BUS COM Exam 2

3 step writing process helps ensure writing is effective and efficient

1.Planning-analyze the situation by defining your purpose and developing a profile for your audience, then gather info and finally organize the info 2. Writing- adapt to your audience with sensitivity, relationship skills, and an appropriate writing style, then compose your message 3. Completing- First, revise you rmessage by evaluating content, reviewing readability, and editing and rewriting until your message comes across concisely and clearly, next produce the message by putting it into a form your audience will receive

A compound sentence has

2main clauses that express 2 or more independent but related thoughts of equal importance, usually joined by AND, BUT, or OR. In effect a compound sentence is a merger of 2 or more simple sentences that are related. A simple sentence has one main clause. A complex sentence has one main thought and one or more subordinate, released thoughts. Independent and dependent clauses are usually separated by a comma. A compound complex sentence has 2 main clauses at least one of which contains a subordinate clause

4 parts of the planning stage are as follow

Analyze the situation, gather info, select the right medium, and organize info. Analyze information- define your purpose and develop an audience profile. Gather information- Determine audience needs and obtain the information necessary to satisfy those needs. Select the right medium- select the best medium for delivering your message. Organize information- define your main idea, limit your scope, select a direct or indirect approach, and outline content

The third step in the 3 step writing process is

Completing Your Messages- includes the important tasks of revising, producing, proofreading, and distributing the message

In some word combinations the words say the same thing

For instance "visible to the eye" is redundant because visible is enough without further clarification, to the eye, adds nothing. A cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work, which has become so common that its original meaning has been compromised. In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject receives the action. Obsolete language is language that is out of date or no longer used. HEDGING means pulling back from making confident, definitive statement about a topic

Potential audience reaction affects message organization

If you expect a favorable response you can state conclusions and recommendations up front and offer minimal supporting evidence. If you expect skepticism you can introduce conclusions gradually and with more proof. Regardless you should always state your conclusions and recommendations and be as straightforward as possible

Euphemisms are

Milder synonyms that convey your meaning without carrying negative connotations. For example, when referring to people beyond a certain age use senior citizen rather than old people. Euphemism is less likely to be offensive, is not general or abstract in meaning, and is not highly technical or difficult to understand

When gathering information consider the audience's...

Perspective, put yourself in their position what are they thinking feeling or planning, what info do they need to move in the direction you would like them to move

The production quality of a message-

The total effect of page or screen display, typography, graphics, etc. Plays an important role in the effectiveness of a message

The more you know about your audience members, their needs, and their expectations the more effectively you will be able to communicate with them

Tip- Understand audience expectations and preferences ,for example do they want complete detail or just a summary? Generally the higher up in the organization you go in internal communication the fewer details want to see. Ethics and ambiguity have nothing to do with how high up your message goes

Know the differences between the active and passive voice and be able to give examples

You are using the active voice when the subject performs the actions and the object receives the action-John rented the office. You are using the passive voice when the subject receives the action- The office was rented by John. In a sentence written in the active voice, the object receives the action-Jodi sent the email. In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject receives the action- The email was sent by Jodi. Also, the passive voice can help to shift emphasis away from the person who is the subject of your message, These situations include 1. When you need to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error. 2. When you want to point out whats being done without taking or attributing either the credit or the blame. 3. When you want to avoid personal pronouns in order to create an objective tone

A dangler modifier is

a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. For example- Walking to the office, a red sports car passed her. Walking to the office is the dangling modifier because the modifier does not refer to the sports car

Readers who encounter a well organized message are encouraged to

accept it because they can understand it easily and save time in the process. In addition, organizational skills are good for your career because they help you develop a reputation as a clear thinker who cares about your readers

The planning phase includes,

analyzing the situation, gathering info, selecting the right medium, and organizing the info. Adapting to the audience is an element of the writing phase

Type style refers to

any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type, including boldface, italics, undrlining, and color, as well as other highlighting and decorative elements. Be sure to avoid using type style in ways that might interfere with reading

By working hard to ensure the accuracy of the information you gather you will also,

avoid many ethical problems in your messages. If you do make an honest mistake, such as delivering info you initially thought to be true but later found to be false, contact recipients of the message immediately and correct the error. No one can reasonably fault you in such circumstance and people will respect your honesty

