Failure Is An Option (Success Is Too!) PUB 5924 Entrepre.docx

Failure Is An Option
(Success Is Too!)
PUB 5924 Entrepreneurial Public Management
Week 8: Failure Is An Option
(Success is Too!)
Return to the Framework
Failure Is An Option
A Framework: Failure Is An Option (Success Is Too!)
Entrepreneurial Governance
Knowledge
(learning)
Innovation

(new ideas)
Opportunity
(timing & luck/
discover &
exploit)
Implementation
(action)
Addressing Risk Culture & Risk Reduction
PUB 5924 Entrepreneurial Public Management
Unit V
Lesson 1: Writing Professional Messages
Introduction

We all communicate through formal and informal channels in
various situations, and each mode
of communication can be more or less rich in its ability to send
information effectively. For
example, consider the best channel to send messages such as a
company announcement or a
letter of resignation. Messages such as these should be written
and sent through a formal channel
so that the sender receives the notification, and a record of the
notification can be retained.
Writing Professional Messages
Writing professional messages involves four steps:
a. planning the message,
b. organizing the message,
c. writing the message, and
d. proofreading the message.
Before writing a message, careful planning is a necessity. In
advance, it must be determined who
the audience is, what feedback is expected, and what outcomes
are expected.
Planning Your Message

What is the purpose of the message? Is the message designed to
persuade others to take action or
simply share information? Additionally, will the message
achieve its purpose if part of the
process is to explain a difficult concept? In every case, part of
the planning is to consider if
writing a message is the best way to communicate or whether it
would be better to deliver the
message through another medium, perhaps orally.
Once the reason for writing the message is clear, the next step is
to determine the support needed
to make and refine each point until it is very specific. Part of
this process is to consider the best
methods that will ensure the message will be successful. For
example, if the message is asking
for changes to be made, ensure that the timing is right for such
a move. Is it practical to ask for
the company to spend money at this time? For example, if the
message asks for the purchase of
more equipment, part of the planning must be an analysis of
whether or not the timing is right
and if the company can afford to make such a purchase. If the

company is experiencing a
financial downturn, then the message will be a waste of time
and might even be viewed as
presumptuous or the presenter as out of touch with current
trends in the company’s financial
status.
The planning for any message must always consider the people
who will read the message. If the
message is going to only a select few people in the local
community, it will be worded
differently from a message going to people located in other
states or countries. For example, read
the following simple message and note the ambiguous possible
interpretations: “We are not quite
there yet.” This message can be decoded as, “Good going; we
are almost at our target,” or it
could be decoded, “This is nowhere close to complete” (Meyer,
2014). Good communication
means that a writer must choose words that will be familiar to
the reader. This is an impossible
task without knowing a great deal about the target audience.

One of the first steps in successful communication is to gather
enough information or do some
research and seek out information that is necessary for the
message to be effective. Why is using
research an important skill to master? Bringing in support
material from a reliable source to
support your thesis or argument in any communication is a
foundation of good writing. Showing
that others have the same perspective and beliefs that are the
foundation of a particular message
will always enhance credibility and help present the writer and
his or her company as a group of
well-informed professionals. You also need to incorporate
information from credible sources to
support your particular viewpoint as you answer questions at the
end of each unit in this class.
Whether writing academically or in a business setting, the basis
is the same: Present your ideas
clearly, and use information from a credible source to support
all claims. For example, if an
employee asks his or her boss to replace current desktop
computers with laptops, the message
could be enhanced by supporting the request with research and

data showing not only why the
upgrade would be advantageous but that the timing would be
beneficial as well. One particularly
useful piece of information might compare current computers to
those in an updated system.
Perhaps provide a list of important features, include information
on how the new system would
improve work efficiency, and add a list of prices for the
upgrade. By providing sources
supporting the suggestion, all necessary information for the
boss to make an informed decision is
in place, and the chances of success are greatly enhanced.
Hypothetically, if one were preparing a report about the unique
behaviors of the sea angel snail,
he or she would certainly want to let the audience know where
the information came from. If the
report is able to cite credible sources on this topic, the facts
will be better received and more
believable than if the document provided only personal opinions
about this unique sea creature or
if the sources were generic, perhaps from Wikipedia, rather than
being obtained from an expert
on the subject.

If an employee is asked to respond to a request for information,
he or she may have to ask
questions or do some research before providing an answer. For
example, if someone requests
information about the services your company provides, always
ask questions that will narrow the
scope of the primary inquiry, such as which particular services
the person might be interested in.
Use the who, what, where, when, and how approach so that the
response to the individual will be
of value. In other words, before the best answer to his or her
inquiry can be supplied, several
questions must be answered in order to establish a clear path to
the best and most fulfilling
answer.
Those who are tasked to write reports for their companies must
research diligently to ensure that
the information provided in writing, graphs, and charts is
accurate and up-to-date. Always gather
the most recent information from annual reports, industry
experts, customer surveys, and other
input media, such as focus groups, simply by carrying out the

