Business Communication Today, Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Building Careers and Writing Resumes.

Most people think that when they give there resume when applying they are grantee a job at that company, well think again. A resume is only there to get you in the door.  It sure won’t get you the job. But getting in the door now a day is very hard. This chapter shows you how to make you stand out from the rest.  One key thing to remember is that a resume shouldn’t have your whole life story on it. A resume should only have things relevant to the job you are applying to. About only 95% of resume get seen, the rest are seen for about 5mins. When the look at your resume they want to know “why should I call this person?” make sure to make your resume short. Less is more. Showing volunteer jobs are good, especially when during gaps between jobs. Also put down internships, this way it looks as though you did something during your time off. You don’t want people thinking you were a bum at home. Make yourself look productive and outgoing. Make sure self a go-getter. With your resume, you have 3seconds, so make it catch attention.

Some key words to use in your resume are: (pg. 536)
Accomplished            Demonstrated                Joined                       Streamlined
Achieved                   Developed                    Launched                  Strengthened
Administered             Directed                        Maintained                Succeeded
Approved                  Established                   Managed                   Supervised
Arranged                   Explored                      Motivated                 Systematized 
Assisted                    Forecasted                   Operated                   Targeted
Assumed                  Generated                     Organized                 Trained
Budgeted                  Identified                      Oversaw                    Transformed
Chaired                     Implemented                Participated                 Upgraded
Changed                    Improved                    Performed
Complied                   Initiated                       Planned
Completed                 Installed                       Proposed
Coordinated               Introduced                  Recommended
Created                     Investigated                  Sparked

                      

A good tip is also getting a quote from a professor or old employer and put it on the top of your resume. Something you should never do no matter what is lie on your resume. Some companies even hire private investigator to do background checks on you to make sure what you say is true before hiring you. So don’t ever lie. Also write your resume in “their language” meaning use their corporate jargon. Use the terms that the company uses, this shows them you know what they are talking about.
For your career objective, you should be whatever the company wants. “Show the love” by showing them there is where you want to be. That is your objective, their company. “That is your dream”, in reality it doesn’t have to be but they need to believe that it is because why would they want someone who doesn’t want it as bad.
Also something that most people don’t do but would be very cool is adding a link on resume about yourself. Give a link about a 5 minute intro about yourself on youtube. Make sure to be in a tie and suit and prepare a speech.

How to Create a Resume

Business Communication Today, Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Writing Reports and Proposals


Proposals are written for both internal and external. Internal proposals request decisions from managers within the organization, such as proposals to buy new equipment or launch a new research project.

Long and complex reports demand a lot from readers, making the “you” attitude especially important. Your report can be read for several months or years after you wrote them and people you never thought would see it can. So make sure your proposal is flawless here are some things to remember. 

Crafting Report Content: (pg.409-410)

·         Accurate: the information provide by you must be accurate and factually correct. Always double check your facts before giving in your report. You don’t want someone to call you out on your own words. Also make sure grammar is correct and that there aren’t any typos.

·         Complete: to help your audience make informed decisions, include all the information necessary for readers to understand the situation, problem, or proposal. Make sure to add appropriate combination of illustration, explanations, and facts.

·         Balanced: it is important to present all sides of the issues fairly and equitably and to include all the essential information. Even if this doesn’t support your side but it shows that you are being fair and honest to your reader making them trust your instincts.

·         Clear and Logical: making sure your sentences are uncluttered saves your reader time. Make sure to use well chosen words and proceed logically. Make the transition form one point to the other clear to your reader. Don’t ramble.

·         Documented properly: when you use primary and secondary sources for your report, make sure to properly cite your work. You want to make sure you don’t take credit for something you didn’t do. In chapter 11 it helps you how to do this. 

Here is a link to a sample business proposal:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/244716/sample-business-proposal

Business Communication Today, Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Designing Visual Communication

To make sure to get your point across visual communication is essential. The power of an image goes a long way. Like words, visuals often carry connotative or symbolic meanings.  Some good tips for visual design are following these principles: (pg.344)

·   Consistency:  you can achieve visual parallelism in a variety of ways, including through consistent use of color, shape, size. Texture, position, scale, or type face.

·   Contrast:  to highlight the different ideas, illustrate objects in contrasting colors, shapes, or sizes.

