COM final
Monroe's Motivated Sequence
1. Attention 2. Need 3. Satisfaction 4. Visualization 5. Action
What are the steps to creating a business document?
1. Determiningyourobjectivesandaudience. 2. Compiling facts, supporting data, and other research materials. 3. Developing a logical organizational structure. 4. Writing a draft of the document. 5. Revising the document until it is clear and concise.
OTJ 11: How Can I Use Social Media for Professional Networking? Key points
35% of hiring and human resource managers surveyed in a 2015 Harris Poll conducted for CareerBuilder said they are less likely to interview job candidates who don't have some sort of social media presence. Although most employers (60%) report that they are looking for positive information that will support your candidacy for a position, 21% say they are looking for reasons to eliminate you from consideration. What are the deal breakers? 38% of employers tell researchers that they are using social media to reach out to you
What are the learning outcomes important to employers (Table 15.2)?
Ability to effectively communicate orally 85% Ability to work effectively with others in teams 83% Ability to effectively communicate in writing 82% Ethical judgment and decision-making 81% Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills 81% Ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings 80%
What strategies will help you influence your audience?
Conceal Your Intent Don't Ask for Too Much Avoid Inflammatory Phrases Use a Two-Sided Message with Refutation Inoculate against Counterarguments Keep Objections to a Minimum Combine Reason with Emotion Use Fear Appeals—When Appropriate Repeat Your Message
What are the strategies for approaching a professor to work on his/her research program or a research idea of your own?
Decide on what type of research you would like to conduct, and on what topic. The field of communication can vary immensely, so what theories, concepts, or questions do you have that you would like to explore more deeply? As defined by Keyton, "Research is asking questions and finding answers" (p. 2).23 What questions are important to you? 2. Search for academic articles written in that subject area using your library's journal databases. A search for "assimilation" and "organizations" will result in hundreds of articles on that topic. Get a sense of the ways researchers define this area and approach studying it. What hasn't been investigated before that you think is important? 3. Draft a one-page research summary on your topic that highlights not only the basic assumptions of this area of research, but what you intend to contribute to it with your research program. 4. Find a professor in your department to approach for an independent study. Ideally, they have conducted research in the topic that you are interested in or a similar field. In either case, familiarize yourself with their research. 5. Research reveals that one of the best ways to establish a connection with a faculty mentor is to ask directly.24 Visit his or her office hours, and discuss your hopes of becoming involved in a research project. Or, send an email to indicate your interest and set up a time to meet. In his article, "Undergraduate Research: How It Sets you Apart and How to Get Started," biologist Richie Massalla offers the following tips for constructing such emails: ● State your name, year, major, your intention to become involved in research, and when you would like to start. State your interest in conducting research and why you would like to work with them specifically. ● State that they can consult your resume (attached) or contact you if they have questions about your experience. ● End with the phrase, "I would love to discuss this with you further, and thank you for your time." ● Send the email from your professional/school account. Proofread and spell-check closely. ● Send, knowing that you might not succeed in the first attempt at securing an independent study
How do you select the right medium for work-related communication?
Effective business communication is partially dependent on your ability to select the right medium. To use the appropriate media, you must: ● Understand your goals and the nature of your message. ● Consider the characteristics of your audience. ● Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the available media
How do you find and successfully apply to a graduate program that's right for you?
Further, meet with several faculty members, even some from outside your discipline. This is a situation where multiple perspectives will not hurt you. Remember, all of your faculty have attended a graduate program! Who better to ask for advice? Another step toward finding the right graduate program would be to attend a communication confer- ence. The field of communication hosts international, national, and regional conferences each year; these present multiple opportunities to meet faculty and current students at the programs you are interested in. By speaking with representatives from these schools (and some might even be current graduate students), you can start to get a sense of whether a department is the right "fit" for you. You might even decide to arrange a campus visit to a select few programs that you are interested in.
OTJ 13: How Can I Deal With Job Search Rejection?
How long does it take to find a job after graduation? The average job search lasts a little over six weeks, depending on the industry you want to work in. Healthcare positions, for example, take 65 days on average, for example.1 The median length of time that an employee spends on the job in the United States is just 4.4 years.2 People born between 1977 and 1977 tell researchers they may be likely to switch jobs even more frequently.3 According to HR specialist John Sullivan, on average, corporate employers receive 250 resumes for every available position. This figure varies depending on the industry, the location of the job, and many other factors. Sullivan claims that an average of 1,000 people will see any given job post.4 Three ways to deal w rejection: Don't overgeneralize Ask why you were rejected Everyone gets rejected
What kinds of criteria do employers use for selecting interns? (NACE study)
In a 2016 survey of 271 national employers participating in academic internship and coop programs, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found several key considerations that these employers had in common for selecting candidates for their programs.5 These included: the applicant's field of study, a high GPA, and prior leadership experience. In addition, the ability to work in a team was the most heavily favored competency sought in potential interns. This is very good news for com- munication majors!
