BCOMM exam 2

external blogs

Provides a plethora of information, although since most blogs are not formally edited or reviewed, the range in reliability is enormous.

business periodicals

(magazines, newspapers) provide stories, information, and advice about contemporary business issues

*describe how delivering bad news impacts your credibility

-it shows competence when you generate a forward-looking plan to overcome challenges -it shows caring when you lessen the negative impacts on others and focus on their needs -it shows character when you are completely transparent and honest

*developing charts and tables to concisely display data and accentuate key messages

-line, pie, bar charts *order: alphabetical, numerical, etc. whichever is appropriate *indentation: indent or otherwise set apart items within a category *data series: present comparative data series vertically *column/row labels: label effectively *grid lines: use for every three to 5 rows at natural breaks (new categories); this simple design technique allows readers to easily scan rows

*compose influential external persuasive messages

-more effective external persuasive messages are personalized, upbeat, positive, and pressure free -they avoid guilt trips and extremely negative terms

*prepare to present effectively in teams

- be clear with one another about your objectives and key messages - decide on your presentation roles - stand together and present a united front - refer to one another's points - transition effectively

*deliver and receive negative performance reviews constructively

-Adopt a team-centered orientation: maintain mentality that you are working together as a team -Avoid sugarcoating the bad news -Explain the impacts of the individual's poor performance on organizational performance: help them understand how their performance is hurting the organizational performance -Link to consequences: how poor performance impacts their employment opportunities -Probe for reasons performance is not higher: ask employees to discuss their perspectives on their poor performance -Emphasize problem solving rather than blaming: adapt a positive, forward looking tone- this is good for the poor performers career and morale -Be firm: that the employee must improve

*explain characteristics of the emerging Social Age

-Industrial age: little communication between teams and units, respect for position, holding authority is power *then.... -Information age: mass two way communication, extensive communication between teams and units, respect for expertise, holding knowledge is power *then... -Social age: networked communication, sharing knowledge is power, transparency and honesty are key values

effective attention getters

-Rhetorical Question -Intriguing Statistic -Compelling And Unusual Fact/S -Challenge -Testimonial (personal)

Statements to Avoid in the Post-Trust Era

-Trust me -Unbelievable "your call is important to us" -Too good to be true "we give you guranateed results" -Excuses "our hands are tired" -Explanations "this is taken out of context" -Fear tactics "are you concerned about the security of ur family"

*explain how the tone and style of persuasive messages impact their influence

-apply the personal touch (make it a tangible statement, you-voice, we voice, and i voice, or impersonal voice) -use action-oriented, lively language: instead of has, say "runs a great program" -write with confidence: argument is logic based and also contains an excitement about possibilities -offer choice: dont use pressure tactics -show positivity * avoide exaggerations like "you can trust us at better horizons to make ur financial dreams come true" and "pay attention to these facts or risk losing money to banks"

*explain how completed reports affect your credibility

-competence: provide facts, conclusions, and positions that help decision making -character: report information honestly and transparently -caring: involve decision makers and address their needs

*explain how planning and conducting business research for reports impacts your credibility

-competence: shows when you can collect, analyze and present business research -caring: shows when you collect business research that fills an unmet need for others -character: shows when you collect, analyze, and respect your research data fairly

*conduct secondary research to address a business problem

-database -industry reports -business periodicals -scholarly journals -internet searches

primary goal of blogs for organizations

-effective PR: building relationships with employees, customers, communities, the media, and other stakeholders to improve corporate reputation or credibility

teaser statement

-form of buffer -often written, signal to recipients that an upcoming conversation or other communication may involve unpleasant news -prepares recipients emotionally yet does not reveal specific info

*Explain the AIM planning process for persuasive messages and the basic components of most persuasive messages (3 of 3)

-gain attention -raise a need -deliver a solution -provide rationale -validate the views/concerns of others -give counterpoints -call to action