·   Balance:  it can go two ways, formal or informal. Formal is where the elements of the images are fixed to fit symmetrically around a single point. Informal is where the elements don’t tribute evenly. However, it can show the differences between stronger objects and weaker ones with different sizes.

·   Emphasis: to demonstrate your most important information using bright colors to catch people attention.  Make it the most dominant element in your representation.

·   Convention: just as written communication visual communication is guided by an array of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and usage conventions.

·   Simplicity: as a general rule, simple is better. Even when it comes to visuals for business communication. Too much of anything will lose your audience. Simple and to the point is always great to get your message across.

Verbal

Information Retained

Studies show that people remember

·         10% of what they hear and

·         20% of what they read, but about

·         80 percent of what they see and do

Verbal + Visual

Information Retained

Studies show that people remember:

·         10% of what they hear

·         20% of what they read

·         80% of what they see and do

Knowing what visual design to use is crucial. Here are some ideals.

v  To present individual exact values

Ø   Table

Example:

v  To show trends in one or more objects, or the relationship between them, over time

Ø  Line chart

Example:     

v  To compare two or more sets of data

Ø  Bar chart

Example:

v  To show frequency or distribution of parts in a whole

Ø  Pie chart

Example:

v  To compare entities against two or three variables

Ø  Scatter charts, bubble charts

Example: Scatter chart  

Bubble chart

v  To show massive data sets, complex quantities, or dynamic data

Ø  Data visualization

Example:  

And

Always remember that your visual must show what you are trying to say.

Powerpoint On Effective Visual Design  

Business Communication Today, Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information

Make sure to support your messages with solid research. The worst thing you can do is plagiarize. If you get caught plagiarizing as a student that will go on your record and will make it hard to get a degree anywhere after. If you get caught and you work for a company then you might get sued and fired from your job. Always make sure to give credit where credit is due, your source. A company may even ask for their money back because since its not your work then its not your money.

The research process: (pg. 315)

1.      Plan: Maintain research ethic and etiquette. Familiarize yourself with the subject; develop problem statement. Identify information gaps. Prioritize research.

2.      Locate data and information: evaluate sources. Collect secondary information at the library, online, or elsewhere. Document your sources. Collect primary information through surveys and interviews.

3.      Process data and information: Quote, paraphrase, or summarize textual information. Analyze numerical information.

4.      Apply your findings: summarize findings. Draw conclusions. Make recommendations.

5.      Manage information: make research results available to other via your company’s knowledge management system.

Surveys: If you can’t find information online, a good tip is creating a survey. Just make sure that if you do create a survey that you get enough people to fill it out or else it will be useless. You cant have 10 people fill out a survey because then the margin error will be huge if there are 100s of people out there. Small numbers are not very representative. One thing about surveys is you can manipulate the outcome of the survey with leading questions. Basically, with your questions you can get people to say what you want. Not that this is what you should do but you can. However I would say not to do this because in the end it won’t help in your research.

Conducting a Survey: (pg. 328)

·         Provide clear instructions.

·         Keep the questionnaire short and easy to answer.

·         Whenever possible, formulate questions to provide answer that are easy to analyze.

·         Avoid leading questions

·         Avoid ambiguous questions.

·         Ask only one question at a time

·         Make the survey adaptive

Examples: Types of Surveys (pg.329)

Multiple Choice: Use a multiple-choice question when you want your respondents to choose the best possible answer among all options presented.

Example

What is your current marital status? (Select one.)
Single
Married
Divorced
Separated
Widowed

Likert-Scale: Use a Likert-scale question when you are trying to determine respondents’ attitudes or feelings about something.

Example

How important do you think SAT scores are to a college student’s success? (select one):

Not very important 1   2   3   4   5   Extremely important

Focus Groups:

     They don’t work! Normally during a focus group they give people free stuff and this makes people feel like they need to say something good even if it’s a lie. This is a technique they use to make you bend what you really think to not look bad. When in a focus group they tend to buy you in. they do this so when you do say something bad you look like a jerk after they just gave you a free gift.

