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Writing Business Messages. The 3 step writing process Understanding your audience Selecting the right media Organizing the message. LO1. Describe the 3 step writing process. This chapter is about the planning part!. Planning the message. Analyze the situation - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Writing Business Messages
•The 3 step writing process•Understanding your audience•Selecting the right media•Organizing the message
LO1. Describe the 3 step writing process
PLAN WRITE COMPLETE
Analyze the situation Adapt to your audience Revise the message
Gather information Establish you credibility Produce the message
Select the right medium Control your style Proofread the message
Organize the information Compose the message Distribute the message
This chapter is about the planning part!
Planning the message
– Analyze the situation- define your purpose & develop an audience profile
– Gather information- obtain the necessary information & provide the
required information to satisfy audience needs– Select the right medium
- for delivering message; oral, written, visual, etc– Organize the information
- define your main idea, limit your scope, select a direct or indirect approach & outline content
So let’s look at defining your purpose
• It defines the– overall approach– the information needed– the appropriate medium– how to organize your message– Determines audience participation
• all messages have a purpose; to inform, persuade or collaborate
LO2. Explain why it is important to define your purpose carefully and list 4 questions
that can help you test that purpose
How can the purposes vary?
INFORM PERSUADE COLLABORATE
less audience interaction
moderate audience interaction
maximum audience interaction
audience absorb info; either accept or reject
give audience chance to ask questions
audience adjust to new information, views, reactions, etc
audience don’t contribute to content
clear up any doubts audience may have
communicator in control
communicator in moderate control
communicator has less control
How can we test your purpose?
Testing the specific purpose of each messageAsk 4 questions
1. Would anything change as a result of your message? - if no, don’t send it
2. Is your purpose realistic? - if it is a drastic change, go slow….propose a first step…..message becomes the start of a learning process
3. Is it the right time? – is it worth the time & effort to prepare & send message? Don’t send at a busy or difficult time
4. Is your purpose acceptable to your organization? – how do you expect them to respond? when?
After defining your purpose, to analyze the situation, we need to develop audience profile
Develop the profile of your audience1. Identify the primary audience
-some members are > important than others, don’t ignore the others’ needs but do address the primary members, i.e. decision makers
2. Determine audience size and geographic spread -this affects the approach, e.g. meeting vs. face to face
3. Determine the audience composition -look for similarities & differences in culture, language,
education, rank, attitudes etc4. Gauge their level of understanding
-do you have similar background to audience? same education level?
5. Understand expectations -details? summary? formal? informal?
LO.4 Discuss gathering information for simple messages and identify 3 attributes of quality
information
Informal techniques to information gathering:- assemble information to include in message - if simple, all information is ready- if complex, research & analysis required, we need to know what to include, how to express & present it
To Gather Information- Consider other viewpoints
- put yourself in their shoes. How do you feel? What are you thinking? What is ahead for us?
- Read reports and company documents- review financial statements, news releases, blogs, marketing
reports, customer surveys, database & Knowledge Management Systems
- Talk with supervisors, colleagues, & customers- sometimes people are vital sources of information, they may
be reliable & trust worthy- Ask your audience for input
- Don’t try to guess your audiences’ needs. If you not sure, ask
After information gathering, you have to ensure to satisfy your audiences’ needs for information
Providing the Requested Information• Test your message by using the journalistic
approach, who, what, when, where, why, how
• Check to ensure information is– Accurate– Ethical Information quality characteristics
– Pertinent
What makes information accurate?
Accurate• prevent embarrassment, lost productivity,
due to safety & legal issues• if sources are people, double-check?• ensure its current & reliable• check dates, review calculations• don’t make assumptions• provide supporting information, upon
requestWhat makes information ethical?
Ethical• You could make an honest mistake– if so, contact recipients asap and correct it– they will continue to have respect for you
• Remember it is unethical to omit information– include enough information to not mislead
• If you are not sure about information quality– do ensure that you offer enough to support your
message– do provide more, if requested
What makes information pertinent?
Pertinent• some points are more important than others– prioritize them– filter the masses
• focus on audiences concerns• group varying interests, use common sense
to identify interests• Look at their job, age, income, education to
clue in (see Lecture 1)
Now we have quality information, how do we select the right media?