*review reports for effectiveness and fairness

-get feedback from others; involve others -proofread: precise, complete, easy to navigate -FAIR test: be objective/unbiased

*create a specific and persuasive proposals

-most successful proposal writers speak to decision makers before submitting an official proposal -by negotiating some of the details ahead of time, proposal writers have a better sense of what decision makers want and expect cover page, executive summary, current situation, specific objectives, deliverables overview, timeline, results enhancers, and pricing/budget

*create blogs for effective external communications (press release and op-ed)

-press-release style: components include headline which captures the attention of stakeholders, the dateline allows readers to identify hen the story occurred, then the PR story is written in THIRD person in what is often referred to as *inverted pyramid style* -op-ed style: corporate leader writes an opinion piece in FIRST person about a challenge or issue shared by the company and the public. common on corporate blogs, where business leaders can share their opinion and experiences

*deliver presentations with authenticity, confidence, and influence

-primary goals is to present your real self -know your materials and rehearse:become more comfortable with the content, work out weakly connected areas, identify parts that you want to emphasize through tone and non verbal comm. -techniques to manage nerves: relaxation techniques, deep breathes, speak w audience members before, pay attention to food and drink -methods when speaking about people: naming members in your org will help ur audience members feel that are getting to know them, know the names of people in ur audience -be flexible, nothing goes as planned: arrive early, stop to recollect thoughts when lose train of thoughts, dont mention problems -connect w your audience: move around room, check the vision points audience will have, keep audience engaged

*describe how presentation delivery impacts your credibility

-principles for establishing presence: establish credibility, maintain authenticity, know your material and rehearse, overcome fear and speak with confidence, focus on people -internal presentations: provide you the opportunity to change others' views of you -external:you are often dealing with people who have superficial impressions of your credibility; establish competence by showing that you know the content well Having *presence* means commanding attention, garnering respect for your ideas, engaging your listeners, and even inspiring your audiences to action. In this section, we focus on strategies you can use to enhance your presence as you deliver your presentations

*use blogs, wikis, forums, and other social tools for the effective communication within organizations

-principles for using internal communication tools in the social age: organize your dashboard to control your communication and info flow, create a complete and professional profile, use blogs and status updates for team communication, use shared files to collaborate, solve problems with discussion forums, use other social media tools -principles for using forums read your peers' comments completely and carefully, state the purpose of the forum clearly, use flexible open language, build on the ideas of others and pose questions, participate often, meet in real time for sensitive issue

*Explain the AIM planning process for persuasive messages and the basic components of most persuasive messages (2 of 3) Principles

-reciprocation: a principle of influence based on returning favors. as defined by ciadini, "we should try to repay, in an kind, what another person has provided us" -consistency: is based on the idea that one people make an explicit commitment, they tend to follow through or honor that commitment. they want to stay with their original commitment -social proof: principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do -liking: people are most likely to be persuaded by people they like -authority: people follow authority figures. the # of celebrity endorsements in advertising is evidence of how authority can impact persuasion -scarcity: people think there is a limited availability of something want or need, so they must act quickly

*evaluate the usefulness of data sources for business research

-reliability: relates to how dependable the data is-how current and representative -relevance: of the data relates to how well they apply to your specific business problem -adaptability: relates to how well the research can be altered or revised to meet your specific business problem -expertise: relates to the skill and background of the researches to address your business problem -biases: are tendencies to see issues from particular perspectives. keep in mind the ultimate objectives of the researchers

Making requests (*construct task-oriented routine messages, including requests, expectations, directions, responses to inquiries, announcements, and claims)

-requests are the essence of people, coordinating work efforts, buying and selling products and services, and maintaining work relationships -primary goal: retain goodwill with recipient- achieve positive tone 1) make request 2) provide rationale 3) call to action 4) state goodwill