Helpful Links: Learn how to make your own survey.

 http://www.zoomerang.com/free-account-surveys/?_kk=create%20survey&gclid=CIuysoja9qUCFRVx5QodalNzqQ

 

Business Communication Today, Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Writing Persuasive Messages

Before writing a persuasive message one must understand what persuasive means. Persuasion is the attempt to change someone’s attitudes, beliefs, or actions. A common mistake when writing a persuasive message is failing to clarify your purpose. You need to make your message sounds better than any other alternative they might have in mind other than your message. One way of doing this is by analyzing the situation such as getting to know you’re demographic. Demographic includes characteristic such as age, gender, occupation, income, and education. You will also need to know psychographics which include characteristic such as personality, attitudes, and lifestyle. After having this information one must write a persuasive message that is understand to their motivation. Whatever it is that drives people is what you will need to know how to use in your writing.

Here are some examples of Human needs that influence motivation: (p.280)

Need: Basic Physiological requirements: The needs for food, water, sleep, oxygen, and other essentials.

Implications For Communication: Everyone has these needs, but the degree of attention an individual gives to them often depends on whether the needs are being met; for instance, an advertisement for sleeping pills will have greater appeal to someone suffering from insomnia than to someone who has no problem sleeping.  

Need: Safety and Security: The needs for protection from bodily harm, to know that loved ones are safe, and for financial security, and other assurances.

Implications For Communication: These needs influence both consumer and business decisions in a wide variety of ways; for instance, advertisements for life insurance often encourage parents to think about the financial security of their children and other loved ones.

Those are just two of the many examples you can use. Just remember that the Need is “the individual senses a need of some sort, from the basic need for food to a need for recognition or self-respect. We are all born with certain needs but can acquire other needs as we grow up, such as a need for achievement or a need to affiliate with compatible friends and colleagues.” Action is “To fulfill a need, the individual takes actions or adopts behaviors that he or she believes will result in the need being satisfied. The quality of the action is a matter of choosing which action to take, deciding how much effort to put into the action, and deciding how long to sustain that effort.” Outcome is “The individual observes the outcome of the action (sometimes called the reward) and determines whether the effort was worthwhile. Actions that result in positive outcome are likely to be repeated; those that result in negative outcome are less likely to be repeated.” (p.281).


here are some helpful links:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5043/effective_persuasive_messages_for_business.html
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/writing/article_1443.shtml

Business Communication Today, Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Writing Negative Messages

Writing a negative message has to be one of the hardest things to do because if not done properly it can cause many dilemmas.  There are five goals of a negative message which are first give the bad news. Second is ensuring acceptance of the bad news. Third is maintaining reader’s goodwill. Forth is maintaining organization’s good image. And fifth is minimize or eliminate future correspondence on the matter, as appropriate.  

When writing a negative message you can’t avoid the fact that your audience does not want to hear what you have to say. In order to help this process one must choose the right medium of delivering the message. For instance, when laying a employer off, writing a letter would not be sympathetic to the employer. A message of the level cares for a personal deliver. One must know what medium to use in giving a negative message. Another thing is defining your main idea in a negative message such as if a employer requested a raise. Your message should go beyond saying no and explaining how she can improve her performance by working smarter, not just harder.  Other than those important key things to remember, you must know which words to use when writing your negative message.

Here are some examples of choosing positive words: (p.246-Table 9.1)

Example of negative phrasing:

Your request doesn’t make any sense.

Instead of saying that using a positive alternative:

Please clarify your request.

Example of negative phrasing:

Although it wasn’t our fault, there will be an unavoidable delay in your order.

Instead of saying that using a positive alternative:

We will process your order as soon as we receive an aluminum shipment from our supplier, which we except to happen within 10 days.

What most people do when writing a negative message is that they are indirect. This is usually because they fear their audience response if they are direct. However, this does more harm than good because by the end of the letter, your reader is upset they read a whole letter where the last line told them the real problem. Don’t waste their time, especially when it’s for bad news.  The indirect approach is normally buffer, reason, bad news, and positive close. The direct approach is bad news, reason, and positive close.  With the direct approach firmness is needed, this way bad news won’t come as a shock. Then show the situation is routine or minor. Your audience will prefer the bad news first.

When closing your negative message remember to use a positive note in the end. Make sure to build goodwill. Also offer a suggestion for action as well as provide a look towards the future.  Here are some guidelines you can use when writing a conclusion for any negative message. (p.252)

“Avoid a negative or uncertain conclusion. Don’t refer to, or apologize for the bad news. Refrain from expressing any doubt that your reasons will be accepted. (Avoid statements such as “I trust our decision is satisfactory.”)