Select the right media
Media Options
Oral Written Visual Electronic
• Medium- form of which you which you choose to communicate your message
• Proper selection make the difference; i.e. effective or ineffective communication
ORAL
face 2 face
speeches
in person presentationsinterviews
meetings
WRITTEN
memos
proposals
reports
letters
VISUALS
diagrams
symbols
graphs
charts
ELECTRONIC
emailsblogs
txt msgs
Wikisvoice msgs
telephone calls
PowerPoint presentations
Media Advantages & DisadvantagesMedia Advantages DisadvantagesOral • Opportunity for feedback
• Allows interaction• Emotions can be expressed
• Restricted participation• No permanent record• No opportunity to revise or edit
Written • Can plan & control• Dispersed audience• Permanent, viable record• No distortion• Avoid interactions• Do not emphasize
inappropriate emotions
• No speedy feedback• Lack of non-verbal clues• Time & resources to distribute• Requires skill in preparation &
production
Visual • Can convey complex ideas• Less intimidating than large
blocks of text• Quickly convey message• To easily see relationships
• Technical skills to create• Artistic skills to design• Can be difficult to transmit• Takes more time to prepare than
text
Electronic • Delivers messages quickly• Reach dispersed audience• > accessibility & openness• > excitement & appeal
• Easy to overuse• Privacy & security concerns• Can contribute to unproductivity
LO5. List factors to consider when choosing the appropriate media for your
message• Media Richness• Message Formality• Media Limitations• Sender Intentions• Urgency & Cost• Audience Preferences
Let’s look at media richness
Media Richness
Standard reports
Static web pages
Mass mediaPosters & symbols
Custom reportsLetters & memos
Email & IMBlogswikis
Telephone callsTeleconferencing
Video Video IM
Face 2 faceMultimedia
Virtual Reality
Leaner, fewer cues, no interactivity
Richer,> cues, no interactivity
A medium’s ability to: 1.) convey a message through > 1 informational cue (visual, verbal, vocal, etc. 2.) facilitate feedback 3.) establish personal focus
• Message Formality: – your media choice rules the style & tone of your message, e.g.
change in café hours is better communicated on a blog vs. memo
• Media Limitations: – every medium have limitations, e.g. same time, same place
with face 2 face communication• Sender Intentions:
– media choice influences your audience perception of your intentions, e.g. a letter shows formality vs. phone call
• Urgency & Cost– You have to gauge the two factors, face 2 face (urgent) but
preparing a meeting may be costly• Audience Preferences
– which option the audience prefers, delivering a diploma via fax!!!???
LO6. Explain why good organization is important to both you and your audience-1
• Makes the difference between success & failure• Why organize?– to not create any unnecessary work for readers– keep them interested– maintain your reputation as a good communicator– you will take less time to do drafts– saves time & consumes less creativity– you compose what you actually need– to get advance input from audience– If working on a large project, its easier to divide tasks
among co-workers
• It helps the audience in 3 ways:1. Helps the audience organize everything
Highlighting main points at the start Information is logically presented Satisfies the audiences’ need for information
2. Helps the audience accept messageBe diplomatic- acknowledge, sympathize, offer solution, be
accountable & provide opportunities for further communication
3. Saves your audience timeOnly have relevant ideasIdeas are briefly outlinedIdeas are in a logical placeIdeas are accessible
LO6. Explain why good organization is important to both you and your audience-2
So how do we organize them?
LO7. Summarize the process for organizing business messages effectively
• Define your main idea• Limit the scope• Choose the direct or indirect approach• Group your points- create an outline
Let’s look at defining the main idea
Define your main idea• condense your information into 1 idea to get the broad subject or
topic• the entire message supports, will explain or demonstrate that main
idea• The main idea is a specific statement about the topic of your
message• The main idea is obvious for simple messages & have little
emotional impact on the audience• If responding to a request, you start with the concept, “here is what
you wanted!....”• If persuading or delivering bad news, establish a relationship with
the audience, highlight their interests in your main idea & emphasize a point you can both agree upon
• If message is lengthy, e.g. a report, your main idea has to encompass all included points
Let’s look at handling included points
Techniques to encompass points-1Brainstorming– generating ideas or questions without reflecting on
relevance, accuracy or seeking approval– can be done alone, but best with others– after his, look for connections, trends, etc. to help define
the main idea & supporting points– See a step by step guide to brainstorming
Techniques to encompass points-2Journalistic Approach– outlines the who, what, when, where, how & why– filters through the initial content– See
A journalistic approach to good writing: the craft of clarity By Robert M. Knight
Techniques to encompass points-3Q & A chain– start with a question that appeals to the audience– work back towards your message– each answer generate new questions– until you get all the information that needs to be
in your message
Techniques to encompass points-4Story teller’s tour– some communicators feel it is better to talk through– then express it in words– play it back, to find vague areas, lack of details, etc.– go back, edit….until complete & concise
Techniques to encompass points-5Mind Mapping
- start with main idea- branch out- connect with any other idea that comes to mind- see Mind Maps
Let us look at an example of defining the main idea
General purpose
Specific Purpose Topic Main idea
To inform To inform employees about the improvements at the café.