If you want to refer to a specific point in a document

avoid vague references such as THE ABOVE MENTIONED, AS MENTIONED ABOVE, THE AFOREMENTIONED, THE FORMER, THE LATTER, RESPECTIVELY. Redundancies occur when words say the same thing such as BASIC FUNDAMENTALS. A strung out sentence could be divided into 2 sentences. An indefinite pronoun starter is when you start a sentence with "There is" or "It is". A camouflaged verb is a word that ends in ION, TION, ING, MENT, ANT ,ENT, ENCE, ANCE , and ENCY

Bias free language

avoids words and phrases that unfairly and even unethically cateforize or stigmatize people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or other personal characteristics. The preferred title for women in business is Ms., unless the individual asks to be addressed as Miss or Mrs or has some other title such as Dr. or professor. Madam or mme. Are not typical titles used anymore in business

Humor can easily

backfire and divert attention from your message. If you do not know your audience well or you are not skilled at using humor in a business setting, do not use it at all. Avoid humor in formal messages and when you are communicating across cultural boundaries

Youtube quickly became a major

business communication channel, companies use youtube to communicate with their customers. Youtube is a viable medium thats used by both unhappy and happy customers. many smart companies do use it

a style checker

can monitor your word and sentence choice and suggest alternatives that might produce writing that is more effective. Style checking options can range from basic issues such as spelling out of terminology. A spell checker compares your document with an electric dictionary, highlights unrecognized words and suggests correct spelling. A thesaurus can offer alternatives to a particular word. A word processing program can also allow someone to leave comments suggesting changes

a spell checker

compares your document with an electronic dictionary, highlights unrecognized words, and suggests correct spellings. Spell checkers are wonderful for finding typos, but there is no substitute for good spelling skills and careful work. Some word processing programs have an autocorrect feature that can correct very vommon typing mistakes such as teh instead of the. A thesaurus can suggest synonyms.

Do not contribute to information overload by sending messages that will not change anything

complaining about problems to coworkers in a message will not benefit anyone

For extremely large files

consider recordable media such as DVDs or file hosting site, such as MediaFire.

Lists are

effective tools for highlighting and simplifying material. They show the sequence of your ideas and add visual impact to them and lists help your reader find key points. They also simplify complex subjects, highlight main points, ease the skimming process, and give readers a break

An abstract word

encompasses a category of ideas, often academic, intellectual, or philosophical. A concrete word is anchored in the tangible, material world

Oral media includes

face to face conversations, interviews, speeches, and in person presentations and meetings. By giving communicators the ability to see, hear and react to each other, oral media are useful for encouraging people to ask questions, make comments and work together to reach a consensus or decision. For example experts recommend that managers engage in frequent walk around, chatting with employees to get input, answer question and interpret important business events and trends. This need has not disappeared and exists in many organizations of different sizes, both profit and nonprofit. Doing walk arounds does not imply a lack of tech savvy on the managers part

Audiences respond best to info that is

filtered and prioritized to meet their needs

In addition to helping readers understand the connections you're trying to make, transitions

give your writing a smooth , even flow

The beginning and end of a message

have the greatest impact on readers in the workplace, so make sure they're clear, concise, and compelling

Oral communication provides an opportunity for

immediate feedback, no other media type necessarily provides that advantage

Type size is an

important consideration for printed business messages. As a rule a size of 10-12 points for a regular text and 12-18 points for headings and subheading

The tone of your business messages can range from

informal to conversational to formal. The conversational tone used in most business communication means plain langueage that sound businesslike without being stuffy at one extreme or too laid back and informal in the other extreme. Sometimes informal or very formal are fine, but not for most messages. Messages should not sound happy go lucky, senetences can be written in a passive voice, but messages should not sound passive