What is persuasion? How is it different from informing?
In a persuasive presentation, a speaker's primary purpose is to advocate some sort of change in attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors.
What undergraduate experiences will help distinguish you on the job market?
Internships, Immersive experiences, Volunteering, Independent research,
What is the appropriate tone, style, and layout for the following?: Letters: Evaluating formal written communication Memos: Brief and concise written internal communication Brief Reports: Updates on organizational issues Formal Reports: In-depth accounts of business issues Blogs
Letters: In summary, business letters are used to communicate on a relatively formal level with individuals out- side your organization. There are many reasons for writing a letter, but your overarching goal should be to create a positive impression of you and your company for the reader. Be professional, yet conversa- tional; write with an understanding of your reader. Use a standard business letter format. If you plan to send your letter digitally, keep in mind that it should be shorter and more concise than a letter you mail in hard-copy form. In addition, digital letters give you the opportunity to offer your readers additional information without overwhelming them with paper materials. Memos:Memos may be the most widely used type of written business communication. They tend to be informal, brief, and in almost all contemporary cases, digital— in which case, we know them as "e-mail." Although you might have largely abandoned the use of e-mail in your personal communication in favor of social media, texting, and instant messaging, it remains alive and well in business settings.5 E-mailed or hard-copy memos are used to request information or action, promote goodwill (such as congratulations), convey routine information such as a meeting time or proce- dure, summarize oral conversations, and deliver short reports about organizational activities.6 Memos are popular forms of written business communication Brief Reports:Brief reports are documents designed to provide information about day-to-day operations to internal and external business stakeholders. Organizations cannot function without a consistent, systematic flow of accurate information, and written reports are one of the primary sources of that information. Business communicators write brief reports to keep interested parties updated on projects, to document progress, to guide decision making, and to justify expenditure of money or other resources. Formal Reports: Formal research reports in business settings report the status of a complex problem or business issue and approach the solution of the issue in a logical, evidence-based fashion. They are lengthier than a brief report. Often, formal business reports rely on original research data collected by the author or someone else in the organization. Blogs:Blogs are regularly updated websites maintained by individuals or organizations written in an informal, conversational style. Businesses of any size, independent contractors or freelance workers, and profes- sional firms like law or medical offices often use blogs to communicate with stakeholders about a wide range of topics.
What are the communication competencies in Table 15.1, and how is each defined? What are some example abilities of each? (NOTE: Although you might not have as much coursework dedicated to these, they are critical to employers and for successful employment—regardless of your major!)
Oral Communication Skills The process of verbally expressing information or ideas. Includes the ability to . . . ●◆ Communicate effectively in interpersonal, group, or public settings. ●◆ Communicate effectively across various channels (e.g., face-to-face and mediated interactions). ●◆ Actively listen. ●◆ Ask good questions. ●◆ Be persuasive. ●◆ Articulate and express ideas. ●◆ Obtain relevant information Written Communication Skills The process of expressing information or ideas using the written word. Includes the ability to . . . ●◆ Determine appropriate tone and writing style for an audience. ●◆ Write with brevity and clarity. ●◆ Create/edit written reports. ●◆ Write using plain language. Critical Thinking Skills The objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgment Includes the ability to . . . ●◆ Understand the logical connection between ideas. ●◆ Interpret and apply information to a given problem. ●◆ Connect various pieces of information to influence a decision. ●◆ Evaluatethecredibilityandutilityofinformationasitrelatestoagivenproblemorissue. ●◆ Be aware of your own thinking process to eliminate bias. ●◆ Make decisions and solve problems effectively. Data Analytic Skills The ability to utilize data to test a hypothesis, support decision making, or chal- lenge assumptions. Includes the ability to . . . ●◆ Collect reliable and valid data in ways consistent with the scientific method. ●◆ Analyze data using both descriptive and inferential statistics. ●◆ Interpret findings to offer conclusions and make recommendations. ●◆ Use data analytic software such as Excel or SPSS to analyze quantitative data The ability to effectively coordinate mental and physical tasks to meet de- mands in a set time frame. Includes the ability to . . . ●◆ Effectively time manage. ●◆ Allocate resources (e.g., money, labor) to achieve a task. ●◆ Be a leader. ●◆ Adapt in the face of crises or unexpected circumstances
What is the best way for job candidates to interview?
