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