). Professionalism: Developing the vital characteristics. Retrieved from
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm
Rasel, A. (2013). Difference between formal and informal reports. Retrieved from
http://www.businesscommunicationarticles.com/difference-between-formal-and-informal-reports/
Sampson, B. (2008). Five tips for catching and correcting errors in your business writing. Cost Engineering, 50(2), 22-23.
Snyder, L., & Shwon, B. (2011). Teaching effective communication skills for ACE: Analyzing, composing, and evaluating. Journal
of Applied Research for Business Instruction, 9(3), 1-5.