Prepare for the Interview Develop a Personal Profile Develop a Professional Profile Do Your Research Anticipate the Questions Practice Your Answers Make a List of Questions to Ask Pay Attention to the Basics Sell Yourself Check for a Good Fit End the Interview Follow Up after the Interview
What is the best way to interview job candidates?
Research findings reveal that the validity of an interview depends on a high degree of structure.7 And yet, far too many organizations fall short of that objective, relying instead on unplanned and unstructured interviews. pg 141 Develop an Ideal Applicant Profile Generate a List of Questions Become Familiar with the Candidate's File Establish Rapport Sell the Company Stick to the Protocol Encourage the Candidate to Ask Question Listen Actively Conclude the interview
OTJ 12: How Much am I Worth? Strategies for Negotiating a Compensation Package Key points
Research studies reportmore than 75% of job candidates fail to make the effort to negotiate. Sociologists call this disparity between accumulatedadvantage for Kyle and accumulated disadvantage for Antonio the Matthew effect. Principle #1: Dodge and defer discussions about salary until the job has already been offered. Principle #2: In any given negotiation, the individual who mentions money first is the loser. Step 1: Ask yourself, what is reasonable pay for this particular position? What salary can I expect? Step 2: Ask how much money am I willing to take? What is my bottom line? Step 3: Find out what creative alternatives you can leverage.
OTJ 3: How Can I give Brief, Specialized presentations?
Strategy #1: Be brief. Keep your presentation to no more than one to two minutes. Audiences generally dislike long-winded specialized presentations. After all, they aren't assembled to listen to a speech but rather to witness or participate in some event, like an award ceremony or a memorial service. Obviously, there are some exceptions to this rule, particularly tributes and eulogies. Even then, less can be more. Rule #2: Stay focused on the individual or the occasion. Too often, presenters of awards or eulogies drift off topic and use the opportunity to talk about themselves or to advance some other agenda. Rule #3: Practice so that your speech is natural and sincere. In particular, be sure that you know how to pronounce the celebrated individual's name correctly, and rehearse it until you can say it that way with ease. Don't be this guy! Rule #4: Communicate your enthusiasm or sincere regard for the person or event. Rule #5: Act appropriately for the occasion and setting; watch your mannerisms, tone, and dress.
How do you assess your audience's willingness to change?
The audience agrees with your position. This is, of course, the best possible audience to influence. They already agree with you; your task is to get them to agree some more. You want them to intensify their position by feeling more passionate about the issue, being more committed than ever to their beliefs, or giving more money than they already do. ● Begin by simply reminding them why you and they share attitudes and beliefs about the issue. A brief review of the reasons why you think the way you do is sufficient. ● Next, provide them with some motivation to strengthen their attitudes and beliefs. Very often, emotional appeals can be used to energize and motivate. ● Finally, you can afford to be direct with supportive audience members and tell them exactly what you want or need. ● The audience disagrees with your position. This is the most difficult audience to influence. Any efforts to overtly or directly persuade will stimulate psychological reactance and will cause them to reject your position even further. This boomerang effect is common among people who have invested their egos in an issue that is important to them. Try, for instance, to persuade a parent that his child is "below average" in intelligence or physical attractiveness. Can you imagine how defensively he or she is likely to react? ● First, modify your expectations: Do not expect a large amount of change. Influence your audience members to shift their attitudes only slightly. Rather than pushing them to change from complete disagreement to complete agreement, plan to move their attitude from more to less disagreement Next, establish common ground with your audience. Communicate your understanding and respect for their point of view. Where there are areas of agreement, say so. ● Third, tell them where you disagree, but be careful: The more areas of disagreement you reveal, they more they'll be reminded to resist. Try not to sound disagreeable; only target one or two areas to discuss. ● Finally, use a lot of evidence to back up your position. © Shutterstock, Inc. ● The audience is neutral or undecided. This is the case where audience members may not know very much about the issue, or they are sufficiently confused by the facts. As a result, they have no opinion or they can't make up their minds. Although easy to persuade, neutral or undecided audiences are also quite rare. ● Begin by getting their attention. Make the issue personally or professionally relevant to them. You can do this by providing background information about the issue. ● Next, explain to them your own beliefs and attitudes, how you think and feel about the issue. Tell them why you believe or feel the way that you do. ● Finally, back up your position with facts, illustrations, and testimonials. Refrain from inundating them with too much information, which might further confuse or overload them.
What are the documented benefits of internships?
The benefits of participating in an internship program last far beyond your hire date as well: NACE found that employees who had interned with their employer were outpacing their colleagues who had not interned.6 In fact, employees who completed an internship with their employer prior to being hired were more likely to be with the company at both the one- and five-year benchmarks in a longitudinal study.7 In terms of your academic studies, internships have been shown to help students perform better in their coursework across various subjects, including business, art, and social sciences.
