businnes messages

1. Chapter 4
Planning Business Messages (1)

2. Understanding the 3-step Writing Process (2)
…..
 Purposeful- It has to have a purpose which means that it has to aim at something, e.g. give instructions
 Audience-centered- It has to be clear to the audience; it has to address them in a direct way; it has to
be relevant to them, & to what they expect, e.g. if a teacher is sending a message to his/her students,
the message should be relevant to the student (can’t discuss how to grow potatoes) it should discuss
issues of interest to the students
 Concise- Messages should be direct & straight to the point
3-Step writing process…
 Plan- Analyze the situation, gather information, choose medium & channel, & get organized
 Write- Adapt to the audience, & compose the message
 Complete- Revise message, produce message, proofread message, & distribute message

3. Cont’d (3)
…..
 Planning business messages…
 Analyzing the situation
 Gathering information
 Choosing media & channels
 Organizing the information
 Writing business messages…
 Adapting to the audience
 Composing the message
 Completing business messages…
 Revising for clarity & conciseness
 Producing the message
 Proofreading the final product
 Distributing the message

4. Cont’d (4)
…..
Optimizing (improving) your writing time…
- Planning 50%
- Writing 25%
- Completing 25%
Planning effectively…
• Provide the right information
• Write messages more quickly
• Minimize embarrassing mistakes

5. Defining your Purpose (5)
Business messages have both a general purpose & a specific purpose…
 General Purpose helps define the overall approach you’ll need to take, from gathering information to
organizing your message…
 To inform- Business messages that are used to inform contain information passed to audience, no
interaction is involved. Audience have no role they can accept or reject the information but do not
interact
 To persuade- If the message is to persuade, the information would try to convince the audience through
allowing them moderate (enough) participation
 To collaborate- If the purpose is to collaborate, the message tries to involve the audience to its
maximum level
 Specific purpose identifies what you hope to accomplish with your message & what your audience should
do or think after receiving your message…
 What you’ll accomplish
 What audience will do
 What audience will think

6. Cont’d (6)
….
Analyzing the situation…
 Will the message change anything? No, wont change anything & wont benefit anyone
 Is your purpose realistic? If the purpose is specific, it has to be realistic, has to focus on a real specific
issue
 Is the timing of the message right? It has to be sent at the right time to achieve its effect
 Will your purpose be acceptable? The purpose has to be acceptable to the company. It must reflect the
company’s position
 Delivery? It has to be sent by the right person

7. Developing an Audience Profile (7)
…..
 Identify primary audience members- Influential people- decision makers or people who can influence
others
 Determine audience size & location- Determine the number of people you are addressing & their
concerns, e.g. the information that concerns the finance department is different than the information
that concerns the marketing department; the business facts that are sent should vary
 Determine composition of the audience- Consider how the audience thinks & reacts to the information
that you are providing, specifically if you are writing to varied cultural groups, e.g. if you are writing to
black audience you don’t include words that have racist meanings, e.g. Niger's. The message should
be sensitive to the audience
 Gauge their level of understanding- Decide how much information to include. Include only enough
information to accomplish your purpose, everything else is irrevelant & must be eliminated
 Consider expectations & preferences- Your business message should have the amount of information
whether detailed or summarised that reflect your audience expectation
 Forecast their probable reaction- If you expect a favourable response, you can include in the message
conclusions & recommendations with minimal supporting information. Whereas if you expect rejection, you
will have to argue for your conclusion

8. Gathering Information (8)
Using informal techniques…
 Consider Viewpoints of others- other persons perspective
 Read reports & company documents- information provided by the company
 Survey supervisors, colleagues, customers- feedback
 Ask your audience for input-feedback from your audience
Provide required information…
Journalistic approach….
- Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Ensuring information quality…
 Is the information accurate?
 Is the information ethical (does it have moral value)?
 Is the information pertinent (relevant)?
Uncovering audience needs…
- Needs that are apparent
- Needs that are hidden

9. Cont’d (9)
…..
Finding your focus…
 Free writing…
- Silence Your “inner critic”
- Express your ideas
 Sketching…
- Think visually
- Release trapped ideas