Be able to explain the importance and process of proofreading, as well as why it matters and what should you look for. Proofreading is important because

it is your lst chance to make sure that your document is ready to carry your message and your reputation to the intended audience. When proofreading you should check the document for errors from the writing, design, and layout stages, and mistakes that crept in during production. More specifically, you should be on the lookout for writing errors, and design and formatting errors. Proofreading is the quality inspection stage for your documents, your last chance to make sure that your document is ready to carry your message and your reputation to the intended audience. Even a small mistake can doom your efforts, so take proofreading seriously. Look for 1. Writing errors such as typographical and grammatical mistakes, punctuation errors, and misspelled words. 2. Missing elements such as text sections, exhibits, source notes, copyright notices, or other reference items. 3. Design, formatting and programming mistakes

Introduce each list clearly to

let your audience know what they're about to read. While bullets are generally preferred, use numbers if the list is in some logical sequence or you need to refer to specific list items elsewhere in the document. Listed items should always be parallel, never typed in caps. There is no reason a list should contain seven items

Reports and proposals are usually

longer than memos and letters, although both can be created in memo or letter format. These documents come in a variety of lengths ranging from a few pages to several hundred and are usually formal in tone

Varying sentence length is a good way to

maintain reader interest and control the emphasis given to major and minor points. Look for ways to combine a mixture of sentences that are short-15 words, medium-15-25, and long-more than 25. Each sentence has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The factors to consider thwn choosing a medium are

media richness, message formality, media limitations, urgency, cost, and audience preferences. Sender preferences should not be considered

Sensitive communicators understand the difference between delivering

negative news, and being negative. Never try to hide negative news, but look for positve points that will foster a good relationshop with your auidence. Emphasizing positive points and being positive and upbeat are two different things, moreover not hiding negative news and being blunt are not equivalent. Your words can carry a certain tone and feeling depending on your word choice

Inexperienced communicators

often tempted to dive directly into writing, however skipping the planning stage often creates extra work and stress later. First, thoughtful planning is necessary to make sure you provide the right info in the right format to the right people. Second, with careful planning the writing stage is faster, easier and a lot less stressful. Third, planning can save you from embarrassing blunders that could hurt your company or career

White space includes

open area surrounding headings, margins, paragraph indents, space around images, vertical space between columns, and horizontal space between paragraphs or lines of text. These unused areas provide visual contrast and important resting points for your readers

Themes tend to address the

overall look and feel of the page or screen, including color palettes and background images. Biolerplate refers to a standard black of saved text that is reused in multiple documents. File merge allows a person to combine files, which is especially helpful when several members of a team write different sections of a report. Style sets are collections of formatting choices for words, paragraphs, and other elements.

In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject

performs the action and the object receives the action-Jodi sent the email message. In a sentence written in a passive voice the subject receives the action-The email was sent by Jodi

Multimedia documents can be

powerful communication vehicles, but creating them requires time, tools, and technical skills. If you can't create multimedia elements yourself, you can find them online. However, you'll need to make sure that you have a legal right to use any materials that you find online. Finally, some multimedia elements are only compatible with specific hardware and software platforms

With complex messages

put your draft aside for a day or two before you begin the revision process, that way you can approach the material with a fresh perspective

You can adopt the "you" attitude by

replacing terms such as, I, me, mine, we ,us, and ours with you and yours

You can emphasize key ideas through your

sentence style. When you want to call attention to a thought, use extra words to describe it. You can increase the emphasis even more by adding a separate, short sentence to augment the first. You can also call attention to a thought by making it the subject of the sentence. Another way to emphasize an idea is to place it either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence

The classification technique is

showing how a general idea is broken into specific categories. Illustration is giving examples that demonstrate the general idea. Comparison or contrast technique is about using similarities or differences to develop the topic. The cause and effect technique is about focusing on the reasons for something

An effective paragraph deals with a

single topic, a topic sentence introduces that topic. In business writing, the topic sentence is generally explicit and is often the first sentence in the paragraph. In informal and creative writing, the topic sentence may be implied rather than stated. THe topic sentence must be related to the paragraphs content. Active and passive don't determine whether the topic sentence is explicit or implicit

Whatever the length of your message, limit the number of major supporting points to about

six, if you can convey your idea with few points do it. Listing 20-30 supporting points might seem thorough but your audience is likely to view such detail as rambling and mind numbing. Instead, group your supporting points under major heading such as finance or customers, based on your subject matter

