week 2 assignment

Vice President, Business Publishing: Donna Battista Director of Portfolio Management: Stephanie Wall Portfolio Manager: Dan Tylman Editorial Assistant: Linda Siebert Albelli Vice President, Product Marketing: Roxanne McCarley Director of Strategic Marketing: Brad Parkins Strategic Marketing Manager: Deborah Strickland Product Marketer: Becky Brown Field Marketing Manager: Lenny Ann Kucenski Product Marketing Assistant: Jessica Quazza Vice President, Production and Digital Studio, Arts and Business: Etain O’Dea Director of Production, Business: Jeff Holcomb Managing Producer, Business: Ashley Santora Operations Specialist: Carol Melville Creative Director: Blair Brown Manager, Learning Tools: Brian Surette Content Developer, Learning Tools: Lindsey Sloan Managing Producer, Digital Studio, Arts and Business: Diane Lombardo Digital Studio Producer: Monique Lawrence Digital Studio Producer: Darren Cormier Digital Studio Producer: Alana Coles Full-Service Project Management and Composition: SPi Global Interior Design: SPi Global Cover Design: Laurie Entringer Cover Art: Jesus Sanz/Shutterstock Printer/Binder: R.R. Donnelly Cover Printer: R.R. Donnelly

Microsoft and/or its respective suppliers make no representations about the suitability of the information contained in the documents and related graphics published as part of the services for any purpose. All such documents and related graphics are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Microsoft and/or its respective suppliers hereby disclaim all warranties and conditions with regard to this information, including all warranties and conditions of merchantability, whether express, implied or statutory, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. In no event shall Microsoft and/or its respective suppliers be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from the services.

The documents and related graphics contained herein could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein. Microsoft and/or its respective suppliers may make improvements and/or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described herein at any time. Partial screen shots may be viewed in full within the software version specified.

Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A. and other countries. This book is not sponsored or endorsed by or affiliated with the Microsoft Corporation.

Copyright © 2018, 2016, 2014 by Bovée & Thill, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise. For information regarding permissions, request forms, and the appropriate contacts within the Pearson Education Global Rights and Permissions department, please visit www.pearsoned.com/permissions/ (http://www.pearsoned.com/permissions/)

Acknowledgments of third-party content appear on the appropriate page within the text.

PEARSON, ALWAYS LEARNING, MYBCOMMLAB® are exclusive trademarks owned by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, any third-party trademarks, logos, or icons that may appear in this work are the property of their respective owners, and any references to third-party trademarks, logos, icons, or other trade dress are for demonstrative or descriptive purposes only. Such references are not intended to imply any sponsorship, endorsement, authorization, or promotion of Pearson’s products by the owners of such marks, or any relationship between the owner and Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates, authors, licensees, or distributors.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on File 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN 13: 978-1-323-60762-6

4 Planning Business Messages LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you will be able to

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f82#P7001012451000000000000000001F86) Describe the three-step writing process.

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC9) Explain why it’s important to analyze a communication situation in order to define your purpose and profile your audience before writing a message.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002026#P700101245100000000000000000202A) Discuss information-gathering options for simple messages, and identify three attributes of quality information.

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P700101245100000000000000000207A) List the factors to consider when choosing the most appropriate medium for a message.

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D2) Explain why good organization is important to both you and your audience, and list the tasks involved in organizing a message.

MyBCommLab®

Improve Your Grade!

More than 10 million students improved their results using the Pearson MyLabs. Visit mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for simulations, tutorials, and end-of-chapter problems.

COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UP AT Wolff Olins

www.wolffolins.com (http://www.wolffolins.com)

What do the following activities have in common: watching a movie, reading a novel, and listening to a friend tell you how she learned about herself during an amazing summer she spent volunteering? The common thread is dramatic tension—the need to know how the story is going to turn out. If you care about the person in the story, chances are you’ll want to stick around to the end.

Storytelling might sound like an odd topic for a business communication course, but storytelling is at the heart of some of the most-effective communication efforts, from heart-tugging TV commercials to engaging training materials to rousing motivational speeches. With more and more professionals and companies recognizing the power of storytelling, storytelling techniques have become a hot topic in the business communication field.

As one of the most respected novelists and essayists of his generation, it’s no surprise that the Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid is an expert at storytelling. But it might come as a surprise to his many fans that he has a second career as the chief storytelling officer (CSO) for Wolff Olins, an international creativity consultancy based in London. In this role Hamid helps business professionals and executives use the art of storytelling as a means to engage with both internal and external audiences.

For example, the company heard from a number of top executives about the challenges of conveying to employees a clear sense of their companies’ purpose and empowering them to apply their individual creative energies to achieving that purpose. Hamid explains that’s it unrealistic to expect an executive to give everyone in the organization explicit task assignments. Instead, he or she can tell the company’s story—where it came from, the reason it exists, and where it is heading—to help employees align their efforts in that shared mission.

Novelist and essayist Mohsin Hamid has a second career as the chief storytelling officer at the London-based creative consultancy Wolff Olins.

© D Legakis/Alamy Stock Photo

Hamid advises executives to engage in this sort of strategic storytelling at three key stages of a company’s evolution: when it is first launched, so that everyone knows where and how the company intends to grow; whenever major changes occur, so that everyone understands how the narrative has changed; and whenever the company’s growth trajectory stalls, to reiterate what the company stands for and how it can overcome the odds. For instance, if a company is facing new competition, the CEO could relate a story from the company’s past about how people came together to find better ways to satisfy customers and thereby protect the business.

By the way, business storytelling has an important personal angle as well. You can map out your career using storytelling (see page 117 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#page_117) ), and when you’re interviewing for jobs you should be prepared in case an interviewer pops the classic question, “So, what’s your story?” By visualizing a satisfying ending to your own career story, you’ll

have a better idea of what it takes to get there.1

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002426)

4.1 Understanding the Three-Step Writing Process

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

1 Describe the three-step writing process. The emphasis that Wolff Olins (profiled in the chapter-opening Communication Close-Up) puts on connecting with audiences is a lesson that applies to business messages for all stakeholders. By following the process introduced in this chapter, you can create successful messages that meet audience needs and highlight your skills as a perceptive business professional.

The three-step writing process consists of planning, writing, and completing your messages.

The three-step writing process (see Figure 4.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f82#P7001012451000000000000000001F8D) ) helps ensure that your messages are both effective (meeting your audience’s needs and getting your points across) and efficient (making the best use of your time and your audience’s time):

Figure 4.1 The Three-Step Writing Process

This three-step process will help you create more effective messages in any medium. As you get more practice with the process, it will become easier and more automatic.

Sources: Based in part on Kevin J. Harty and John Keenan, Writing for Business and Industry: Process and Product (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987), 3–4; Richard Hatch, Business Writing (Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1983), 88–89; Richard Hatch, Business Communication Theory and Technique (Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1983), 74–75; Center for Humanities, Writing as a Process: A Step-by-Step Guide (Mount Kisco, N.Y.: Center for Humanities, 1987); Michael L. Keene, Effective Professional Writing (New York: D. C. Heath, 1987), 28–34.

• Step 1: Planning business messages. To plan any message, first analyze the situation by defining your purpose and developing a profile of your audience. When you’re sure what you need to accomplish with your message, gather the information that will meet your audience’s needs. Next, select the best combination of medium and channel to deliver your message. Then organize the information by defining your main idea, limiting your scope, selecting the direct or indirect approach, and outlining your content. Planning messages is the focus of this chapter.

• Step 2: Writing business messages. After you’ve planned your message, adapt to your audience by using sensitivity, relationship skills, and an appropriate writing style. Then you’re ready to compose your message by choosing strong words, creating effective sentences, and developing coherent paragraphs. Writing business messages is discussed in Chapter 5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002445#P7001012451000000000000000002445) .

• Step 3: Completing business messages. After writing your first draft, revise your message by evaluating the content, reviewing readability, and editing and rewriting until your message comes across concisely and clearly, with correct grammar, proper punctuation, and effective format. Next, produce your message. Put it into the form that your audience will receive and review all design and layout decisions for an attractive, professional appearance. Proofread the final product to ensure high quality and then distribute your message. Completing business messages is discussed in Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) .

Throughout this book, you’ll learn how to apply these steps to a wide variety of business messages.

OPTIMIZING YOUR WRITING TIME

The more you use the three-step writing process, the more intuitive and automatic it will become. You’ll also get better at allotting time for each task during a writing project. Start by figuring out how much time you have. Then, as a general rule, set aside roughly 50 percent of that time for planning, 25 percent for writing, and 25 percent for completing.

As a starting point, allot roughly half your available time for planning, one-quarter for writing, and one-quarter for completing a message.

Reserving half your time for planning might seem excessive, but as the next section explains, careful planning usually saves time overall by focusing your writing and reducing the need for reworking. Of course, the ideal time allocation varies from project to project. Simpler and shorter messages require less planning than long reports, websites, and other complex projects. Also, the time required to produce and distribute messages can vary widely, depending on the media, the size of the audience, and other factors. Start with the 50-25-25 split as a guideline, and use your best judgment for each project.

PLANNING EFFECTIVELY

As soon as the need to create a message appears, inexperienced communicators are often tempted to dive directly into writing. However, skipping or shortchanging the planning stage often creates extra work and stress later in the process. First, thoughtful planning is necessary to make sure you provide the right information in the right format to the right people. Taking the time to understand your audience members and their needs helps you find and assemble the facts they’re looking for and deliver that information in a concise and compelling way. Second, with careful planning, the writing stage is faster, easier, and much less stressful. Third, planning can save you from embarrassing blunders that could hurt your company or your career.

For everything beyond brief and simple messages, resist the urge to skip the planning step.

4.2 Analyzing the Situation

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

2 Explain why it’s important to analyze a communication situation in order to define your purpose and profile your audience before writing a message. Every communication effort takes place in a particular situation, meaning you have a specific message to send to a specific audience under a specific set of circumstances. For example, describing your professional qualifications in an email message to an executive in your own company differs significantly from describing your qualifications in your LinkedIn profile. The email message is likely to be focused on a single goal, such as explaining why you would be a good choice to head up a major project, and you have the luxury of focusing on the needs of a single, personally identifiable reader. In contrast, your social networking profile could have multiple goals, such as connecting with your peers at other companies and presenting your qualifications to potential employers, and it might be viewed by hundreds or thousands of readers, each with his or her own needs.

The underlying information for these two messages could be roughly the same, but the level of detail to include, the tone of the writing, the specific word choices—these and other decisions you need to make will differ from one situation to another. Making the right choices starts with clearly defining your purpose and understanding your audience’s needs.

DEFINING YOUR PURPOSE

Business messages have both a general purpose and a specific purpose.

All business messages have a general purpose (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000231C) : to inform, to persuade, or to collaborate with the audience. This purpose helps define the overall approach you’ll need to take, from gathering information to organizing your message. Within the scope of its general purpose, each message also has a specific purpose (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002331) , which identifies what you hope to accomplish with your message and what your audience should do or think after receiving your message. For instance, is your goal simply to update your audience about some upcoming event, or do you want people to take immediate action? State your specific purpose as precisely as possible, even to the point of identifying which audience members should respond, how they should respond, and when.

After defining your purpose, verify that the message will be worth the time and effort required to create, send, and receive it.

After you have defined your specific purpose, take a moment for a reality check. Decide whether that purpose merits the time and effort required for you to prepare and send the message—and for your audience to spend the time required to read it, view it, or listen to it. Test your purpose by asking these four questions:

• Will anything change as a result of your message? Don’t contribute to information overload by sending messages that won’t change anything. For instance, if you don’t like your company’s latest advertising campaign but you’re not in a position to influence it, sending a critical message to your colleagues won’t change anything and won’t benefit anyone.

• Is your purpose realistic? Recognizing whether a goal is realistic is an important part of having good business sense. For example, if you request a raise while the company is struggling, you might send the message that you’re not tuned in to the situation around you.

• Is the time right? People who are busy or distracted when they receive your message are less likely to pay attention to it. Many professions and departments have recurring cycles in their workloads, for instance, and messages sent during peak times may be ignored.

• Is your purpose acceptable to your organization? Your company’s business objectives and policies, and even laws that apply to your particular industry, may dictate whether a particular purpose is acceptable. For example, if you work for a discount stock brokerage, one that doesn’t offer investing advice, it would be inappropriate to write a newsletter article on the pros and cons of investing in a particular company.

When you are satisfied that you have a clear and meaningful purpose and that this is a smart time to proceed, your next step is to understand the members of your audience and their needs.

Ask yourself some key questions about your audience:

• Who are they? • How many people do you need to reach? • How much do they already know about the subject? • What is their probable reaction to your message?

DEVELOPING AN AUDIENCE PROFILE

Before audience members will take the time to read or listen to your messages, they have to be interested in what you’re saying. They need to know the message is relevant to their needs—even if they don’t necessarily want to read or see it. The more you know about your audience members, their needs, and their expectations, the more effectively you’ll be able to communicate with them. Follow these steps to conduct a thorough audience analysis (see Figure 4.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FF2) ):

Figure 4.2 Using Audience Analysis to Plan a Message

For simple, routine messages, you usually don’t need to analyze your audience in depth. However, for complex messages or messages for indifferent or hostile audiences, take the time to study their information needs and potential reactions to your message.

MS Office 365, © Microsoft

If audience members have different levels of understanding of the topic, aim your message at the most influential decision makers.

• Identify your primary audience. For some messages, certain audience members may be more important than others. Don’t ignore the needs of less influential members, but make sure you address the concerns of the key decision makers.

• Determine audience size and geographic distribution. A message aimed at 10,000 people spread around the globe will probably require a different approach than one aimed at a dozen people down the hall.

• Determine audience composition. Look for similarities and differences in culture, language, age, education, organizational rank and status, attitudes, experience, motivations, biases, beliefs, and any other factors that might affect the success of your message (see Figure 4.3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P700101245100000000000000000201D) on the next page).

• Gauge audience members’ level of understanding. If audience members share your general background, they’ll probably understand your material without difficulty. If not, your message will need an element of education to help people understand it.

• Understand audience expectations and preferences. For example, will members of your audience expect complete details or just a summary of the main points? In general, for internal communication, the higher up the organization your message goes, the fewer details people want to see.

• Forecast probable audience reaction. As you’ll read later in the chapter, 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 provide more proof.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS PDF

Dig deep into audience needs with this planning tool

This in-depth tool can help you analyze audiences for even the most complex communication scenarios. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

Figure 4.3 Predicting the Effects of Audience Composition

As just one example of why it’s important to analyze the composition of your audience, the attitudes and beliefs of individual audience members can have a significant impact on the success of a message. In this scenario, for instance, a seemingly positive message about employee benefits can generate a wide range of responses from employees with different beliefs and concerns.

4.3 Gathering Information

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

3 Discuss information-gathering options for simple messages, and identify three attributes of quality information. When you have a clear picture of your audience, your next step is to assemble the information to include in your message. For simple messages, you may already have all the information at hand, but for more complex messages, you may need to do considerable research and analysis before you’re ready to begin writing. Chapter 13 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004d27#P7001012451000000000000000004D27) explores formal techniques for finding, evaluating, and processing information, but you can often use a variety of informal techniques to gather insights and guide your research efforts.

If a project doesn’t require formal research techniques, or if you need answers in a hurry, you can use a variety of informal techniques to gather the information your audience needs.

MOBILE APP

The note-taking apps Evernote and Notebook help you collect, organize, and retrieve information for planning writing projects.

• Consider the audience’s perspective. Put yourself in the audience’s position. What are these people thinking, feeling, or planning? What information do they need to move forward? If you are initiating a conversation in a social media context, what information will stimulate discussion among your target communities?

• Listen to the community. For almost any subject related to business these days, chances are there is a community of customers, product enthusiasts, or other people who engage in online discussions. Find them and listen to what they have to say.

• Read reports and other company documents. Annual reports, financial statements, news releases, blogs by industry experts, marketing reports, and customer surveys are just a few of the many potential information sources. Find out whether your company has a knowledge management system, a centralized database that collects the experiences and insights of employees throughout the organization.

• Talk with supervisors, colleagues, or customers. Fellow workers and customers may have information you need, or they may have good insights into the needs of your target audience.

• Ask your audience for input. If you’re unsure what audience members need from your message, ask them, if possible. Admitting you don’t know but want to meet their needs will impress an audience more than guessing and getting it wrong.

UNCOVERING AUDIENCE NEEDS

In many situations your audience’s information needs will be obvious, or readers will be able to tell you what they need. In other situations, though, people may be unable to articulate exactly what they want. If someone makes a vague or broad request, ask questions to narrow the focus. If your boss says, “Find out everything you can about Interscope Records,” narrow the investigation by asking which aspect of the organization and its business is most important. Asking a question or two often forces the person to think through the request and define more precisely what is required.

Audience members might not be able to describe all the information they need, or you might not have the opportunity to ask them, so you may have to engage in some detective work.

In addition, try to think of relevant information needs that your audience may not have expressed. Suppose you’ve been asked to compare two health insurance plans for your firm’s employees, but your research has uncovered a third alternative that might be even better. You could then expand your report to include a brief explanation of why the third plan should be considered and compare it with the two original plans. Use judgment, however; in some situations you need to provide only what the audience expects and nothing more.

FINDING YOUR FOCUS

Use free writing and other discovery techniques if you need to the find the focus of a new writing project.

