digital

1. Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy
Essentials of
Business
Communication 9e
© 2013 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
Chapter 5
Electronic Messages and
Digital Media

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Communication Technology Today
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 2
 Information is exchanged electronically and on
the go.
 The Web is a dynamic, interactive environment.
 More data are now stored on and accessed from
remote networks (cloud computing).

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Flow of Information in Organizations
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 3
 Two prevailing technological
trends today:
Mobile communication
Cloud computing
 Today’s workforce must
stay connected at all
times.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 4
Skills expected of business communicators:
 Transmit information electronically
 Use communication technology, including
e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging,
and corporate blogs
 Understand how businesses use
podcasts, wikis, and social media
 Prepare effective digital
messages
Flow of Information in Organizations

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Electronic messages
• E-mail
• Instant messaging
• Text messaging
• Podcasts
• Blogs
• Wikis
• Social media
Paper-based
messages
• Business letters
• Interoffice memos
• Reports
• Proposals
• Manuals
• Brochures
Written Messages at Work
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 5

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WRITTEN
MESSAGES
 Carry more weight
 Taken more seriously in certain
situations
 Can be more attractively formatted
ELECTRONIC
MESSAGES
 Delivered instantaneously
 Promote faster feedback
 Considered a standard form of
communication within
organizations
Advantages
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 6

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Useful for
WRITTEN
MESSAGES
 Creating a permanent record
 Projecting formality
 Displaying confidentiality and
sensitivity
ELECTRONIC
MESSAGES
 Sending short informal
messages
 Reaching multiple receivers
 Saving and archiving
messages
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 7

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Components of E-Mail Messages
and Memos
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 8




Subject Line
Opening
Body
Closing

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Informational E-Mails and Memos
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 9
Writing Plan
 Subject Line
 Summarize the main idea
 Avoid meaningless one-word subject lines
such as Help or Urgent.
 Type in upper- and lowercase letters—
never in all upper- or lowercase.
 Do not write as a complete sentence.
 NEVER leave the subject line blank.

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 10
 Subject Line
Instead of these:
Urgent!
we will meet this
week
Try these:
Expense Form Due
by Friday at 5 p.m.
Task Force Meeting
Thursday, May 28
Informational E-Mails and Memos
Writing Plan

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 11
 Opening
Frontload: reveal main idea immediately in
expanded form.
Instead of this:
Several employees
have requested we
set up a vanpool.
Try this:
We will meet this
Friday at 2 p.m. to
discuss a possible
company vanpool.
Informational E-Mails and Memos
Writing Plan

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 12
 Body
 Explain and justify the opening.
 Organize information and explanations
logically.
 Cover just one topic.
 Use headings and numbered and
bulleted lists to add high “skim value.”
Informational E-Mails and Memos
Writing Plan

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 13
 Closing
 End with one or more of the following:
• Action information, dates, or deadlines
• Summary of the message
• Closing thought
 Avoid overused expressions such as
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if I
may be of further assistance.
Informational E-Mails and Memos
Writing Plan

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 14
Closing
Instead of this:
Thank you for your
cooperation.
Try this:
Please let me know
your answer by
Monday, June 2.
Informational E-Mails and Memos

Writing Plan

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Model E-Mail Message
Matt:
Two interns will work in your department from September 20
through November 30. As part of their supervision, you should
do the following:
 Develop a work plan describing their duties.
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Cc:
Attached:
Matt Ferranto mferranto@qualcom.com
Brooke Johnson bejohnson@qualcom.com
August 31, 201x
Supervising Two Assigned Interns
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 15

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 Supervise their work to ensure positive results.
 Assess their professionalism in completing all assigned work.
Please examine the packet we are sending you. It contains forms
and additional information about the two students assigned to
your department. Call me at Ext. 248 if you have questions.
Warm regards,
Brooke
Brooke Johnson
Human Resources & Development
E-mail: bjohnson@telecom.com
Phone: (425) 896-3420
Model E-Mail Message
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 16

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Professional E-Mail Messages
Getting Started
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 17
 Try composing offline.
 Type the receiver’s address
correctly.
 Avoid misleading subject
lines.
 Apply the top-of-the-screen
test.

