The Importance Of Successful Business
Communication in Your Careers
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Workplace Communication Challenges
 40 million people in the U.S. alone have
limited literacy skills, including some college
graduates.
 States spend more than $220 million
annually on remedial writing programs for
employees.
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Workplace Communication Challenges
 Corporations may spend $3.1 billion
annually to fix problems from writing
deficiencies.
 Two-thirds of private-sector employers
surveyed said writing was an important
responsibility for employees
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Workplace Communication Challenges
 Good communication skills are vital in
today’s workplace.
 Technology is making the globe a smaller
and busier place, one where messages must
be understood immediately.
 The better an employee’s communication
skills are, the better his chance for success.
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Myths About Workplace Writing
 “Secretaries will do all my writing.”
 “I’ll use form letters or templates when I
need to write.”
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Myths About Workplace Writing
 “I’m being hired as an accountant, not a
writer.”
 “I’ll just pick up the phone.”
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Business and School Writing
Business and School Writing differ based on:
 Purpose.
 Audience.
 Information.
 Organization.
 Style.
 Document design.
 Visuals.
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What does communication
accomplish?
 Internal
 Subordinates
 Supervisors
 Peers
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What does communication
accomplish?
 External
 Customers/Stockholders
 Unions/Government Agencies
 Press/General Public
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Basic Purposes
 Workplace writing can have one or more of
these basic purposes:
 To inform.
 To request or to persuade.
 To build goodwill.
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How much does correspondence cost?
Bad writing wastes time by:
 Taking more time to read
 Requiring more time to revise
 Confusing ideas
 Delaying action
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What makes a message effective?
 Is clear.
 Is complete.
 Is correct.
 Saves the reader’s time.
 Builds goodwill.
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PAIBOC
P What are your purposes in writing?
A Who is (are) your audiences?
I What information must your message
include?
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PAIBOC
B What reasons or reader benefits can you
use to support your position?
O What objections can you expect your
reader(s) to have?
C How will the context affect reader
response?
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