BEST PRACTICES IN BUSINESS WRITING &

COMMUNICATION

Kate Lee

SPRING13-D-8-ORG536-1

Contemporary Business Writing and Communication

CSU-Global

Instructor: Dr. Bobby Olszewski

07/21/2013

WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT?

They expect their employees to be able to work in teams and

interact with each other professionally.

They want to typically know about four areas: education,

experience, hard skills(technical), and soft skills(knowledge based)

They want their potential aspects of employees to be able to make

eye contact. Especially when considering a management position.

They want an employee with good written and verbal skills.

SECTION 1

Effective Business Communication

PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is a huge factor to anyone in the workforce or

entering the workforce.

The process of communication has five phases:• 1- Sender has an “Idea” or needs to communicate information.• 2- Sender encodes or writes the idea or information in a

message.• 3- Message travels over channel or message goes to receiver.• 4- Receiver decodes message or receiver reads message• 5- Receiver than writes down feedback and is sent back to

original message.

ORAL COMMUNICATION

The ability to exchange information in a face to face interaction helps

prevent misunderstandings.

No delay on receiving a response or asking a question to help you

understand

An efficient way to develop a consensus when many people must be

consulted.

You can tell how the person you are relaying the information to through

facial expression feels about the information you are telling them.

DEALING WITH CONFLICT

Conflict is common in every workplace and team.

Conflict is not only negative.

If handled appropriately it can improve decision making, clarify

values. improve team morale, and decrease tensions.

Following the six-step procedure for dealing with conflict, it can

help you be better prepared to resolve workplace conflict, if

implemented correctly.

1. Listen.

2. Invent New Problem-

Solving Options.

3. Look for a common

ground.

SIX-STEP PROCEDURE FOR DEALING WITH CONFLICT

4. Show a Concern for the

Relationship.

5. Understand the Other’s

Point of View.

6. Reach an agreement

based on what is fair.

Think of “L.I.L. S.U.R.”

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication is impersonal due to the lack in being

able to see the person and to get instant feed back.

Written messages provide regulation.

Writing ideas out on to paper enables you to communicate well

organized, well-considered messages.

Written documents are also convenient and can back up your

ideas or be a solid document that supplies what you wrote incase it

is taken out of text.

SECTION 2

Ethical Business Communication

Deal honestly With Your

Colleagues and Customers, it

Helps Develop Trust and

Respect.

Know the Laws in Your Field

and Follow Them.

Tell The truth.

Give the Facts as They Are.

GOALS OF ETHICAL COMMUNICATION

Recognize Your Own Biases

and Strive to Keep Them From

Changing the Message you are

Trying to Get Across.

Communicate clearly.

Use inclusive Language.

Give credit for ideas.

TOOLS FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING

If you have to second guess what you are doing or ask yourself, “is

what I am doing right?” Most often it is NOT.

Ask yourself the following:• Is the action you are considering legal? • How would you see the problem if you were on the opposite

side?• What are alternate solutions?• Can you discuss the problem with someone you trust?• How would you feel if people you care about learned of your

action?

DEALING WITH GOSSIP

It can be looked at as fun and entertaining, but too many of us do it and

too often.

Deal with the issue not the person.

Focus on solutions not the problems.

Some might even argue that gossip is good because it can help people

learn to behave and how to confront faster than having it become harmful.

Refuse to be drawn in.

HOW TO HANDLE GOSSIP ETHICALLY

Run and Stay Away from Anyone Who Starts to Gossip.• Even if you don’t contribute. Just being there shows that you

are contributing.

End Rumors About Others• When someone starts gossiping stop them in their tracks and

put an end to the rumor stating.

End and Learn to Confront issues that rise about yourself.• Learn to confront the person that is spreading the rumors and

put a stop to them. Always keep written documentation to refer back to if needed.

NOT ALL GOSSIP IS HARMLESS!

Keep Confident.• Become known as someone who is closed mouthed.

Limit Personal Information That You Share About Yourself.• Sharing too much information can be blown out of proportion and

cause gossip.

Avoid Any Form of Coworker Belittlement.• Today’s coworker may be tomorrow’s senior vice president.

Build Coworkers Up.• Don’t tear your coworkers down. Use the gossip or grape vine to

build your coworkers up. It will help your coworkers to gain respect.

SECTION 3

Intercultural Business Communication

Workplace Attitude• Your workplace attitude can tell a

lot about your professionalism.

Attire• Dress codes are enforced to promote

professionalism.

Time Management• Employees show their

professionalism by being on time for their shifts.

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE WORKPLACE

Respect in the Workplaces• Show respect by avoiding

gossip, turn off phones, refrain from using company time for personal issues.

Harassment and Bullying• Show zero tolerance for

any form of harassment and bullying.

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION ISSUES

Successful companies have formed and adapted to the global

market. They sell their products in other countries through the web

and stores in those other countries.

Business communicators need to be aware of their own culture and

how it differs from others.

They need to adapt their products to meet the needs of the new

consumers and cultures that come along with them to help make

their sales as successful as to the culture they are used to serving.

It is the vital, integral part

of the business world.