*describe how delivering routine messages impacts credibility

-routine messages should not be treated as unimportant, the day-in day-out routine messages are the most important for establishing credibility -competence: formatting your messages according to accepted standards- ex: avoiding sending an email in all caps -caring: understanding how your routine messages will impact recipients feelings -character: following through on any promises you make in your routine messages

line chart

-scale should be two-thirds of the range included in chart -series names should be placed on or attached *useful for depicting events and trends over time. ex: stock prices over time

Responding to Inquiries (*construct task-oriented routine messages, including requests, expectations, directions, responses to inquiries, announcements, and claims)

-set off each question so your reader can quickly identify responses to particular question, using bullets or numbered lists and/or specific formatting -consider whether the order of the items is important, if so use numbered lists -you can schedule face-to-face meeting where u can answer questions in a richer medium

three aspects of bad news that impact how you approach delivering it

-severity: how serious or detrimental the bad news is -controllability:the degree to which the bad news message receiver can alter the outcome -likelihood: relates to the probability of the bad event occuring (you have one more chance or the likelihood of you getting fired goes up)

*describe the process for developing routine business messages

-state the primary message (10 words or less) -provide details in paragraphs of 20 to 80 words -restate the request or key message in more specific terms -state goodwill 1) message development (attention grab) 2) write (state tone) 3) reviewing- dont hit sent right away Plan (needs of audience, gather info), Write (tone, easy to read), review (get feedback, ensure message is FAIR)

team blogs vs. project blogs

-team blogs: organized around formal work teams -project blogs: organized around particular projects that generally involve temporary teams

*organize and gather content for a preview, view, and review

-the *preview* should generally include an attention-getter, a positioning statement, and an overview -the majority of your presentation will be devoted to expressing and supporting your *views*-your two, three, or four key messages -the *review* comprises a small percentage of your presentation time.. make sure to have a strong finish-this is the place where you are hoping to gain buy-in on specific actions

challenges of social media to companies and business professionals

-to companies: lack of control of information provided externally and internally, confusion over which communication channel to use, distraction from work -to business professionals: lack of boundaries, lower productivity due to multitasking, mistakes broadcast to larger audiences

Benefits of Social Media to companies and business professionals

-to companies: team communication, recruitment and on boarding, skills development and training, less time and fewer resources needed for business travel -to business professionals: build professional networks internally and externally, access business expertise more rapidly

attention getter

-to get your audience members emotionally invested in ur presentation and engaged in thinking about your ideas -types: rhetorical q, vivid examples, dramatic demonstrations, challenges

*explain considerations for deciding which channels to use when delivering bad news messages

-verbal: can use and observe nonverbal cues, can more easily demonstrate intentions, can respond to concerns immediately -- requires more time, less able to document the bad new -written: can craft message more carefully, can document the message more easily, can deliver message to more people more efficiently -- unable to immediately respond, unable to demonstrate concern through nonverbal cues **do both

*analyze presentation audiences in terms of message benefits, *learning styles*, and communicator styles (2)

-visual learners: learn best from illustrations and simple diagrams to show relationship and ideas;PPs rich in images help them respond to your message -auditory learners: like loud, clear voices and believe emotion is best conveyed through voice -kinesthetic learners: need to participate to focus their attention on your message and learn best; group activities, hands on, breaks every 20 min

*describe how planning your presentations leads to credibility

-when your clearly know what you are talking about, audience judge you as *competent* -when you show that you are interested in the needs of your audience, they judge you as *caring* -when you offer your views honestly and transparently, audience judge you as having *character*

Creating Announcements (*construct task-oriented routine messages, including requests, expectations, directions, responses to inquiries, announcements, and claims)

1) Gain attention 2) give announcement 3) provide details 4) call to action (in some cases) 5) state goodwill -should be designed to let readers gather all relevant info in 10-15 seconds -subject line must be specific and must create interest

setting expectations (*construct task-oriented routine messages, including requests, expectations, directions, responses to inquiries, announcements, and claims)

1) explain expectations 2) describe responsibilities 3) provide deadlines 4) discuss coordination 5) state goodwill

providing direction (*construct task-oriented routine messages, including requests, expectations, directions, responses to inquiries, announcements, and claims)

