BUS 3382 Final Exam Study Guide

8. gathering the information needed

Remember that business reports are factual, so some information gathering is always needed. You may collect facts for reports from primary (observations, experiments, surveys) and/or secondary (library, online, company records, etc.) sources. Techniques for gathering and documenting these sources are discussed in Chapter 18 and Appendix E. Keep these three guidelines in mind: --Gather more information than you will use. --Be resourceful. --Keep accurate notes.

8. choosing your sampling technique

Techniques for gathering and documenting these sources are discussed in Chapter 18 and Appendix E. Keep these three guidelines in mind: --Gather more information than you will use. --Be resourceful. --Keep accurate notes.

8. experiments

You may collect facts for reports from primary (observations, experiments, surveys) and/or secondary (library, online, company records, etc.) sources.

6. the general indirect plan

-Begin with a strategic buffer. *Set up your strategy. *Acknowledge any preceding messages. - Set up the negative news. - Present the bad news positively. - Offer an alternative solution. - End with goodwill, specifically adapted

5. tact in order acknowledgments

Acknowledgments are sent to people who order goods principally to report the status of the order. They simply tell when the goods are being shipped. Many companies use form messages for this; some use printed notes. But individually written messages can be used, especially for important orders or to welcome a new customer. - Begin with the good news. - Include a "thank you." - If there is a problem (vague order, back order) - Report directly regarding delays, or - Use a tactful approach to get needed information. - Emphasize the positive. - Close with friendly words.

1. an increased need for strong analytical skills

Adapting to a quickly changing business landscape requires being able to assess information quickly, focus on what's relevant, and interpret information reliably and usefully.

10. effective voice mail techniques

Although a discussion of using the phone may seem trivial, it cannot be overlooked. Things that you should consider are the importance of a favorable voice quality, courtesy techniques, such as introducing yourself at the beginning of your call. It is also important to have effective phone procedures, such as introducing the reason for your call. As many phone calls do not result in an actual conversation, it is also important to develop effective voice mail techniques.

2. presenting the content

Content should be organized carefully. Short, simple messages usually are best in a top-down order (most important to least important). This way, if the reader is scanning for information, he or she does not need to scroll to find your most important information.

4. avoiding discriminatory writing

Here is an overview of ways to avoid discriminatory wording. We should strive to use nondiscriminatory wording—wording that treats all people equally and with respect. This means avoiding words that refer negatively to groups of people, such as by gender, race, nationality, age, disability, or sexual orientation. The more common problems are covered by the following suggestions. Avoid sexist labels.

8. from outline to table of contents

I. First-level heading A. Second-level heading B. Second-level heading 1. Third-level heading 2. Third-level heading a. Fourth-level (1) Fifth-level (a) Sixth-level II. First-level heading A. Second-level heading B. Second-level heading This slide illustrates the conventional (Roman Numeral) format for a report outline. (As the chapter says, however, the writer's outline will usually not need to be this formally prepared. The time to polish up the outline's format is when turning it into the report's table of contents—and even then, an elaborate numbering and lettering scheme such as this one will be regarded by many readers as distracting.)

7. make good use of three kinds of appeals

Logic based (logos) Emotion based (pathos) Character based (ethos) Logical appeals to the thinking mind (saving money, making money, doing a better job, getting better use) Emotional appeals to the senses (feeling, tasting, smelling, hearing) Character based uses the writer or spokesperson's voice and projected image to win trust and invite readers to identify with the speaker

9. less need for a structured coherence plan

Long, formal reports usually need a formal, structured coherence plan (summarizing, forward-looking, backward-bending parts). Short reports need coherence, but not an elaborate structured plan.

1. the need for expanded media literacy

Since the arrival of email in the late 1980s, business communication has been experiencing a revolution. Now more than ever, there's a need for expanded media literacy in the workplace.

4. use precise language

The committee (comprises) (constitutes) representatives from all four sales districts. This building site cost a large (sum) (amount) of money. She was (notorious) (noted) for her concern for the poor. We found no evidence that would (cause) (enable) us to support him. The management of this store is independent (of) (from) the main office.

