McGraw-Hill/Irwin
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
©2009 The
McGraw-HillAll
Companies,
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill
Companies,
Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1
Business Communication,
Management & Success
Types
Reasons/Purposes
Audiences
Benefits & Costs
Criteria
Goodwill
Trends
Conventions
Analysis
Problem Solving
1-2
Types of Communication
 Verbal
 Face-to-face
 Phone
conversations
 Informal meetings
 Presentations
 E-mail messages
 Letters
 Nonverbal
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Computer graphics
Company logos
Smiles
Size of an office
Location of people
at meetings
1-3
Reasons Managers Communicate
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To convey information
To aid decision-making
To create records
To motivate employees
To save money
To send effective messages
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
 Go to people inside organization
 Memo to subordinates, superiors, peers
 External
 Go to people outside organization
 Letter to customers, suppliers, others
1-6
Internal Audiences of Sales
Manager – West
President
To superiors
VP
Production
To peers
VP
Marketing
Sales
manager
East
To subordinates
Sales rep
VP Sales
VP Finance
VP Human
Resources
Sales
manager
Midwest
Sales
manager
West
Sales
manager
Int’l.
District 1
manager
District 2
manager
District 3
manager
Sales rep
Sales rep
Sales rep
Sales rep
1-7
Organization’s External Audiences
Subsidiaries
Customers
Clients
Stockholders
Investors
Lenders
Employment
agencies
General public
Potential
employees,
stockholders,
customers
Special interest
groups
Unions
Professional services
Suppliers
Distributors
Wholesalers
Franchisees
Retailers
Agents
Organization
Legislators
Gov.
Courts
Competitors
Trade assns.
Media
Foreign
governments
and offices
1-8
Benefits & Costs
 Effective writing

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Saves time
Increases one’s productivity
Communicates points more clearly
Builds goodwill
 Poor writing
 Wastes time
 Wastes effort
 Loses goodwill
1-9
Criteria for Effective Messages
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Clear
Complete
Correct
Saves receiver’s time
Builds goodwill
1-10
Goodwill = Positive Image
 A goodwill message—
 Presents positive image of communicator
and their organization
 Treats audience as a person, not a
number
 Cements good relationship between
audience and communicator
432
1-11
10 Business Trends
1. Technology
2. Focus on quality,
customers’ needs
3. Entrepreneurship
4. Teamwork
5. Diversity
1-12
10 Business Trends, continued…
6. Globalization and outsourcing
7. Legal and ethical concerns
8. Balancing work and family
9. Job Flexibility
10. Rapid rate of change
1-13
Conventions
 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
1-14
Analyze Situations: Ask Questions
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What’s at stake—to whom?
Should you send a message?
What channel should you use?
What should you say?
How should you say it?
1-15
Solving Business Communication Problems
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Gather knowledge
Answer six analysis questions
Brainstorm solutions
Organize information to fit
 Audiences
 Purposes
 Situation
 Make document look inviting
1-16
Solving Business Communication
Problems, continued…
 Revise draft for tone
 Friendly
 Businesslike
 Positive
 Edit draft for standard English
 Names
 Numbers
 Use replies to plan future messages
1-17
Six Analysis Questions
1. Who are your audiences?


What are relevant characteristics?
How do listeners / readers differ?
2. What are your purposes?
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What must the message do?
What must audience know, think, or do?
1-18
Six Analysis Questions, continued…
3. What information must you include?
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List all required points
De-emphasize or emphasize properly

To de-emphasize
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Bury in ¶ and message
Write / speak concisely
To emphasize
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Place first or last in ¶ and message
Add descriptive details
1-19
Six Analysis Questions, continued…
4. How can you support your position?
 Reasons for your decision
 Logic behind your argument
 Benefits adapted to the audience
1-20
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
reaction?
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Time of year
Morale in organization
Relationship between audience and
communicator
1-21
Organize to Fit Audience, Purpose, 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 Look Inviting
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Use subject line to orient reader
Use headings to group related ideas
Use lists for emphasis
Number items if order matters
Use short paragraphs—six 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
 Double-check these
details  
 Reader’s 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