How do you decide whether you want to influence attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors?
To change attitudes, the speaker must influence others to feel more positive or negative about an issue. The speaker may want the audience to feel angry, indignant, disgusted, committed, appreciative, or tri- umphant. Consider these attitudinally based statements: ● ● ● Work can be satisfying and enjoyable. Writing a technical report is hard work. Eating in the office is a disgusting thing to do. The speaker can also persuade by changing beliefs or what audiences think or believe is true or false. Consider these belief-based statements: ● As a general rule, employees want to do a full day's work. ● Managers aren't born; they are made. ● How much someone is paid isn't necessarily related to the number of hours he or she puts in. You might also choose to change behaviors. In this case, you must motivate your audience to take some kind of action, or at least commit to taking some kind of action. Persuasive speeches that empha- size some kind of behavioral change focus more on explicit behavioral outcomes than do persuasive speeches that emphasize either attitude or belief changes. Consider these behavioral statements: ● Buy American-made cars. ● Switch from PC to Apple products. ● Join the labor union. ● Participate in the upcoming teambuilding event.
Identify digital natives versus digital immigrants
You may even be part of the emerging Generation "Z," which demographers loosely define as a group that was born starting around 1996. Whereas Millennials were raised with computers and quickly adapted to social media, GenZ is the first generational cohort to be raised entirely in the age of smartphones and social media. Some experts refer to them as the first "true" digital natives. Not surprisingly, Generation Z is the generation most likely to believe it is acceptable to use a smartphone in a public setting, business meeting, or during an appointment with another person.4 Despite their comfort with social media, GenZ tends to value online privacy more than Millennials do—favoring platforms like Snapchat (on which images "disappear") and anonymous apps like Secret and Whisper. Overall, Generation Z seems to have an eye on the professional impact of indiscrete social media use that Millennials did not, and this is great news for their professional potential. One report also notes that, probably as a result of their natural comfort level with creating, using, and interacting with online content and other members of their networks, Generation Z excels at work, creativity, and entrepreneurship.5 Interestingly, although generations before them tended to use information found online, GenZ is more likely to be creating content for online consumption (about 25% of Generation Z is creating and posting content to YouTube, Vine, or other media every week.6 As a result, members of this age group have a great deal of influence in communicating with their online social networks—a fact with tremendous implications for GenZ's potential impact in the workplace and with customers and clients.
OTJ 14: How Do I Prepare for Phone and Online Interviews?
the majority of companies were already conducting video interviews in 2012, with 53% of study respondents saying that they used them "very often." The skills you'll need for the interviews will serve you well throughout your career: with 37% of U.S. workers telecommuting in 2015, the likelihood is very high that you will need to participate in a remote interview or make a presentation at a meeting you aren't physically present at. If the interviewer calls at a bad time, Kennedy Executive Search and Outplacement headhunter Jorg Stegemann advises that you should ask for another time to talk.11 (Generally, do not explain why it is a bad time - unless you think it will reflect particularly well on you as a potential employee.) Ask for a reschedule rather than risk appearing unprepared. If the issue is simply that you need a few minutes to move to a distraction-free location, ask the interviewer whether you can call back in a few minutes. If you aren't busy but simply caught off guard, confidently ask for ten minutes to move to a quieter location. Use those ten minutes to collect yourself, refresh yourself on the details of the job and employer, prepare some notes, and get a copy of your resume ready to refer to during the call. Remember to keep a pen, paper, your résumé, and other prepared interview materials with you at all times. Simply expecting unscheduled calls (also known as ambush interviews) as a probable part of your job search, will give you an advantage. Prepare by practicing what you will say in different scenarios. In case you miss or decide not to pick up an unscheduled call, make certain your voice mail message is professional. Although your college friends (who probably never wait to leave you a voice message...or even call you at all) might not have a problem with an outgoing message like "Hey, it's Mick; whattup?", this casual approach to voice mail does not present the impression you want to give a potential employer. Stick with something simple and professional (don't worry; your friends will never hear it anyway!). Try: "Hello, this is Mick Gibbons. Sorry I missed your call, but please leave me your contact information and I will get back to you as soon as possible." Don't delay in returning surprise calls from hiring managers and recruiters. Remember, your name might already have been crossed off the list because you didn't answer. Job seekers sometimes reverse roles and ambush employers and hiring managers in an effort to get attention (e.g., show up to deliver a resume in person, call or send a video elevator pitch about "why you should hire me," or make repeated calls to follow up on a submitted application). Although a single follow up is appropriate and recommended, we suggest caution in using these other "creative" approaches to getting an interview.
What are the goals of business writing?
the preparation of any print or online document designed to support a business enterprise or help it grow
