The document provides guidance on creating effective business messages. It discusses the writing process of prewriting, writing, and revising. It also covers selecting the appropriate communication channel of written, oral, or electronic based on factors like the need for feedback or a permanent record. Additionally, the document offers tips for overcoming bias in language and taking a "you" attitude that focuses on the audience. The overall recommendations are to write conversationally while maintaining a professional tone.

1. Creating
BusinessMessages

2. The Writing Process
• Prewriting: analyze the situation, gather
information, and adapt to the audience
• Writing: organize the information, compose the
message
• Revising: revise the message, produce the
message, proofread the message

3. Select the Appropriate Channel
and Medium
Use the Written Channel when:
•You need no immediate feedback
•Your message is detailed, complex, or
requires careful planning
•You need a permanent, verifiable record
•You want to minimize the distortion that
can occur when messages pass orally from
person to person
•Your message has no emotional component

4. Use the Oral Channel when:
• You want immediate feedback from the audience
• Your message is relatively straightforward and easy to
accept
• You need no permanent record
• You can assemble your audience
• You want to encourage interaction
• You want to read the audience's body language or hear
the tone of their response
• Your message has an emotional component

5. Use Electronic Forms when:
• You need speed
• You're physically separated from your audience
• Time zones differ
• You must reach a dispersed audience personally

6. Overcoming Bias in Language
Gender Bias:
• Using words containing "man" (businessman, salesman)
• Using female-gender words (actress, stewardess)
• Using special designations (woman doctor, male nurse)
• Using "he" to refer to "everyone" (The average
worker...he"
• Identifying women by marital status (Phill Donahue
and Marlo, Phill Donahue and Ms. Thomas)

7. Racial/Ethnic Bias:
• Assigning stereotypes
• Identifying people by race or ethnicity
Age Bias:
• Including age when irrelevant
Disability Bias:
• Putting the disability before the person

8. "You" Attitude
• The "you" attitude is best implemented by
expressing your message in terms of the
audience's interests and needs.
• Too many business messages have an "I" or
"we" attitude, which make the writer sound
selfish.
• Use you and yours instead of I, me, mine, we, us, and
ours.

9. Conversational but Professional
• sound educated and mature
• use a warm, friendly tone that sounds
professional

10. Conversational but Professional
• sound educated and mature
• use a warm, friendly tone that sounds
professional