You may encounter situations in which the assignment or objective is so vague that you have no idea how to get started in determining what the audience needs to know. In such cases you can use some discovery techniques to help generate ideas and uncover possible avenues to research. One popular technique is free writing (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002319) , in which you write whatever comes to mind, without stopping to make any corrections, for a set period of time. The big advantage of free writing is that you silence your “inner critic” and just express ideas as they come to you. You might end up with a rambling mess by any conventional measure, but that’s not important. Within that tangle of expressions, you might also find some useful ideas and angles that hadn’t occurred to you yet—perhaps the crucial idea that will jumpstart the entire project.

The best discovery option in some cases might not be writing at all, but rather sketching. If you’re unable to come up with any words, grab a sketchpad and start drawing. While you’re thinking visually, your brain might release some great ideas that were trapped behind words.

The techniques listed under “Defining Your Main Idea” on page 113 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#page_113) can also be helpful if you don’t know where to start.

PROVIDING REQUIRED INFORMATION

After you have defined your audience’s information needs, your next step is to satisfy those needs completely. One good way to test the thoroughness of your message is to use the journalistic approach (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002322) : Check to see whether your message answers who, what, when, where, why, and how. Using this method, you can quickly tell whether a message fails to deliver. For example, consider this message requesting information from employees:

We are exploring ways to reduce our office space leasing costs and would like your input on a proposed plan in which employees who telecommute on alternate days could share offices. Please let me know what you think of this proposal.

The journalistic approach asks who, what, when, where, why, and how.

The message fails to tell employees everything they need to know to provide meaningful responses. The what could be improved by identifying the specific points of information the writer needs from employees (such as whether individual telecommuting patterns are predictable enough to allow scheduling of shared offices). The writer also doesn’t specify when the responses are needed or how the employees should respond. By failing to address such points, the request is likely to generate a variety of responses, some possibly helpful but some probably not.

Be Sure the Information Is Accurate

You have a responsibility to provide quality information to your readers.

The quality of the information you provide is every bit as important as the quantity. Inaccurate information in business messages can cause a host of problems, from embarrassment and lost productivity to serious safety and legal issues. You might commit the organization to promises it can’t keep—and the error could harm your reputation as a reliable businessperson. Thanks to the Internet, inaccurate information may persist for years after you distribute it.

You can minimize mistakes by double-checking every piece of information you collect. If you are consulting sources outside the organization, ask yourself whether the information is current and reliable. As Chapter 13 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004d27#P7001012451000000000000000004D27) notes, you must be particularly careful when using sources you find online. Be sure to review any mathematical or financial calculations. Check all dates and schedules and examine your own assumptions and conclusions to be certain they are valid.

Be Sure the Information Is Ethical

By working hard to ensure the accuracy of the information you gather, you’ll also avoid many ethical problems in your messages. If you do make an honest mistake, such as delivering information you initially thought to be true but later found to be false, contact the recipients of the message immediately and correct the error. No one can reasonably fault you in such circumstances, and people will respect your honesty.

Omitting important information can be an unethical decision.

Messages can also be unethical if important information is omitted (see “Ethics Detective: Solving the Case of the Missing Safety Warning (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002026#P7001012451000000000000000002068) ”). Of course, as a business professional, you may have legal or other sound business reasons for not including every detail about every matter. Just how much detail should you include? Make sure you include enough to avoid misleading your audience. If you’re unsure how much information your audience needs, offer as much as you believe best fits your definition of complete and then offer to provide more upon request.

Be Sure the Information Is Pertinent

When gathering information for your message, remember that some points will be more important to your audience than others. Audience members will appreciate your efforts to prioritize the information they need and filter out the information they don’t. Moreover, by focusing on the information that concerns your audience the most, you increase your chances of accomplishing your own communication goals.

Select the information to include based on how pertinent it is to your readers.

ETHICS DETECTIVE

Solving the Case of the Missing Safety Warning

Your company, Furniture Formations, creates a variety of home furniture products, with extensive use of fine woods. To preserve the look and feel of the wood, your craftspeople use an linseed oil–based finish that you purchase from a local wholesaler. The workers apply the finish with rags, which are thrown away after each project. After a news report about spontaneous combustion of waste rags occurring in other furniture shops, you grow concerned enough to contact the wholesaler and ask for verification of the product’s safety. The wholesaler knows you’ve been considering a nonflammable, water-based alternative from another source but tries to assure you with the following message:

Seal the rags in an approved container and dispose of it according to local regulations. As you probably already know, county regulations require all commercial users of oil-based materials to dispose of leftover finishes at the county’s hazardous waste facility.

You’re still not satisfied. You visit the website of the oil’s manufacturer and find the following cautionary statement about the product you’re currently using:

Finishes that contain linseed oil or tung oil require specific safety precautions to minimize the risk of fire. Oil-soaked rags and other materials such as steel wool must be sealed in water-filled metal containers and then disposed of in accordance with local waste management regulations. Failure to do so can lead to spontaneous combustion that results from the heat-producing chemical reaction that takes place as the finish dries. In particular, DO NOT leave wet, oil-soaked rags in a pile or discard them with other waste.

ANALYSIS

Was the wholesaler guilty of an ethical lapse in this case? If yes, explain what you think the lapse is and why you believe it is unethical. If no, explain why you think the statement qualifies as ethical.

If you don’t know your audience or if you’re communicating with a large group of people who have diverse interests, use common sense to identify points of interest. Audience factors such as age, job, location, income, and education can give you clues. If you’re trying to sell memberships in a health club, you might adjust your message for athletes, busy professionals, families, and people in different locations or in different income brackets. The comprehensive facilities and professional trainers would appeal to athletes, whereas the low monthly rates would appeal to college students on tight budgets.

Some messages necessarily reach audiences with a diverse mix of educational levels, subject awareness, and other variables. If possible, provide each audience segment with its own targeted information, such as by using sections in a brochure or links on a webpage.

4.4 Selecting the Best Combination of Media and Channels

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

4 List the factors to consider when choosing the most appropriate medium for a message. With the necessary information in hand, your next decision involves the best combination of media and channels to reach your target audience. As you recall from Chapter 1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000105b#P700101245100000000000000000105B) , the medium is the form a message takes and the channel is the system used to deliver the message. The distinction between the two isn’t always crystal clear, and some people use the terms in different ways, but these definitions are a useful way to think about the possibilities for business communication.

Most media can be distributed through more than one channel, so whenever you have a choice, think through your options to select the optimum combination. For example, a brief written message could be distributed as a printed letter or memo, or it could be distributed through a variety of digital channels, from email to blogging to social networking.

THE MOST COMMON MEDIA AND CHANNEL OPTIONS

The simplest way to categorize media choices is to divide them into oral (spoken), written, and visual. Each of these media can be delivered through digital and nondigital channels, which creates six basic combinations, discussed in the following sections. Table 4.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P7001012451000000000000000002084) on the next page summarizes the general advantages and disadvantages of the six medium/channel combinations. Specific options within these categories have their own strengths and weaknesses to consider as well.(For simplicity’s sake, subsequent chapters occasionally use “digital media” to indicate any of the three media types delivered through digital channels.)

Media can be divided into oral, written, and visual forms, and all three can be distributed through digital and nondigital channels.

Oral Medium, In-Person Channel

The oral medium, in-person combo involves talking with people who are in the same location, whether it’s a one-on-one conversation over lunch or a more formal speech or presentation. Being in the same physical space is a key distinction because it enables the nuances of nonverbal communication more than any other media/channel combo. As Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) points out, these nonverbal signals can carry as much weight in the conversation as the words being spoken.

The nonverbal and interactive aspects of in-person communication are difficult to replicate in most other media/channel combinations.

By giving people the ability to see, hear, and react to each other, in-person communication is useful for encouraging people to ask questions, make comments, and work together to reach a consensus or decision. Face-to-face interaction is particularly helpful in complex, emotionally charged situations in which establishing or

fostering a business relationship is important.2

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002428) Managers who

engage in frequent “walk-arounds,” chatting with employees face-to-face, can get input, answer questions, and interpret important business events and trends.3

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000242A)

Oral Medium, Digital Channel

Oral media via digital channels include any transmission of voice via electronic means, both live and recorded, including telephone calls, podcasts, and voicemail messages. Live phone conversations offer the give-and-take of in-person conversations and can be the best alternative to talking in person. Without a video component, however, they can’t provide the nuances of nonverbal communication. Podcasts can be a good way to share lectures, commentary, and other spoken content.You can read about podcasting in Chapter 7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#P7001012451000000000000000003055) .

TABLE 4.1 Medium/Channel Combinations: Advantages and Disadvantages

Medium/Channel Advantages Disadvantages

Oral, in-person • Provide opportunity for immediate feedback • Easily resolve misunderstandings and negotiate

meanings • Involve rich nonverbal cues (both physical gesture and

vocal inflection) • Allow expression of the emotion behind your message

• Restrict participation to those physically present • Unless recorded, provide no permanent, verifiable record

of the communication • Reduce communicator’s control over the message

Oral, digital • Can provide opportunity for immediate feedback (live phone or online conversations)

• Not restricted to participants in the same location • Allow time-shifted consumption (for example, podcasts)

• Lack nonverbal cues other than voice inflections • Can be tedious to listen to if not audience focused

(recorded messages)

Medium/Channel Advantages Disadvantages

Written, printed • Allow writers to plan and control their messages • Can reach geographically dispersed audiences • Offer a permanent, verifiable record • Minimize the distortion that can accompany oral

messages • Can be used to avoid immediate interactions • Deemphasize any inappropriate emotional components • Give recipients time to process messages before

responding (compared to oral communication)

• Offer limited opportunities for timely feedback • Lack the rich nonverbal cues provided by oral media • Often take more time and more resources to create and

distribute • Can require special skills to prepare or produce if

document is elaborate

Written, digital Generally, all the advantages of written printed documents plus: • Fast delivery • Can reach geographically dispersed audiences • Flexibility of multiple formats and channels, from

microblogs to wikis • Flexibility to structure messages in creative ways, such

as writing a headline on Twitter and linking to the full message on a blog

• Ability to link to related and more in-depth information • Can increase accessibility and openness in an

organization through broader sharing • Enable audience interaction through social media

features • Ease of integrating with other media types, such as

embedded videos or photos

• Can be limited in terms of reach and capability (for example, on Twitter you can reach only those people who follow you or search for you)

• Require Internet or mobile phone connectivity • Vulnerable to security and privacy problems • Are easy to overuse (sending too many messages to too

many recipients) • Create privacy risks and concerns (exposing confidential

data, employer monitoring, accidental forwarding) • Entail security risks (viruses, spyware; network breaches) • Create productivity concerns (frequent interruptions,

nonbusiness usage)

Visual, printed • Can quickly convey complex ideas and relationships • Often less intimidating than long blocks of text • Can reduce the burden on the audience to figure out

how the pieces of a message or concept fit • Can be easy to create in spreadsheets and other

software (simple charts and graphs), then integrate with reports

• Can require artistic skills to design • Require some technical skills to create • Can require more time to create than equivalent amount

of text • Can be expensive to print

Visual, digital Generally, all the advantages of visual printed documents and all the advantages of written digital formats plus:

• Can personalize and enhance the experience for audience members

• Offer the persuasive power of multimedia formats, particularly video

• Potential time, cost, and skills needed to create • Can require large amounts of bandwidth

Written Medium, Print Channel

Written, printed documents are the classic format of business communication. Memos (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000232B) are brief printed documents traditionally used for the routine, day-to-day exchange of information within an organization. Letters (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002325) are brief written messages sent to customers and other recipients outside the organization. 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 usually have a fairly formal tone.

Although printed documents are still a useful format, they have been replaced by digital alternatives in many instances. However, here are several situations in which you should consider a printed message over electronic alternatives:

Digital media/channel formats have replaced printed documents in many instances, but print is still the best choice for some messages and situations.

• When you want to make a formal impression • When you are legally required to provide information in printed form • When you want to stand out from the flood of electronic messages • When you need a permanent, unchangeable, or secure record

Obviously, if you can’t reach a particular audience electronically, you’ll need to use a printed message. Appendix A (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000070ad#P70010124510000000000000000070AD) offers guidelines on formatting printed memos and letters.

Written Medium, Digital Channel

Most of your business communication efforts will involve the combination of written medium and digital channel.

Figure 4.4 Media and Channel Choices: Written + Digital

Harley-Davidson could’ve chosen a variety of media/channel combinations to share this information about Harley fans taking a cross-country ride on vintage motorcycles. Facebook was an appealing choice because of the company’s huge fan base (more than 7 million people) and the ease of sharing the message on the social network.

Courtesy Harley-Davidson

Most of your business communication efforts will involve written digital messages, with everything from super-short tweets to website content to book-length reports distributed as portable document format (PDF) files (see Figure 4.4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P700101245100000000000000000213B) ). Business uses of written digital messages keep evolving as companies look for ways to communicate more effectively. For example, email has been a primary business medium for

several decades, but it is being replaced in many cases by a variety of other digital formats.4

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000242C) Chapters 7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#P7001012451000000000000000003055) and 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) take a closer look at various written-digital combinations, from email to instant messaging (IM) to social networks.

Visual Medium, Print Channel

Photographs and diagrams can be effective communication tools for conveying emotional content, spatial relationships, technical processes, and other content that can be difficult to describe using words alone. You may occasionally create visual printed messages as standalone items, but most will be used as supporting material in printed documents.

Visual Medium, Digital Channel

Business messages can come alive when conveyed by visual media in digital channels. Infographics, interactive diagrams, animation, and digital video have the potential to engage audiences in ways that other formats can’t, which is why the use of visual elements in business communication continues to grow.

The combination of the visual medium and a digital channel can be the most compelling and engaging choice for many messages, although it is not always the easiest or cheapest format.

Traditional business messages rely primarily on text, with occasional support from graphics such as charts, graphs, or diagrams to help illustrate points discussed in the text. However, many business communicators are discovering the power of messages in which the visual element is dominant and supported by small

amounts of text. For the purposes of this discussion, think of visual media as formats in which one or more visual elements play a central role in conveying the message content.

Messages that combine powerful visuals with supporting text can be effective for a number of reasons. Today’s audiences are pressed for time and bombarded with messages, so anything that communicates quickly is welcome. Visuals are also effective at describing complex ideas and processes because they can reduce the work required for an audience to identify the parts and relationships that make up the whole. Also, in a multilingual business world, diagrams, symbols, and other images can lower communication barriers by requiring less language processing. Finally, visual images can be easier to remember than purely textual descriptions or explanations.

The Unique Challenges of Communication on Mobile Devices

Mobile devices can be used to create and consume virtually every digital form of oral, written, and visual media. Thanks to the combination of portability and the flexibility enabled by a wide array of business-focused apps, mobile devices have become a primary tool in business communication. In addition to the factors discussed on pages 17 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001219#page_17) –19 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001219#page_19) in Chapter 1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000105b#P700101245100000000000000000105B) , consider these issues whenever your messages are likely to be viewed on mobile devices:

The mobile digital channel has become significant in business communication of all types, but it presents some challenges that must be considered.

• Screen size and resolution. The screen resolution of phones and tablets has improved considerably in recent years, but the limited size of these screens still presents a challenge simply because many messages are significantly larger than the screens they will be viewed on. The result is a dilemma that pits clarity against context. Readers can zoom in to make text readable and visuals understandable, but the inability to see an entire document page or visual at once—particularly on phone screens—can limit a reader’s ability to grasp its full meaning. This can be particularly troublesome if you are collaborating on writing or presentation projects and team members need to review documents or slides.

• Input technologies. Even for accomplished texters, typing on mobile keyboards can be a challenge. Voice recognition is one way around the keyboard limitation, but anyone using it in public areas or in communaloffices runs the risk of sharing private message content and annoying anyone within earshot. Moreover, voice recognition software can make mistakes that require manual editing, particularly for users who don’t enunciate clearly or when there is a lot of competing background noise. Using a stylus is an option for many devices, but this can be a slow and laborious process. If your website content or other messages and materials require a significant amount of input activity from recipients, make it as easy as possible for them. Even simple steps such as increasing the size of buttons and text-entry fields can help.

THE ART OF PROFESSIONALISM

Maintaining a Confident, Positive Outlook

Spend a few minutes around successful people in any field, and chances are you’ll notice how optimistic they are. They believe in what they’re doing, and they believe in themselves and their ability to solve problems and overcome obstacles.

Being positive doesn’t mean displaying mindless optimism or spewing happy talk all the time. It means acknowledging that things may be difficult but then buckling down and getting the job done anyway. It means no whining and no slacking off, even when the going gets tough. We live in an imperfect world, no question; jobs can be boring or difficult, customers can be unpleasant, and bosses can be unreasonable. But when you’re a pro, you find a way to power through.

Your energy, positive or negative, is contagious. Both in person and online, you’ll spend as much time with your colleagues as you spend with family and friends. Personal demeanor is therefore a vital element of workplace harmony. No one expects (or wants) you to be artificially upbeat and bubbly every second of the day, but one negative personality can make an entire office miserable and unproductive. Every person in a company has a responsibility to contribute to a positive, energetic work environment.

CAREER APPLICATIONS

1. Do you have an ethical obligation to maintain a positive outlook on the job? Why or why not? 2. How can you lift your spirits when work is dragging you down?