10. introduction

The introduction has two goals: to prepare listeners to receive the message and gain attention. To arouse interest, introduce your speech with a human interest story, pose an unanswered question, present a surprise statement, give a startling statistic, use appropriate humor, quote a recognized expert, or appeal to solve a common problem. After arousing interest, the opening should give the theme of the speech. Generally, do not give the theme if your purpose is to persuade and your audience will require much persuasion, as you will want to give the theme later in this instance—use the indirect approach.

10. appealing personal traits

To arouse interest, introduce your speech with a human interest story, pose an unanswered question, present a surprise statement, give a startling statistic, use appropriate humor, quote a recognized expert, or appeal to solve a common problem. After arousing interest, the opening should give the theme of the speech. Generally, do not give the theme if your purpose is to persuade and your audience will require much persuasion, as you will want to give the theme later in this instance—use the indirect approach.

4. economize on words

To write economically in business, it's important to eliminate words that add nothing to sentence meaning. As with cluttering phrases, we often use meaningless extra words as a matter of habit. Eliminating these surplus words sometimes requires recasting a sentence, but sometimes they can just be left out.

7. stressing the you-viewpoint

Use convincing details and you-viewpoint to develop the desire or need in the reader's mind. Be specific and make every word count

11. Cover letter

Writing a cover letter is similar to writing a persuasive sales message; in this case, the writer is selling him or herself as the product or service. Revisiting the chapter on persuasive writing may be helpful to discuss what kinds of persuasive strategies may be useful. Gaining attention in the opening is important because the busy executive has other things to do. You need to use what works best in each case. Selecting content should be guided by the job requirements. Of course, if you are strong in an area you know is important to any employer, be sure to emphasize those strengths. If you are responding to an advertisement, you can address the needs mentioned directly and precisely. If you are prospecting, you will need to use your own best judgment to access what that one company's needs are and include content which addresses those needs. Organizing for conviction means choosing an organizational plan that emphasizes your strengths. You may use a reverse chronological, functional or skills, or accomplishments plan. Conviction is also enhanced by careful word choice and reader-viewpoint language. Driving for action in the close entails being clear and direct in letting the reader know what action you expect next. Normally, you request an interview, more information, or even an application. Email cover messages take different forms depending on the document type it introduces. The primary job is to highlight the applicant's strengths and get the reader to review the resume.

8. the nature and benefits of outlining

shows what things go together (grouping) what order they should be in (ordering) and how the ideas relate in terms of generality (hierarchy) Organizing is a process that allows you to present the information to your reader in a structured, patterned way. Thus, for virtually every report, you will need to think carefully about organizing your information. Organizing means grouping and ordering information on some logical basis. It also means determining the information hierarchy (which are main topics, which are secondary topics, and so forth). Making a plan is critical to preparing a well-organized report, and it will actually save time because it will help prevent major revision later. This thinking can and should start early in the report-writing process; it can be altered as needed as the report develops.

5. strategies for other thank-you messages

- Begin with a statement of thanks. - Follow with a personalized comment, relevant to the reader. - Conclude with a forward-looking statement. - Statement of thanks: Thank you for attending the American Cancer Society fundraiser lunch for Relay for Life last week and for donating money to the cause. - Personalized comment: With your support, the 2013 Relay will be our most successful yet . . . (details follow) - Forward-looking statement: I look forward to joining you on June 12 for this worthy cause.

4. word sentences logically

- I would give Ralph high marks as far as being a team player. - I would give Ralph high marks on being a team player. - Looking into the matter, the product appears to have been defective. - Looking into the matter, we found that . . . . - I have experience resolving customer complaints, supplier delays, and I have managed a sales team. - I have experience resolving customer complaints, coping with supplier delays, and managing a sales team. Here we have an incomplete construction, a dangling modifier, and faulty parallelism. Incomplete construction (the "as far as" phrase is incomplete). Dangling modifier (the "Looking" phrase needs to be followed by who is doing the looking). Faulty parallelism (items set up as equals, as in this series, need to be worded as equals).