research and asking direct
questions.
Columbia Southern University uses American Psychological
Association (APA) style academic
writing techniques to help students support their viewpoints on
various topics. The in-text
citations showing quoted or paraphrased material from specific
sources will point the reader to
the full reference listing on a references page at the end of the
essay, showing the reader where to
go to find the full information on the topic if the reader wishes
to pursue the information.
Organizing a Message
If an employee goes through the process of gathering
information for one type of report or
another, after he or she carefully explores all of the information
gathered and selects the most
effective material, it is time to consider how to structure the
message. The first objective of all
messages is that they will be fully understood. An unorganized

message will cause confusion,
and even the most important ideas might not be understood. If
the point of the correspondence is
that the message will be received and processed, especially
negative messages, the audience
must be of paramount concern. For any audience to receive and
benefit from a message, the
sender must organize and present the ideas logically. Each idea
must be clearly identified,
discussed, and communicated to the recipient. All messages
must flow coherently in order for the
information to be decoded accurately.
Another very important factor to consider is time. A busy
person has little time to read messages,
and a well-structured message will help the person to go
through the message quickly yet
understand each idea that is presented. For example, do not
repeat the same point in different
ways. Developing a strong and consistent structure also helps in
the composition and production
phases of the message.
There are several ways to organize messages Four patterns that

are commonly used are
chronological, comparison/contrast, emphasis, and cause and
effect.
Chronological: A chronologically arranged message is
structured in a time-order system. This
structure divides ideas into specific categories and ensures that
the topics are in sequence. This
structure can use bullet points to help the reader grasp the ideas
more succinctly. Another helpful
structure is verbal cues—using demonstrative words, such as
first, next, and finally—that are
indicative of a sequence and order.
Comparison/contrast: A comparison/contrast structure uses
similarities or differences to help
present a set of ideas clearly. For example, a presenter might
compare products or services that
are being offered over a period of time and show how the
products or services have been
improved. Alternatively, one might decide to show a contrast
between a particular product and
the product of a competitor.

Emphasis: One excellent way to emphasize products and
services is by providing examples to
demonstrate their usefulness. This particular methodology
highlights ideas clearly and
emphasizes points that best appeal to customers.
Cause and effect: The cause and effect method is used with a
strong focus on why something
happened. In such messages, the emphasis is on the causes of a
particular problem followed by a
carefully explicated discussion of what happened as a result.
There are times when the solution to a complex problem might
call for the employment of more
than one pattern in a single message. This is most common in
messages that consist of more than
one paragraph. A report is a good example of this not
uncommon phenomenon. Quite often, a
report might use a chronological approach and then later follow
with comparison/contrast to
explain a set of similarities and differences. Another common
use of emphasis is a trailing or

follow-up paragraph that is used to ensure that the reader fully
understands a point previously
stated. Finally, cause and effect can be employed very
effectively to dramatize the main issue or
point in a report or other communication.
Writing a message: At all times a writer, presenter, or speaker
must consider the potential
audience. When writing a message to business stakeholders, all
ideas must be set out clearly.
Each idea must be expressed in a single emphatic paragraph.
Each paragraph, then, must contain
sufficient information supporting the idea. A paragraph should
rarely contain more than six
sentences. As a result, word choice becomes of great
importance. You have to choose words that
can relay your message briefly but accurately.
Always use words that are specific and familiar to the reader.
For example, instead of referring to
human capital, use more explicit words such as people or
employees. Likewise, use words that
express ideas without being too wordy. For example, “We are
committed to providing,” should

simply be “We provide.” Many people are told, either in the
military or education, about the
KISS rule, meaning “keep it simple, stupid,” and if we all
embraced that comical acronym, our
communications would immediately become much more
effective.
For the same reasons, avoid replacing a simple verb with a
longer phrase. For example, do not
write that we are going to have to “make a decision.” Simply
write that we have to “decide.”
Keep your messages as brief as possible; succinct is an
excellent word for this effort, without
losing the essence of the message that you are communicating.
Redundancies should also be avoided. A writer or speaker does
not have to use the phrase “a
personal friend” since family and friends are always personal.
Writing about returning to a city,
region, or country, there is no need to write “return back.”
When bad events happen, they are
always serious, so there is no need to write about a “serious
disaster.” This common and
unconscious habit we are all guilty of is mocked by such absurd
expressions as “hanged to

death,” “violently executed,” “bad criminal,” or “young child.”
Sometimes, we simply are not
thinking when we write and speak, but that is why revision and
editing are so absolutely critical
to our work.
Common redundancies heard at work include the following:

Good communications, written or oral, always avoid clichés—
expressions that were once
popular but used so often that people now consider them to be
boring and unimportant. For
example, the phrase “a diamond in the rough” describes a
person who will do extremely well in
the future. It is better to speak directly and plainly in a
professional situation and avoid clichés
altogether.
Common clichés heard at work include the following:
e