• Bandwidth, speed, and connectivity limitations. The speed and quality of mobile connectivity varies widely by device, carrier, service plan, and geographic location. Even users with high-bandwidth service don’t always enjoy the advertised transfer speeds they are paying for. Moreover, mobile users can lose connectivity while traveling, passing through network “dead spots,” or during peak-demand hours or events (trade shows and conventions are notorious for this). Don’t assume that your mobile recipients will be able to satisfactorily consume the content that you might be creating on a fast, reliable, in-office network.

• Data usage and operational costs. As the amount of video traffic in particular increases (video requires much higher bandwidth than text or audio), data consumption is becoming a key concern for mobile carriers and customers alike. Many mobile users do not have unlimited data-usage plans and have to manage their data consumption carefully to avoid excess fees. Some carriers offer unlimited data plans, but even those can come with

restrictions such as bandwidth throttling that reduces the speed of a user’s connection.5

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000242E) Given these factors, be careful about expecting or requiring mobile users to consume a lot of video or other data-intensive content.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING MEDIA AND CHANNELS

You don’t always have the option of choosing which medium or channel to use for a particular message. For example, many companies have internal IM or social networking systems that you are expected to use for certain types of communication, such as project updates. However, when you do have a choice, consider these factors:

Media vary widely in terms of richness, which encompasses the number of information cues, feedback mechanisms, and opportunities for personalization.

• Richness. Richness is a medium’s ability to (1) convey a message through more than one informational cue (visual, verbal, vocal), (2) facilitate feedback,

and (3) establish personal focus.6

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002430) Face-to- face communication is a rich medium because it delivers information both verbally and nonverbally, it allows immediate feedback through both verbal and nonverbal responses, and it has the potential to be intimate and personal, at least in one-on-one and small-group settings. In contrast, lean media are limited in one or more of these three aspects. For example, texting and IM allow rapid feedback and can easily be personalized. However, they usually deliver information through only one informational cue (words), which can lead to misinterpretation. Emoticons (see page 188 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#page_188) ), which attempt to add emotional nuances that might otherwise be conveyed through visual means such as facial expressions, are a response to the one-dimensional leanness of text-only messages. In general, use richer media to send nonroutine or complex messages, to humanize your presence throughout the organization, to communicate caring to employees, and to gain employee commitment to company goals. Use leaner media to send routine messages or to transfer

information that doesn’t require significant explanation.7

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002432)

BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS INNOVATING WITH MOBILE

As the third major revolution in business communication in the past two decades (after the World Wide Web and social media), mobile communication has the potential to change nearly every aspect of business communication. Here is a small sample of the ways companies are putting mobile to work.

Training

In the face of changing markets, government regulations, and other forces in the business environment, developing and maintaining employee skill sets is an ongoing challenge for most companies. The challenge is made even more difficult when employees are constantly on the move or geographically dispersed. With training materials developed specifically for mobile devices, companies can deliver training content when and where it helps employees the most.

Eugenio Marongiu/Shutterstock

Distributed Decision Making

A complementary aspect to managing remote workers via mobile apps is giving employees the authority to make decisions in the field, rather than relying on managers back in the office. In the oil and gas industry, for instance, specialized mobile apps include tools for data visualization, collaboration, and data collection to help on-site employees and supervisors communicate and coordinate their efforts. This capability can be particularly vital after accidents or other crisis events, because it lets employees who are on the scene choose the best course of action without delay.

Images supplied courtesy of ClickSoftware Technologies, Ltd., © 2013–2015. All rights reserved.

Mobile Glossary

In addition to terms defined elsewhere in the booktext, here are some helpful mobile terms.

3G, 4G, and 5G

Successive generations of mobile phone technology, although the generational boundaries are loosely defined and each generation includes a number of competing technologies; roughly speaking, we’re in a transition from 3G to 4G now, and 5G (whatever it ends up being) won’t arrive for at least several more years.

Android and iOS

The two major operating systems/platforms for mobile devices. Android devices are made by a wide variety of manufacturers, but iOS devices are made only by Apple.

Bandwidth

A measure of the data-carrying capacity of a mobile, Wi-Fi, or other network connection; streaming video and other demanding applications require a broadband connection, but there’s no general agreement on exactly what constitutes broadband.

Cellular Versus Mobile

Two terms for the same concept; cellular (derived from the way phone networks are configured) is used mainly in the United States, whereas mobile is used more generally around the world and is also more descriptive, so that’s the term used in this book

Context Awareness

A mobile device’s ability to modify its operation based on knowledge of where it is; silencing the ringer when you arrive at your office is a simple example.

Geofencing

Using the location-sensing capabilities of mobile devices to remotely monitor and control the device and its user; delivery companies, for example, can monitor where their drivers are and make sure they stay within designated areas.

Over-the-Top (OTT) Application

A digital service that bypasses a traditional distribution network to provide similar capability, often by using cloud capabilities; an example is WhatsApp using Internet connections to create services traditionally provided by mobile phone carriers.

Phablet

A rather ungainly name for mobile devices that are larger than phones but smaller than tablets.

Quick Response (QR) Codes and Near-Field Communication (NFC)

Two ways for a mobile device to access additional information; QR codes are square, phone-scannable barcodes that connect the phone to a website; NFC is a short-distance radio technology that enables a data link between a phone and tags that can be attached to products or other locations.

Shipfactory/Shutterstock and Photobank.ch/Shutterstock

Project Management

Work teams are often dispersed over wide geographic ranges and frequently on the move, so mobile communication is an essential element of contemporary project management. Instant access to task status and other vital information helps project managers stay on top of rapidly moving projects and helps team members communicate efficiently.

Ndoeljindoel/Shutterstock

Remote Workforce Management

Dispersed workforces also present a variety of supervision and management difficulties. Mobile workforce management apps can address many of these problems, from basic functions such as ensuring that workers show up on time at remote job sites to rescheduling customer appointments on the fly to collecting information to share with technical support staff. Sales managers can give just-in-time coaching and encouragement to representatives who are about to call on potential customers. Some systems can even embed information on best practices from experienced workers and deliver virtual coaching to less-experienced workers in the field.

Miroslava Levina/Shutterstock

Recruiting

With a target population that is often on the move, companies are responding by integrating mobile into their recruiting processes. These efforts include mobile-friendly job postings, mobile application and recruiting apps, and interviewing systems that let candidates and recruiters connect using their mobile devices.

• Formality. Your media choice is a nonverbal signal that affects the style and tone of your message. For example, a printed memo or letter is likely to be perceived as a more formal gesture than an IM or email message.

• Media and channel limitations. Every medium and channel has limitations. For instance, IM is perfect for communicating simple, straightforward messages between two people, but it is less effective for complex messages or conversations that involve three or more people.

Many types of media/channel combinations offer instantaneous delivery, but take care not to interrupt people unnecessarily (for example, with IM or phone calls) if you don’t need an immediate answer.

• Urgency. Some media establish a connection with the audience faster than others, so choose wisely if your message is urgent. However, be sure to respect audience members’ time and workloads. If a message isn’t urgent and doesn’t require immediate feedback, choose a medium such as email or blogging that allows people to respond at their convenience.

Remember that media and channel choices can also send a nonverbal signal regarding costs; make sure your choices are financially appropriate.

• Cost. Cost is both a real financial factor and a perceived nonverbal signal. For example, depending on the context, extravagant (and expensive) video or multimedia presentations can send a nonverbal signal of sophistication and professionalism—or careless disregard for company budgets.

When choosing media and channels, don’t forget to consider your audience’s expectations and preferences.

• Audience preferences. If you know that your audience prefers a particular media and channel combination, use that format if it works well for the message and the situation. Otherwise you risk annoying the audience or having your message missed or ignored.

• Security and privacy. Your company may have restrictions on the media and channels that can be used for certain types of messages, but even if it doesn’t, think carefully whenever your messages include sensitive information. Never assume that your email, IM, and other digital communications are private. Many companies monitor these channels, and there is always the risk that networks could get hacked or that messages will be forwarded beyond their original recipients.

4.5 Organizing Your Information

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

5 Explain why good organization is important to both you and your audience, and list the tasks involved in organizing a message. Organization can make the difference between success and failure. Good organization helps your readers or listeners in three key ways. First, it helps them understand your message by making the main point clear at the outset, presenting additional points to support that main idea, and satisfying all their information needs. But if your message is poorly organized, your meaning can be obscured, and your audiences may form inaccurate conclusions about what you’ve written or said.

Good organization benefits your audiences by helping them understand and accept your message in less time.

Second, good organization helps receivers accept your message. If your writing appears confused and disorganized, people will likely conclude that the thinking behind the writing is also confused and disorganized. Moreover, effective messages often require a bit more than simple, clear logic. A diplomatic approach helps receivers accept your message, even if it’s not exactly what they want to hear. In contrast, a poorly organized message on an emotionally charged topic can alienate the audience before you have the chance to get your point across.

Third, good organization saves your audience time. Well-organized messages are efficient: They contain only relevant ideas, and they are brief. Moreover, each piece of information is located in a logical place in the overall flow; each section builds on the one before to create a coherent whole, without forcing people to look for missing pieces.

Good organization helps you by reducing the time and creative energy needed to create effective messages.

In addition to saving time and energy for your readers, good organization saves you time and consumes less of your creative energy. Writing moves more quickly because you don’t waste time putting ideas in the wrong places or composing material that you don’t need. You spend far less time rewriting, trying to extract sensible meaning from disorganized rambling. Last but far from least, organizational skills are good for your career because they help you develop a reputation as a clear thinker who cares about your readers.

TABLE 4.2 Topics Versus Main Ideas

General Purpose Example of Specific Purpose Example of Topic Example of Main Idea

To inform Teach customer service representatives how to edit and expand the technical support wiki

Technical support wiki Careful, thorough edits and additions to the wiki help the entire department provide better customer support.

To persuade Convince top managers to increase spending on research and development

Funding for research and development

Competitors spend more than we do on research and development, enabling them to create more innovative products.

To collaborate

Solicit ideas for a companywide incentive system that ties wages to profits

Incentive pay Tying wages to profits motivates employees and reduces compensation costs in tough years.

DEFINING YOUR MAIN IDEA

The topic (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002334) of your message is the overall subject, and your main idea (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002328) is a specific statement about that topic (see Table 4.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021E4) ). For example, if you believe that the current system of using paper forms for filing employee insurance claims is expensive and slow, you might craft a message in which the topic is employee insurance claims and the main idea is that a new web-based system would reduce costs for the company and reduce reimbursement delays for employees.

The topic is the broad subject; the main idea makes a statement about the topic.

In longer documents and presentations, you often need to unify a mass of material with a main idea that encompasses all the individual points you want to make. Finding a common thread through all these points can be a challenge. Sometimes you won’t even be sure what your main idea is until you sort through the information. For tough assignments like these, consider a variety of techniques to generate creative ideas:

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VIEWING THIS PRESENTATION

Smart advice for brainstorming sessions

Generate better ideas in less time with these helpful tips. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and selectLearn More in the Students section.

• Brainstorming. Working alone or with others, generate as many ideas and questions as you can, without stopping to criticize or organize. After you capture all these pieces, look for patterns and connections to help identify the main idea and the groups of supporting ideas. For example, if your main idea concerns whether to open a new restaurant in Denver, you’ll probably find a group of ideas related to financial return, another related to competition, and so on. Identifying such groups helps you see the major issues that will lead you to a conclusion you can feel confident about.

• Journalistic approach. The journalistic approach (see page 103 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002026#page_103) ) asks who, what, when, where, why, and how questions to distill major ideas from unorganized information.

• Question-and-answer chain. Start with a key question, from the audience’s perspective, and work back toward your message. You’ll often find that each answer generates new questions until you identify the information that needs to be in your message.

• Storyteller’s tour. Some writers find it best to talk through a communication 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 down to a single concise message.

• Mind mapping. You can generate and organize ideas using a graphic method called mind mapping (see Figure 4.5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P700101245100000000000000000221A) on the next page). Start with a main idea and then branch out to connect every other related idea that comes to mind. You can find a number of free mind- mapping tools online.

LIMITING YOUR SCOPE

Limit the scope of your message so that you can convey your main idea as briefly as possible.

The scope (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000232E) of your message is the range of information you present, the overall length, and the level of detail—all of which need to correspond to your main idea. The length of some business messages has a preset limit, whether from a boss’s instructions, the technology you’re using, or a time frame such as individual speaker slots during a seminar. Even if you don’t have a preset length, it’s vital to limit yourself to the scope needed to convey your main idea—and no more.

Figure 4.5 Mind Mapping

Mind-mapping tools such as Mindjet MindManager make it easy to explore the organization of your material, and mobile apps (see inset) bring this capability to tablets and other mobile devices.

Mindjet® is a registered trademark of Mindjet in the US in other countries. Reprinted with permission. © Mindjet US Inc. All rights reserved.

Whatever the length of your message, limit the number of major supporting points to half a dozen or so—and if you can get your idea across with fewer points, all the better. Offering a long list of supporting points might feel as though you’re being thorough, but your audience is likely to view such detail as rambling and mind-numbing. Instead, group your supporting points under major headings, such as finance, customers, competitors, employees, or whatever is appropriate for your subject. Look for ways to combine your supporting points so that you have a smaller number with greater impact.

The ideal length of a message depends on your topic, your audience members’ familiarity with the material, their receptivity to your conclusions, and your credibility. You’ll need fewer words to present routine information to a knowledgeable audience that already knows and respects you. You’ll need more words to build a consensus about a complex and controversial subject, especially if the members of your audience are skeptical or hostile strangers.

CHOOSING BETWEEN DIRECT AND INDIRECT APPROACHES

After you’ve defined your main idea and supporting points, you’re ready to decide on the sequence you will use to present your information. You have two basic options:

With the direct approach, you open with the main idea of your message and support it with reasoning, evidence, and examples.

• The direct approach (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002316) starts with the main idea (such as a recommendation, a conclusion, or a request) and follows that with supporting evidence.

• The indirect approach (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000231F) starts with the evidence and builds up to the main idea.

With the indirect approach, you withhold the main idea until you have built up to it logically and persuasively with reasoning, evidence, and examples.

To choose between these two alternatives, analyze your audience’s likely reaction to your purpose and message (see Figure 4.6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P700101245100000000000000000223A) ). Bear in mind, however, that Figure 4.6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P700101245100000000000000000223A) presents only general guidelines; always consider the unique circumstances of each message and audience situation. The following sections offer more insight on choosing the best approach.

The type of message also influences the choice of the direct or indirect approach. In the coming chapters, you’ll get specific advice on choosing the best approach for a variety of communication challenges.

Figure 4.6 Choosing Between the Direct and Indirect Approaches

Think about the way your audience is likely to respond before choosing your approach.

OUTLINING YOUR CONTENT

After you have chosen the best approach, it’s time to figure out the most logical and effective way to present your major points and supporting details. Get into the habit of creating outlines when you’re preparing business messages. You’ll save time, get better results, and do a better job of navigating through complicated business situations. Even if you’re just jotting down three or four key points, making an outline will help you organize your thoughts for faster writing. When you’re preparing a longer, more complex message, an outline is indispensable because it helps you visualize the relationships among the various parts.

Outlining saves time and helps you create more effective messages.

You’re no doubt familiar with the basic outline formats that identify each point with a number or letter and that indent certain points to show which ones are of equal status. A good outline divides a topic into at least two parts, restricts each subdivision to one category, and ensures that each subdivision is separate and distinct (see Figure 4.7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P700101245100000000000000000224F) on the next page).

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VIEWING THIS PRESENTATION

Get helpful tips on creating an outline for any project

Learn these proven steps for creating robust, practical outlines. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and selectLearn More in the Students section.

Another way to visualize the outline of your message is to create an organization chart similar to the charts used to show a company’s management structure. Put the main idea in the highest-level box to establish the big picture. The lower-level ideas, like lower-level employees, provide the details. All the ideas should be

logically organized into divisions of thought, just as a company is organized into divisions and departments.8

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002434) Using a visual chart instead of a traditional outline has many benefits. Charts help you (1) see the various levels of ideas and how the parts fit together, (2) develop new ideas, and (3) restructure your information flow. The mind-mapping technique used to generate ideas works in a similar way.

Whichever outlining or organizing scheme you use, start your message with the main idea, follow that with major supporting points, and then illustrate these points with evidence.

MOBILE APP

Outliner is one of several apps that make it easy to create and modify writing outlines.

Figure 4.7 Organizing Your Thoughts with a Clear Outline

No matter what outlining format you use, think through your major supporting points and the examples and evidence that can support each point.

Start with the Main Idea

The main idea helps you establish the goals and general strategy of the message, and it summarizes two vital considerations: (1) what you want your audience members to do or think and (2) why they should do so. Everything in your message should either support the main idea or explain its implications. As discussed earlier, the direct approach states the main idea quickly and directly, whereas the indirect approach delays the main idea until after the evidence is presented.

The main idea establishes what you want your readers to do or think and why they should do so.