7. proposals

- Like reports, are usually well researched. - Like reports, can range widely in format, length, and formality. - Like reports, can be direct (if invited) or indirect (if uninvited). - Unlike reports, are overtly persuasive. - Proposals may be internal or external. Internal proposals will be a major means by which you will get what you need in order to do or enhance your job (such as more/better equipment, more personnel, and so forth). External proposals are written mainly to acquire business for a company or money from a grant-awarding organization. - They may be solicited or unsolicited: A solicited proposal is invited (usually through an RFP—Request for Proposals). An unsolicited proposal is uninvited (it therefore needs to resemble a sales message).

9. the report components

- The title fly is simply a page with the title of the report on it. It is included as an extra touch of formality. - The title page has more information, as illustrated on page 350. It typically contains the title, identification of the reader and writer, and the date. You can point out that the title needs special care, as it will form the reader's expectations for the rest of the report.  - The letter of transmittal is the message that hands the report over to the reader. It describes the report's purpose and main findings and includes any other information about the project that the writer wants to include. This piece of the report has the most personal tone of any of the parts. - The table of contents, of course, is a guide to the structure and specific contents of the report. It can be appropriate for reports that are as short as five pages, though usually it's for longer reports. When writing a short report, one can embed a guide to the contents in the introductory sections of the report itself (for example, as a preview sentence or a bulleted list). - The executive summary (sometimes given other labels) is the report in miniature. In long reports, it is on a separate page or pages; in a short report, it can be the opening section of the report itself. Whichever form it takes, it should be self-explanatory—that is, people shouldn't have to read the report to make sense of it.

4. use slang and popular cliché with caution

- When advising students to use slang and popular clichés with caution, point out that such phrases are especially troublesome for nonnative English speakers. - She really threw me under the bus when she told the boss I was responsible for the missed deadline. - Our company experienced a paradigm shift after adopting Six Sigma. - The new branding strategy elevates our brand. Our new writing consultant is a great resource that we can leverage on our next campaign.

2. email form and email formality

-subject line *is short (5 - 7 words) *captures the main point *is capitalized as you would book or article titles -beginning *name of the recipient *generic greeting *formal salutation *purpose -general organization *important information first *additional information in descending order of importance -other options *direct approach *indirect approach *business report format and structure -the closing * informal ---writer's name ---no name *more formal ---"Thanks," ---"Regards" *formal ---"Sincerely" -signature block

5. organizing the direct claim

Because you anticipate the reader will willingly grant your request, a direct claim begins with the claim, moves to an explanation, and ends with a goodwill closing. Beginning - The direct claim should open with the actual claim. This should be a polite but direct statement of what you need. If the statement sounds too direct, you may soften it with a little bit of explanation, but the direct claim should be at the beginning of your message. Explaining the issue - The body of the direct claim should provide the reader with any information he or she might need to understand your claim.  Providing a goodwill closing - Your close should end with an expression of goodwill. Keep it simple.

7. gaining attention in the opening

Conventional Plan The Opening - The main goal here is to gain attention. Whatever method you use to do this should lead smoothly into the rest of your sales presentation. Some attention-getters often used are: *A statement or question that introduces a need the product will satisfy *An emotional appeal *Story beginnings *Identifying main benefit or result

3. bar and column chart

Horizontal bars & vertical columns Multiple Bi-lateral Stacked Pictographs

10. techniques for using visuals

Make certain that everyone in the audience can see the visuals. Too many or too-light lines on a chart, for example, can be hard to see. An illustration that is too small can be meaningless to people far from the speaker. Explain the visual if there is any likelihood that it will be misunderstood. Organize the visuals as a part of the presentation. Fit them into the presentation plan. Emphasize the visuals. Point to them with physical action and words. Talk to the audience—not to the visuals. Look at the visuals only when the audience should look at them. Avoid blocking the listeners' view of the visuals. Make certain that the listeners' views are not blocked by lecterns, pillars, chairs, and such. Take care not to stand in anyone's line of vision.

1. an increased focus on ethics and social responsibility

Meanwhile, ethical scandals have hurt many businesses and social responsibility has become a buzzword and marketing strategy for many companies.