Limit future correspondence. Encourage additional communication only if you’re willing to discuss your decision further. (If you’re not, avoid wording such as “If you have further questions, please write.”)

Be optimistic about the future. Don’t anticipate problems that haven’t occurred yet. (Avoid statements such as “Should you have further problems, please let us know.”)

Be sincere. Steer clear of clichés that are insincere in view of the bad news. (If you can’t help, don’t say, “If we can be of any help, please contact us.”)


here is a helpful link:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4926920_write-negative-message-memo.html

Business Communication Today, Chapter 7

Chapter 7; Crafting Messages for Electronic Media

In this chapter they go in depth about choosing an electronic media for brief messages such as social networks and user-generated context sites, e-mails, instant messaging (IM), text messaging, blogs, and podcasts. Each contains a useful way in communicating with others.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and user-generated context sites such as Flickr and YouTube provide a range of communication tools, together with user comments and personal profiles; that support brief messaging. Having one of these social networking sites help people interact by sharing personal stories, offering advice, and commenting on products and company news.

E-mail is another useful tool to use when getting messages across. A brief e-mail to a colleague is faster and more efficient then say writing by mail a letter. E-mail is faster and cheaper way to advocate your message. A way easy way to start a e-mail is by using a Three-Step Process which is Planning what it is you’re going to talk about in your e-mail, Writing the e-mail, and finally Completing the e-mail. When planning E-Mail Messages remember to practice email etiquette, send necessary messages, avoid unnecessary copies, and respect chain of command. When writing a E-Mail in the Workplace remember to observe the writing rules, aim for high-quality, enhance your career, and avoid legal problems. The general things to keep in mind when writing an E-Mail message is composing effective subject lines, and Keeping your emotions under control. Lastly when completing an E-Mail message make sure to revises it, look at production.  Always Proofread, you don’t want to look like a fool because of a simple misspelled word, personalize it, and make sure distribution is good.

Although E-mail is a good way of communication it also has some issues with security, spam and privacy problems. This could make your e-mail experience less appealing and un-virtual. The e-mail is slowly being replaced by instant message. Instant messaging is a faster easier alternative to e-mails. Instant messaging (IM) as well as Texting is quick back and forth response to questions and comments, however, Instant messaging you would need internet access un like texting where you don’t but you do need a phone plan that supports it. Most if not all cell phone companies support texting and offer a plan for it. The business IM benefits are that are a rapid response, reduced costs, has a conversational aspects, and it is wide availability. Some business IM concerns are security and privacy, user identification, message logging, and incompatible systems.

Blogs are a good way to express yourself and write short messages about you are interested in. blogs have the ability to update context quickly and easily makes blogs a natural medium when communicators need to get messages out in a hurry. Bloggers can also publish information to vast audiences with relatively little effort. Podcast is a online equivalent of recorded radio or video broadcasts (video podcasts are often called vidcasts or vodcasts). To have an effective business blogs, use a personal style and authentic format, deliver new information quickly, include interesting topics, and encourage audience participation. In using blogs for business make sure to include project management, team communication, company news, customer support, public relations, media relations, employee recruiting, policies and Issues, crisis communication, market research, brainstorming, viral marketing, e-mail replacement, and news syndication.


Here is a helpful Link :
http://real-timeupdates.com/it/portal/chapter/104/1/chapter-7-crafting-messages-for-electronic-media

 

Business Communication Today, Chapter 5

Business Communication Today Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages

            In today’s business world, you must know how to properly write a message. Most people may think that they write well and they might. However, knowing how to writing well isn’t the same as knowing how to write well a business message.  The first main point of this chapter really caught my attention because it explains the importance of adapting to your audiences. The first step in adapting to your audience is when writing your message keep in mind your reader and listener wants to know how your message will benefit them.  People want to know ‘What’s in for me?”. Therefore if your message doesn’t apply to them or doesn’t meet their needs, they won’t be interested in paying attention to it.

For example, take this message:  (instead of this)

“Tuesday is the only day that we can promise quick response to purchase order requests; we are swamped the rest of the week. We offer MP3 players with 50, 75, or 100 gigabytes of storage capacity.” –Bovee & Thrill, p.117

As a reader, I would be think I don’t care if you are swamped the rest of the week; your job is to be available. I might have important things to be done on Tuesday. You think a MP3 player is going to make me happy? I might already have one why would I want another? Or maybe a MP3 player isn’t in my interests. Now because of your mistake I have to pay?