1) state goal 2) give step-by-step directions 3) state goodwill -for more technical and complicated procedures, make sure you have several people test the procedures to find where you can better clarify the steps involved -by linking helpful websites it gives a meta message of "i want to help you as much as possible"

top fears

1)snakes 2) public speaking 3) heights

*analyze presentation audiences in terms of message benefits, learning styles, and communicator styles

AIM -you'll analyze your *audience* to make sure you're addressing audience members' needs and speaking to them in the way that is the most appealing and easy to learn -you'll gather and develop your *info* and ideas by identifying the key facts and conclusions related to your topic -you'll develop your message to focus on the key takeaway concepts and to provide supporting points throughout *understanding the needs of your audience is one of your first tasks as you develop your presentations

*describe the relationship between credibility and persuasion

Credibility is critical to all business communications, its importance is heightened for persuasive messages. By definition, persuasion implies that you are communicating with someone who does not think or feel the same way as you do. If they question your credibility, they are unlikely to carefully consider your ideas, requests, or recommendations.

*summarize principles for effectively delivering bad news messages

Deliver the bad news in a timely manner. Choose the right mix of channels. Sympathize with the bad-news recipients and soften the blow. Provide a simple, clear rationale. Explain immediate impacts. Focus on solutions and long-term benefits. Show goodwill.

*interact effectively with your audience

Good speakers involve the audience as much as possible without getting off message and taking too much time · Pause before answering. · Be honest. · Show appreciation. · Be concise. · Reframe the question to match your agenda. Admit when you do not know the answer. Explain that you would like to get an answer to the question and seek an opportunity to continue the conversation later.

*Describe the ethical use of social media for work

Much more than your online reputation is at stake with social media use; the reputation and performance of your company is at stake as well. The line between what you believe is private use of social media and your role as an employee can be murky because your private actions can damage your employer and hurt your career.

*developing a credible online reputation: professional and private (for work colleagues)

ex: corporate blog or wiki -i will get the job done-competent, skilled, dependable -i am a good team member-bring out the best in others -i want you to succeed-supportive, caring

web 1.0

read-only and static and passive user 1.0 refers to an individual who primarily uses and prefers web 1.0 tools

token appreciation

an expression of thanks or gratitude for a request or idea while immediately dismissing the request or idea as implausible or even inappropriate most common mistakes

Buffer

a statement to establish common ground, show appreciation, state your sympathy, or otherwise express goodwill indirect: buffer, provide rational, deliver bad news direct: buffer, deliver bad news, rational

making apologies (*construct relationship oriented routine messages, including appreciation, apologies, and expressions of sympathy)

apologies must be timely and sincere; for it to be effective, others must sense the apologizer is sincere, genuine, ad acting without an agenda 1) acknowldgment of mistake or an offense 2) an expression of regret for the harm caused 3) acceptance of responsibility 4) a commitment that the offense will not be repeated

*Evaluate persuasive messages for effectiveness and fairness.

before sending a persuasive message: get feedback and reread, apply the FAIR test -manipulation involves attempting to influence others by some of level of deception so you can achieve your own interests. by applying the FAIR test you can avoid manipulating others Facts Access Impacts Respect

*Compose effective bad-news messages in person and in writing for various audiences, including colleagues, external partners, and customers

carefully consider tone, style, and design -tone: aim for a tone of genuine concern in a professional manner -style: writing style that is simple, accurate, and jargon free, helps people process info quickly and accurately -design: if message looks too slick, bad news recipients may believe the message is designed more to impress than to meet their needs

Making claims (*construct task-oriented routine messages, including requests, expectations, directions, responses to inquiries, announcements, and claims)

claims are requests for other companies to compensate for or correct the wrongs of mistakes they made 1) make claim 2) provide rationale 3) call to action - specific request 4) state goodwill *quantifiable, less emotional