Likewise, avoid buzzwords when possible. Buzzwords are those
words that are new and popular
in certain settings. They can be used to demonstrate that the
speaker is up on current trends.
Buzzwords can actually be useful in some cases, such as an
interview. However, it is imperative
that the speaker not overuse buzzwords or use them too late in
their life cycle because, by then,
the words have simply turned into clichés and have the opposite
effect, making the speaker seem
as if he or she is an outsider. It can even make the speaker seem
out of touch or worse—obsolete
(Thill & Bovee, 2015).
Jargon should be used only when communicating with people in
your field. For example,
medical personnel use jargon when writing to or speaking with
each other but must revert to
familiar words when writing to or speaking with patients.
Referring to a TIA is acceptable when
communicating with people in the medical field, but when
advising a patient, it is better to
explain that you mean “signs of a stroke.” Every field has its

own unique terminology, and it is
always best to be considerate of an audience, and when in
doubt, err on the side of avoiding
jargon. If the audience is mixed, then using the jargon
immediately followed by a parenthetical
explanation of the term can be satisfactory to both audiences.
Proofreading your message: One fundamental and immutable
law of communication is that we
must proofread our messages before sending them. When an
employee sends out messages with
errors, customers/clients are led to believe that the company’s
products/services will also have
flaws. As a result, there is always the risk that customers will
take their business to the
company’s competitors.
Without exception, check every word to ensure it is spelled
correctly, and, likewise, check to
ensure all communications are grammatically correct. Misplaced
commas or semicolons can not
only change the meaning of a message but also send an
unintended message that the company is
careless, if not incompetent.

Sending messages: Another critical consideration is the
selection of the best mode for the
delivery of every communication: e-mail, text, face-to-face, or
other. The medium selected for
communications is very important not only in relation to
timeliness or reaching someone in-
between meetings but also in relation to the message it
implicitly sends about company
organization, priorities, and consistency.
Review:
1. We all communicate through formal and informal channels in
various situations, and
each mode of communication can be more or less rich in its
ability to send information
effectively.
2. Part of the planning of writing a message is to consider if
writing a message is actually
the best way to communicate or whether it would be better to
deliver the message
through another medium, perhaps orally.
3. The first objective of all messages is that they will be fully
understood; therefore, it must

be organized.
4. At all times a writer, presenter, or speaker must consider the
potential audience.
5. One fundamental and immutable law of communication is
that we must proofread our
messages before sending them.
6. Another critical communication consideration is the selection
of the best mode for the
delivery of every communication.
Check for Understanding
(Answer Key is found after the Review.)
1. Which is NOT one of the key steps in writing professional
messages?
a) Planning
b) Discussing
c) Organizing
d) Proofreading
2. What is one of the fundamental considerations during the
planning stage of a professional
message?
a) Audience
b) Cost
c) Arrival time

3. The best choice of words for a professional message is those
words which demonstrate
knowledge and sophistication, even if the receiver must look
them up.
a) True
b) False
4. The first and most important aspect of any and every
professional message is that it
reflects well on the company that is sending it.
a) True
b) False
5. Proofreading professional messages is just as important as
their construction.
a) True
b) False
Answer Key
1. B - While discussing aspects of any piece of correspondence
is not a bad idea, discussing
is not one of the key four steps. Writing is the other traditional
step that was left out of
the choices.
2. A - A knowledge of the audience, singular or plural, is of

paramount consideration in
knowing what to say and how to say it.
3. B – False: When creating professional messages, select words
which will be familiar to
the recipient.
4. B – False: The single priority of any professional message is
that it be completely
understood by any and all recipients. If the message fails in that
respect, nothing else
matters.
5. A – True: It might be the case that proofreading for
perfection is more important than any
other step in the cycle of professional messages. Any piece of
correspondence that leaves
an office containing errors reflects poorly on the company.
References
Brockway, L. H. (2012). 34 redundant, repetitive, and
superfluous phrases. Retrieved from
http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/34_redundant_repetitive_
and_superfluous_phrases_12
417.aspx
Hayden, L. (n.d.). Left-brain - right brain /creativity program.

Retrieved from
http://suspense.net/whitefish/cliche.htm
Meyer, E. (2014). How to say “This is crap” in different
cultures. Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2014/02/how-to-say-this-is-crap-in-different-
cultures
Thill, J. V., & Bovee, C. L. (2015). Excellence in business
communication (11th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Unit V
Lesson 4: Informative Messages
Introduction
Informative messages provide important details about an issue.
They usually give instructions,
explain something, or provide directions. Informative messages
explain the who, what, when,
where, and why of the issue. Directives and policies are two
types of informative messages used

by an organization to inform employees concerning
organizational issues.
A directive contains information that helps employees reach a
specific goal or complete a
project. For example, an employee might receive a message
from his or her supervisor as
follows: This directive will provide instructions on how to
complete the new safety handbook.
A policy provides long-term organizational goals set by
executive management. Based on those
policies, mid-level managers devise strategies to ensure the
effectiveness of the organization’s
products or services. For example, an organization might have a
policy regarding health and
safety. It will set out who is responsible for the overall health
and safety within the organization
and provide directives on what must be done if injuries occur.
Informative Messages
In some job positions, employees write to customers/clients
informing them of actions being
taken by the company or about changes being made to products

or services. Employees will also
write to colleagues, informing them of policy changes or
upcoming events. Always ensure that
these messages contain information that is accurate, easy to
understand, and meaningful.
Be careful never to overestimate an audience. Explain briefly
but clearly each idea in a message.
Do not assume that the reader knows about the issue. A busy
person at work does not have time
to do research to fully understand every incoming message.
When writing informative messages, always be careful about
using technical language that the
audience might not understand. If the message is providing
instructions on how to do something,
such as how to use a new cell phone, explain each step clearly.
Always consider whether the
message is clear, concise, and complete. All messages must
contain sufficient information to be
clearly understood, and eliminate any unnecessary details.
Types of Informative Messages
Informative messages are usually about people or places; about