State the Major Points

You need to support your main idea with major points that clarify and explain the main idea in concrete terms. If your purpose is to inform and the material is factual, your major points may be based on something physical or financial—something you can visualize or measure, such as activities to be performed, functional units, spatial or chronological relationships, or parts of a whole. When you’re describing a process, the major points are almost inevitably steps in the process. When you’re describing an object, the major points often correspond to the parts of the object. When you’re giving a historical account, major points represent episodes in the chronological chain of events. If your purpose is to persuade or to collaborate, select major points that develop a line of reasoning or a logical argument that proves your central message and motivates your audience to act.

Provide Examples and Evidence

After you’ve defined the main idea and identified major supporting points, think about examples and evidence that can confirm, illuminate, or expand your supporting points. Choose examples and evidence carefully so that these elements support your overall message without distracting or overwhelming your audience. One good example, particularly if it is conveyed through a compelling story (see the next section), is usually more powerful than several weaker

examples. Similarly, a few strong points of evidence are usually more persuasive than a large collection of minor details. Keep in mind that you can back up your major supporting points in a variety of ways, depending on the subject material and the available examples and evidence (see Table 4.3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P700101245100000000000000000226A) ).

Choose supporting points, evidence, and examples carefully; a few strong points will make your case better than a large collection of weaker points.

If your schedule permits, put your outline aside for a day or two before you begin composing your first draft. Then review it with a fresh eye, looking for opportunities to improve the flow of ideas.

Figure 4.8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000022A3) on page 118 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#page_118) illustrates several of the key themes about organizing a message: helping readers get the information they need quickly, defining and conveying the main idea, limiting the scope of the message, choosing the approach, and outlining your information.

TABLE 4.3 Six Types of Detail

Type of Detail Comment Example

Facts and figures

Enhances credibility more than any other type, but can become boring if used excessively

Sales are strong this month. We have two new contracts worth $5 million and a good chance of winning another worth $2.5 million.

Example or illustration

Adds life to a message, but one example does not prove a point. Idea must be supported by other evidence as well

We’ve spent four months trying to hire recent accounting graduates, but so far, only one person has joined our firm. One candidate told me that she would love to work for us, but she can get $10,000 more a year elsewhere.

Description Helps audience visualize the subject by creating a sensory impression

Upscale hamburger restaurants target burger lovers who want more than the convenience and low prices of McDonald’s. These places feature wine and beer, half- pound burgers, and generous side dishes (nachos, potato skins). Atmosphere is key.

Narration (storytelling)

Stimulates audience interest through the use of dramatic tension; in many instances, must be supplemented with facts and figures in order to convincingly prove a point convincingly

When Rita Longworth took over as CEO, she faced a tough choice: shut down the tablet PC division entirely or outsource manufacturing as a way to lower costs while keeping the division alive. As her first step, she convened a meeting with all the managers in the division to get their input on the two options. (Story continues from there.)

Reference to authority

Bolsters a case while adding variety and credibility; works only if authority is recognized and respected by audience

I discussed this idea with Jackie Loman in the Chicago plant, and she was very supportive. As you know, Jackie has been in charge of that plant for the past six years. She is confident that we can speed up the number 2 line by 150 units an hour if we add another worker.

Visual aids Helps audience grasp the key points about sets of data or visualize connections between ideas

Graphs, charts, tables, infographics, data visualization, photos, video

BUILDING READER INTEREST WITH STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES

As the Wolff Olins vignette at the beginning of the chapter points out, narrative techniques can be an effective way to organize messages in a surprising number of business situations, from recruiting and training employees to enticing investors and customers. Storytelling is such a vital means of communicating that, in the

words of the management consultant Steve Tobak, “It’s hard to imagine your career going anywhere if you can’t tell a story.”9

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002436) Fortunately, you’ve been telling stories all your life, so narrative techniques already come naturally to you; now it’s just a matter of adapting those techniques to business situations.

You’ve already been on the receiving end of thousands of business stories: Storytelling is one of the most common structures used in television commercials and

other advertisements. People love to share stories about themselves and others, too, which makes social media ideal for storytelling.10

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002438)

Career-related stories, such as how someone sought and found the opportunity to work on projects he or she is passionate about, can entice skilled employees to consider joining a firm. Entrepreneurs use stories to help investors see how their new ideas have the potential to affect people’s lives (and therefore generate lots of sales). Stories can be cautionary tales as well, dramatizing the consequences of career blunders, ethical mistakes, and strategic missteps.

Storytelling is an effective way to organize many business messages because it helps readers personalize the message and understand causes and consequences.

A key reason storytelling can be so effective is that stories help readers and listeners imagine themselves living through the experience of the person in the story. Chip Heath of Stanford University and his brother, Dan Heath of Duke University, have spent years exploring the question of why some ideas “stick” and others disappear. One of their conclusions is that ideas conveyed through storytelling tend to thrive because stories “put knowledge into a framework that is more

lifelike, more true to our day-to-day existence.”11

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000243A)

In addition, stories can demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships in a compelling fashion.12

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000243C) Imagine attending a new-employee orientation and listening to the trainer read off a list of ethics rules and guidelines. Now imagine the trainer telling the story of someone who sounds a lot like you in the near future: fresh out of college and full of energy and ambition. Desperate to hit demanding sales targets, the person in the story began entering transactions before customers had actually agreed to purchase, hoping the sales would eventually come through and no one would be the wiser. The scheme was exposed during a routine audit, however, and the rising star was booted out of the company with an ethical stain that would haunt him for years. You may not remember all the rules and guidelines, but chances are you will remember what happened to that person who sounded a lot like you. This ability to

share organizational values is one of the major benefits of using storytelling in business communication, particularly across diverse workforces.13

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P700101245100000000000000000243E)

Figure 4.8 Improving the Organization of a Message

This writer is following up on a conversation from the previous day, in which he and the recipient discussed which of two forms of ownership, a partnership or a corporation, they should use for their new company. (Partnership has a specific legal meaning in this context.) That question is the topic of the message; the main idea is the recommendation that they incorporate, rather than form a partnership. Notice how the Effective version uses the direct approach to quickly get to the main idea and then supports that by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of both forms of ownership. In contrast, the Ineffective version contains irrelevant information, makes the comparison difficult to follow, and buries the main idea in the middle of the message.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY EXPLORING THIS INTERACTIVE WEBSITE

Mine the web to piece together stories on any topic

Storify is a content curation engine that lets you tell or follow a story by linking voices from multiple social media platforms. Go to real- timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and selectLearn More in the Students section.

A classic story has three basic parts. The beginning of the story presents someone the audience can identify with in some way, and this person has a dream to pursue or a problem to solve. (Think of how movies and novels often start by introducing a likable character who immediately gets into danger, for example.) The middle of the story shows this character taking action and making decisions as he or she pursues the goal or tries to solve the problem. The storyteller’s objective here is to build the audience’s interest by increasing the tension: Will the “hero” overcome the obstacles in his or her path and defeat whatever adversary is

keeping him or her away from the goal?14

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002440) The end of the story answers that question and usually offers a lesson to be learned about the outcome as well.

Organize stories in three parts: a beginning that introduces a sympathetic person with a dream or a challenge, a middle that shows the obstacles to be overcome, and an ending that resolves the situation and highlights the moral or message of the story.

By the way, even though these are “stories,” they must not be made-up tales. Telling stories that didn’t happen to people who don’t exist while presenting them as

real-life events is a serious breach of ethics that damages a company’s credibility.15

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002310#P7001012451000000000000000002442)

Consider adding an element of storytelling whenever your main idea involves the opportunity to inspire, to persuade, to teach, or to warn readers or listeners about the potential outcomes of a particular course of action.

In addition to its important communication function, storytelling can also serve as a means of strategic business analysis. For example, if you’re having trouble articulating a story that you’re trying to tell about a project you would like to pursue, it might be because you haven’t fully thought through the purpose of the project. With a clearer definition in mind, you’ll find it easier to tell your story.

For fresh ideas and media materials on planning messages, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Chapter 4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f59#P7001012451000000000000000001F59) . For a quick refresher on message-planning tasks, see “Checklist: Planning Business Messages (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000022D1) .”

CHECKLIST Planning Business Messages

A. Analyze the situation. • Determine whether the purpose of your message is to inform, persuade, or collaborate. • Identify what you want your audience to think or do after receiving the message. • Make sure your purpose is worthwhile and realistic. • Make sure the time is right for your message. • Make sure your purpose is acceptable to your organization. • Identify the primary audience. • Determine the size and composition of your audience. • Estimate your audience’s level of understanding and probable reaction to your message.

B. Gather information. • Decide whether to use formal or informal techniques for gathering information. • Find out what your audience needs to know. • Provide all required information and make sure it’s accurate, ethical, and pertinent.

C. Select the best combination of medium and channel for your message. • Understand the advantages and disadvantages of oral, written, and visual media distributed through both digital and nondigital channels. • Consider media richness, formality, media limitations, urgency, cost, and audience preference.

D. Organize your information. • Define your main idea. • Limit your scope. • Choose the direct or indirect approach. • Outline content by starting with the main idea, adding major points, and illustrating with evidence. • Look for opportunities to use storytelling to build audience interest.

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT Wolff Olins

You’ve joined the Wolff Olins team at the company’s New York office, where you work as a creative consultant helping entrepreneurs and company leaders write and tell stories. Use what you’ve learned in this chapter to address these two challenges.

INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE: Look ahead to “Writing the Story of You” on page 488 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000006018#page_488) in Chapter 18 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000063f6#P70010124510000000000000000063F6) . You’ve been asked to write your career story as an example that Wolff Olins can use to teach clients about applying storytelling in a business context. If you are already established in your career, you can tell the story of how you got to where you are now, or you can imagine a fictitious career or a path you didn’t take and write that story. If you have yet to start your business career, visualize where you’d like to be in 20 or 25 years and imagine the steps it would take to get there. Write your story in 150–200 words, making up whatever details you need. Be as creative as you want, and feel free to make your story a cautionary tale if you’d prefer—as in, “don’t make the mistakes I made.”

TEAM CHALLENGE: With a team assigned by your instructor, research a product or product category that used to be extremely popular but is now much rarer or perhaps even off the market. It could be something long gone, such as horse-drawn carriages or hoop skirts, or it might be something more recent, such as the Sony Walkman portable cassette player or floppy disks. Find out why it was initially popular, how big it was during its heyday, and why it fell into decline. Using whatever medium/channel combination your instructor asks, tell the story of this product or product category from introduction to decline, pointing out lessons that future businesspeople should take to heart.

Quick Learning Guide

KEY TERMS

direct approach Message organization that starts with the main idea (such as a recommendation, a conclusion, or a request) and follows that with supporting evidence

free writing An exploratory technique in which you write whatever comes to mind, without stopping to make any corrections, for a set period of time

general purpose The broad intent of a message—to inform, to persuade, or to collaborate with the audience

indirect approach Message organization that starts with the evidence and builds a case before presenting the main idea

journalistic approach Verifying the completeness of a message by making sure it answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions

letters Brief written messages sent to customers and other recipients outside an organization

main idea A specific statement about the topic of a message

memos Brief printed documents traditionally used for the routine, day-to-day exchange of information within an organization

scope The range of information presented in a message, its overall length, and the level of detail provided

specific purpose Identifies what you hope to accomplish with your message and what your audience should do or think after receiving your message

topic The overall subject of a message

SUMMARY OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Describe the three-step writing process. (1) Planning consists of four tasks: analyzing the situation (defining your purpose and profiling your audience), gathering the information to meet your audience’s needs, selecting the best combination of medium and channel for the message and the situation, and organizing the information (defining your main idea, limiting your scope, selecting an approach, and outlining your content). (2) The writing step consists of two tasks: adapting to your audience and composing the message. Adapt your message to your audience by being sensitive to audience needs, building a strong relationship with your audience, and controlling your style. Compose your message by drafting your thoughts with strong words, effective sentences, and coherent paragraphs. (3) Completing your message consists of four tasks: revising your message by evaluating content and then rewriting and editing for clarity and conciseness, producing your message by using effective design elements and suitable delivery methods, proofreading your message for mistakes in spelling and mechanics, and distributing it in a way that meets both your needs and your audience’s needs.

2 Explain why it’s important to analyze a communication situation in order to define your purpose and profile your audience before writing a message. You must know enough about your purpose to shape your message in a way that will achieve your goal. Moreover, without a clear purpose to guide you, you are bound to waste time and energy. To decide whether you should proceed with your message, answer four questions: (1) Will anything change as a result of this message? (2) Is my purpose realistic? (3) Is this the right time for this message? (4) Is the purpose acceptable to my organization? Developing an audience profile is also essential because doing so helps you identify the information you need to include in your message and the most effective way to structure your message.

3 Discuss information-gathering options for simple messages, and identify three attributes of quality information. Gathering the information that will fulfill your audience’s needs is a vital step before you attempt to organize your content. For more complex documents, you may need to plan a research project to acquire all the necessary information. For simple messages, however, if you don’t already have all the information you need, you can often gather it by using informal methods such as considering the audience’s perspective, reading existing reports and other company documents, talking with supervisors and others who have information and insight, and asking your audience members directly for their input. To determine whether the information you’ve gathered is good enough, verify that it is accurate, ethical, and pertinent to the audience’s needs.

4 List the factors to consider when choosing the most appropriate medium for a message. The first factor to consider is media richness. Richness is determined by the medium’s ability to (1) convey a message using more than one informational cue, such as sound, motion, nonverbal cues, and so on; (2) facilitate feedback; and (3) establish personal focus. Other factors to consider when selecting media include the level of formality, the specific limitations of each medium, the level of urgency, the cost of various media options, and your audience’s preferences.

5 Explain why good organization is important to both you and your audience, and list the tasks involved in organizing a message. When you organize messages carefully, you save time and conserve creative energy because the writing process is quicker and you spend less time rewriting. Good organization also helps your audience members understand your message, helps them accept your message, and saves them time. The tasks involved in organizing your message include defining your main idea, limiting your scope to the information needed to convey and support that main idea, choosing the direct or indirect approach, and then outlining your content.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) to complete the problems marked with this icon .

Test Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

4-1. What are the three major steps in the writing process? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f82#P7001012451000000000000000001F84)

4-2. What are the benefits of planning your messages carefully, particularly longer and more complex messages? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f82#P7001012451000000000000000001F84)

4-3. What two types of purposes do all business messages have? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7)

4-4. What do you need to know to develop an audience profile? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7)

4-5. What is the value of free writing and other discovery techniques? [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002026#P7001012451000000000000000002028)

4-6. Why are in-person conversations considered a rich medium? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P7001012451000000000000000002078)

4-7. What are four disadvantages of written, printed messages? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P7001012451000000000000000002078)

4-8. How does the topic of a message differ from its main idea? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0)

4-9. Why is it important to limit the scope of a message? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0)

4-10. What three elements do you need to consider when choosing between the direct and indirect approaches? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0)

Apply Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

4-11. Some writers argue that planning messages wastes time because they inevitably change their plans as they proceed. How would you respond to this argument? Briefly explain. [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f82#P7001012451000000000000000001F84)

4-12. A day after sending an email to all 1,800 employees in your company regarding the income tax implications of the company’s retirement plan, you discover that one of the sources you relied on for your information plagiarized from other sources. You quickly double-check all the information in your message and confirm that it is accurate. However, you are concerned about using plagiarized information, even though you did nothing wrong. Write a brief email message to your instructor, explaining how you would handle the situation. [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002026#P7001012451000000000000000002028)

4-13. You are organizing an exploratory in-person meeting with engineering representatives from a dozen manufacturers around the world to discuss updates to a technical standard that all the companies’ products must adhere to. The representatives have a wide range of firmly held opinions on the subject, because the changes could help some companies and hurt others. They can’t even agree on what should be addressed in the first meeting, so you need to develop a minimum level of consensus on what should be on the agenda. Which combination of media and channels would you use to move the conversation forward and finalize the agenda? Each company has one representative, and any discussions need to be kept confidential. [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P7001012451000000000000000002078)

4-14. How might the inability to view an entire document at once on a mobile screen hinder a reader’s ability to grasp the full meaning of the message? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P7001012451000000000000000002078)

4-15. You have been invited to speak at an annual industry conference. After preparing the outline for your presentation, you see that you’ve identified 14 separate points to support your main idea. Should you move ahead with creating the slides for your presentation or go back and rethink your outline? Why? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0)

Practice Your Skills 4-16. Message for Analysis: Outlining Your Content [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0)

A writer is working on an insurance information brochure and is having trouble grouping the ideas logically into an outline. Using the following information, prepare the outline, paying attention to the appropriate hierarchy of ideas. If necessary, rewrite phrases to make them all consistent. Accident Protection Insurance Plan

• Coverage is only pennies a day • Benefit is $100,000 for accidental death on common carrier • Benefit is $100 a day for hospitalization as result of motor vehicle or common carrier accident • Benefit is $20,000 for accidental death in motor vehicle accident • Individual coverage is only $17.85 per quarter; family coverage is just $26.85 per quarter • No physical exam or health questions • Convenient payment—billed quarterly • Guaranteed acceptance for all applicants • No individual rate increases • Free, no-obligation examination period • Cash paid in addition to any other insurance carried • Covers accidental death when riding as fare-paying passenger on public transportation, including buses, trains, jets, ships, trolleys, subways, or

any other common carrier

• Covers accidental death in motor vehicle accidents occurring while driving or riding in or on automobile, truck, camper, motor home, or nonmotorized bicycle

Exercises

Each activity is labeled according to the primary skill or skills you will need to use. To review relevant chapter content, you can refer to the indicated Learning Objective. In some instances, supporting information will be found in another chapter, as indicated.