Rewriting this message: (write this)

“If you need a quick response, please submit your purchase order requests on Tuesday. You can choose an MP3 player with 50, 75, or 100 gigabytes of storage.” –Bovee & Thrill, p.117

As a reader, this sounds more appealing because it is asking me if I want (key word) a quick response then I should do it Tuesday. Unlike the previous message where they are telling me I need to do it on Tuesday because they can’t any other day.  People want to hear what they want not what you want but if you can rephrase the statement then you can get what you want and still give your audience what they want as well. Everyone win’s if you can use this method properly. A key component in knowing how to avoid this is by trying not to use you and yours because when you do it makes you sound dictatorial. It could make someone else feel unnecessarily guilty. It goes against your organization’s style and is inappropriate for the culture.

In life as well as in your career you will have many instances where you will have to communicate bad news. Knowing how to write a proper business message for bad news is very important. This is a hard thing to do, however, emphasizing the positive can help smooth out the process. Never try to hide the negative news, but always look out for the positive points that come from this bad news. This will cultivate a good relationship with your audience.

For example: here you can see how you can communicate negative news without being negative.

(Instead of this)

“It is impossible to repair your laptop today. We apologize for inconveniencing you during our remodeling. We waste $300,000 advertising in that magazine.” –Bovee & Thrill, p.120

(Write this)

“Your computer can be ready by Tuesday. Would you like a loaner until then? The renovations now under way will help us serve you better. Our $300,000 advertising investment did not pay off; let’s analyze the experience and apply the insights to future campaigns.” –Bovee & Thrill, p.120

Many times people forget that the customer or client is the most important person in your message. In order to write well must write as if writing to yourself. What would you want to hear if someone wrote a message to you? Obviously this varies in culture but knowing that the concern is towards your audience and not you is essential.  

Here is a helpful Link to futher help you with your business writing.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww1ond3f_tA

Business Communication Today, Chapter 3.

Greetings my name is Isabel K. Sierra. Today I will be writing about chapter 3 of the Business Communication Today 10th edition book by Courtland L. Bovée, John V. Thill.

            In Business Communication Today chapter 3 was based on Communicating a World of Diversity. The main points within this chapter were discussing the opportunities and challenges of intercultural communication, definition of culture and how culture is learned, definition of ethnocentrism and stereotyping and overcoming these mindsets, explaining the importance of recognizing cultural variations, identifying steps you can take to improve your intercultural communication skills, and recommendations for writing clearly in multi-language business environments.

What I found to be one of the key components was learning how to communicate with people of other cultures because you'll always have to deal with different culture's throughout your life in any career. So, knowing how to communicate can help you expand your business as well as your knowledge. The diversity in today's workforce brings many advantages to business such as a broader range of views and ideas. It also gives a better understanding of diverse and fragmented markets, as well as, a vast quantity of talent from where you can recruit.

A company's cultural differences affect how its business messages are conceived, composed, delivered, received, and interpreted. Culture influences language, non-verbal signals, word meaning, time and space issues, and rules of human relationship that's why knowing the cultural differences are very important. Another important thing to remember is don't assume one's culture is like another’s because what means okay to you can mean something up scene to someone else.

To communicate effectively in business need to adopt a more positive view point, in the form of cultural pluralism this is the practice of accepting multiple cultures on their own terms. In this chapter they had a lot of good key definition that are helpful to understanding culture and the differences it brings in the work place.

Culture is a shared system of symbol's, beliefs, attitude, values, expectations, and behavior norms. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge other groups according to the standards, behaviors, and customs of one's own group.  One must show respect to other people of different culture by avoiding assumptions, avoiding judgments, and acknowledging distinctions. Contextual differences are a pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit understanding that conveys meaning between members of the same culture.

 High-context cultures rely heavily on non-verbal actions and environmental setting to convey meaning where in low-context cultures rely more on explicit verbal communications. In low-context culture tent to value written agreements and interpret laws strictly. However, in high-context culture they view adherence to laws as being more flexible. Honestly and respect are cornerstones of ethical communication, regardless of culture.

Here is a helpful link on Tips for communicating with cultural awareness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDvLk7e2Irc