how something is made, done, or
how something works; about events taking place in an
organization or in the community; or
about concepts such as beliefs, principles, new ideas, and
different approaches to current
procedures as explained below.
When writing messages about objects, try to refer to places,
animals, or other aspects of your
business. Always choose your words carefully, and use a format
that will emphasize explicit
ideas. One option is setting out the message’s ideas in
chronological order. By doing so, the
format is to set out each idea as it occurs. For example, if the
message is explaining how to set up
a computer, each step must be explained sequentially from
connecting the parts to attaching
peripheral equipment.
Another message might be about a process. Using a systematic
approach, the message can
describe how to create something, how a particular job is done,
or how something works. For

example, one message might explain how a hurricane forms in
the Caribbean. The goal of this
particular message would be to have readers fully understand
the process and be able to
recognize when a hurricane might occur in the Caribbean.
Another goal might be to provide information on how to
perform a process. The message might
inform a photography student how to take pictures
professionally. The content will have to
explain the techniques involved and explain clearly how to use
the techniques being provided.
When writing about processes, adding some visuals to the
message will greatly increase the
overall appeal. The visuals will also clarify the meaning the
message is trying to get across to the
reader.
Messages can also be constructed that describe events about to
take place or those that have
previously taken place. One note might want to discuss the
Fourth of July parade or a Mardi Gras
celebration that occurs in New Orleans. Yet another informative
message could educate the

public about the voting process or how elections are run in the
United States.
Other messages might focus on concepts. One possibility is to
write about the steps in how
something should be accomplished. Human resources might
have to write employees about
workplace policies. Management might wish to put forward
some new ideas and find out what
employees think about them. There are multiple reasons we
might send any number of messages
to people who seek information about an organization or about
things happening in other parts of
the world. For example, a company might want to tell readers
about education in Asia and the
United States. Another institution might want to elaborate on
theories about diets or theories on
life.
Using Different Approaches
When a writer uses any of these methods—objects, processes,
events, concepts—there is the
option to use either of the following approaches:

One choice is to write using chronological order, that is,
moving from one item to another using
a time sequence. Note the following example: “In 1990, our
firm organized the first run. In 2010,
our firm moved the fastest load. In 2015, our firm won an
award.”
Another popular choice is to use spatial order: In doing so, the
writer describes the main points
of the message from top to bottom or from side to side. For
example, a message could explain
the features of a statue or a new building by describing the base,
and then the middle, and then
the top of the structure. The concept of the format is that
anything described is related to its
physical existence in space or a spatial context.
Alternatively, a message might use topical order. Expressing
several ideas that are not directly
connected, a writer could explore each one in any order that
would reflect the objects and goals

of the message. For example, a report on gardening might
describe how to sow seeds, how to use
sand in certain parts of the garden, and how to root plants. The
meanings would not change
regardless of the order of the points being made.
In the development of messages using either of these
approaches, always consider the audience.
As explained earlier, never assume that the reader will know
anything about the issue which the
message is exploring. At the same time, never alienate readers
by stating the obvious. Writing a
message to those employed in the same field, always feel free to
use specialized words that
colleagues will know and understand. However, when writing to
a wider audience, it is always
necessary to explain in detail rather than use words an audience
might not be familiar with.
One very successful technique is to use comparisons or to
contrast ideas as part of the process of
describing things. Rather than use a vague statement such as,
“If a hurricane hit New York City,
the impact would be devastating,” it would be better to use a
comparison such as, “To give you

an idea of how devastating the impact of a hurricane hitting
New York would be, it would be like
several bombs exploding at one spot.” The more vivid image is
not only more attention-getting
but much more memorable as well.
Writing informative messages requires a consciously meticulous
choice of words to ensure
clarity. In addition, always be aware of the amount of
information being provided, that nothing is
duplicated, and that there are no unnecessary details. Finally,
every message must be complete in
and of itself, providing sufficient information to be fully
understood by the audience.
(Answer Key is found after the Review.)
1. Which of the following is most characteristic of an
informative message?
a) To give instructions or explain a plan or process
b) To convince an audience to endorse a product, idea, or policy
2. Two very common types of informative messages are the
directive and policy, one being

“information that helps employees reach specific goals or
complete assigned projects”
while the other “provides long-term organizational goals set by
company management.”
Match the correct term with its proper definition.
a) Directive
b) Policy
3. According to their needs, writers might elect to use three
common methods to order their
materials: chronological, spatial and topical. Which of the three
types is at work in the
following well-known quotation?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . .
And God said, ‘Let there be
light’ . . . And there was evening, and there was morning—the
first day.”
a) Chronological
b) Spatial
c) Topical
4. According to their needs, writers might elect to use three
common methods to order their
materials: chronological, spatial and topical. Which of the three

types is at work in the
following words?
“Holmes walked into the room ahead of Watson and scanned
everything as deliberately
as a tiger might a potential meal: window open, one candle
almost burned out, an open
letter on the desk with a corner still damp from whatever
source, all closets closed, an
aroma of cigar and a decidedly East End perfume of some sort,
a single marring of the
wainscot, showing a perforation about the size of a grape, and
of course the body, face
down on the carpet and perhaps facing the door before
collapsing in the current
contortion.”
a) Chronological
b) Spatial
c) Topical
5. The most fundamental goal of an informative message is to:
a) introduce a speaker and maintain the image of the company.
b) deliver an agenda to a particular audience with the goal being
that everyone
understands 100% of the material being communicated.