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Content, Tone, and Correctness
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 18
 Be concise.
 Don’t send anything you wouldn’t
want published.
 Don’t use e-mail to avoid contact.
 Care about correctness and tone.
 Resist humor and sarcasm.
Professional E-Mail Messages

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Netiquette
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 19
 Never send blanket copies or “spam.”
 Use capital letters only for
emphasis or for titles.
 Don’t forward without
permission
 Beware of long threads.
Professional E-Mail Messages

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Reading and Replying
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 20
 Scan all messages before replying.
 Print only when necessary.
 Acknowledge receipt.
 Don’t automatically return the sender’s
message.
 Revise the subject line if the topic changes.
 Provide a clear, complete first sentence.
 Never respond when you are angry.
Professional E-Mail Messages

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Personal Use
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 21
 Don’t use company
computers for
personal matters
unless allowed by
your organization.
 Assume that all e-mail
is monitored.
Professional E-Mail Messages

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Other Smart Practices
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 22
 Use design to improve
readability of longer
messages.
 Consider cultural
differences.
 Double-check before
hitting the Send button.
Professional E-Mail Messages

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Instant Messaging and Texting
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 23
 Learn about your
organization’s IM policies.
Are you allowed to use IM?
 Don’t text or IM while
driving.
 Make yourself unavailable
when you need to complete
a project or meet a
deadline.
Best Practices

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 24
 Organize your contact
list to separate business
contacts from family and
friends.
 Keep your messages
simple and to the point.
 Don’t use IM or text to
send confidential or
sensitive information.
Instant Messaging and Texting
Best Practices

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 25
 Be aware that instant
messages can be saved.
 If personal messaging is
allowed, keep it to a
minimum.
 Show patience by not
blasting multiple
messages to coworkers
if response is not
immediate.
Instant Messaging and Texting
Best Practices

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 26
 Keep your presence
status up-to-date.
 Beware of jargon, slang,
and abbreviations.
 Respect your receivers
by using proper
grammar, spelling, and
proofreading.
Instant Messaging and Texting
Best Practices

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Professional Blogs and Twitter
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 27
 Blogs: Web sites with
journal entries written by
one person
 Feedback left by readers
 Help companies interact
with customers
 Help keep employees
informed
 Twitter: Microblogging
service

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Professional Blogs and Twitter
How Businesses Use Blogs and Twitter
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 28
 For public relations,
customer relations, and
crisis communication
 For market research
 To create online
communities
 For internal
communication and
recruiting

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Social/Professional Networking
The Basics
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 29
 Businesses connect with
customers and employees,
share company news, and
exchange ideas on social
networking sites such as
Facebook and Twitter.
 Recruiters looks for talent
on professional networking
sites such as LinkedIn.

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Social/Professional Networking
How Businesses Use Social Networks
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 30
 For brainstorming and
teamwork
 To boost brand image
 To provide a forum for
collaboration
 To create buzz
 To get feedback from
customers

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How To Use Social Network Sites and
Keep Your Job
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 31
 Exercise caution and
think before you post.
 Don’t share sensitive or
inappropriate information
or photos.
 Be careful when blocking
colleagues or turning
down friend invitations.
Social/Professional Networking

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How To Harness the Potential of
Professional Networking Sites
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 5, Slide 32
 Use as a valuable source
for referrals and
recommendations.
 Keep your profile “clean.”
 Highlight awards,
professional goals, and
accomplishments.
Social/Professional Networking

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition
“More companies are discovering that an
über-connected workplace is not just about
implementing a new set of tools—it is also
about embracing a cultural shift to create an
open environment where employees are
encouraged to share, innovate and collaborate
virtually.”
-- Karie Willyerd and Jeanne C. Meister
HarvardBusiness.org
Chapter 5, Slide 33

34. Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy
Essentials of
Business
Communication 9e
© 2013 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
END