4.17. Planning: Identifying Your Purpose [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7) For each of the following communication tasks, state a specific purpose (if you have trouble, try beginning with “I want to . . . ”).

a. A report to your boss, the store manager, about the outdated items in the warehouse b. An email message to clients about your booth at the upcoming trade show c. A letter to a customer who hasn’t made a payment for three months d. A memo to employees about the department’s high phone bills e. A phone call to a supplier, checking on an overdue parts shipment f. A wiki entry for your office colleagues about the best ways to find information in the company’s knowledge management system

4.18. Planning: Assessing Audience Needs [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7) For each communication task that follows, write brief answers to three questions: Who is the audience? What is the audience’s general attitude toward my subject? What does the audience need to know?

a. A final-notice collection letter from an appliance manufacturer to an appliance dealer that is 3 months behind on payments, sent 10 days before initiating legal collection procedures

b. An advertisement for smartphones c. A proposal to top management, suggesting that the four sales regions in the United States be combined into just two regions d. Fliers announcing reduced rates for chimney cleaning or repairs, to be attached to doorknobs in the neighborhood e. A cover letter sent along with your résumé to a potential employer f. A website that describes the services offered by a consulting firm that helps accounting managers comply with government regulations

4-19. Planning: Assessing Audience Needs [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7) Choose a fairly simple electronic device (such as a digital music player) that you know how to operate well. Write two sets of instructions for operating the device: one set for a reader who has never used that type of device and one set for someone who is generally familiar with that type of machine but has never operated the specific model. Briefly explain how your two audiences affect your instructions.

4-20. Planning: Analyzing the Situation; Collaboration: Planning Meetings [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7) , Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) How can the material discussed in this chapter also apply to meetings, as discussed in Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) ? Outline your ideas in a brief presentation or a post for your class blog.

4-21. Planning: Creating an Audience Profile; Collaboration: Team Projects [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7) , [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002026#P7001012451000000000000000002028) , Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) With a team assigned by your instructor, compare the Facebook pages of three companies in the same industry. Analyze the content on all the available tabs. What can you surmise about the intended audience for each company? Which of the three does the best job of presenting the information its target audience is likely to need? Prepare a brief presentation, including slides that show samples of the Facebook content from each company.

4-22. Planning: Analyzing the Situation, Selecting Media; Media Skills: Email [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001fc5#P7001012451000000000000000001FC7) , [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#P7001012451000000000000000002078) , Chapter 11 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004228#P7001012451000000000000000004228) You are the head of public relations for a cruise line that operates out of Miami. You are shocked to read a letter in a local newspaper from a disgruntled passenger complaining about the service and entertainment on a recent cruise. You need to respond to these publicized criticisms in some way. What audiences will you need to consider in your response? What medium or media should you choose? If the letter had been published in a travel publication widely read by travel agents and cruise travelers, how might your course of action have differed? In an email message to your instructor, explain how you will respond.

4-23. Planning: Assessing Audience Needs; Media Skills: Blogging; Communication Ethics: Making Ethical Choices [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002026#P7001012451000000000000000002028) , Chapter 1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000105b#P700101245100000000000000000105B) Your supervisor has asked you to withhold important information that you think should be included in a report you are preparing. Disobeying him could be disastrous for your working relationship and your career. Obeying him could violate your personal code of ethics. What should you do? On the basis of the discussion in Chapter 1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000105b#P700101245100000000000000000105B) , would you consider this situation to be an ethical dilemma or an ethical lapse? Explain your analysis in a brief email message to your instructor.

4-24. Planning: Limiting Your Scope [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0) Suppose you are preparing to recommend that top management install a new heating system that uses the cogeneration process. The following information is in

your files. Eliminate topics that aren’t essential and then arrange the other topics so that your report will give top managers a clear understanding of the heating system and a balanced, concise justification for installing it.

• History of the development of the cogeneration heating process • Scientific credentials of the developers of the process • Risks assumed in using this process • Your plan for installing the equipment in the headquarters building • Stories about the successful use of cogeneration technology in comparable facilities • Specifications of the equipment that would be installed • Plans for disposing of the old heating equipment • Costs of installing and running the new equipment • Advantages and disadvantages of using the new process • Detailed 10-year cost projections • Estimates of the time needed to phase in the new system • Alternative systems that management might want to consider

4.25. Planning: Choosing the Direct or Indirect Approach [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0) Indicate whether the direct or indirect approach would be best in each of the following situations and briefly explain why. Would any of these messages be inappropriate for email? Explain.

a. A message to the owner of an automobile dealership, complaining about poor service work b. A message from a recent college graduate requesting a letter of recommendation from a former instructor c. A message turning down a job applicant

d. A message announcing that because of high air-conditioning costs, the plant temperature will be held at 78°F during the summer e. A message from an advertising agency to a troublesome long-term client, explaining that the agency will no longer be able to work on the client’s

account

4-26. Planning: Using Storytelling Techniques; Communication Ethics: Providing Ethical Leadership; Media Skills: Podcasting [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0) , Chapter 1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000105b#P700101245100000000000000000105B) Research recent incidents of ethical lapses by business professionals or executives in any industry. Choose one example that has a clear story “arc” from beginning to end. Outline a cautionary tale that explains the context of the ethical lapse, the choice the person made, and the consequences of the ethical lapse. Script a podcast (aim for roughly three to five minutes) that tells the story. If your instructor directs, record your podcast and post to your class blog.

Expand Your Skills Critique the Professionals

Locate an example of professional communication in any medium/channel that you think would work equally well—or perhaps better—in another medium. Using the information in this chapter and your understanding of the communication process, write a brief analysis (no more than one page) of the company’s media/channel choice and explain why your choice would be at least as effective. Use whatever medium your instructor requests for your report and be sure to cite specific elements from the piece and support from the chapter.

Sharpening Your Career Skills Online

Bovée and Thill’s Business Communication Web Search, at websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com (http://websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com) , is a unique research tool designed specifically for business communication research. Use the Web Search function to find a website, video, article, podcast, or presentation that offers advice on planning a report, speech, or other business message. Write a brief email message to your instructor, describing the item you found and summarizing the career skills information you learned from it.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:

4-27. Email lacks both the visual element and the instantaneous connection of some other media. Could these supposed shortcomings actually help some employees communicate more comfortably and effectively? Explain your answer. [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0)

4-28. Would you use the direct or indirect approach to ask employees to work overtime to meet an important deadline? Please explain. [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#P70010124510000000000000000021D0)

Endnotes

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f59#rP7001012451000000000000000002426) . Michael Grothaus, “Why Companies Need Novelists,” Fast Company, 1 May 2015, www.fastcompany.com (http://www.fastcompany.com) ; Wolff Olins website, accessed 17 March 2016, www.wolffolins.com (http://www.wolffolins.com) ; Haniya Rae, “Inside the Agency Wolff Olins,” Digiday, 13 February 2014, digiday.com (http://digiday.com) ; “Is Corporate Storytelling Replacing the News Business?” Fast Company, 8 May 2014, www.fastcompany.com (http://www.fastcompany.com) .

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#rP7001012451000000000000000002428) . Carol Kinsey Gorman, “What’s So Great About Face-to-Face?” Communication World, May–June 2011, 38–39.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#rP700101245100000000000000000242A) . Linda Duyle, “Get Out of Your Office,” HR Magazine, July 2006, 99–101.

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#rP700101245100000000000000000242C) . Caroline McCarthy, “The Future of Web Apps Will See the Death of Email,” Webware blog, 29 February 2008, news.cnet.com (http://news.cnet.com) ; Kris Maher, “The Jungle,” Wall Street Journal, 5 October 2004, B10; Kevin Maney, “Surge in Text Messaging Makes Cell Operators,” USA Today, 28 July 2005, B1–B2.

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#rP700101245100000000000000000242E) . Roger Cheng, “Verizon CEO: Unlimited Data Plans Just Aren’t Sustainable,” CNET, 24 September 2013, news.cnet.com (http://news.cnet.com) ; Brian Bennet, “Sprint Officially Outs New Unlimited Plans,” CNET, 11 July 2013, reviews.cnet.com (http://reviews.cnet.com) ; footnotes on Sprint website, accessed 2 March 2014, shop.sprint.com (http://shop.sprint.com) .

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#rP7001012451000000000000000002430) . Laurey Berk and Phillip G. Clampitt, “Finding the Right Path in the Communication Maze,” IABC Communication World, October 1991, 28–32.

7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002076#rP7001012451000000000000000002432) . Samantha R. Murray and Joseph Peyrefitte, “Knowledge Type and Communication Media Choice in the Knowledge Transfer Process,” Journal of Managerial Issues 19, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 111–133.

8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP7001012451000000000000000002434) . Holly Weeks, “The Best Memo You’ll Ever Write,” Harvard Management Communication Letter, Spring 2005, 3–5.

9 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP7001012451000000000000000002436) . Steve Tobak, “How to Be a Great Storyteller and Win Over Any Audience,” BNET, 12 January 2011, www.bnet.com (http://www.bnet.com) .

10 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP7001012451000000000000000002438) . Debra Askanase, “10 Trends in Sustainable Social Media,” Community Organizer 2.0 blog, 13 May 2010, www.communityorganizer20.com (http://www.communityorganizer20.com) .

11 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP700101245100000000000000000243A) . Chip Heath and Dan Heath, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (New York: Random House, 2008), 214.

12 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP700101245100000000000000000243C) . Heath and Heath, Made to Stick, 206, 214.

13 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP700101245100000000000000000243E) . Randolph T. Barker and Kim Gower, “Strategic Application of Storytelling in Organizations,” Journal of Business Communication 47, no. 3 (July 2010): 295–312.

14 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP7001012451000000000000000002440) . David Meerman Scott, “Effective Storytelling for Business,” WebInkNow blog, 18 February 2013, www.webinknow.com (http://www.webinknow.com) .

15 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#rP7001012451000000000000000002442) . Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith, “7 Deadly Sins of Business Storytelling,” American Express Open Forum, accessed 21 March 2011, www.openforum.com (http://www.openforum.com) .

5 Writing Business Messages LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you will be able to

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002476) Identify the four aspects of being sensitive to audience needs when writing business messages.

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002580#P7001012451000000000000000002584) Explain how establishing your credibility and projecting your company’s image are vital aspects of building strong relationships with your audience.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P70010124510000000000000000025D8) Explain how to achieve a tone that is conversational but businesslike, explain the value of using plain language, and define active voice and passive voice.

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P700101245100000000000000000269A) Describe how to select words that are both correct and effective.

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002768#P700101245100000000000000000276C) Define the four types of sentences, and explain how sentence style affects emphasis within a message.

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P70010124510000000000000000027D8) Define the three key elements of a paragraph, and list five ways to develop unified, coherent paragraphs.

7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002872) List five techniques for writing effective messages for mobile readers.

MyBCommLab®

Improve Your Grade!

More than 10 million students improved their results using Pearson MyLabs. Visit mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for simulations, tutorials, and end-ofchapter problems.

COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UP AT She Takes on the World

shetakesontheworld.com (http://shetakesontheworld.com)

Natalie MacNeil is not a dreamer of small dreams. Here’s how she introduces herself on one of her online profiles: “My name is Natalie MacNeil, and I want to change the world.” For MacNeil, that change means inspiring and helping women launch their own businesses and take more control over their careers. As she puts it, “I want to see more women leading companies, organizations, and countries.”

MacNeil knows a thing or two about launching a business. She started her first when she was 18 and by her mid-20s had founded or cofounded a small portfolio of companies, including an Emmy-winning digital media production company, a collaborative workspace for entrepreneurs in the early startup phase, and She Takes on the World, which MacNeil describes as “a training platform and community for women entrepreneurs.”

Communication is at the heart of MacNeil’s world-changing quest. On the She Takes on the World website and in a book by the same name, MacNeil shares firsthand knowledge on everything from finding investors to expanding a company internationally. Her writing has appeared in a variety of other popular forums as well, including AllBusiness, American Express OPEN Forum, Mashable, Forbes, Entrepreneur.com (http://Entrepreneur.com) , and The Wall Street Journal.

Women who run or aspire to run their own businesses are the target audience for Natalie MacNeil’s She Takes on the World, a training and community platform that offers advice on all aspects of launching and managing a company.

Image by Ashley Wessel

Plenty of entrepreneurs, executives, and other experts offer advice on launching businesses, so what sets MacNeil apart? One key element is a clear idea of who her audience is and the type of information these readers are likely to need. When promoting her book, for example, she emphasizes that no business book can appeal to every reader, and she lists the specific types of readers who can benefit from her book. She also does something that many business “how-to” writers don’t: She addresses the personal side of being a successful entrepreneur.

Another key element is her positive writing style. The editor of ForbesWoman calls MacNeil’s blog and book “smart, upbeat, inspirational, and full of practical advice for women who want to own their dream careers.” As someone who came of age in the postdigital economy, MacNeil is also tuned in to the new world of work, where individuals must manage their personal brands and take control of their careers. In fact, one of her target audiences is college students who might want to create their own companies right out of college, without ever pursuing traditional employment.

The content and style of her messages is clearly connecting with readers. She Takes on the World has grown to include several dozen bloggers who cover every aspect of managing an entrepreneurial career in the new economy. The site was named one of Forbes magazine’s top 10 entrepreneurial websites for women, among numerous other awards and recognitions it has received. MacNeil shows no signs of slowing down, either, with new investors behind her and ambitious

expansion plans.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AAB)

5.1 Adapting to Your Audience: Being Sensitive to Audience Needs

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

1 Identify the four aspects of being sensitive to audience needs when writing business messages. Natalie MacNeil (profiled in the chapter-opening Communication Close-Up) knows it takes more than just a great idea to change the way people think. Expressing ideas clearly and persuasively starts with adapting to one’s audience.

Whether consciously or not, audiences greet most incoming messages with a selfish question: “What’s in this for me?” If your readers or listeners don’t think you understand or care about their needs, they won’t pay attention, plain and simple. You can improve your audience sensitivity by adopting the “you” attitude, maintaining good standards of etiquette, emphasizing the positive, and using bias-free language.

Readers and listeners are more likely to respond positively when they believe messages are about them and their concerns.

USING THE “YOU” ATTITUDE

Adopting the “you” attitude means speaking and writing in terms of your audience’s wishes, interests, hopes, and preferences.

Chapter 1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000105b#P700101245100000000000000000105B) introduced the notion of audience-centered communication and the “you” attitude—speaking and writing in terms of your audience’s wishes, interests, hopes, and preferences. On the simplest level, you can adopt the “you” attitude by replacing terms such as I, me, mine, we, us, and ours with you and yours:

Instead of This Write This

Tuesday is the only day that we can promise quick response to purchase order requests; we are swamped the rest of the week.

If you need a quick response, please submit your purchase order requests on Tuesday.

We offer MP3 players with 50, 75, or 100 gigabytes of storage capacity. You can choose an MP3 player with 50, 75, or 100 gigabytes of storage.

However, the “you” attitude is more than simply using particular pronouns. It’s a matter of demonstrating genuine interest in your readers and concern for their needs (see Figure 5.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002490) ). You can use you 25 times in a single page and still offend your audience or ignore readers’ true concerns. If you’re writing to a retailer, try to think like a retailer; if you’re dealing with a production supervisor, put yourself in that position; if you’re writing to a dissatisfied customer, imagine how you would feel at the other end of the transaction.

Avoid using you and your if doing so

• Will make you sound dictatorial • Will make someone else feel guilty • Goes against your organization’s style

Be aware that on some occasions it’s better to avoid using you, particularly if doing so will sound overly authoritative or accusing:

Instead of This Write This

You failed to deliver the customer’s order on time. The customer didn’t receive the order on time. You must correct all five copies by noon. All five copies must be corrected by noon.

Figure 5.1 Fostering a Positive Relationship with an Audience

CD Baby, the world’s largest retailer of independent music, uses clear, positive language to help musicians understand the process of selling their music through the company and its affiliates. By making the effort to communicate clearly and succinctly, the company encourages a positive response from its target readers.

Courtesy of CD Baby.

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 (when you and your audience are part of the same team) would be more appropriate. Similarly, some companies have a tradition of avoiding references to you and I in most messages and reports.

MAINTAINING STANDARDS OF ETIQUETTE

Even if a situation calls for you to be brutally honest, express the facts of the matter in a kind and thoughtful manner.

Good etiquette not only indicates respect for your audience but also helps foster a more successful environment for communication by minimizing negative emotional reactions:

Instead of This Write This

Once again, you’ve managed to bring down the entire website through your incompetent programming.

Let’s review the last website update to explore ways to improve the process.

You’ve been sitting on our order for two weeks, and we need it now!

Our production schedules depend on timely delivery of parts and supplies, but we have not yet received the order you promised to deliver two weeks ago. Please respond today with a firm delivery commitment.

Use extra tact when communicating with people higher up in the organization or outside the company.

Of course, some situations require more diplomacy than others. If you know your audience well, a less formal approach may be more appropriate. However, when you are communicating with people who outrank you or with people outside your organization, an added measure of courtesy is usually needed.