As a rule, don't use any style that will

slow down your audiences progress through the message. For example, underlining or using all uppercase letters can interfere with the readers ability to recognize the shapes of words, and shadowed or outlined type can seriously hinger legibility. Also, avoid overusing any type style. Using a variety of type styles does not help keep readers interest or make your document look professional, is not a helpful way to emphasize key information, and does not make it more legible

Serif typefaces have

small crosslines at the ends of each letter stroke. Serif typefaces are commonly used for regular paragraph text, but they can look busy and cluttered when set in large sizes for headings. San serif typefaces have no serifs. The visual simplicity of sans serif typefaces such as Helvetica and Arial makes them ideal for the larger sizes used in headlines. Business documents sometimes have both serif and sans serif typefaces. A display treatment would more likely have a sans serif typeface

Storytelling-

some writers find it best to talk through a communications challenge before they try to write. Record yourself as you describe what you intend to write. Then listen to the playback, identify ways to tighten and clarify the message, and repeat the process until you distill the main idea into a single, concise message. Thus, storytelling is appropriate and acceptable in business communication, regardless of how it is organized. There are no special techniques for slipping negative info about a competitor into a message

A concrete word stands for

something you can touch, see, or visualize. Technology continues to generate new words and new meanings that describe things that do not have a physical presence but are nonetheless concrete. Software, database, and website are all concrete terms as well. An abstract word expresses a concept, quality, or characteristic. Abstractions are usually broad, encompassing a category of ideas, and they are often intellectual, academic, or philosophical. Active and passive are not related to how concrete or abstract a word is

As you practice using the "you" attitude be sure to consider

the attitudes of other cultures and the policies of your organization. In some cultures it is improper to single out one person's achievements because the whole team is responsible for the outcome, in that case using the pronoun WE or OUR would be more appropriate. Also, some companies have a tradition of avoiding references to YOU and I in most messages and reports. This is a matter of high or low context cultures. Some cultures accept and prefer it and others do not

Messages organized with the direct approach begin with

the main idea and then provide supporting evidence. THose organized with the indirect approach build a case with supporting evidence before presenting the main idea. When using the direct approach, you know your audience will be receptive to your message. Start with the main idea and follow that with your supporting evidence. When using the indirect approach you know your audience will be skeptical about or even resistant to your message. Start with the evidence first and build your case before presenting the main idea

Telephone calls can convey quite a few nonverbal signals including

tone of voice, pace, laughter, and pauses. Phone calls are acceptable for both external and internal communication and still practical. In some situations phone calls are preferable in others electronic media are preferred

Know what a run on or fused sentence is

use period, semicolons, or a coordinating conjunction to fix them

When you audience will be receptive of your message

use the direct approach

Readability indexes measure

word length, number of syllables, sentence length, and paragraph length. However, they can't measure document design, the YOU attitude, clear sentence structure, smooth transitions, and proper word usage. Therefore, always review a draft, regardless of the index score. Don't comment on the readability score, and don't ignore suggestions that you can use to improve your message

Bias free language avoids

words or phrases that unfairly and even unethically categorize or stigmatize people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or other personal characteristics

Todays employees use a variety of electronic media to accomplish

workplace communication goals around the world. Unfortunately those same media can compromise productivity through frequent interruptions, compatibility issues and non business issues

If you make errors of grammar or usage

you lose credibility with your audience, even if your message is otherwise correct. Poot grammar suggests to readers that you are uninformed, and they may choose not to trust an uninformed source. Moreover, poor grammar can imply that you do not respect your audience enough to get things right. Errors in grammar and usage are a concern for all audience members, are not expected, and are still an issue regardless of word processing software

Audiences responses to your messages depend heavily on

your credibility- a measure of your believability, based on how reliable you are and how much trust you can evoke in others. To build, maintian, or repair your credibilty, emphasize your honesty, objectivity, awareness of the audience needs, credentials, knowledge and expertise, edorsements, performance, and sincerity. Audiences also need to know that you believe in yourself and your message. However be careful with phrases containing words such as HOPE TRUST or I THINK which can drain the audiences confidence in your message