The document is a presentation on effective business communications. It discusses how written communication is increasingly being used for problem solving and collaboration in business. It notes that Americans are among the most overworked people in developed nations, which can lead to issues like stress, health problems, and reduced time with family. Poorly written business communications can waste time and resources. The presentation emphasizes the importance of clear objectives, understanding your audience, choosing the appropriate message and channel, and considering cultural differences when developing a communication strategy. It outlines the writing process, including researching, organizing, focusing the key ideas, drafting, and editing.

1. Presented by:
Ethan Chazin
Effective Business
Communications

3. "Throughout the globe, the
written word, in both paper and
electronic forms, is seen less as
strictly a way of archiving the
business already completed and
more as a vital, creative means of
problem solving, collaborating,
and actually doing business."
(SOURCE: R. Inkster and J. M. Kilborn, The Writing of Business, Allyn and Bacon, 1999)

4. How U.S. Business People
Communicate

5. The U.S. is the MOST
Overworked
Developed Nation in
THE WORLD…

6. The Chazin GroupThe Chazin GroupThe Research PROVES It

7. • The White-Collar Sweatshop by Jill Andresky
Fraser
• The Overworked American by Juliet Schor
• The Working Life by Joanne B. Ciulla
The Chazin GroupThe Chazin GroupA Field of Study Emerges

8. Overworked=More Stress=
 Fatigue
 High Blood Pressure
 Heart Disease
 Overeating
 Substance Abuse
 Lost Time With Loved Ones
 Spousal/Child Abuse
 Anger Management/Road Rage
 Early Death
 Suicide

9. K.I.S.S

10. “In a global marketplace,
it is absolutely critical that we
communicate effectively, to
achieve our organizational
goals."
(SOURCE: me, 2012)

11. What’s the PURPOSE of
Business Writing?

12. • Explain or justify actions already taken.
• To convey information.
• To influence the reader to take action.
• Deliver good/bad news.
• Direct action.
http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/businesswritingterm.htm
It’s PURPOSE

13. “Writing is
making
sense of life."
(SOURCE: Nadine Gordimer)

14. Poor Writing…
Poor Results!

15. • Net Future Institute Research study revealed
online communication issue isn’t ENOUGH email
but inability to GET THE POINT ACROSS.
• One in 3 U.S. workers in top companies write
poorly.
• Poorly written business communications wastes
time, drains resources, and causes errors. (HR
magazine June ‘06)
• 85% of survey respondents said poor
communications wastes time, 70% cited lost
productivity (HR magazine April ‘06)
Result of POOR Communication

16. BEFORE You
Start Writing…

17. • What’s the situation/problem/issue that is
prompting me to write this?
• Why are you writing this document?
• Who is going to read it?
• What do your readers need to know?
• What action do you want your readers to take?
Ask Yourself…

18. Good business writing
DEMANDS you know what
you are doing.

20. Have a 60-second conversation
with YOURSELF.

21. Developing an Outline
Versus
Free writing

22. Outlining

24. Free Writing

26. The Communication
STRATEGY

27. • Strategic communication is based on 5
variables:
– Communicator (Writer) Strategy
– Audience Strategy
– Message Strategy
– Channel Choice Strategy
– Culture Strategy
Communication Strategy

28. • GENERAL: The broad overall goal.
• ACTION: A series of action outcomes –
specific, measurable, time-sensitive steps
required, to accomplish general objective(s.)
• COMMUNICATION: The result you hope to
achieve from a specific communication effort (a
report, email, presentation, memo.)
Define Your Objectives

29. Your
Communication
“STYLE”

30. • Join/Consult Approach: Learn from the
audience. The “inquiry” style. Consult is
collaborative, and Join is even more
collaborative (like brain-storming.)
• Tell/Sell Approach: When you want your
audience to learn from you. In tell you inform
or explain. In SELL, you persuade/advocate for.
(SOURCE: Tannenbaum & Schmidt study of Leadership)
Communication STYLE

32. Establish Your Credibility

33. • Remember how I started this first session…?
• What is your audience’s perception of your
initial credibility? What do they think of you?
• Factors that determine credibility:
– Rank
– Goodwill
– Expertise
– Image
– Common ground
Subject Matter Expertise

34. Audience Strategy

35. • Who are they?
• What do they know and expect?
• What do they feel?
• What will persuade them?
Audience Strategy

36. Message Strategy

37. • Key points
• Key questions
• Steps in a process
• Alternatives to compare
Organize

38. Channel Choice Strategy

39. Audience, Purpose, Scope,
Organization and Channel

40. Message Strategy

41. Channels of
Communication

42. • Written: Hard copy, email, blogs,
tweets, Instant Messaging/Text
Messaging, Wikis, and websites.
• Oral only: Phone, voicemail,
conference calls, and podcasts.
• Both: presentations, consulting,
face-to-face, talk, and webcasts.
Communication Channels

43. Culture Strategy

44. • Fate
• Time: British Versus Jamaican
• Communication Style: group–oriented
cultures versus individual cultures (ex.
American vs. Native American)
• Credibility
• Audience Selection
• Greetings & Hospitality
Cultures Differ Based On…

45. Culture Differences by FATE

46. • Persuasion
• Gender-based
• Message Structure
• Channel Choice
• Non-verbal Behavior
• Space & Objects
Cultures Differ Based On…

47. Contexting & Face-
Changing

48. Contexting

49. The Writing
Process

50. Process Versus Product
• STEP 1: Establish the communication strategy.
• STEP 2: To write or not to write?
• STEP 3: IF you decide to write, divide your
activities into FIVE steps:
– Research
– Organize
– Focus the information
– Draft
– Edit
• STEP 4: Rethink, re-organize, make changes.

51. 1. Research

52. • SYNTHETIC Approach: The internet, the
library, emails, reading, and interviewing.
• ANALYTIC approach: Define your topic,
identify your sub-topics, and your approaches
using the journalist 5Ws & HOW approach.
• Ask rhetorical questions such as:
– What does this mean?
– How do I define this?
– What are the consequences…?
– How do I compare…?
Approaches to Researching

53. Research Approaches

54. • INTUITIVE Approaches
– Brainstorming
– Brain-writing
– Free Writing
– Free note Taking
– Mind Mapping
Approaches to Researching

55. FREE Writing

56. EXERCISE
How to FREE Write

57. FREE Writing

58. 2. Organize

59. • Group similar ideas together
• Bucket similar ideas
• Label the buckets
• Re-check the buckets
• Put buckets in their proper order
Organize
IDEAS

60. • Create an organizational blueprint:
– Line out
– Idea chart
– Circular design
Organize

61. 3. Focus

62. • Imagine the reader skimming your document:
what does the reader NEED to know the MOST.
• “NUTSHELL” your ideas: present the MAIN
idea in only a few sentences.
• “Teach” your ideas: How would you teach the
nutshell to someone else?
• Formulate a Thesis Statement: synthesize
your information to a new idea with an
original point of view.
Focus

63. Thesis Statement

64. Thesis Statements

65. • Simulate an elevator presentation “pitch.”
• Use the “BUSY BOSS” two (2) minute rule:
– “I don’t have the time to read through your entire
document. Tell me your main ideas in TWO
minutes.”
Focus

66. 4. Draft

67. • Compose in ANY order: write the parts that you
are the most comfortable with first. Write your
introduction LAST.
• Avoid editing: drafting is an entirely CREATIVE
process.
• Print a hard copy: this will help you to edit
faster, by seeing the ENTIRE document.
• Schedule a TIME gap: leave time between
finishing the drafting stage of the document
and the beginning of the editing process.
– See it with a FRESH set of eyes.
Draft