Business Communication and the Internet A presentation by: Kenneth Joe Galloway CEO - Knowledge, Growth & Support, Ltd. Business Communication and the Internet 1

2 Communication and the Internet, It’s a blessing and a curse. Kenneth Joe Galloway

Business Communication and the Internet 3 Benefits of the Internet for Business Communication Quick Attach Documents Multi-Recipients Cheap Storage Organization of Mail (filing) Quick Searches Read when desired Can be shared easily No limit (long or short) on length of communication Cuts Costs Easily forward messages Automated Responses

Business Communication and the Internet 4 Benefits of the Internet for Business Communication Environment Friendly Easy to Prioritize Use of Graphics Advertising Tool Can respond to s from most any location Can respond to s from many devices

Business Communication and the Internet 5 Bottom Line To do business today, you must use the Internet.

Business Communication and the Internet 6 How to ensure your career survives in the Internet age What to be aware of

Business Communication and the Internet 7 How Business Communications used to function

Business Communication and the Internet 8 How Business Communications used to function Business person writes out a letter long handed or dictates it. Secretary types out the letter Secretary reviews the letter for mistakes Business person reads the letter to ensure correctness, and then signs the letter Secretary places in envelope and mails.

Business Communication and the Internet 9 How Business Communications used to function Business person writes out a letter long handed or dictates it. Secretary types out the letter Secretary reviews the letter for mistakes Business person reads the letter to ensure correctness, and then signs the letter Secretary places in envelope and mails. What was the benefit of this? Document reviewed

Business Communication and the Internet 10 Consider this. The “old” techniques enforced a methodology of proofreading, and proofreading by multiple sources. It also meant that communication occurred in an official office setting.

Business Communication and the Internet 11 Consider this. cuts out the old proofreading routine. Instead of ensuring multiple rounds of review, the responsibility for accuracy resides completely on YOU. We write s, when we are tired, late at night, at home, after a drink or two. We feel pressured to respond QUICKLY.

Business Communication and the Internet 12 Consider this. What will a client or customer remember, if a took 30 minutes instead of 15 to receive, or if the sent was sloppy, incorrect, or had errors. What will hurt your company’s reputation, a few minutes longer to receive an or incorrect information, or an that is not well written. Proofread. Do not be afraid to seek opinions.

Business Communication and the Internet 13 Accept it: There is no security Keep your own backup of your important s. You do not know where or how or if your s are being backed up. One server crash can wipe out all of your records. Several major services are known to have lost vast numbers of s. Companies the operate their own systems, frequently lose s.

Business Communication and the Internet 14 Accept it: There is no security Never write anything you can’t afford for the world to see You send a funny to your best work friend, making fun of the boss, a year later that person is mad/upset/grouchy/having a bad day, and forwards your old mail You share client information with a good customer, good customer decides to cut you out. You are angry and send an to the person you are angry with, that person forwards that mail to everyone in the office, and in your life.

Business Communication and the Internet 15 Accept it: There is no security Never write anything you can’t afford for the world to see When you received a business letter, you were the only person that received that letter. An can be intercepted by a hacker, be delivered to an incorrect address, taken from your machine when you are in the bathroom, accessed from the server room. The receiver of your can also have their mail taken, or forwarded. There might even be an auto forward system that the receiver does not know about, (ask my daughters about that) so that your goes to someone you never heard of. Your sensitive information and messages are accessible to many.

Business Communication and the Internet 16 Accept it: There is no security Whoops Spam and Viruses A friend or customer has a brand new virus, everyone in their contact list is ed by the virus. You click on the link or attachment in the , and there you go, you are infected. With a virus you can lose your contacts, your s, annoy your clients, damage your PC or your system, and ruin your company’s reputation. Ensure all your machines are WELL protected.