Review
1. Informative messages provide important details about an
issue, giving instructions,
explaining something, or providing directions.
2. A directive contains information that helps employees reach a
specific goal or complete a
project.
3. A policy provides long-term organizational goals set by
executive management.
4. There are three common approaches to informational
messages: chronological order,
spatial order, and topical order.
Answer Key
1. A - An informative message or speech is designed to inform,
that is to say make an
audience knowledgeable of or acquainted with a product, plan,
policy, or proposal.
2. Directive—information that helps employees reach specific
goals or complete assigned
projects; Policy—provides long-term organizational goals set by
company management
3. A - In a typical chronological ordering, things are placed in
an order of time, or events
taking place one after another such as first, second, third, or

yesterday, today, and
tomorrow.
4. B - Spatial order shows where things are located, the
relationships between items in terms
of proximity, literally where things are in space.
5. B - All informative messages seek to communicate something
to an audience with the
goal of having the maximum number in the audience retaining
all or as much of the
material being delivered as possible.
Unit V
Lesson 2: Technology in Communication
Introduction
How we communicate always affects our professional image.
When communicating formally or
informally through various messaging formats, every message
must be accurate and easy to
understand. Social media and other types of technology are
forums where ideas and opinions are

presented to unlimited numbers of people for better or worse.
Using Social Media Effectively
As electronic forms of messaging continue to expand in
professional and personal settings, it is
more rather than less important to write and speak effectively in
our technology-driven society.
We already communicate through many of the formal and
informal channels such as e-mail,
memorandums, reports, text messaging, blog posts, phone calls,
and of course, face-to-face
communication. According to powerdirect.com (as cited in
Eastman, 2013), e-mail usage
increased 5.4 % from 2011 to 2012. Eastman also noted that 4.1
text messages per person were
sent daily in the United States at the time of her article in 2013.
As of today, there are 2.3 billion
active social media users throughout the world, with 1.99
billion social mobile users, and an
annual projected growth of 10% annually (Chaffey, 2016). Any
doubts about the potential of
social media for the business world have evaporated with the
proliferation of social media sites

and users throughout the globe.
In addition, we communicate using the ever-expanding social
media platform. The term social
media was first used in 2004 (Myers, n.d.). Some of the many
platforms available include the
following sites:
LinkedIn helps employees build a professional network and
communicate with professionals in a
variety of fields. Here, people share information and get to
know about other companies. Many
use this social media site to demonstrate and develop a
professional image and maintain
communications with peers who share news about jobs and
current issues affecting a variety of
fields of endeavor.
Facebook has over 1.5 billion followers around the world. Many
businesses also use this social
media outlet to market their goods and communicate with
people in multiple countries. Users can
keep in touch with family, friends, and business partners.
According to Eastman (2013),

Facebook has become one of the primary ways people send
messages. In fact, the number of
messages sent through Facebook has now surpassed in volume
the number sent by texting. It is
clearly the largest and most influential of the social media
outlets.
Pinterest allows users to “pin” their ideas, as if on a bulletin
board, and share them with family,
friends, and business associates. According to Meng (2014), in
2014, Pinterest was the fastest
growing social media platform for sharing content online,
suggesting that businesses should look
beyond Facebook and Twitter to expand their social media
communication.
Instagram is used to share photographs and videos. It is an app
used for smartphones and
provides users with easy access for posting and finding photos.
Here, with relative ease, one is
able to customize photos and market a variety of business
products to like-minded peers.

Reddit is a platform in which one can communicate with others
by submitting new content as
well as discussing and voting on content submitted by others.
Users can be directed to a
business’s products and provided customer service through
dedicated channels. Customers feel
heard and are able to get their questions answered (Beck, 2012).
This service is extremely
valuable to any business because it costs less to keep a customer
than to gain a new customer.
Google+ helps a member connect with others who share the
same interests. Google+ allows
users to have separate “Circles” for work, news, or family.
Additionally, one is able to join
“Communities” instead of Circles, depending on his or her
interests. For example, if a subscriber
is interested in Nexus, he or she is able to join the Nexus
Community. While Circles and
Communities are subsets of Google Plus, Circles permit users to
isolate their followers into units
based on a criterion established by the user, business or
otherwise. Communities are much like
traditional online message boards and usually have a theme and,
therefore, attract like-minded

people who share ideas and communications.
Twitter has grown to be a very popular social messaging
platform. Businesses can send out
messages, such as job postings, and employees can get answers
quickly when doing research.
Since people can use the same Twitter account on different
devices—iPhone, Android, Windows
Phone, Blackberry, and so on—tweeting has become very
popular. Businesses are able to
determine how people feel about their products by following
conversations being tweeted. Users
are limited to 140 characters on Twitter communications.
Things move very fast in the world of social media, and if any
business had doubts about the
benefits of employing social media as a business tool, those
doubts are now a decade too late.
Today social networking is the top online activity in the United
States with the average
American spending some 37 minutes every day exploring a
variety of sites. A shocking 46% of
web users are affected, if not influenced directly, by social

media when purchasing a wide
variety of products. Similarly, 70% of business-to-consumer
marketers acknowledge getting
customers via Facebook. Some 90% of online retailers today use
Pinterest. On Twitter, almost
70% of its users buy directly from brand names advertised
there. The big three sites today
offering the largest business opportunities are Facebook,
Google, and Twitter (Karr, 2015).
All of these channels of communication can be used to interact
with business partners,
coworkers, family, and friends. There are positives and
negatives associated with these forms of
communication, and every user must determine which choice of
social media will make a
particular communication most effective.
As social media outlets continue to grow and expand, it
becomes more imperative to continually
adapt in order to make your voice heard and create the changes
that will bring in more
customers/clients.