10. Selecting the Best Combination of Media & Channels (10)
.....
 Oral Medium consists of in person channel & digital channel…
 In person channel…
- 1 on 1 conversations
- Formal presentations
- Face 2 face interactions
 Digital channel…
-Telephone calls
- Podcasts
- Voicemail messages

11. Cont’d (11)
…..
 Written Medium consists of print channel & digital channel…
 Print channel…
- Routine memos
- Business letters
- Reports & Proposals
 Digital channel…
- Tweeting & texting
- Website contents
- Book length reports

12. Cont’d (12)
…..
 Visual medium consists of print channel & digital channel…
 Print channel…
- Photographs
- Diagrams
- Charts & graphs
 Digital channel…
- Info graphics
- Interaction/animation
- Digital video
Refer to p.144, table 4.1 medium/channel combinations: (advantages & disadvantages)…

13. Challenges of Communication on Mobile Devices (13)
…..
The mobile digital channel has become significant in business communication of all types, but it presents
some challenges that must be considered…
 Consuming digital media…
 Screen size & resolution
 Input technologies
 Bandwidth, speed, & connectivity limitations
 Data usage & operational costs

14. Factors to Consider when Choosing Media & Channels (14)
…..
 Richness is a medium’s ability to…
 Convey a message through more than 1 informational cue (visual, verbal, & vocal)
 Facilitate feedback
 Establish personal facts
Factors to consider when choosing media & channels…
- Media richness
- Level of formality
- Media limitations
- Channel limitations
- Message urgency
- Message cost
- Audience preferences
- Security & privacy

15. Cont’d (15)
….
o Media richness…
• Leaner- Sketchy
- Fliers, bulletins, & reports
• Richer- Leaner
- Conversations, meetings, & presentations

16. Organizing your Information (16)
….
- Good organization benefits your audiences by helping them understand & accept your message in less time
- Good organization helps you by reducing the time & creative energy needed to create effective messages
 Effective organization…
 Helps readers…
- Aids understanding
- Boosts acceptance
- Saves time
 Helps writers…
- Saves time
- Saves energy
- Builds reputation

17. Defining your Main Idea (17)
…..
 What’s the topic? The overall subject
 What’s the main idea? Your statement about the topic
Generating creative ideas…
What’s the main idea?
- Brainstorming
- Journalistic approach
- Questions & answers
- Storyteller’s tour
- Mind mapping

18. Limiting your Scope (18)
…..
Limit the scope of your message so that you can convey (express) your main idea as briefly as possible…
 Main idea…
 Information you present
 Overall length of the message
 Level of detail in the message

19. Choosing Between Direct & Indirect Approaches (19)
Direct Approach Indirect Approach
Audience
reaction
Eager, interested,
pleased, neutral
Displeased
Uninterested,
unwilling
Message
opening
Main idea, request,
good news
Buffer statement,
lead up to reasons
Statement or question
Message
body
Necessary details
Provide reasons, state
bad new
Arouse interest, build
desire to act
Message
close
Cordial comment,
request action
Close cordially Request action
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education
Limited
19 Chapter 4 ̶

20. Cont’d (20)
…..
 Direct approach- You open with the main idea of your message & support it with reasoning, evidence, &
examples
 Indirect approach- You withhold (holdback) the main idea until you have built it up logically &
persuasively with reasoning, evidence, & examples

21. Outlining your Content (21)
…..
 Logical…
I. 1st major point
A. 1st sub-point
1. Examples & evidence
2. Examples & evidence
a. Detail
b. Detail
 Effective…
B. 2nd sub-point
II. 2nd major point
A. 1st sub-point
B. 2nd sub-point

22. Cont’d (22)
…..
 Main idea
 1st sub point
- Example
- Example
 2nd sub point
- Example
- Example
 3rd sub point
- Example
- Example

23. Cont’d (23)
…..
Structuring your message…
1. Start with the main idea
2. State the major points
3. Provide examples & evidence
Building reader interest with storytelling techniques….
 Storytelling is an effective way to organize many business messages because it helps readers personalize
the message & understand causes & consequences…
Organize stories in 3 parts…
- A beginning that introduces a sympathetic person with a dream or a challenge
- A middle that shows the obstacles to be overcome
- An ending that resolves the situation & shows the moral or message of the story