Business Communication and the Internet 17 Accept it: There is no security Whoops 2 Spam and Viruses A friend or customer sends you an important . You never reply. Why, because you THINK you never received it. The client feels you are not providing good client service, your friend feels neglected. The problem is the Anti-Virus software moved the mail into your SPAN folder. This happens to me on occasion as well. There is not much you can do about that, just be aware that it can happen. When it does, frankly explain what happened to the client or friend. They will understand, it is happening to us all.

Business Communication and the Internet 18 Be Professional It is Business. Remember TONE It is very easy to treat all s as causal conversation. Stay away from slang terms. Forget jokes, jokes don’t always translate well, and a hurried client might actually be upset by jokes. recipients cannot see each other, s do not carry a vocal tone or emotion. Take time to write professionally and carefully. s do not have any voice inflection or emotion that can help with proper interpretation. Stay professional. Be Polite. Thank you for your . Thank you for your time. I would like…. It is my pleasure… I am pleased…..

Business Communication and the Internet 19 Be Professional It is Business. Remember TONE Don’t Bluff. You get tested once and your credibility is lost forever. Always be honest. Lies are usually discovered and mean the end of a relationship. The fact you were not honest can be posted to review sites on the Internet. Stay professional. Don’t make promises you can not keep. The fact you did not hold up your end of the contract can be posted to review sites on the Internet. Stay professional. Bad behavior can easily be shared, bad s can be forward all across the world.

Business Communication and the Internet 20 Short and Sweet A short well written document will always receive attention over a long winded narrative. Be known for short, to the point, well written issues that have a point and come to it quickly. s from this type of person are always read first. The reviewer knows this writer is not going to waste their time.

 We interact more and more with the written word.  With large classes and impersonal lectures it becomes harder to discuss questions or problems with teachers in the classroom.  Without immediate feedback, it’s easy to be misunderstood. Extra Reminders for Students

 Basics  Tone  Attachments  Complaints  Good topics for  Bad topics for Extra Reminders for Students

When mailing a teacher, ALWAYS include your full name, class day and time. Include your class and what the is regarding in the subject. Extra Reminders for Students Example Jane Zhou, Monday 8:30- 10:20 a.m. Subject: English Writing: Project 1 Proposal

Think about whether or not the content of your is appropriate for correspondence. Remember, once you hit Send, anyone might be able to read it. Try to keep the very brief. Respond to s within the same time span you would a phone call or text. Check for spelling, punctuation and grammar errors before clicking Send. Use a professional font. THE BASICS

 Write in a positive tone.  “When I complete the assignment” versus “ If I complete the assignment”  Avoid using negative words.  Words that begin with “un, non, or ex” or end with “less”  Use smiles, winks ;-) and other graphical symbols only when appropriate!  Use contractions to add a friendly tone. Tone TONE

 When you are sending attachments, include in the the filename, what format it is in, and the version of the program.  Attached: “Project1Proposal.doc” This file is in Microsoft Word  Consider sending files in rich text format (rtf) or portable document format (pdf) to ensure compatibility. ATTACHMENTS

 You should briefly state the history of the problem to provide context for the problem.  Explain the attempts you made previously to resolve the problem.  Show why it is critical for the problem to be resolved by your reader.  Offer suggestions on ways you think it can be resolved or how you are willing to help in the matter. Complaints COMPLAINTS

Example Dr. Jones: The review that we had the period before the final was not accurate. As a result, the grades we received could have been incorrect. The T.A.s who led the review gave incorrect information. I would like to suggest that you ask students who were at the review which information the T.A.s gave incorrectly and account for those errors in our grades. There have been a number of complaints from fellow classmates who feel the same way. Please take this into consideration. Thank you. Complaints COMPLAINTS

You should your teacher if:  You have an easy question that can be answered in a paragraph or less.  You have an assignment that you are allowed to submit via . GOOD TOPICS FOR

There are some rules that it’s best to follow, such as:  Don’t try to turn in an assignment through if your teacher has specified against it.  If you have to get an extension for an assignment, do it in person.  Don’t bring up any topic that will require continuous conversation.  If things become heated, there is a large risk for misunderstanding, so it’s best to talk face-to-face. BAD TOPICS FOR

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