McGraw-Hill/Irwin

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies,

Inc.The
All rights
reserved.
2009
McGraw-Hill

Chapter 1
Succeeding in Business
Communication and
Management
Types
Purposes
Audiences
Benefits and Costs
Criteria

Goodwill
Conventions
Analysis
Problem Solving

Types of Communication
Verbal
Face-to-face
Phone
conversations
Informal meetings
Presentations
E-mail messages
Web sites

Nonverbal

Computer graphics
Company logos
Smiles
Size of an office
Location of people
at meetings

1-3

Communication Ability = Promotability

Good communicators
earn more

Good communicators
make good managers
1-4

Communication Purposes
All business communication has three
basic purposes
To inform (explain)
To request or persuade (urge action)
To build goodwill (make good image)

Most messages have more than one

purpose

1-5

Audiences
Internal
People inside organization
Ex: subordinates, superiors, peers

External
People outside organization
Ex: customers, suppliers, distributors

1-6

Example of External Audiences

Unions

Subsidiaries
Customers
Clients
Stockholder
s Investors
Lenders
Employmen
t agencies

Professional
services

Suppliers
Distributors
Wholesalers
Franchisees
Retailers
Agents

Organizati
on

General public
Potential
employees,
stockholders,
customers
Special
interest
groups Competitors
Trade assns.

Legislators
Gov.
Courts
Media

Foreign
governmen
ts and
offices

1-7

Benefits and Costs

Effective communication

Saves time
Makes efforts more effective
Communicates points more clearly
Builds goodwill

Poor communication

Wastes time
Wastes efforts
Loses goodwill
Creates legal problems

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Stiff, leg
al langu
a ge
Selfish t
on e
Main po
int
Vague re buried
quests
Misused
w ords
1-8

Criteria for Effective Messages

Clear
Complete
Correct
Saves receivers time
Builds goodwill

1-9

Goodwill = Positive Image

A goodwill message
Presents positive image of
communicators and their
organization
Treats audience as a person,
not a number
Cements good relationship
between audience and
communicator

432
1-10

Fastest Ways to Lose Goodwill

Use improper courtesy titles
Employ bureaucratic and legalistic
language
Convey a selfish tone
Bury the main point
Make a vague request
Misuse or misspell words
1-11

Conventions
Widely accepted practices you
routinely encounter
Vary by organizational setting
Help people recognize, produce, and
interpret communications
Need to fit rhetorical situation:
audience, context, and purpose
1-12

Analyze Situations: Ask Questions

Whats at staketo whom?

Should you send a message?
What channel should you use?
What should you say?
How should you say it?

1-13

Solving Business Communication

Problems

Gather knowledge
Answer six analysis questions in BAC
Brainstorm solutions
Organize information to fit
Audiences
Purposes
Context

Make document visually inviting

1-14

Solving Business Communication

Problems, continued
Revise draft for tone
Friendly
Businesslike
Positive

Edit draft for standard English

Names

Numbers

Use response to plan future messages

1-15

Gather Knowledge
What are the facts?
What can you infer from the
information given?
What additional info might be
helpful?
Where could you get it?
What emotional complexities are
involved?
1-16

Six Analysis Questions

1. Who are your audiences?

What are relevant characteristics?

How do audiences differ?

2. What are your purposes?

What must the message do?

What must audience know, think, or
do?

1-17

Six Analysis Questions, continued

3. What information must you include?

List all required points

De-emphasize or emphasize properly

To de-emphasize

Bury in and message

Write / speak concisely

To emphasize

Place first or last in and message

Add descriptive details

1-18

Six Analysis Questions, continued

4. How can you support your position?
Reasons for your decision
Logic behind your argument
Benefits adapted to the audience

1-19

Six Analysis Questions, continued

5. What audience objections do you expect?

Plan to overcome if possible

De-emphasize negative information

6. What part of context may affect audience

response?

Time of year
Morale in organization
Relationship between audience and
communicator
1-20

Brainstorm Solutions
Several possible solutions for every
communication problem
First one you think of may not be the
best
Measure solutions against audience
and purposes

1-21

Organize to Fit Audience, Purpose,

and the Situation
1. Put good news first
2. Put the main point/question first
3. Persuade a reluctant audience by
delaying the main point/question

1-22

Make Message Visually Inviting

Use subject line to orient reader

Use headings to group related ideas
Use lists for emphasis
Number items if order matters
Use short paragraphssix lines max.

1-23

Create Positive Style

Emphasize positive information
Give it more space
Use indented list to set it off

Omit negative words, if you can

Focus on possibilities, not limitations

1-24

Edit Your Draft

these details
Readers name
Any numbers
First and last

spelling, grammar,
punctuation
Always proofread
before sending
1-25

Use Response to Plan Next Message

Evaluate feedback you get
If message fails, find out why
If message succeeds, find out why

Success = results you want, when you

want them

1-26