Scholarly Journals

contain business research that is extremely reliable info comes from controlled scientific research processes and has been reviewed by experts in the field rarely provide useful info for business problems that u will focus on in the workplace

dashboard vs. blogs

dashboard: your front page when you log in to the system, which operates as your communication hub; you can customize the dashboard to display the features that most interest you blogs: are posts that are arranged chronologically, similar to a journal format. opportunities for leaders, managers, and supervisors to keep employees aware of announcements -microblogs: short comments that typically contain just a few sentences (twitter)

*developing a credible online reputation: Personal and private (for family and friends)

ex: family blog -im a good listener- communicative, interpersonal skills -i can take care of you- dependable, reliable -i hope the best for you- considerate, caring

*developing a credible online reputation personal and public (for society)

ex: fb -i have certain abilities-talented, skilled, capable -i have certain interests- determined, focused, driven -i want to share my experiences and ideas-open, networked, independent

*developing a credible online reputation professional and public (for professional peers)

ex: linkedin -i am an expert- thought leader, forward thinking -i want to lead a professional discussion-initiative, leadership -i want to share my ideas with you- generous, giving

positioning statement

frames your message in appealing terms to your audience members and demonstrates clear and valuable benefits to them -concise as possible-one or two sentences -demonstrate that your presentation is worth paying close attention for its entirety

*create compelling internal persuasive messages

internal messages are typically for ideas while external messages are for products and services -attention: overview of a business problem -need: description of a business problem -solution: description of how your ides or policy addresses the business problem -rationale: elaboration about why ur ideas or policy is the best option -appreciation: apprecation for decision makers perspectives and resistance to your ideas -counterparts: explanation of why ur ideas are better than competing ideas -action: "contact me"

*Explain the AIM planning process for persuasive messages and the basic components of most persuasive messages (1 of 3)

involves extensive planning: -Analyzing your *audience* to understand their needs, values, and how they are influences -developing your *ideas* as you wrestle with the complicated businesses issues at hand -creating a *message* structure that most effectively reduces resistance and gains buy-in

PREP method

involves stating your position, providing the reasons, giving an example or providing evidence, and then restating your position -position, reasons, examples, position

nervousness

is dysfunctional only when it impairs your ability to deliver your content

most business writing is direct and explicit....

is it direct in that you begin with a main idea or argument then provide supporting reasons it is explicit in that nothing is implied when writing like this, it helps your readers understand your message and show respect for their time explicitly stating some types of benefits is considered poor form- financial or career gain in internal persuasive requests

white papers

issued by governments and organizations and tend to be biased as they are often produced by industry groups with an agenda or by companies with specific marketing goals reports or guides that generally describe research about solving a particular issue

*review bad news messages for effectiveness and fairness

it is appropriate to talk to colleagues about bad news messages that you plan to deliver to groups of customers or employees, but not appropriate to ask others to read messages that include confidential matters (consider asking trusted colleagues to review and give feedback) reread several times FAIR factual, access, impacts, respect

*project objectivity in reports

key factors of reports: value to decision makers, precision, documentation (primary and secondary research), easy navigation, objectivity "can do tone" positive tone while also being objective (reliable and unbiased) ensure that enthusiasm and strong positive emotion do not appear to cloud your judgement

*construct effective mass sales messages

messages sent to a large group of consumers and intended to market a particular product or service -sales messages are strongest when they contain a coherent, unified theme that consumers can recognize quickly -your sales message should stick to a single, recognizable theme that resonates within seconds

*demonstrate excellent thinking by applying a precision-oriented style to reports

most critical component on any report is precision Starts: -clear statement of the *business problem* or challenge -use *fact*based language -document secondary research and avoid plagiarism -base recommendations on facts and conclusions in the report -provide specific and actionable recommendations Business problem>facts>conclusions>recommendations

some business write indirect and implicit

provide rational for the request before making the specific request sometimes the reader needs to read in between the lines to grasp the entire meaning politely asking people to act or think differently

business and management books

range greatly in terms of their overall usefulness

web 2.0

read-write web users being able to express opinions, customize and edit, social media, social networking, wikis, games, podcasts, information tagging user 2.0 prefers web 2.0 aka enterprise social software and Enterprise 2.0

