1. Planning Business Messages & Applying the Three Step Writing Process
Chapter 4 & 5

2. Plan write complete pg 120

3. Plan 2.Gather information 3. Select right medium
1. Analyze the situation
2.Gather information
3. Select right medium
4.Organize the information
Define your purpose & develop audience profile
Determine the audience needs & obtain the information necessary to satisfy those needs
select the appropriate method for message
Define your main idea, select direct or indirect approach, outline your content

4. 1. Analyze Your Situation
Define your purpose & develop audience profile
to inform, persuade, collaborate with audience
What is your specific intention
Will there be changes as a result of your message?
Is your purpose realistic? If it is radical, you’ll need to propose a first step
Is the time right? What will the impact of your message be?
Is your purpose acceptable by the company?

5. 2. Define an Audience Profile
Before your audiences will take the time to read or hear your messages, they will need to be interested.
What is the primary audience?
Determine size, geographic distribution?
Audience composition
Understand their expectations & preferences
Forecast their probable reaction

6. 3. Gathering Information
Consider other viewpoints
Read reports or other related documents
Talk with coworkers, colleagues, supervisors
Ask for your audience input
What about ethical information?

7. 3. Selecting the right medium

8. Oral medium 1. restrict participation
advantages
disadvantages
1. provide opportunity for immediate feedback
2. Allow interaction
3. Nonverbal cues in the tone
4. Express emotions within the message
1. restrict participation
2. No verifiable evidence of communication, unless recorded
3. Reduce the communicator’s control over the message
4. Cannot edit spoken words

9. Written communication
advantages
disadvantages
Allow you to control the message
Reach geographically dispersed audiences
Offer verifiable record
Minimize distortion
Can be use to avoid interaction
De-emphasize emotions
Not conducive for immediate feedback
Lack of nonverbal cues
Often take more time and more resources to create and distribute
May require special skills to print and distribute

10. Visual communication Can convey complex messages easily
advantages
disadvantages
Can convey complex messages easily
Often less intimidating
Reduce the burden on audience to figure things out
Require artistic skills
Require technical skills
Require more time to create

11. electronic communication
advantages
Disadvantages
Deliver messages quickly
Reach geographically dispersed audiences
Offer the persuasive power of multimedia formats
Can increase accessibility and openness in an organization
Are easy to overuse
Privacy risks – esp with confidential data
Security risks, like viruses
Frequent interruptions
Figure 4.6

12. 4. Organizing your ideas
Direct Approach
Indirect Approach
Use when you know your audience will be receptive a. Positive messages
Use when you know your audience a. begin softly b. consider impact of your message c. Negative messages

13. Outlining your information
Main idea
Major points – details
Facts
Examples
Description
Narration
Reference
Visual aids
Illustrate with evidence

14. Write Routine messages Positive messages Negative message
Persuasive messages
Straightforward
Daily operations message
Convey good news
Convey bad news
Be honest, yet kind
Asking your audience to do something
grab their attentions

15. Being sensitive
Use the “you” attitude
Maintain standards of etiquette
Emphasizing the positive
Using bias-free language

16. The “You” attitude To help us process We are pleased to announce
Instead of this
write this
To help us process
We are pleased to announce
We offer MP3 players
You should never use
You must correct
So that your order can be filled
Now you can take advantage
Select your MP3 player
That type of paper doesn’t
All five copies must be corrected

17. Standards of Etiquette
Instead of this
Write this
Once again, you’ve managed
You’ve been sitting on our order
Let’s review the last website
Our production schedules depend on the timely delivery of parts, but we have yet to receive the order you promised to deliver…

18. Emphasizing the Positive
Instead of this
Write this
It is impossible to repair
We apologize for inconveniencing you
We wasted $300,000
Your computer can be ready
The rennovations that are under way will help us serve you better
Our $300,000 advertisement did not pay off;

19. Using bias-free language
Instead of this
Write this
The problem with this department is a failure…
You failed to provide the necessary information
We will notify all three credit
Bureaus
Cheap merchandise
Failing
The performance of this department can be improved
Please review the items marked
Paying you overdue bill within 10 days will prevent a negative
Inexpensive
Underperforming