Using Other Forms of Technology
A blog is the shortened form of the word “weblog.” A blog is
actually a website that someone
develops. This platform is similar to a journal in which the
blogger shares his or her ideas about
a specific topic or several topics. When other people access
someone’s blog, it becomes very
interactive as they express their opinions and respond to other
bloggers.
A wiki is very similar to a blog except that it is used for groups
rather than individuals. Wikis are
used in businesses so that employees are able to post and
acquire information regarding projects
on which they are working.
Podcasting is another medium that has become popular in the
business environment. Businesses
broadcast their products and services using podcasts. Users
subscribe to podcasts, many of which
are located through blogs. Once a user is subscribed to a
podcast, he or she receives automatic

downloads on that topic. Time shifting is a term associated with
podcasting. It means that a user
is able to listen to content anytime, anywhere, as opposed to
needing to be present for a live
event such as one typically found on radio (Starak, n.d.).
The growth of not only the number of social media sites but
also the incredible number of people
using social media throughout the world on a daily basis is
challenging to comprehend. The
world is changing daily in ways we find it almost impossible to
believe. Online shopping sites
like Amazon have dramatically altered decades-old patterns of
shopping to the extent that many
of the oldest names in business are no longer competitive and
might disappear in the near future.
Technology has completely changed our world in a short period
of time, and history, too, is now
in the process of cataclysmic changes that have been affected by
mobile technology in particular.
Yesterday’s world is gone, and although we are here today, we
also know that tomorrow’s world
will offer new technologies and the corollary challenges that
always go with rapid change.

1. Today, in the world of social media, we are able to worry less
about writing and speaking
correctly.
a) True
b) False
2. What is the single most influential and largest social media
platform?
a) Twitter
b) YouTube
c) Facebook
3. How many active social media users are there today in the
world?
a) Millions
b) Billions
4. One of the fastest growing social media platforms, this site
claims that 90% of online
retailers use the site regularly.
a) Instagram
b) Pinterest

5. Social media sites have become incredibly popular but have
yet to affect business in any
significant way.
a) True
b) False
Review
1. We communicate formally or informally through a variety of
messaging formats.
2. Today, social networking is the top online activity in the
United States.
3. As social media outlets continue to grow and expand, it
becomes more imperative to
continually adapt in order to make your voice heard and create
the changes that will bring
in more customers/clients.
Answer Key
1. False - Today, when customers and associates make up their
minds about us from
messages, pictures, or interactive communications, such as
Adobe or Skype, our writing
and speaking are more critical than ever.
2. C – Facebook - Facebook is clearly the most visited and
influential of all the social media

platforms, followed by YouTube.
3. B - Global social media statistics estimate that some 2.3
billion active users of social
media existed early in 2016 with that number increasing every
day.
4. B - A phenomenally popular and growing site, it is the
biggest challenge to Facebook and
Twitter and has a strong business oriented following. Instagram
is not primarily a
business site.
5. B – False - In fact, social media sites have already changed
the way we do business
throughout the world with large companies like Amazon and
Alibaba. The current
business climate is that companies adapt and use social media
or wither and perish.
References
Beck, B. (2012, September 20). 6 ways to use Reddit to grow
your business. Retrieved from
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/reddit/
Chaffey, D. (2016). Global social media research summary
2016. Retrieved from
http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-

media-strategy/new-global-
social-media-research/
Eastman, H. (2013, July 7). Communication changes with
technology, social media. Retrieved
from http://universe.byu.edu/2013/07/07/1communication-
changes-with-technology-social-
media/
Karr, D. (2015). Infographic: 46% of consumers use social
media in purchase decisions.
Retrieved from https://www.marketingtechblog.com/social-
media-infographic/
Meng, A. (2014, January 20). What is Pinterest, and how does it
work? Retrieved from
http://www.infront.com/blogs/the-infront-blog/2014/1/20/what-
is-pinterest-and-how-does-it-
work#
Myers, A. (n.d.). 13 types of social media platforms and
counting. Retrieved from
http://decidedlysocial.com/13-types-of-social-media-platforms-
and-counting/

Starak, Y. (n.d.). What is a podcast? Retrieved from
https://www.entrepreneurs-
journey.com/230/what-is-a-podcast/
Unit V
Lesson 5: Persuasive Messages
Introduction
Persuasive messages are designed to influence others. Such
messages provide details—facts,
graphs, and statistics that urge others to do something or to
change their minds about an issue.
Sometimes, the messages sent within organizations are meant to
reinforce the organization’s
objectives. Whether a lawyer, public relations specialist, or
counselor, all send persuasive
messages at one time or another. Every administrator’s job is to
persuade others to be productive,
efficient, and, at times, creative.
Persuasive Messages