Written communication and most forms of digital communication generally require more tact than oral communication does. When you’re speaking, your words can be softened by your tone of voice and facial expression. Plus, you can adjust your approach according to the feedback you get. If you inadvertently offend someone in writing or in a podcast, for example, you don’t usually get the immediate feedback you would need to resolve the situation. In fact, you may never know that you offended your audience.

EMPHASIZING THE POSITIVE

You can communicate negative news without being negative.

During your career, you will have many occasions in which you need to communicate bad news. However, there is a big difference between delivering negative news and being negative. When the tone of your message is negative, you put unnecessary strain on business relationships. Never try to hide negative news, but

always be on the lookout for positive points that will foster a good relationship with your audience:2

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AAD)

Instead of This Write This

It is impossible to repair your laptop today. Your computer can be ready by Tuesday. Would you like a loaner until then? We wasted $300,000 advertising in that magazine.

Our $300,000 advertising investment did not pay off. Let’s analyze the experience and apply the insights to future campaigns.

If you find it necessary to criticize or correct, don’t dwell on the other person’s mistakes. Avoid referring to failures, problems, or shortcomings. Focus instead on what the audience members can do to improve the situation:

Instead of This Write This

The problem with this department is a failure to control costs.

The performance of this department can be improved by tightening cost controls.

You failed to provide all the necessary information on the previous screen.

Please review the items marked in red on the previous screen so that we can process your order as quickly as possible.

Show audience members how they will benefit by responding to your message.

If you’re trying to persuade audience members to buy a product, pay a bill, or perform a service, emphasize what’s in it for them. When people recognize the benefits of doing so, they are more likely to respond positively to your appeal.

Instead of This Write This

We will notify all three credit reporting agencies if you do not pay your overdue bill within 10 days.

Paying your overdue bill within 10 days will prevent a negative entry on your credit record.

I am tired of seeing so many errors in the customer service blog. Proofreading your blog postings will help you avoid embarrassing mistakes that generate more customer service complaints.

Euphemisms are milder synonyms that can express an idea while triggering fewer negative connotations, but they should never be used to obscure the truth.

In general, try to state your message without using words that may hurt or offend your audience. Look for appropriate opportunities to use euphemisms (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P700101245100000000000000000290F) —words or phrases that express a thought in milder terms—that convey your meaning without carrying negative or unpleasant connotations. For example, one common euphemism is referring to people beyond a certain age as “senior citizens” rather than “old people.” Senior conveys respect in a way that old does not.

Euphemisms can bring a tone of civility to unpleasant communication, but they must be used with great care because they are so easy—and so tempting—to misuse. Euphemisms can be annoying if they force readers to “read between the lines” to get the message, and they can be unethical if they obscure the truth. For instance, one of the toughest messages a manager ever has to write is an internal memo or email announcing layoffs. This is a difficult situation for everyone involved, and managers can be tempted to resort to euphemisms such as streamlining, restructuring, improving efficiency, reducing layers, or eliminating

redundancies to avoid using the word layoff.3

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AAF) Doing so might ease the emotional burden on the writer and promote the illusion that the message isn’t as negative as it really is. However, these euphemisms can fail the “you” attitude test, as well as the standards of ethical information, by failing to answer the question every reader in these situations has, which is simply, Am I going to lose my job?

If you are considering using a euphemism, ask yourself this question: Are you trying to protect the reader’s feelings or your own feelings? Even if it is unpleasant, people generally respond better to an honest message delivered with integrity than they do to a sugar-coated message that obscures the truth.

MOBILE APP

Dragon Dictation uses voice recognition to convert speech to text up to five times faster than typing.

USING BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE

Bias-free language avoids words and phrases that unfairly and even unethically categorize or stigmatize people.

Bias-free language (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P70010124510000000000000000028F4) avoids words and phrases that unfairly and even unethically categorize or stigmatize people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or other personal characteristics. Contrary to what some may think, biased language is not simply about “labels.” To a significant degree, language reflects the way we think and

what we believe, and biased language may well perpetuate the underlying stereotypes and prejudices it represents.4

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AB1) Moreover, because communication is all about perception, simply being fair and objective isn’t enough. To establish a good relationship with your audience, you must also appear to

be fair.5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AB3) Good communicators make every effort to change biased language (see Table 5.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P700101245100000000000000000250A) ). Bias can come in a variety of forms:

TABLE 5.1 Overcoming Bias in Language

Examples Unacceptable Preferable

Gender Bias

Using words containing man Man-made Mankind Manpower Businessman Salesman Foreman

Artificial, synthetic, manufactured, constructed, human- made Humanity, human beings, human race, people Workers, workforce Executive, manager, businessperson, professional Sales representative, salesperson Supervisor

Using female-gender words Using special designations Using he to refer to “everyone” Identifying roles with gender

Actress, stewardess Woman doctor, male nurse The average worker . . . he The typical executive spends four hours of his day in meetings. the consumer . . . she the nurse/teacher . . . she

Actor, flight attendant Doctor, nurse The average worker . . . he or she OR Average workers . . . they Most executives spend four hours a day in meetings. consumers . . . they nurses/teachers . . . they

Identifying women by marital status

Mrs. Norm Lindstrom Norm Lindstrom and Ms. Drake

Maria Lindstrom OR Ms. Maria Lindstrom Norm Lindstrom and Maria Drake OR Mr. Lindstrom and Ms. Drake

Racial and Ethnic Bias

Assigning stereotypes Not surprisingly, Shing-Tung Yau excels in mathematics. Shing-Tung Yau excels in mathematics.

Identifying people by race or ethnicity

Mario M. Cuomo, Italian American politician and ex-governor of New York

Mario M. Cuomo, politician and ex-governor of New York

Age Bias

Including age when irrelevant Mary Kirazy, 58, has just joined our trust department. Mary Kirazy has just joined our trust department.

Disability Bias

Putting the disability before the person

Disabled workers face many barriers on the job. An epileptic, Tracy has no trouble doing her job.

Workers with physical disabilities face many barriers on the job. Tracy’s epilepsy has no effect on her job performance.

• Gender bias. Avoid sexist language by using the same labels for everyone, regardless of gender. Don’t refer to a woman as chairperson and then to a man as chairman. Use chair, chairperson, or chairman consistently. (Note that it is not uncommon to use chairman when referring to a woman who

heads a board of directors. Archer Daniels Midland’s Patricia Woertz and Xerox’s Ursula Burns, for example, both refer to themselves as “chairman.”6

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AB5) ) Reword sentences to use they or to use no pronoun at all rather than refer to all individuals as he. Note that 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.

• Racial and ethnic bias. Avoid identifying people by race or ethnic origin unless such a label is relevant to the matter at hand—and it rarely is. • Age bias. Mention the age of a person only when it is relevant. Moreover, be careful of the context in which you use words that refer to age; such words

carry a variety of positive and negative connotations. For example, young can imply energy, youthfulness, inexperience, or even immaturity, depending on how it’s used.

• Disability bias. Physical, mental, sensory, or emotional impairments should never be mentioned in business messages unless those conditions are

directly relevant to the subject. If you must refer to someone’s disability, put the person first and the disability second.7

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AB7) For example, by saying “employees with physical handicaps,” not “handicapped employees,” you focus on the whole person, not the disability. Finally, never use outdated terminology such as crippled or retarded.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS PDF

Get detailed advice on using bias-free language

This in-depth guide offers practical tips for avoiding many types of cultural bias in your writing and speaking. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

5.2 Adapting to Your Audience: Building Strong Relationships

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

2 Explain how establishing your credibility and projecting your company’s image are vital aspects of building strong relationships with your audience. Successful communication relies on a positive relationship between sender and receiver. Establishing your credibility and projecting your company’s image are two vital steps in building and fostering positive business relationships.

People are more likely to react positively to your message when they have confidence in you.

ESTABLISHING YOUR CREDIBILITY

Audience responses to your messages depend heavily on your credibility (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002909) , a measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others. With audiences who don’t know you and trust you already, you need to establish credibility before they’ll accept your messages (see Figure 5.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002580#P700101245100000000000000000258E) ). On the other hand, when you do establish credibility, communication becomes much easier because you no longer have to spend time and energy convincing people that you are a trustworthy source of information and ideas. To build, maintain, or repair your credibility, emphasize the following characteristics:

To enhance your credibility, emphasize such factors as honesty, objectivity, and awareness of audience needs.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

Building credibility online

Follow these steps to build your credibility as an online voice. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

• Honesty. Demonstrating honesty and integrity will earn you the respect of your audiences, even if they don’t always agree with or welcome your messages.

• Objectivity. Show that you can distance yourself from emotional situations and look at all sides of an issue. • Awareness of audience needs. Let your audience members know, directly or indirectly, that you understand what’s important to them. • Credentials, knowledge, and expertise. Audiences need to know that you have whatever it takes to back up your message, whether it’s education,

professional certification, special training, past successes, or simply the fact that you’ve done your research. • Endorsements. An endorsement is a statement on your behalf by someone who is accepted by your audience as an expert. • Performance. Demonstrating impressive communication skills is not enough; people need to know they can count on you to get the job done. • Sincerity. When you offer praise, don’t use hyperbole, such as “you are the most fantastic employee I could ever imagine.” Instead, point out specific

qualities that warrant praise.

Figure 5.2 Building Credibility

Gregg Fraley is a highly regarded expert in the field of creativity and business innovation, but because his services are intangible, potential clients can’t “test drive” those services before making a purchase decision. He therefore takes special care to build credibility as part of his communication efforts.

Courtesy of Gregg Fraley.

In addition, audiences need to know that you believe in yourself and your message. If you lack faith in yourself, you’re likely to communicate an uncertain attitude that undermines your credibility. In contrast, if you are convinced that your message is sound, you can state your case with authority. Look out for phrases containing words such as hope and trust, which can drain the audience’s confidence in your message.

Instead of This Write This

We hope this recommendation will be helpful. We’re pleased to make this recommendation. We trust that you’ll want to extend your service contract.

By extending your service contract, you can continue to enjoy top-notch performance from your equipment.

Finally, keep in mind that credibility can take a long time to establish—and it can be wiped out in an instant. An occasional mistake or letdown is usually forgiven, but major lapses in honesty or integrity can destroy your reputation.

PROJECTING YOUR COMPANY’S IMAGE

When you communicate with anyone outside your organization, it is more than a conversation between two individuals. You represent your company and therefore play a vital role in helping the company build and maintain positive relationships with all its stakeholders. Most successful companies work hard to foster a specific public image, and your external communication efforts need to project that image. As part of this responsibility, the interests and preferred communication style of your company must take precedence over your own views and personal communication style.

Your company’s interests and reputation take precedence over your personal views and communication style.

THE ART OF PROFESSIONALISM

Being Dependable and Accountable

By any definition, a “pro” is somebody who gets the job done. Develop a reputation as somebody people can count on. This means meeting your commitments, including keeping on schedule and staying within budgets. These are skills that take some time to develop as you discover how much time and money are required to accomplish various tasks and projects. With experience, you’ll learn to be conservative with your commitments. You don’t want to be known as someone who overpromises and underdelivers.

If you can’t confidently predict how long a project will take or how much it will cost, be sure to let your client, colleagues, or supervisor know. And if changing circumstances threaten your ability to meet a previous commitment, be sure to share that information with anyone who might be affected by your performance.

Being accountable also means owning up to your mistakes and learning from failure so that you can continue to improve. Pros don’t make excuses or blame others. When they make mistakes—and everybody does—they face the situation head on, make amends, and move on.

CAREER APPLICATIONS

1. What steps could you take to make realistic commitments on tasks and projects in which you have little or no experience? 2. Does being accountable mean you never make mistakes? Explain your answer.

Many organizations have specific communication guidelines that show everything from the correct use of the company name to preferred abbreviations and other grammatical details. Specifying a desired style of communication is more difficult, however. Observe more experienced colleagues, and never hesitate to ask for editorial help to make sure you’re conveying the appropriate tone. For instance, because clients entrust thousands or millions of dollars to an investment firm, it must communicate in a style quite different from that of a clothing retailer. And a clothing retailer specializing in high-quality business attire communicates in a different style than a store catering to the latest trends in casual wear.

5.3 Adapting to Your Audience: Controlling Your Style and Tone

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

3 Explain how to achieve a tone that is conversational but businesslike, explain the value of using plain language, and define active voice and passive voice.

Your communication style (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002918) involves the choices you make to express yourself: the words you select, the manner in which you use those words in sentences, and the way you build paragraphs from individual sentences. Your style creates a certain tone (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P700101245100000000000000000291B) , or overall impression, in your messages. The right tone depends on the nature of your message and your relationship with the reader.

CREATING A CONVERSATIONAL TONE

The tone of your business messages can range from informal to conversational to formal. When you’re communicating with your superiors or with customers,

your tone may tend to be more formal and respectful.8

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AB9) However, that formal tone might sound distant and cold if used with close colleagues.

Most business messages aim for a conversational style that is warm but businesslike.

Compare the three versions of the message in Table 5.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P70010124510000000000000000025E5) . The first is too formal for today’s audiences, whereas the third is inappropriately casual for business. The second message demonstrates the conversational tone (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002906) used in most business communication—plain language that sounds businesslike without being stuffy at one extreme or too laid-back and informal at the other extreme. You can achieve a tone that is conversational but still businesslike by following these guidelines:

• Understand the difference between texting and writing. Texting can be an efficient way to communicate quickly, particularly on mobile devices with cramped keyboards. However, it’s best to view texting as a mode of conversation, rather than as a mode of writing—and to keep the two modes clear in your mind when you are writing. Communication effectiveness and your personal credibility can suffer if you let texting habits (such as using sentence fragments, sloppy punctuation, and lots of acronyms) creep into your business writing.

• Avoid stale and pompous language. Most companies now shy away from such dated phrases as “attached please find” and “please be advised that.” Similarly, avoid using obscure words, stale or clichéd expressions, and overly complicated sentences designed only to impress others (see Table 5.3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P7001012451000000000000000002613) on the next page).

• Avoid preaching and bragging. Readers tend to get irritated by know-it-alls who like to preach or brag. However, if you need to remind your audience of something that should be obvious, try to work in the information casually, perhaps in the middle of a paragraph, where it will sound like a secondary comment rather than a major revelation.

• Be careful with intimacy. Business messages should generally avoid intimacy, such as sharing personal details or adopting a casual, unprofessional tone. However, when you have a close relationship with audience members, such as among the members of a close-knit team, a more intimate tone is sometimes appropriate and even expected.

• Be careful with humor. Humor can easily backfire and divert attention from your message. If you don’t know your audience well or you’re not skilled at using humor in a business setting, don’t use it at all. Avoid humor in formal messages and when you’re communicating across cultural boundaries.

TABLE 5.2 Finding the Right Tone

Tone Example

Stuffy: too formal for today’s audiences

Dear Ms. Navarro: Enclosed please find the information that was requested during our telephone communication of May 14. As was mentioned at that time, Midville Hospital has significantly more doctors of exceptional quality than any other health facility in the state. As you were also informed, our organization has quite an impressive network of doctors and other health-care professionals with offices located throughout the state. Should you need a specialist, our professionals will be able to make an appropriate recommendation. In the event that you have questions or would like additional information, you may certainly contact me during regular business hours. Most sincerely yours, Samuel G. Berenz

Tone Example

Conversational: just right for most business communication

Dear Ms. Navarro: Here’s the information you requested during our phone conversation on Friday. As I mentioned, Midville Hospital has the highest-rated doctors and more of them than any other hospital in the state. In addition, we have a vast network of doctors and other health professionals with offices throughout the state. If you need a specialist, they can refer you to the right one. If you would like more information, please call any time between 9:00 and 5:00, Monday through Friday. Sincerely, Samuel G. Berenz

Unprofessional: too casual for business communication

Here’s the 411 you requested. IMHO, we have more and better doctors than any other hospital in the state. FYI, we also have a large group of doctors and other health professionals w/ offices close to U at work/home. If U need a specialist, they’ll refer U to the right one. Any? just ring or msg. L8R, S

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

Ten tips for conversational writing

These easy-to-use ideas will help you achieve a business-friendly conversational tone. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

TABLE 5.3 Weeding Out Obsolete Phrases

Obsolete Phrase Up-to-Date Replacement

we are in receipt of we received

kindly advise please let me/us know

attached please find enclosed is or I/we have enclosed

it has come to my attention I have just learned or [someone] has just informed me

the undersigned I/we

in due course (specify a time or date)

permit me to say that (omit; just say whatever you need to say)

pursuant to (omit; just say whatever you need to say)

in closing, I’d like to say (omit; just say whatever you need to say)

we wish to inform you that (omit; just say whatever you need to say)

please be advised that (omit; just say whatever you need to say)

USING PLAIN LANGUAGE

Audiences can understand and act on plain language without reading it over and over.

An important aspect of creating a conversational tone is using plain language (or plain English specifically when English is involved). Plain language presents information in a simple, unadorned style that allows your audience to easily grasp your meaning—language that recipients “can read, understand and act upon

the first time they read it.”9

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002ABB) You can see how this definition supports using the “you” attitude and shows respect for your audience. In addition, plain language can make companies more productive and more

profitable because people spend less time trying to figure out messages that are confusing or aren’t written to meet their needs.10

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002ABD) Plain language is also easier for nonnative speakers to read, a major benefit when you’re addressing diverse, global audiences.