*apply the soften model of nonverbal comm. for presentations

smile, open stance, forward learn, tone, eye contact, nod -formal business dress: project executive presence and seriousness. It is distinguished by business suits, typically dark and conservative, accompanied by collared, button-down dress shirts. For men, neckties are essential. -business casual dress: . It is intended to project a more comfortable, relaxed feel while still maintaining a high standard of professionalism;most common form of dress in the workplace today. -casual dress: is the least formal option. It is rare in a business-related setting

research objectives should be ...

specific and achievable statement leads to a focused approach to research

recommendations must be

specific and actionable

*explain principles of effective design for survey questions and choices

survey questions should be: -simple to answer -non leading -exhaustive (all possibilities are available) and unambiguous (only one choice is appropriate) -limited to a single idea

showing appreciation (*construct relationship oriented routine messages, including appreciation, apologies, and expressions of sympathy)

thank you notes for customers and clients= more formal "" for colleagues and others= less formal 1) give thanks 2) provide rationale 3) state goodwill -dont be excessive or exaggerate, may look insincere and unprofessional

pie charts

useful for illustrating the pieces within a whole; ex: market share would be best illustrated -largest slice should begin at 12 and go clockwise -exploding slices should be used sparingly

bar chart

useful to compare amounts or quantities, the most versatile of these charts since it can be used to compare many types of data -baseline should always be 0 -legend should only be used if the chart has two or more data series

mum effect

when an organization avoids sharing bad news, results in mum effect occurs when the chain of messages within an organization is filtered at each level to leave out or inaccurately state the bad news people in org dont know whats happening

Expressing sympathy (*construct relationship oriented routine messages, including appreciation, apologies, and expressions of sympathy)

when your colleagues encounter personal losses -the foremost requirement of any expression of sympathy is that it be sincere -your genuine concern will compensate for any deficiencies in the words you use -when possible, handwrite your expression of sympathy on a nice card

industry publications

written to cater to the specific interests of members in particular industries include periodicals and reports

once you've conducted your surveys....

your next step is to analyze the data, consider the following advice: -learn as much as you can about forecasting and other forms of statistical and quantitative data -learn as much as you can about spreadsheets, database, and statistical software -rely on others in your analysis -stay focused on your business problem and look for the big picture

*use slides and handouts to supplement your presentation effectively

· Avoid turning out the lights in most cases. · Don't start your slides right away. · Speak to your audience, not the screen. · Interpret, don't read your slides. · Preview the slides before showing them. · Use a remote control to advance slides when possible. · Avoid standing in front of the slide projection. -Use blank slides strategically Many presenters have lost the opportunity to connect effectively during their openings because of rustling handouts; wait til end to distribute

*evaluate research data, charts, and tables for fairness and effectiveness

•As you collect, analyze, and present data to others, ensure that you provide all the relevant facts, even if they don't fit into convenient conclusions. Grant access to your data. Your full disclosure of data to colleagues, clients, and others in your business dealings will pay long-term dividends in terms of credibility. Also, remember the impacts of your data on others and present it with respect. (FAIR)

*develop effective slide presentations

•Limit the amount of information on any given slide. •Use font sizes that all audience members can read easily. •Focus on and highlight key information. •Use plenty of white space. •Use high-contrast backgrounds and colors. •Use compelling images in moderation. •Develop simple charts and diagrams. •Get professional design help when possible

*use the story line approach to presentations

•Plot: a business situation that involves challenges or tensions to overcome and a clear beginning and end. •Setting: the time, place, characters, and context of the business situation. •Resolution: a solution to the challenges or tensions in the story. •Moral or lesson: a point to the story.