By Amanda Marenda

"Developing excellent communication skills is

absolutely essential to effective leadership. The

leader must be able to share knowledge and

ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and

enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a

message across clearly and motivate others to

act on it, then having a message doesn't even

matter.“

— Gilbert Amelio

President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp.

(Leading Thoughts, 2010, para 3)

• Leaders must have excellent writing and communication

skills in order to be an effective and successful leader.

• The following topics will provide guidance for best

practices for business writing and communication.

Effective and ethical business communication

Professionalism in the workplace

Intercultural business communication

Writing tips for business presentations

Using email and digital media for business

Positive and negative messages

Business presentations

Business reports, plans, and proposals

Communication - is the transmission of information from one individual or group to another.

Communication – involves speaking, listening, non-verbal communication, and writing.

Communication – is done in business by phone, emails, meetings, presentations, business proposals and reports, and face-to-face.

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Source: Yahoo Images

• Effective business communication is essential in order to

properly communicate with your audience. The ACE

method is a tool one can use to ensure effective

communication:• What is the purpose or desired

message?

• Who is the intended audience?

• Determine if you need to share information or persuade the audience

Analyze

• Organize information

• Show professional image

• Effective delivery of messageCompose

• Revise, edit, and proofread

• Determine if desired outcome was achieved

• Is there a more effective way to deliver message?

Evaluate

(Snyder & Shwon, 2011)

Communication will fail if one cannot learn to successfully

recognize barriers that can disrupt the communication

process.

Bypassing

•When use of vague language causes misunderstanding

Differing frames of reference

•When one’s experience, expectations, and personality creates a unique frame of reference

Lack of language

skills

•When one uses poor language and communication skills.

Distractions• Other barriers such as emotions,

physical distractions, and

digital media that can lead to

distractions

(Guffey & Loewy,

2011)

• Ethics refers to the

conventional standards of

right and wrong that provide

guidance on what people

should do:

• Must follow the law

• Be honest at all times

• Be objective

• Use inclusive language

• Give credit for others ideas

• State facts v. opinions clearly

(Clegg, 2010)

Source: Yahoo Images

PROFESSIONALISM TRAITS

Specialized Knowledge

Competency

Honesty and Integrity

Respect

Accountability and Self-

Regulation

Professional Image

(MindTools, 2014)

Having good manners

and projecting a

professional demeanor

are important soft

skills to have when

communicating.

(Guffey & Loewy,

2011)

• Effective business communications directed at an

intercultural audience must include a review process to

mitigate misunderstandings due to linguistic and cultural

differences.

• Create an outline

• Limit text to six lines

• Anticipate potential questions from audience

• Make sure communication does not violate legal or ethical

protocol

• Show respect towards audience

• Be patient(Duggan, 2014)

Source: Yahoo Images

Know target audience

Avoid using acronyms and

buzzwords

Use strong active voice

Detail benefits for reader

Write from customer

perspective

Use strong facts and

reputable data

Don’t use flowery

language

Be clear, concise, and

get to the point

Edit, edit, and edit again

(American Management Association, 2010)

Editing Phase

• Utilize an Editor

• Use a second and a third set of

eyes

• Come back later and re-review

• Read material backward

• Read material out loud(Sampson, 2008)

Source: Yahoo Images Source: Yahoo Images

CHANNEL BEST USE

Blog When one person needs to present digital information easily so that it is

available to others

Email When you don’t need immediate feedback

Face-to-face conversation When you need a rich, interactive medium. Useful for bad-news and

personal messages

Face-to-face group meeting When group decisions are important

Instant message When you are online and need an immediate response for unimportant

details

Letter When a formal written record is required, particularly with customers,

government agency, or outside organization

Phone Call When you need to deliver or gather information quickly

Report or proposal When you need to deliver considerable data internally or externally

Video conferencing When group consensus and interaction are important, but members are

geographically dispersed

Wiki When digital information must be made available to others. Most

useful for collaboration amongst a team because participants can

easily add, remove, and edit content(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

DRAFTING PROFESSIONAL EMAILS

•Explain details

•Be cautious with information

•Provide facts and data

•Request action

•Provide closing thought

•End professionally

•State purpose of email

•Supply information directly

•Draw reader in

•Summarize central idea

•Avoid empty words

SUBJECT LINE

OPENING

BODYCLOSING

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Different Types of Digital Media

Instant Message

s

• Immediate interactive way to communicate

• Creates a permanent record

Text Message

s

• Short messages sent through mobile devices

• Can either be used for person-to-person communication or for marketing purposes

Blogs

• Website with journal entries

• Allows reader to comment and provide feedback

Social Media

• Allows diverse group of people to communicate at the same time in a public online forum

• Endless marketing opportunities for organizations

(Feigenbaum, 2014)

Direct Approach

• Good news leads the message

• Details follow

• Used for most communications

• Easier to deliver then negative

messages

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Source: Yahoo Images

Indirect Approach

• Details and reasons lead

message

• Start with negative information,

but follow-up with positive details

• Use to deliver bad news

• Use for hostile audience

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)Source: Yahoo Images

Utilizing business presentations to present information is

one of the most effective ways to share information with a

broad audience.

