Effective communication is essential for business success. Good communication skills are needed to inform, persuade and promote goodwill. The document discusses various forms of business communication including emails, reports, proposals and presentations. It emphasizes the importance of considering audience and purpose, and outlines the writing process of prewriting, writing and revising. Ethics and cultural awareness are also important aspects of business communication.

1. Effective Communication and Writing
Ashley Shisila Bales
ORG 536 – Contemporary Business Writing
and Communication
Colorado State University – Global Campus
Dr. Robert Olszewski
November 18, 2013

2. Importance of Communication
• Why is good communication needed?
o Communication is at the heart of the business world
o Business success depends upon communication
o A top skill looked for by employers
o Employees who effectively write and speak get jobs

3. Business Communication
• Three main functions of good communication
Inform
Persuade
Promote
Goodwill

4. Renewed Emphasis on Ethics
• Ethics are the standards of right and wrong that decide how
people should act (Guffey & Loewy, 2011)
Goals
Obstacles
Abide Law
False Necessity Trap
Tell Truth
Label Opinions
Be Objective
Communicate Clearly
Doctrine of Relative Filth Trap
Rationalization Trap
Self Deception Trap
Inclusive Language
Give Credit
Ends Justify Means Trap

5. Ethical Checklist
Consider the following when making a decision:
• Is the action legal?
• How would you see the situation on the other side?
• What are the alternatives?
• Can you discuss the situation with someone?
• How would you feel if this was your family or friend?

6. Displaying Professionalism
Professionalism is displayed through the following in business:
Teams:
-Team work
involves
conflict, conform
ity, and
consensus when
solving issues
Meetings:
-Face to face
-Virtual
-Superiors
-Eye contact
Etiquette
Skills:
-Customers
-Appearance
- Good manners
-Teammates
-Facial
expressions
-Polite
Listening:
Nonverbal:
-Appreciation

7. Intercultural Communication
Why is culture so important?
• Globalization of markets
• Technological advances
• Intercultural workforce

8. Communicating Between Cultures
Understand
Nonverbal
Communication
Learn Proper
Writing
Techniques
Intercultural
Communication
Techniques
Understand
Email Etiquette
Learn Correct
Oral
Communication

9. Learning Diversity
Diversity must be learned through the following:
o
o
o
o
Understand who you are dealing with
Learn others ethics
Learn others values and practices
Build relationships based on similarities
For more information on intercultural communication visit the
following:
http://www.cie.utoronto.ca/Programs/GlobalLounge/Intercultural-Learning.htm

10. The Writing Process
• Writing needs to be
purposeful, persuasive, economical, and oriented
toward the audience
• 3 x 3 Writing Process
o Prewriting
o Writing
o Revising

11. Prewriting: Purpose & Audience
• During the prewriting stage the purpose of the
message must be identified as well as the audience
Purpose
Audience
Intent of message
Who is the
message for
Select
appropriate
communication
channel
Anticipate the
audience reaction

12. Prewriting: Adapting to the Audience
• Adapting to the audience
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Gear message toward audience
Cultivate a view
Be controversial, but professional
Promote positive expressions
Be courteous
Use bias free language
Utilize familiar words

13. Writing: Organizing Messages
• Organized messages gather information from
formal research, informal
research, brainstorming, and experience
Formal
Research
Informal
Research
Brainstorming
Experience

14. Writing: Composing Messages
• Effective Sentence Structure
• Emphasize ideas
• Manage the voice
• Powerful Paragraphs
• Explain
• Persuade
• Clarify

15. Revising: Making Changes
• Revisions need to accomplish the following:
o Conciseness
• Delete flabby sentences, long lead ins, unnecessary
fillers, redundant words, and empty words
o Clarity
• Keep it short and simple, delete business phrases, drop
clichés, and avoid exuberance
o Readability
• Filling white space, understanding margins, appropriate
typefaces, proper fonts, number lists, bullets, and
headings

16. Revising: Proofreading
• What needs to be accomplished and revised
with proofreading
Spelling
Grammar
Names and
Numbers
Punctuation
Format

17. Exchanging Messages
• Paper messages
o Business letters
o Interoffice memos
• Electronic messages
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Electronic mail
Instant messages
Text messages
Podcasts
Blog
Wiki
Social Networks

18. Emails, Instant Messages,
Text Messages
• Electronic messages need to be professional
• These types of messages allow for real-time
communication, quick decisions, and
communication across countries

19. Podcasts, Blogs, Wiki’s
Promote public
relations
Increase customer
relations
Podcasts, Blogs, Wiki’s
Allow for crisis
communication
Lets people connect
over distance

20. Social Networks
• Social networks connect people around the world
• Associated positives:
o Brainstorming, teamwork, dispensing information
quickly, promoting brands, exchanging ideas, and
connecting with customers
• Associated Negatives:
o People may post negative comments but this allows the
organization to respond and correct the situation to build better
relationships

21. The Art of Persuasion
• Persuasion is the ability to influence an individual's
beliefs or actions (Guffey & Loewy, 2011).
• Persuasive people establish credibility with their
audience, make reasonable requests, explain facts
and benefits, recognize the power of loss, and can
overcome resistance

22. Successful Persuasive Messages
• Successful persuasive messages accomplish goals
Persuasive
Message
Gains
Attention
Builds
Interest
Reduces
Resistance
Motivates
Actions
Remains
Ethical

23. Positive Messages
• Positive Messages
o Apply 3x3 writing process
o Use appropriate information
o Direct message with requests
o Written clearly with instructions
o Make direct claims

24. Negative Messages
• Negative messages need to establish goals, apply
the 3x3 writing process, and avoid legal liability
Buffer News
Convey
Empathy
Cushion Bad
News
Decide to
Apologize
Present
Reason and
Facts
Close
Pleasantly

25. Research
• Research should find and evaluate resources to
utilize and help generate data that avoids research
bias (Guffey & Loewy, 2011).
• Purpose and techniques used to convey a message
should avoid plagiarism and take fast paced
communication into account

26. Business Presentations
Identify the purpose and audience
Build rapport with audience
Use visual aids and images
Practice presentation and delivery
Prepare for any questions from the audience

27. 8 Steps for Multimedia
Presentations
Start with text
Select background
and fonts
Post on internet
Engage the
audience
Choose images
Create a hyperlink
Create graphics
Add special effects

28. Business Reports
• Business Reports
o
o
o
o
o
o
Cover
Title page
Letter of transmittal
Table of contents
List of illustrations
Executive summary
• Introduction of Reports Contains:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Background
Problem
Significance of topic
Scope
Authorization
Review Literature
o
Sources
o
Key terms

29. Business Plans
• Business Plans
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Letter of transmittal
Executive summary
Table of contents
Company description
Product or service description
Market Analysis
Operations
Financial analysis
Appendixes

30. Business Proposals
Informal Business Proposal
Formal Business Proposal
Background, problem, purpose
Copy of request for proposal
Proposal, plans, schedules
Letter of transmittal
Staffing
Abstract or executive summary
Budgets
Title page
Author request
Table of contents
List of illustrations
Appendix

31. Reference
Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business
communication: Process and product. (7th ed.).
Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Colorado State University-Global Campus. (2013). Module 4 Workplace
Communication: Digital Media and Persuasive Messages.
[Blackboard ecourse]. In ORG 536 – Contemporary Business
Writing and Communication. (p. 1). Greenwood Village, CO:
Author.
Colorado State University-Global Campus. (2013). Module 5 Workplace
Communication: Positive and Negative Messages. [Blackboard
ecourse]. In ORG 536 – Contemporary Business Writing and
Communication. (p. 1). Greenwood Village, CO: Author.