Improvements at the café
Improvements in food and facilities have been made to the café.
After defining the main idea, how do we know what to cover?
Limiting your scope
What is scope?– range of presented information– overall length– level of detail
must correspond with main idea
Range of presented information• Main idea Improvements in food and facilities have been made to the café. • Major points– new lunch menu– new hot beverages– new ambience
• Supporting information– full balanced meals; not just sandwiches, pies, etc.– new cappuccino machine & herbal teas available– new furniture & change in music
Length of message
• limit your major points to about 6 or so, better if less
• Group supporting points
New hot beverages New ambience– new cappuccino machine - new furniture – herbal teas available - change in music
Level of detail• if message is brief, use 1 paragraph each for
the main idea, major points & supporting points
• if longer, the major points must be developed by supporting points
• Length depends on the following:nature of messagefamiliarity with topicif audience will be receptive to your conclusionyour credibility We know what to include & its detail,
but how do we present it?
Choosing between Direct & Indirect Approaches
Eager Interested Pleased Neutral Displeased Uninterested Unwilling
Direct Approach Indirect Approach Indirect Approach
Audience Reaction
Eager/interested/pleased/neutral
Displeased Uninterested/ Unwilling
MessageOpening
Start with the main idea, the request or good news
Start with a neutral statement that acts as a transition to the reasons for bad news
Start with a statement or question that captures attention
MessageBody
Provide necessary details Give reasons to justify a negative answer. State or imply the bad news, and make a positive suggestion
Arouse the audience’s interest in the subject. Build the audience’s desire to comply.
Message Close
Close, with a cordial comment, a reference to the good news or a statement about the specific action desired
Close cordially Request action.
How to choose between the two options
• analyze your audiences’ likely reaction to your purpose & message
• consider the unique circumstance of each message
• the audiences’ situation should be taken into consideration
What are the different types of messages?
Different types of messages• Routine
– involve daily matters of operating a business, e.g. change in office hours– audience are neutral– easy to prepare– use direct approach
• Positive– convey good news, e.g. announcements– audience are pleased to hear from you– use direct approach
• Negative – deliver bad news, e.g. job loss– will disappoint audience– use indirect approach
• Persuasive– Asking audience to give, do or change– use indirect approach
So we know how to approach the message but how do we present it?
Outlining the content
Why do we use outlines?– Save time– Get better results– Easy navigation– Easy to see relationships between components– Stay on track– Communicate in a systematic way– Message becomes coherent and flow into each
other
How to outline data?
Alphanumeric Outline
The following are improvements made in food and facilities at the café:A.New
i. full balanced mealsB. New hot beverages
i. new cappuccino machineii. new herbal teas
C. New ambiencei. new furnitureii. change in music
Decimal OutlineThe following are improvements made in food and facilities at the café.1. New menu
1.1 full balanced meals2. New hot beverages
2.1 new cappuccino machine2.2 new herbal teas
3. New ambience3.1 new furniture3.2 change in music
Organizational Charts
Change in café hours
New ambience
New furniture
Change in music
New lunch menu
New hot beverages
New cappuccino machine
New herbal beverages
Summary
• Clarify the purpose of your message on the onset
• Provide the required information• Select the right media• Develop an outline of the planned content
Questions
1. Traditionally, communication is either oral or written.
i.) Give 3 examples of oral communication used in business. [3]ii.) Briefly outline 3 advantages of oral communication. [3]iii.) Briefly outline 3 disadvantages of oral communication. [3]
2. The 3 step writing process can help you produce all kinds of business messages.
a) You are going to write a routine request message. The first step is to plan a
message. Describe, in a logical order, the 4 tasks involved in planning a message. [9]
3. Organizing a presentation. i.) Describe how you would define the main
idea of your presentation. [3] ii.) Give 2 reasons why it is particularly important to limit your scope for oral presentations. [4]
4. You have to write many negative business message in your career.
i.) Give 5 circumstances in which you would use the direct approach in a letter which contains bad news for its recipients. [5]ii.) When would you use an indirect approach in a negative message? [1]iii.) What are the sequence of elements in a message using the indirect approach? [4]