Creative Commons, a not-for-profit organization that provides content creators with an alternative to traditional copyright law, offers a great example of adapting to readers with plain language. Its licensing terms are available in three versions: a complete “legal code” document that spells out contractual details in specific legal terms that meet the needs of legal professionals, a “human readable” version that explains the licensing terms in nontechnical language that anyone can understand, and a “machine readable” version fine-tuned for search engines and other systems (see Figure 5.3

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P7001012451000000000000000002653) ).11

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002ABF)

SELECTING THE ACTIVE OR PASSIVE VOICE

Active sentences are usually stronger than passive ones.

Your choice of the active or passive voice affects the tone of your message. In active voice (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P70010124510000000000000000028F1) , the subject performs the action and the object receives the action: “Jodi sent the email message.” In passive voice (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002912) , the subject receives the action: “The email message was sent by Jodi.” As you can see, the passive voice combines the helping verb to be with a form of the verb that is usually similar to the past tense.

Using the active voice helps make your writing more direct, livelier, and easier to read (see Table 5.4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P7001012451000000000000000002663) ). In contrast, the

passive voice is often cumbersome, can be unnecessarily vague, and can make sentences overly long. In most cases, the active voice is your best choice.12

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AC1) Nevertheless, using the passive voice can help you demonstrate the “you” attitude in some situations:

Use passive sentences to soften bad news, to put yourself in the background, or to create an impersonal tone when needed.

• When you want to be diplomatic about pointing out a problem or an error of some kind (the passive version seems less like an accusation) • When you want to point out what’s being done without taking or attributing either the credit or the blame (the passive version shifts the spotlight away

from the person or persons involved) • When you want to avoid personal pronouns in order to create an objective tone (the passive version may be used in a formal report, for example)

The second half of Table 5.4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P7001012451000000000000000002663) illustrates several other situations in which the passive voice helps you focus your message on your audience.

Figure 5.3 Plain Language at Creative Commons

Creative Commons uses this diagram and text to explain the differences among its three versions of content licenses.

TABLE 5.4 Choosing Active or Passive Voice

In general, avoid passive voice to make your writing lively and direct.

Dull and Indirect in Passive Voice Lively and Direct in Active Voice

The new procedure was developed by the operations team. The operations team developed the new procedure.

Legal problems are created by this contract. This contract creates legal problems.

Reception preparations have been undertaken by our PR people for the new CEO’s arrival.

Our PR people have begun planning a reception for the new CEO.

However, passive voice is helpful when you need to be diplomatic or want to focus attention on problems or solutions rather than on people.

Accusatory or Self-Congratulatory in Active Voice More Diplomatic in Passive Voice

You lost the shipment. The shipment was lost.

I recruited seven engineers last month. Seven engineers were recruited last month.

We are investigating the high rate of failures on the final assembly line. The high rate of failures on the final assembly line is being investigated.

5.4 Composing Your Message: Choosing Powerful Words

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

4 Describe how to select words that are both correct and effective. After you have decided how to adapt to your audience, you’re ready to begin composing your message. As you write your first draft, let your creativity flow. Don’t try to write and edit at the same time or worry about getting everything perfect. Make up words if you can’t think of the right word, draw pictures, talk out loud—do whatever it takes to get the ideas out of your head and onto screen or paper. If you’ve scheduled carefully, you should have time to revise and refine the material later. In fact, many writers find it helpful to establish a personal rule of never showing a first draft to anyone. By working in this “safe zone,” away from the critical eyes of others, your mind will stay free to think clearly and creatively.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY EXPLORING THIS INTERACTIVE WEBSITE

Grammar questions? Click here for help

This comprehensive online guide can help you out of just about any grammar dilemma. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

If you get stuck and feel unable to write, try to overcome writer’s block by jogging your brain in creative ways. The introduction is often the hardest part to write, so put it aside and work on whichever parts of the document you’re most comfortable with at any given moment. In most cases you don’t need to write the

sections in any particular order.13

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AC3) Work on nontext elements such as graphics or your cover page. Revisit your purpose and confirm your intent in writing the message. Give yourself a mental break by switching to a different project. Sometimes all you need to do is start writing without worrying about the words you’re using or how they will sound to the audience. Words will start flowing, your mind will engage, and the writing will come easier.

You may find it helpful to hone your craft by viewing your writing at three levels: strong words, effective sentences, and coherent paragraphs. Starting at the word

level, successful writers pay close attention to the correct use of words.14

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AC5) If you make errors of grammar or usage, you lose credibility with your audience—even if your message is otherwise correct. Poor grammar suggests to readers that you’re unprofessional, and they may choose not to trust you as a result. Moreover, poor grammar may imply that you don’t respect your audience enough to get things right.

Correctness is the first consideration when choosing words.

The rules of grammar and usage can be a source of worry for writers because some of them are complex and some evolve over time. Even professional editors and grammarians occasionally have questions about correct usage, and they may disagree about the answers. For example, the word data is the plural form of datum, yet some experts now prefer to treat data as a singular noun when it’s used in nonscientific material to refer to a body of facts or figures.

With practice, you’ll become more skilled in making correct choices over time. If you have doubts about what is correct, you have many ways to find the answer. Check the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage at the end of this book, or consult the many special reference books and resources available in libraries, in bookstores, and on the Internet.

Effectiveness is the second consideration when choosing words.

In addition to using words correctly, successful writers and speakers take care to use the most effective words and phrases. Selecting and using words effectively is often more challenging than using words correctly because doing so is a matter of judgment and experience. Careful writers continue to work at their craft to find words that communicate with power (see Figure 5.4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P70010124510000000000000000026AD) ).

UNDERSTANDING DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION

A word may have both a denotative and a connotative meaning. The denotative meaning (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P700101245100000000000000000290C) is the literal, or dictionary, meaning. The connotative meaning (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002903) includes all the associations and feelings evoked by the word.

The denotative meaning of desk is “a piece of furniture with a flat work surface and various drawers for storage.” The connotative meaning of desk may include thoughts associated with work or study, but the word desk has fairly neutral connotations—neither strong nor emotional. However, some words have much stronger connotations than others and should be used with care. For example, the connotations of the word fail are negative and can have a dramatic emotional impact. If you say the sales department failed to meet its annual quota, the connotative meaning suggests that the group is inferior, incompetent, or below some standard of performance. However, the reason for not achieving 100 percent might be an inferior product, incorrect pricing, or some other factor outside the

control of the sales department. In contrast, by saying the sales department achieved 85 percent of its quota, you clearly communicate that the results were less than expected without triggering all the negative emotions associated with failure.

BALANCING ABSTRACT AND CONCRETE WORDS

The more abstract a word is, the more it is removed from the tangible, objective world of things that can be perceived with the senses.

Words vary dramatically in their degree of abstraction or concreteness. An abstract word (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P70010124510000000000000000028EE) expresses a concept, quality, or characteristic. Abstractions are usually broad, encompassing a category of ideas, and they are often intellectual, academic, or philosophical. Love, honor, progress, tradition, and beauty are abstractions, as are such important business concepts as productivity, profits, quality, and motivation. In contrast, a concrete word (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002900) stands for something you can touch, see, or visualize. Most concrete terms are anchored in the tangible, material world. Chair, table, horse, rose, kick, kiss, red, green, and two are concrete words; they are direct, clear, and exact. Things don’t need to have a physical presence to be considered concrete, by the way; software, database, and website are all concrete terms as well.

Figure 5.4 Making Effective Word and Phrase Choices

The opening paragraphs of this blog post from Slack, the maker of a popular group messaging service, illustrate a number of effective word and phrase choices. Slack’s usual communication tone is upbeat and casual, even a little bit playful, but data and network security is a critically important issue that had already affected the young company by this point in time, so this post strikes a balance between conversational and serious.

Courtesy of Slack Technologies, Inc.

As you can imagine, abstractions tend to cause more trouble for writers and readers than concrete words. Abstractions tend to be “fuzzy” and can be interpreted differently, depending on the audience and the circumstances. The best way to minimize such problems is to blend abstract terms with concrete ones, the general with the specific. State the concept, and then pin it down with details expressed in more concrete terms. Save the abstractions for ideas that cannot be expressed any other way. In addition, abstract words such as small, numerous, sizable, near, soon, good, and fine are imprecise, so try to replace them with terms that are more accurate. Instead of referring to a sizable loss, give an exact number.

FINDING WORDS THAT COMMUNICATE WELL

Try to use words that are powerful and familiar.

By practicing your writing, learning from experienced writers and editors, and reading extensively, you’ll find it easier to choose words that communicate exactly what you want to say. When you compose your business messages, think carefully to find the most powerful words for each situation and to avoid obscure words, clichés, and buzzwords that are turning into clichés (see Table 5.5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P70010124510000000000000000026CB) on the next page):

• Choose strong, precise words. Choose words that express your thoughts clearly, specifically, and dynamically. If you find yourself using a lot of adjectives and adverbs, you’re probably trying to compensate for weak nouns and verbs. Saying that sales plummeted is stronger and more efficient than saying sales dropped dramatically or sales experienced a dramatic drop.

TABLE 5.5 Examples of Finding Powerful Words

Potentially Weak Words and Phrases Stronger Alternatives (Effective Usage Depends on the Situation)

Increase (as a verb) Accelerate, amplify, augment, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, magnify, multiply, soar, swell

Decrease (as a verb) Curb, cut back, depreciate, dwindle, shrink, slacken

Large, small (Use a specific number, such as $100 million)

Good Admirable, beneficial, desirable, flawless, pleasant, sound, superior, worthy

Bad Abysmal, corrupt, deficient, flawed, inadequate, inferior, poor, substandard, worthless

We are committed to providing . . . We provide . . .

It is in our best interest to . . . We should . . .

Unfamiliar Words Familiar Words

Ascertain Find out, learn

Consummate Close, bring about

Peruse Read, study

Circumvent Avoid

Unequivocal Certain

Clichés and Buzzwords Plain Language

An uphill battle A challenge

Writing on the wall Prediction

Call the shots Lead

Take by storm Attack

Costs an arm and a leg Expensive

A new ball game Fresh start

Fall through the cracks Be overlooked

Think outside the box Be creative

Run it up the flagpole Find out what people think about it

Eat our own dog food Use our own products

Mission-critical Vital

Disintermediate Get rid of

Green light (as a verb) Approve

Architect (as a verb) Design

Space (as in, “we compete in the XYZ space”) Market or industry

Blocking and tackling Basic skills

Trying to boil the ocean Working frantically but without focus

Human capital People, employees, workforce

Low-hanging fruit Tasks that are easy to complete or sales that are easy to close

Pushback Resistance

• Choose familiar words. You’ll communicate best with words that are familiar to both you and your readers. Efforts to improve a situation certainly can be ameliorative, but saying they are helpful is a lot more effective. Moreover, trying to use an unfamiliar word for the first time in an important document can lead to embarrassing mistakes.

Avoid clichés, be extremely careful with trendy buzzwords, and use jargon only when your audience is completely familiar with it.

• Avoid clichés and be careful with buzzwords. Although familiar words are generally the best choice, avoid clichés—terms and phrases so common that they have lost some of their power to communicate. Buzzwords, newly coined terms often associated with technology, business, or cultural changes, are slightly more difficult to handle than clichés, but they can be useful in small doses and in the right situation. The careful use of a buzzword can signal

that you’re an insider, someone in the know.15

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AC7) However, buzzwords quickly become clichés, and using them too late in their “life cycle” can mark you as an outsider desperately trying to look like an insider. When people use clichés and overuse buzzwords, they often sound as though they don’t know how to express themselves otherwise and don’t invest the

energy required for original writing.16

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AC9)

• Use jargon carefully. Jargon, the specialized language of a particular profession or industry, has a bad reputation, but it’s not always bad. Using jargon is usually an efficient way to communicate within the specific groups that understand these terms. After all, that’s how jargon develops in the first place, as people with similar interests devise ways to communicate complex ideas quickly. For instance, when a recording engineer wants to communicate that a particular piece of music is devoid of reverberation and other sound effects, it’s a lot easier to simply describe the track as “dry.” Of course, to people who aren’t familiar with such insider terms, jargon is meaningless and intimidating—one more reason it’s important to understand your audience before you start writing.

MOBILE APP

The Advanced English Dictionary and Thesaurus helps you find the right word by organizing words according to their relationship with other words.

5.5 Composing Your Message: Creating Effective Sentences

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

5 Define the four types of sentences, and explain how sentence style affects emphasis within a message. Arranging your carefully chosen words in effective sentences is the next step in creating powerful messages. Start by selecting the best type of sentence to communicate each point you want to make.

CHOOSING FROM THE FOUR TYPES OF SENTENCES

Sentences come in four basic varieties: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. A simple sentence (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002915) has one main clause (a single subject and a single predicate), although it may be expanded by nouns and pronouns that serve as objects of the action and by modifying phrases. Here’s an example with the subject noun underlined once and the predicate verb underlined twice:

A simple sentence has one main clause.

Profits increased in the past year.

A compound sentence (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P70010124510000000000000000028FA) has two main clauses that express two or more independent but related thoughts of equal importance, usually joined by a conjunction (such as and, but, or or). In effect, a compound sentence is a merger of two or more simple sentences (independent clauses) that are related. For example:

A compound sentence has two main clauses.

Wage rates have declined by 5 percent, and employee turnover has been high.

The independent clauses in a compound sentence are always separated by a comma or by a semicolon (in which case the conjunction—and, but, or—is dropped).

A complex sentence has one main clause and one subordinate clause.

A complex sentence (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P70010124510000000000000000028F7) expresses one main thought (the independent clause) and one or more subordinate, related thoughts (dependent clauses that cannot stand alone as valid sentences). Independent and dependent clauses are usually separated by a comma:

Although you may question Gerald’s conclusions, you must admit that his research is thorough.

In this example, “Although you may question Gerald’s conclusions” is a subordinate thought expressed in a dependent clause.

A compound-complex sentence has two main clauses and at least one dependent clause.

A compound-complex sentence (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P70010124510000000000000000028FD) has two main clauses, at least one of which contains a subordinate clause:

Profits increased 35 percent in the past year, so although the company faces long-term challenges, I agree that its short-term prospects look quite positive.

When constructing sentences, choose the form that matches the relationship of the ideas you want to express. If you have two ideas of equal importance, express them as two simple sentences or as one compound sentence. However, if one of the ideas is less important than the other, place it in a dependent clause to form a complex sentence. For example, although the following compound sentence uses a conjunction to join two ideas, they aren’t truly equal:

MOBILE APP

Pages is a full-featured word-processing app for iOS devices.

The chemical products division is the strongest in the company, and its management techniques should be adopted by the other divisions.

By making the first thought subordinate to the second, you establish a cause-and-effect relationship and emphasize the more important idea (that the other divisions should adopt the chemical division’s management techniques):

Because the chemical products division is the strongest in the company, its management techniques should be adopted by the other divisions.

Maintain some variety among the four sentence types to keep your writing from getting choppy (too many short, simple sentences) or exhausting (too many long sentences).

In addition to selecting the best type for each thought you want to express, using a variety of sentence types throughout a document can make your writing more interesting and effective. For example, if you use too many simple sentences in a row, you may struggle to properly express the relationships among your ideas, and your writing will sound choppy and abrupt. At the other extreme, a long series of compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences can be tiring to read.

USING SENTENCE STYLE TO EMPHASIZE KEY THOUGHTS

Emphasize specific parts of sentences by

• Devoting more words to them • Putting them at the beginning or at the end of the sentence • Making them the subject of the sentence

In every message of any length, some ideas are more important than others. You can emphasize these key ideas through your sentence style. One obvious technique is to give important points the most space. When you want to call attention to a thought, use extra words to describe it. Consider this sentence:

The chairperson called for a vote of the shareholders.

To emphasize the importance of the chairperson, you might describe her more fully:

Having considerable experience in corporate takeover battles, the chairperson called for a vote of the shareholders.

You can increase the emphasis even more by adding a separate, short sentence to augment the first:

The chairperson called for a vote of the shareholders. She has considerable experience in corporate takeover battles.

You can also call attention to a thought by making it the subject of the sentence. In the following example, the emphasis is on the person:

I can write letters much more quickly by using voice dictation.

By changing the subject, however, the voice dictation capability takes center stage:

Using voice dictation enables me to write letters much more quickly.

Another way to emphasize an idea (in this instance, the idea of stimulating demand) is to place it either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence:

Less emphatic: We are cutting the price to stimulate demand.

More emphatic: To stimulate demand, we are cutting the price.

The best placement of a dependent clause depends on the relationship between the ideas in the sentence.

In complex sentences the placement of the dependent clause hinges on the relationship between the ideas expressed. If you want to emphasize the subordinate idea, put the dependent clause at the end of the sentence (the most emphatic position) or at the beginning (the second most emphatic position). If you want to downplay the idea, put the dependent clause within the sentence:

Most emphatic: The electronic parts are manufactured in Mexico, which has lower wage rates than the United States.

Emphatic: Because wage rates are lower in Mexico than in the United States, the electronic parts are manufactured there.

Least emphatic: Mexico, which has lower wage rates than the United States, was selected as the production site for the electronic parts.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

Practical tips for more effective sentences

The Writer’s Handbook from the University of Wisconsin offers tips on writing clear, concise sentences. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

Techniques such as these give you a great deal of control over the way your audience interprets what you have to say.