We all use persuasion frequently when speaking and writing
messages. Persuading others refers
to how we create, reinforce, or change people’s thinking.
Whether engaging in community
activities or in writing messages at work, we are often able to
persuade others to see things from
our perspective. There are times when we want immediate
action and times when we want the
audience to think about our ideas before taking action.
Understanding how persuasion works can benefit us as
employees, supervisors, managers, or
business owners. The way products are advertised and the way
to attract the attention of
investors lies in the ability to use critical thinking skills
effectively.
When writing persuasive messages, always try to get others to
take action based on the issues
addressed in the messages or reports. The company may want to
sell a product or inspire others
through your persuasive messages. For all persuasive messages,
be clear and concise. Always

use facts rather than opinions, and avoid stereotypes at all
times. Always be honest in what is
written, and stay away from any type of unethical behavior. At
all times, messages should create
a bond of trust between writers and readers.
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
To persuade others effectively, a message must present its ideas
clearly and always seek to
motivate the target audience.
Alan Monroe, a professor at Purdue University in the 1930s,
believed that many people might
agree that something should be done about an existing problem
but not have enough motivation
to take action. Therefore, a message must be forceful enough to
influence them to do whatever
action is desired. Monroe’s motivated sequence involves five
steps: attention, need, satisfaction,
visualization, and action (Lucas, 2015). The following scenario
illustrates the application of the
Monroe motivated sequence in a business communication
setting:

A vacancy arises in the management level just above your
current position, and you wish to be
promoted. You have to motivate your supervisor to make a
decision in your favor.
attention. Do not approach him
or her if there is a lot going on and he or she is trying to resolve
the situation. Wait until
you see that he or she is less busy and, preferably, sitting in the
office. You have to
choose a time when you will have his or her undivided
attention.
tell the supervisor about a
problem that exists in the department, and explain why you
think the problem occurred.
Provide statistics or other evidence to support your ideas. It
must be a problem that is
causing some issues with management or other departments or
customers.
You must set out one or
more solutions to the problem. Explain how each solution would
work, including cost

factors. Your ideas should be well thought out and explained
without using any technical
terms, unless necessary.
picture of the benefit(s) of
carrying out your solution, or, alternatively, of the
consequences of not doing anything to
resolve the problem. You can motivate the supervisor to take
action if he or she knows
how he or she will benefit from doing as you say. Not only will
people from inside the
department recognize his or her value to the organization, but
he or she might be
recognized by executive management or outside organizations.
If appropriate, you can
point out what would happen if nothing is done. For example,
the department might have
to close down because of the problem.
action to resolve the problem.
Remind him or her of the best solution. If you presented more
than one solution, you
must choose only one solution, and persuade the supervisor to
do as you ask. Asking the
supervisor to do more than one specific thing may lead to

confusion, and it is likely that
your solution will not be implemented. You can offer to be the
lead for the project.
Sending Persuasive Messages to Managers
Writing messages upward in an organization can be complex,
but it does not have to be
something to be feared or avoided. If the topic is controversial,
consider the attitudes and beliefs
that prevail among upper management. Find out whether
managers will be in favor of, be neutral
to, or oppose the ideas. The tone of the message should be
sincere and courteous. Be very
realistic about what the message seeks to accomplish.
Some persuasive messages will be based on fact. These
messages provide data that has been
carefully researched in order to persuade managers to agree
with the proposed action. All
statistics and other data presented with the problem must be
accurate.
Persuasive messages to managers include proposals for change
in operating procedures or, often,

requests to purchase new equipment. Either must provide
sufficient information for the manager
to make an informed decision; therefore, explain any figures
provided as part of the evidence,
especially when determining the cost of the project. Be very
clear in the explanations of the
benefits (or consequences) to the company whether or not the
proposal is accepted. In order for a
proposal to have a chance for success, it must emphasize how
the solution will resolve a
significant problem facing the company.
Similarly, if a persuasive message seeks to change procedures
in the workplace, compelling
information must be provided about the problem and the
proposed solution. Show clearly how
the proposed solutions will be productive and profitable to the
organization.
Sending Persuasive Messages to Employees
Writing messages downward in an organization usually relies on

logical appeal. These messages
may ask employees to perform in a certain way in order to save
money while increasing the
quality of the products or services. The chronological method
(discussed in Lesson 4 of this unit)
is usually used to ensure that employees understand how the
request will help them perform
more effectively.
Messages to employees can be about new policies, new staff, or
a new manager. Messages can
also be about assisting in projects that go beyond the workplace,
such as helping to organize and
run an event to raise money for a charitable organization.
These messages might be written formally or informally,
depending on the situation. Try to
consider what the employees need to know, and always consider
any opposition to the proposed
ideas. Choose all words carefully, and use a respectful tone so
that employees are not bullied into
accepting the ideas, especially if they have been asked to
volunteer their time.

