Presentation on chapter 3.

1. Business Communication
Organizing Your Message
Adapted from NETA PowerPoint for Essentials of Business Communication by
Lisa Jamieson

2. Organizing Body Paragraphs

3. Topic Sentence
1st or 2nd
sentence
Main idea +
controlling
idea

4. 5 Qualities of a Strong Topic
Sentence
1.Accurately reflects paragraph content
2.Contains a main + controlling idea
3.Clear and easy to read
4.No supporting details
5.Vivid diction

5. Choose the
best topic
sentence
a) Next, I will discuss the
likelihood of the
Liberals winning the
next election.
b) To boost their chances
of winning the next
election, the Liberals
need to listen to public
opinion.

6. Choose
the best
topic
sentence
a) Union workers are
crippling the economy
because companies
cannot absorb the
added financial
pressure.
b) Union workers are
crippling the economy
for three reasons.

7. Support Sentences
Supporting details
• Statistic
• Fact
• Reason
• Example
• Quotation

8. Statistic
Two hundred years ago, 70 percent of American
workers lived on the farm. Today automation has
eliminated all but 1 percent of their jobs,
replacing them (and their work animals) with
machines.

9. Fact
Since the industrial revolution, wave upon wave
of new occupations have arrived—appliance
repairman, offset printer, food chemist,
photographer, web designer—each building on
previous automation.

10. Reason
Here’s why we’re at the inflection point:
Machines are acquiring smarts.

11. Example
To see how far artificial intelligence has
penetrated our lives, we need to shed the
idea that they will be humanlike. Consider
Baxter, a revolutionary new workbot from
Rethink Robotics.

12. Quotation
Looking out his office window at the former
industrial neighborhood, former MIT professor
Rodney Brooks says, “As manufacturing costs
sink because of robots, the costs of
transportation become a far greater factor than
the cost of production. Most things will be
made within 5 miles of where they are needed.”

13. Concluding Sentence
Summarizes
key points;
reiterates main
idea.
Does not
introduce new
info.

14. • Connecting words or phrases
• Indicate how one idea relates to another
Transitions

15. • Transition terms
• Pointing words
• Repetition with a difference

16. Transition Terms
Addition
Elaboration
Example
Cause and Effect
Comparison
Contrast
Concession
Conclusion

17. Pointing Words
• Refer to a previous
concept or thing.
• This, these, he,
hers

18. Some might counter that digital technologies are
simply providing a fresh medium for the expression of existing
problems. They could be right. But given the patterns
emerging, it is crucial to investigate thoroughly whether and
how the online experiences of adolescents worsen existing
inequalities. We must also invest in evidence-based ways to
ensure that online experiences are positive for all young
people.
This will require advances on several fronts, including
the design of rigorous experimental studies. These are
challenging because of the difficulty of obtaining control
groups — adolescents who are offline or who are willing to
have their phones taken away. (p. 433-434)
From Candice Odgers’ “Smartphones Are Bad for Some Teens, Not All”

19. Repetition with Difference
• Key terms and
concepts
• Summarize
and/or
paraphrase
important
information

20. The ancient Egyptians were masters of
preserving dead people’s bodies by making mummies
of them. Mummification consisted of removing the
internal organs, applying natural preservatives inside
and out, and then wrapping the corpse in layers of
bandages. It was remarkably effective. Indeed,
mummies several thousand years old have been
discovered nearly intact.
Adapted from Algonquin College’s “Coherence: Transitions Between Ideas”

21. Direct Organization for Receptive
Audiences
• Saves time
• Creates positive
frame of mind
• Reduces frustration
Image source

22. Direct Message Outline
Title
I. First major component
A. First subpoint
1. Detail / illustration / evidence
2. Detail / illustration / evidence
B. Second subpoint
1. Detail etc.
2. Detail etc.
II. Second major component
A. First subpoint
1. Detail etc.
2. Detail etc.
B. Second subpoint
1. Detail etc.
2. Detail etc.
Mac versus PC: Benefits and Drawbacks
I. Macs
A. Benefits
1. User friendly
2. Integrates with Apple devices
B. Drawbacks
1. Weak graphics card
2. Expensive
II. PCs
A. Benefits
1. Customizable
2. Large user base
B. Drawbacks
1. Prone to viruses / malware
2. Poor technical support

23. Indirect Organization for
Unreceptive Audiences
• Respects audience feelings
• Facilitates fair hearing
• Minimizes negative reaction
Image source

24. Indirect Message Outlines
Persuasive Messages
I. Opening
A. Gain audience attention
II. Body
A. Build interest
B. Reduce resistance
III. Closing
A. Motivate action
Negative Messages
I. Opening
A. Buffer: neutral but sincere
statement
II. Body
A. Reasons: explain causes
B. Bad news: reveal news, offer
alternative or compromise.
III. Closing
A. Forward-looking, pleasant
statement

25. Audience Response Determines
Organization

26. Summary
• Identify the elements of a well-organized body paragraph
• Distinguish between direct and indirect organization
• Determine when to use direct and indirect organization

27. References
Coherence: Transitions between ideas. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://plato.algonquincollege.com/applications/guideToGramma
rUS/?page_id=1154
Guffrey, M. E., Loewy, D., & Almonte, R. (2019). Essentials of business communication (9th
Canadian Edition). Nelson.
Horkhoff, T. [n.d.] Writing for Success: First Canadian Edition. OpenTextBC.
https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/
Jamieson, L. (2019). Chapter 1: Communicating in the digital-age workplace [PowerPoint
slides]. Nelson.
Kelly, K. (2012). Better than human: Why robots will—and must—take our jobs. Wired.
https://www.wired.com/2012/12/ff-robots-will-take-our-jobs/
Odgers, C. (2018). Smartphones are bad for some teens, not all. Nature, 554 (7693), 432-
434. doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-02109-8

28. Image Sources
Brazhyk. [n.d.] Woman skeptical facial expression. Shutterstock.
https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Brazzik?searchterm=puzzled%20w
oman
[Paragraph as a hamburger] [Illustration]. [n.d.]Reading Rockets.
https://images.app.goo.gl/JX7eJTfLgo3CXedi8
[Two men talking through tin-can phone.] [Illustration.] (2016, December 12).
Advertising Specialty Institute.
https://www.asicentral.com/news/how-to/december-2016/master-
4-different-communication-styles-to-sell-more/