5. routine inquires

Routine inquiries are those where the writer expects a positive response from the reader. They may be used in the scenarios mentioned. Begin with the objective. In doing so, you may ask a question or give an answer to a previous question from the reader. These beginnings save time for writer and reader. After you have done that, you can present any necessary explanation, ask additional questions, or give additional answers. To close, end with a goodwill message that is relevant to the reader.

11. Resume

Selecting the background facts is the place to begin. While the resume does not need to include all you have ever done, you should include the most significant items. Arranging the facts into groups shows the employer your ability to organize and be logical. Most people group their facts into Education, Experience, Personal Qualities, and sometimes References. However, there are numerous other possibilities for groups. Chapter 10 provides a list of possibilities. Constructing the headings helps the reader know what follows. Your resume needs a main heading as well as subheads. Subheads should be parallel in form. Also, they should be consistent in placement and in size and style of type. Including contact information is critical. Not only does the potential employer need to be able to reach you, but the easier you can make it the better. Today, most people include address and telephone numbers (cell or land line), fax, numbers, and email addresses. However, some applicants are limiting contact information for privacy reasons to an email address or phone number. Including a statement of objective helps the potential employer understand what kind of work you want to do. However, authorities disagree on both whether or not one is essential and what should be included in it. Generally, we recommend including the objective, as it is helpful for letting your audience know where to direct your resume, especially if the audience is a human resources specialist who sees many resumes for many different positions. To write a good objective, avoid flowery, excessive language and stick to something simple that includes the type of position (e.g., full-time, part-time, internship, volunteer), the field (e.g., management, accounting), and start date (e.g., beginning immediately, Summer 2013).

6. Negative messages

Sometimes a company may need to announce bad news internally and externally. Much of the time it is handled indirectly, especially when you expect your readers to be surprised, disappointed, or even angered by a direct presentation. Presentations of bad news to customers or employees.. 1) generally follow the indirect pattern - especially if news is very disappointing. 2) Thus, they follow the strategies previously reviewed.

7. choose and develop targeted reader benefits

Tangible could be measurable benefits such as saving time, money, or trouble (a product that makes a task physically easier, for instance). Intangible could be making the reader feel good, gain prestige, or have more freedom. Intrinsic benefits are those that automatically come by complying with the request. This could be something that is a part of the product being sold, or the service being offered. Extrinsic benefits are benefits that are not the main feature, but are added on or tied to the main product or service. They tend to be more short-lived.

5. the general direct plan

The general plan for direct order: Begin with your objective: Whatever your key point is, lead with it. You may want to provide brief background information before presenting it. Cover the remaining part of the objective: Whatever else must be covered to complete your objective makes up the bulk of the remainder of the message. Cover your information systematically—perhaps listing the details or arranging them by paragraphs. End with goodwill: End the message with some appropriate friendly comment as you would end a face-to-face communication with the reader. Include a closing that is relevant to the topic of your message.

2. the process of writing

The writing process diagram helps students see that the process of writing falls roughly into three stages: Planning, drafting and revising

2. letter formality

These are the oldest form dating from the earliest civilizations—Greek, Egyptian, Chinese. The genre implies a certain formality, and certainly, letters are the most formal of the business writing forms we discuss.

4. select words for appropriate usage

To ensure your writing sounds professional, avoid using words inappropriately. Many pairs of words are confused in English and cause problems for writers. Consider less vs. fewer, affect vs. effect, and continual vs. continuous, to name a few.

3. tables

Two types of tables exist: 1. General purpose—cover broad area of information (usually placed in appendix) 2. Special purpose—focus on specific part of information or report (placed in report text) Tables contain the following: Numbers and titles Row heads—title of rows of data Column and spanner heads—titles of columns Footnotes—explanatory information Source acknowledgments—where data came from

3. pie chart

Visual Graphic

1. business communication as problem solving

Whatever you do in the business world, your communication tasks will invariably involve analyzing a unique circumstance requiring a unique solution at least on some level. So it makes sense to think of business communication as problem solving. Business communication problems do not come neatly packaged and to solve these problems requires research, analysis, creativity and judgment. Research (interview the key players to understand the history of the situation and purpose of the communication) Careful analysis (gather and interpret the relevant information) Creativity (think of possible solutions and the right media and venues for conveying the information) Judgment (pick the solution that will fit this situation best)