There are several techniques one should follow to ensure

they create an effective business presentation. (Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Source: Yahoo Images

Helpful Techniques

- Select appropriate theme and decide on a slide design

- Select a font style, format, and utilize appropriate number of bullet points throughout presentation

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Source: Yahoo Images

Source: Yahoo Images

Helpful Techniques

• Add in graphics and animation

where appropriate

• Use more photos and avoid

clip art when possible

• Animate graphics or photos,

but do not overuse(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Source: Yahoo Images

Helpful Techniques

• Use hyperlinks to make presentation more interactive and to provide supplemental information

• Engage the audience by asking questions and utilizing polls

• Share information online by utilizing sites such as Slideshare, Google Presentations, Prezi, and Zoho Show

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Presentations For Beginners

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/

Source: Yahoo Images

Helpful Techniques

• Make sure you know your

information before

presenting

• Practice, practice, practice!

• Thank the audience when

finished and ask if they

have any questions

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Source: Yahoo Images

Business reports are very important in the business world.

Business reports provide an exchange of vital information .

The reports can be generated for managers, employees or

outside organizations or government entities. These reports

an be formal or informal depending on the purpose of the

report.

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Formal Reports

• Longer in length

• Serious tone

• Analytical

• Intended for a broader

audience

• Usually deals with

more complex issues

Informal Reports

• Shorter in length

• Informal tone

• Presents basic

information

• Intended for a smaller

audience

• Usually deals with

routine matters

(Rasel, 2013)

Business Plan

Executive Summary

and Mission Statement

Table of Contents

Company Description

Product or Service

Description

Market Analysis

Operations and

Management

Financial Analysis

Appendixes

Creating an effective

business plan is essential

for starting a new

business. Business plans

show potential investors

and banks that the

entrepreneur has done

their research and that

they know what they are

doing. The components

in the graph on this page

are essential components

for an effective business

plan.

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Proposals are written offers to solve problems, provide services, or sell equipment. Some proposals can be used internally to persuade leadership to make changes or improvements. Proposals Can also be made for external use to obtain new business.

Business proposals can also be informal or formal depending on the situation.

(Guffey & Loewy, 2011)

Source: Yahoo

Images

• Leaders must have excellent writing and communication skills in order to be an effective and successful leader.

• The topics presented throughout this presentation will help a leader be a better communicator• Use ACE method for effective communication

• Be ethical in all communications

• Be professional in the workplace

• Understand how intercultural differences can effect communication

• Utilize suggested writing tips for the business professional

• Understand which communication channel to use in various situations

• Understand when to use positive and negative messages

• Utilize helpful techniques when putting together business presentations

• Know when to use business reports, plans, and proposals

American Management Association. (2010). Business writing tips for professionals. Retrieved from

http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Business-Writing-Tips-for-Professionals.aspx

Clegg, W. (2010). Tips and best practices for ethical and effective corporate communication. Retrieved from

http://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/corporate-communications-best-practices-tips-effective-business-

communication/

Duggan, T. (2014). Intercultural business communications. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/intercultural-business-

communications-3192.html

Feigenbaum, E. (2014). Digital methods of communication in business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/electronic-

methods-communication-business-2934.html

Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business communication: Process and product 7th ed). Independence, KY: Cengage

Learning.

Leading Thoughts. (2010). Communication quotes. Retrieved from http://www.leadershipnow.com/communicationquotes.html

MindTools. (2014). Professionalism: Developing the vital characteristics. Retrieved from

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/professionalism.htm

Rasel, A. (2013). Difference between formal and informal reports. Retrieved from

http://www.businesscommunicationarticles.com/difference-between-formal-and-informal-reports/

Sampson, B. (2008). Five tips for catching and correcting errors in your business writing. Cost Engineering, 50(2), 22-23.

Snyder, L., & Shwon, B. (2011). Teaching effective communication skills for ACE: Analyzing, composing, and evaluating. Journal

of Applied Research for Business Instruction, 9(3), 1-5.