For oral communication to

be effective, it should be clear,

relevant, tactful in

phraseology and tone, concise,

and informative.

SUCCESSFUL ORAL COMMUNICATION

Types of oral communication that

are commonly used include staff

meetings, personal discussions, and

presentations.

Oral communication with those

outside of the company can take form

of face-to-face meetings, telephone

calls, video and teleconferences.

SECTION 4

Writing Tips for the Business Professional

Prewriting• Analyze

• Decide on the purpose.

• Anticipate• Profile the audience.

• Adapt• Decide what

techniques and strategies you will use.

WRITING TIPS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Revising• Revise

• Is your message clear and concise?

• Proofread• Are there grammar

or spelling errors?• Evaluate

• Does this message achieve its purpose?

Writing• Research

• Gather data to provide facts

• Organize• Group similar

info together• Compose

• Prepare a first draft.

SECTION 5

The Use of Electronic Messages and

Digital Media

for Business Communication

Electronic Mail

Instant

Messaging

Text Messaging

Podcasts

ELECTRONIC & DIGITAL FORMS OF BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

Blogs

Wikis

Social

networking

SECTION 6

Dealing with Positive and Negative Messages

POSITIVE MESSAGES

Delivering good news.

Communicate straight forward requests.

Communicate straight forward replies.

Communicate goodwill.

Messages that lift you up.

Messages that motivate you.

NEGATIVE MESSAGES

Delivering bad news.

Sales decreased.

Communicating negative feedback about negative

customer feedback received.

May contain: abusive language, and careless

language.

Can be expected and unexpected at times.

SECTION 7

8 Steps in Making a Powerful Multimedia Presentation

STEP 1 : START WITH THE TEXT

Make sure the words you are using are clear and

concise and most of all understandable.

Make sure when you add color it is visually

appealing instead of an eye sore.

STEP 2: SELECT YOUR BACKGROUNDS AND FONTS

Select a template that will be most of all appealing to the

eye.

Use consistent font styles and sizes, as well as the same

background throughout the slides.

There are many templates that you can download or pay for.

Use Times New Roman or Arial font. Font size should be

between 20 and 36.

STEP 3: CHOOSE IMAGES THAT SUPPORT THE INFORMATION

Images help keep your audience intrigued.

Can support your information by giving the

audience a visual.

Make sure, if using images from other sources,

that you obtain a copyright of image if applicable.

STEP 4: USE GRAPHICS TO SIMPLIFY THE INFORMATION.

Graphs can make complex information look simplified.

Helps your audience understand the complex information in a

Lehman’s term kind of way.

Can make your presentation visually appealing to the eye.

Keep in mind when adding graphics that they should be easy

to understand rather than overloading information to your

audience.

STEP 5: USE SPECIAL EFFECTS.

When you use special effects it keeps your audience

focused on your presentation.

Make information appear as you discuss it than all at

once.

Choose your animation with care so that it does not

overpower the presentation.

STEP 6 : CREATE HYPERLINKS TO BECOME INTERACTIVE

Add hyperlinks to your sources that you obtain information

on and cite.

You can hyperlink other slides in your presentation, so you

can go back to a previous slide to help solidify a point that you

are trying to make.

A Hyperlink can also connect your presentation to another

file or document in a different program.

HTTP//: URL:

<<<<Click the HTTP to be connected to week 6 presentation

STEP 7 : ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE

It is always good at the end of a presentation have a Q&A.

It gives the audience a chance to ask questions that they

may have thought of during your presentation.

It encourages the audience to discuss your presentation.

It can give you insight about your presentation, and a

beneficial learning experience for the next time you have to

create another presentation.

STEP 8 : MOVE YOUR PRESENTATION TO THE

INTERNET

When this is done it can be accessible to other

employee’s or people who are seeking information.

It can better other people’s presentations.

Web presentations are an emerging technology that

makes it so that people do not need to leave their office

to go to a presentation.

SECTION 8

Business Reports, Business Plans, and Business

Proposals

Includes:

Cover

Title Page

Letter or Memo of Allowance

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

BUSINESS REPORTS

Executive Summary

Introduction, Body, Conclusions

Recommendations

Appendix

Works Cited or References

Includes:

Table of Contents

Company Description

Product or Service

Description

Market Analysis

BUSINESS PLANS

Operations and Management

Financial Analysis

Appendixes

Includes:

Introduction.

Background, Problem, Purpose

Proposal, Plan, Schedule

Staffing.

Budget

Authorization Request

Includes informal part

plus the following:

Title Page

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Appendix

BUSINESS PROPOSALSInformal Formal

REFERENCES

Guffey, M. E., & Dana, L. (2008). Business Communication: Proces & Product. Mason:

Cengage Learning.

Johnson, R. (2013). Topics of Professionalism in the Workplace. Retrieved from Chron:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/topics-professionalism-workplace-25820.html

Rosenberg McKay, D. (n.d.). Professionalism: How to Conduct Yourself at Work.

Retrieved from About.com career planning:

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/workplacesurvival/a/professionalism.htm

Soard, L. (2013). How to Avoid Workplace Gossip & Negativity. Retrieved from Chron:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/avoid-workplace-gossip-negativity-32542.html