Sending Persuasive Messages to Customers
Persuasive messages are meant to sway customers toward
purchasing certain products. As a
result, trust must be established with customers. One way trust
can be established is by ensuring
that products and services are always delivered as promised.
Never make statements about the
pros and cons of a product or service unless there is certainty
that the company will provide the
products and services as promised.
Customers must believe that the company is honest and
trustworthy. That trust can be built only
over time. If a mistake is made, the company must accept full
responsibility and ensure that
correction will occur in a timely manner. Follow up with
customers, and ensure they understand
that the company is doing what is necessary to correct the error.
Never leave any doubt that
everything will flow as promised and be fully supported.
Finally, persuasive messages are a foundation of any business
or company. Operations always

include the necessity for purchases, change, adaptation, and
events where individuals or groups
must be convinced that processes or climates must be amended
for the good of the company. All
of the messages that are created to foster these modifications
must be couched in familiar and
friendly terms and tones so that efficacy yields not only change
but success for the company and
all of its employees.
(Answer Key is found below Review)
1. Which of the following is TRUE about persuasive messages?
a. Persuasive messages are relatively rare but in business must
be an option.
b. We all use a variety of persuasive messages every day.
2. When presenting a persuasive message, one thing to avoid
would be:
a) opinions.
b) compelling evidence.
3. Monroe’s motivated sequence focuses on which of the

following?
a) Strongest facts and support
b) A call for action
4. Which of the five steps in Monroe’s motivated sequence
makes it different from most
persuasive presentations?
a) Attention
b) Need
c) Satisfaction
d) Visualization
e) Action
5. Delivering persuasive messages to upper management,
employees, and customers,
demands the same considerations.
a) True
b) False
Review
1. We all use persuasion frequently when speaking and writing
messages.
2. Monroe’s motivated sequence involves five steps: attention,
need, satisfaction,
visualization, and action.
3. Persuasive messages are a foundation of any business or
company.

Answer Key
1. B - From simple persuasive messages about where to take
lunch to complex and costly
investments, at home and in our work, everyone uses persuasive
messages on a daily
basis.
2. A - While the opinions of a CEO or expert in any field are
certainly important, to
convince someone or a group, facts and otherwise compelling
evidence must be part of
the persuasion techniques.
3. B - Monroe’s motivated sequence focuses on the fact that,
while in many cases an
audience will agree with the persuasive facts and agenda, the
listeners will not be
motivated to act on the information. Monroe’s sequence
attempts to apply motivational
techniques as part of the persuasive presentation.
4. E - While getting an audience’s attention, demonstrating the
need, previewing
satisfaction, and showing an argument’s viability with a
visualization are common to
most persuasive structures, the action step is a very specific call
for a particular act from

the audience, whether that might be by writing a check, coming
to the pulpit, or signing a
petition at that precise moment.
5. B – False - As with speaking or writing to any particular
audience, special, even unique
considerations always exist and demand specific knowledge and
sometimes research in
order to be certain the language, appeal, and even structure are
correct and best suited to a
particular group.
References
Lucas, S. (2015). The art of public speaking (12th ed.). New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
CM 1010, Professional Communication 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
3. Create research-based messages that apply communication
theories and strategies.
3.1 Develop professional messages.
3.2 Demonstrate how persuasive strategies influence outcomes.
4. Describe the impact of changing technologies on professional
communities.
4.1 Choose technologies that enhance business messages.
4.2 Explain how technology affects persuasive attempts.
Reading Assignment
In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s)
below:
This article focused on the influence that text messaging has on
the writing ability of teenagers, and the article
claims that children no longer know how to write well.
Is texting destroying kids’ writing style? (2008). Curriculum
Review, 48(1),4-5. Retrieved from
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A184745512/AONE?u=oran
95108&sid=AONE&xid=042f9f0f
Reddy, C. (n.d.). Social media in the workplace: Top 21 pros
and cons. Retrieved from
https://content.wisestep.com/social-media-workplace-pros-cons/
Westwood, R. (2015, March). Do you ‘like’ social media in the

workplace? Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanwestwood/2015/03/05/hit-like-
if-you-agree-with-social-media-in-the-
workplace/#5f9f2d1843bd
Unit Lesson
Please be sure to maximize your Internet browser so that you
can view each individual lesson on a full
screen, ensuring that all content is made visible.
Click here to access Unit V Lesson 1.
Click here to access the Lesson 1 transcript.
UNIT V STUDY GUIDE
Professional Messages
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A184745512/AONE?u=oran
95108&sid=AONE&xid=042f9f0f
https://content.wisestep.com/social-media-workplace-pros-cons/

https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-
76098135_1
76098213_1
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Click here to access the Social Media
video.
Click here to access the Social Media video transcript.

Click here to access the Proofreading
video.
Click here to access the Proofreading video transcript.
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UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Click here to access the Persuasive
Messages video.
Click here to access the Persuasive Messages video transcript.

Suggested Reading
In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s)
below:
This article considers messages that are used inappropriately
and also provides four types of writing styles to
consider.
Rong, Z., Jiexun L. Hsinchun, C. & Zan, H. (2006). A
framework for authorship identification of online
messages: Writing-style features and classification techniques.
Journal of the American Society for
Information Science & Technology, 57(3), 378-393. Retrieved
from
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://s
earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=a9h&AN=19529870&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Learning Activities (Nongraded)
Complete the “Check for Understanding” questions in Lessons
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in
their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further
guidance and information.

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earch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=1952
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