5.6 Composing Your Message: Crafting Unified, Coherent Paragraphs

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

6 Define the three key elements of a paragraph, and list five ways to develop unified, coherent paragraphs. Paragraphs organize sentences related to the same general topic. Readers expect every paragraph to be unified—focusing on a single topic—and coherent—presenting ideas in a logically connected way. By carefully arranging the elements of each paragraph, you help your readers grasp the main idea of your document and understand how the specific pieces of support material back up that idea.

CREATING THE ELEMENTS OF A PARAGRAPH

Paragraphs vary widely in length and form, but a typical paragraph contains three basic elements: a topic sentence, support sentences that develop the topic, and transitional words and phrases.

Most paragraphs consist of

• A topic sentence that reveals the subject of the paragraph • Related sentences that support and expand the topic • Transitions that help readers move between sentences and paragraphs

Topic Sentence

Figure 5.5 Topic Sentences

This article from Walmart’s website uses topic sentences effectively. Note how the first two sentences are actually multipurpose topic sentences.

An effective paragraph deals with a single topic, and the sentence that introduces that topic is called the topic sentence (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P700101245100000000000000000291E) (see Figure 5.5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P70010124510000000000000000027ED) ). In informal and creative writing the topic sentence may be implied rather than stated. In business writing the topic sentence is generally explicit and is often the first sentence in the paragraph. The topic sentence gives readers a summary of the general idea that will be covered in the rest of the paragraph. The following examples show how a topic sentence can introduce the subject and suggest the way the subject will be developed:

The medical products division has been troubled for many years by public relations problems. [In the rest of the paragraph, readers will learn the details of the problems.]

To get a refund, please supply us with the following information. [The details of the necessary information will be described in the rest of the paragraph.]

In addition to helping your readers, topic sentences help you as a writer because they remind you of the purpose of each paragraph and thereby encourage you to stay focused. In fact, a good way to test the effectiveness of your writing is to prepare a summary version that consists of only the first sentences of all your paragraphs. If this summary communicates the essence of your message in a sensible, compelling way, you’ve probably done a good job of presenting your

information.17 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002ACB)

Support Sentences

In most paragraphs, the topic sentence needs to be explained, justified, or extended with one or more support sentences. These related sentences must all have a bearing on the general subject and must provide enough specific details to make the topic clear.

The medical products division has been troubled for many years by public relations problems. Since 2014, the local newspaper has published 15 articles that portray the division in a negative light. We have been accused of everything from mistreating laboratory animals to polluting the local groundwater. Our facility has been described as a health hazard. Our scientists are referred to as “Frankensteins,” and our profits are considered “obscene.”

The support sentences are all more specific than the topic sentence. Each one provides another piece of evidence to demonstrate the general truth of the main thought. Also, each sentence is clearly related to the general idea being developed, which gives the paragraph unity. A paragraph is well developed if it contains enough information to make the topic sentence understood and convincing, and if it doesn’t contain any extraneous, unrelated sentences.

Transitions

Transitions (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002921) connect ideas by showing how one thought is related to another. They also help alert the reader to what lies ahead so that shifts and changes don’t cause confusion. In addition to helping readers understand the connections you’re trying to make, transitions give your writing a smooth, even flow.

Depending on the specific need within a document, transitional elements can range in length from a single word to an entire paragraph or more. You can establish transitions in a variety of ways:

Transitional elements include

• Connecting words (conjunctions) • Repeated words or phrases • Pronouns • Words that are frequently paired

• Use connecting words. Use conjunctions such as and, but, or, nevertheless, however, in addition, and so on. • Echo a word or phrase from a previous paragraph or sentence. “A system should be established for monitoring inventory levels. This system will

provide . . . ” • Use a pronoun that refers to a noun used previously. “Ms. Arthur is the leading candidate for the president’s position. She has excellent

qualifications.” • Use words that are frequently paired. “The machine has a minimum output of . . . Its maximum output is . . . ”

Some transitions serve as mood changers, alerting the reader to a change in mood from the previous material. Some announce a total contrast with what’s come before, some announce a causal relationship, and some signal a change in time. Here is a list of transitions frequently used to move readers smoothly between clauses, sentences, and paragraphs:

Additional detail: moreover, furthermore, in addition, besides, first, second, third, finally Cause-and-effect relationship: therefore, because, accordingly, thus, consequently, hence, as a result, so Comparison: similarly, here again, likewise, in comparison, still Contrast: yet, conversely, whereas, nevertheless, on the other hand, however, but, nonetheless Condition: although, if Illustration: for example, in particular, in this case, for instance Time sequence: formerly, before, after, when, meanwhile, sometimes Intensification: indeed, in fact, in any event Summary: in brief, in short, to sum up Repetition: that is, in other words, as mentioned previously

Consider using a transition whenever it could help the reader better understand your ideas and follow you from point to point. You can use transitions inside paragraphs to tie related points together and between paragraphs to ease the shift from one distinct thought to another. In longer reports, a transition that links major sections or chapters may be a complete paragraph that serves as a mini introduction to the next section or as a summary of the ideas presented in the section just ending. Here’s an example:

Given the nature of this product, our alternatives are limited. As the previous section indicates, we can stop making it altogether, improve it, or continue with the current model. Each of these alternatives has advantages and disadvantages, which are discussed in the following section.

This paragraph makes it clear to the reader that the analysis of the problem (offered in the previous section) is now over and that the document is making a transition to an analysis of the possible solutions (to be offered in the next section).

CHOOSING THE BEST WAY TO DEVELOP EACH PARAGRAPH

Five ways to develop paragraphs:

• Illustration • Comparison or contrast • Cause and effect • Classification • Problem and solution

You have a variety of options for developing paragraphs, each of which can convey a specific type of idea. Five of the most common approaches are illustration, comparison or contrast, cause and effect, classification, and problem and solution (see Table 5.6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P7001012451000000000000000002843) ).

TABLE 5.6 Five Techniques for Developing Paragraphs

Technique Description Example

Illustration Giving examples that demonstrate the general idea

Some of our most popular products are available through local distributors. For example, Everett & Lemmings carries our frozen soups and entrees. The J. B. Green Company carries our complete line of seasonings, as well as the frozen soups. Wilmont Foods, also a major distributor, now carries our new line of frozen desserts.

Comparison or contrast

Using similarities or differences to develop the topic

When the company was small, the recruiting function could be handled informally. The need for new employees was limited, and each manager could comfortably screen and hire her or his own staff. However, our successful bid on the Owens contract means that we will be doubling our labor force over the next six months. To hire that many people without disrupting our ongoing activities, we will create a separate recruiting group within the human resources department.

Cause and effect

Focusing on the reasons for something

The heavy-duty fabric of your Wanderer tent probably broke down for one of two reasons: (1) a sharp object punctured the fabric, and without reinforcement, the hole was enlarged by the stress of pitching the tent daily for a week, or (2) the fibers gradually rotted because the tent was folded and stored while still wet.

Classification Showing how a general idea is broken into specific categories

Successful candidates for our supervisor trainee program generally come from one of several groups. The largest group by far consists of recent graduates of accredited business management programs. The next largest group comes from within our own company, as we try to promote promising staff workers to positions of greater responsibility. Finally, we occasionally accept candidates with outstanding supervisory experience in related industries.

Problem and solution

Presenting a problem and then discussing the solution

Selling handmade toys online is a challenge because consumers are accustomed to buying heavily advertised toys from major chain stores or well-known websites such as Amazon.com (http://Amazon.com) . However, if we develop an appealing website, we can compete on the basis of product novelty and quality. In addition, we can provide unusual crafts at a competitive price: a rocking horse of birch, with a hand-knit tail and mane; a music box with the child’s name painted on the top; and a real teepee made by Native American artisans.

In some instances combining approaches in a single paragraph is an effective strategy. Notice how the example provided for “Problem and solution” in Table 5.6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P7001012451000000000000000002843) also includes an element of illustration by listing some of the unique products that could be part of the proposed solution. When combining approaches, however, do so carefully so that you don’t lose readers partway through the paragraph.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VISITING THIS WEBSITE

Expert advice on making technologies usable

Usability experts at Nielsen Norman Group offer dozens of research-based articles on effective communication using mobile devices and other technologies. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

In addition, before settling for the first approach that comes to mind, consider alternatives. Think through various methods before committing yourself, or even write several test paragraphs to see which method works best. By avoiding the easy habit of repeating the same old paragraph pattern time after time, you can keep your writing fresh and interesting.

5.7 Writing Messages for Mobile Devices

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

7 List five techniques for writing effective messages for mobile readers. One obvious adaptation to make for audiences using mobile devices is to modify the design and layout of your messages to fit smaller screen sizes and different user interface features(see Chapter 6) (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) . However, modifying your approach to writing is also an important step. Reading is more difficult on small screens, and consequently users’ ability to comprehend what they

read on mobile devices is lower than it is on larger screens.18

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002ACD) In fact, research shows that comprehension can drop by 50 percent when users move from reading on a full-size screen to reading on a smartphone, and they can scroll right past

vital information without noticing it.19

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002ACF) Use these five techniques to make your mobile messages more effective:

To write effectively for mobile devices

• Use a linear organization • Prioritize information • Write short, focused messages • Use short subject lines and headings • Use short paragraphs

• Use a linear organization. In a printed document or on a larger screen, readers can easily take in multiple elements on a page, such as preview or summary boxes, tables and other supporting visuals, and sidebars with related information. All these elements are in view at the same time, so readers can jump around the page to read various parts without feeling lost. With small mobile device screens, however, a complicated organization requires readers to zoom in and out and pan around to see all these elements at readable text sizes. This makes reading slower and increases the odds that readers will get disoriented and lose the thread of the message because they can’t see the big picture. In addition, using a touch screen momentarily

obscures some of the information, so the more that users have to hunt and scroll, the more likely they will miss something.20

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AD1) To simplify reading, organize with a linear flow from the top to the bottom of the message or article.

• Prioritize information. Small screens make it difficult for readers to scan the page to find the information they want most. Prioritize the information

based on what you know about their needs and put that information first.21

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AD3) Use the inverted pyramid style favored by journalists, in which you reveal the most important information briefly at first and then provide successive layers of detail that readers can consume if they want. Note that you may need to avoid using the indirect approach (see page 114 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000021ce#page_114) ) if your message is complicated because it will be more difficult for readers to follow your chain of reasoning.

• Write shorter and more focused messages and documents. Mobile users often lack the patience or opportunity to read lengthy messages or

documents, so keep it short.22

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AD5) In some cases this could require you to write two documents, a shorter executive summary (see page 425 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000056f6#page_425) ) for mobile use and a longer supporting document that readers can access with their PCs if they want more details.

• Use shorter subject lines and headings. Mobile devices, particularly phones, can’t display as many characters in a single line of text as the typical computer screen can. Depending on the app or website, email subject lines and page headings will be truncated or will wrap around to take up multiple

lines. Both formats make reading more difficult. A good rule of thumb is to keep subject lines and headlines to around 25 characters.23

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AD7) This doesn’t give you much text to work with, so make every word count and make sure you start with the key words so readers can instantly see what the

subject line or heading is about.24

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002AD9)

• Use shorter paragraphs. In addition to structuring a message according to discrete blocks of information, paragraphs have a visual role in written communication as well. Shorter paragraphs are less intimidating and let readers take frequent “micro rests” as they move through a document. Because far less text is displayed at once on a mobile screen, keep paragraphs as short as possible so readers don’t have to swipe through screen after screen before getting to paragraph breaks.

Compare the two messages in Figure 5.6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002895) to get a sense of how to write reader-friendly mobile content.

For a reminder of the tasks involved in writing messages, see “Checklist: Writing Business Messages (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P70010124510000000000000000028A8) .”

Figure 5.6 Writing for Mobile Devices

Messages and documents created for printed pages and full-sized screens can be difficult and frustrating on mobile devices (Figure 5.6a (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002895) and b (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002895) ). For mobile audiences, rewrite with short headlines and concise, linear content (Figure 5.6c (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002895) ).

MS Office 365, © Microsoft

CHECKLIST Writing Business Messages A. Adapt to your audience.

• Use the “you” attitude. • Maintain good etiquette through polite communication. • Emphasize the positive whenever possible. • Use bias-free language. • Establish credibility in the eyes of your audience. • Project your company’s preferred image. • Use a conversational but still professional and respectful tone. • Use plain language for clarity.

B. Compose your message. • Choose strong words that communicate efficiently. • Pay attention to the connotative meaning of your words. • Balance abstract and concrete terms to accurately convey your meaning. • Avoid clichés and trendy buzzwords. • Use jargon only when your audience understands it and prefers it. • Vary your sentence structure for impact and interest. • Develop coherent, unified paragraphs. • Use transitions generously to help your audience follow your message. • As needed, adapt your writing for the limitations of mobile devices.

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT She Takes on the World

Natalie MacNeil recently hired you as an assistant editor at her website. One of your responsibilities is to review the work of guest article contributors and suggest improvements. Use what you’ve learned in this chapter to address these writing challenges.

INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE: A prospective writer included the following sentence in a draft that aims to give entrepreneurs a realistic expectation about getting funding from venture capitalists: “Venture capitalists, who fund only a tiny percentage of all new companies, can provide valuable management expertise and industry connections in addition to start-up funds.” How would you rewrite the sentence to put more emphasis on the fact that venture capitalists fund very few companies and most entrepreneurs can’t count on getting funding from them?

TEAM CHALLENGE: You’re reviewing a draft that encourages college students who are about to graduate to consider starting a business rather than applying for conventional jobs. The writer has two main reasons for making this suggestion. First, the current job market is tough in many professions, and some graduates will be forced to take jobs that are outside their intended fields and perhaps below the level of their qualifications. Second, the nature of employment is changing in many professions and industries, and many companies now engage independent contractors (also known as freelancers) for short durations, rather than hiring employees for the long term. Which of these statements is the most sensitive to the audience’s needs as they relate to this specific topic? What specific words and phrases make it the most sensitive?

a. The job market remains slow in many industries and professions, so you should seriously consider creating your own job by starting a small company and setting up shop as an independent contractor.

b. The job market remains slow in many industries and professions, and many of those jobs aren’t coming back even when the economy fully recovers. Chances are you’ll end up working as an independent contractor at some point anyway, so you might as well do it now.

c. What could be more fun than creating your own job the minute you graduate? d. Chances are you’ll be facing a tough job market when you graduate, and many traditional jobs are converting to contract work. Why not convert a

challenge into opportunity and create your own job?

Quick Learning Guide

KEY TERMS

abstract word Word that expresses a concept, quality, or characteristic; abstractions are usually broad

active voice Sentence structure in which the subject performs the action and the object receives the action

bias-free language Language that avoids words and phrases that categorize or stigmatize people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disability

complex sentence Sentence that expresses one main thought (the independent clause) and one or more subordinate, related thoughts (dependent clauses that cannot stand alone as valid sentences)

compound sentence Sentence with two main clauses that express two or more independent but related thoughts of equal importance, usually joined by a conjunction such as and, but, or or

compound-complex sentence Sentence with two main clauses, at least one of which contains a subordinate clause

concrete word Word that represents something you can touch, see, or visualize; most concrete terms related to the tangible, material world

connotative meaning All the associations and feelings evoked by a word

conversational tone The tone used in most business communication; it uses plain language that sounds businesslike without being stuffy at one extreme or too laid-back and informal at the other extreme

credibility A measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others

denotative meaning The literal, or dictionary, meaning of a word

euphemisms Words or phrases that express a thought in milder terms

passive voice Sentence structure in which the subject receives the action

simple sentence Sentence with one main clause (a single subject and a single predicate)

style The choices you make to express yourself: the words you select, the manner in which you use those words in sentences, and the way you build paragraphs from individual sentences

tone The overall impression in your messages, created by the style you use

topic sentence Sentence that introduces the topic of a paragraph

transitions Words or phrases that tie ideas together by showing how one thought is related to another

SUMMARY OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Identify the four aspects of being sensitive to audience needs when writing business messages. First, the “you” attitude refers to speaking and writing in terms of your audience’s wishes, interests, hopes, and preferences rather than your own. Writing with this attitude is essential to effective communication because it shows your audience that you have their needs in mind, not just your own. Second, good etiquette not only indicates respect for your audience but also helps foster a more successful environment for communication by minimizing negative emotional reaction. Third, sensitive communicators understand the difference between delivering negative news and being negative. Without hiding the negative news, they look for ways to emphasize positive aspects. Fourth, being sensitive includes taking care to avoid biased language that unfairly and even unethically categorizes or stigmatizes people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disability.

2 Explain how establishing your credibility and projecting your company’s image are vital aspects of building strong relationships with your audience. Whether a one-time interaction or a series of exchanges over the course of many months or years, successful communication relies on a positive relationship existing between sender and receiver. Audience 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 evoke in others. When you have established credibility with an audience, communication becomes much easier because you no longer have to spend time and energy convincing people that you are a trustworthy source of information and ideas. Project your company’s desired image when communicating with external audiences. You represent your company and therefore play a vital role in helping the company build and maintain positive relationships with all of its stakeholders.

3 Explain how to achieve a tone that is conversational but businesslike, explain the value of using plain language, and define active voice and passive voice. To achieve a tone that is conversational but still businesslike, avoid obsolete and pompous language, avoid preaching and bragging, be careful with intimacy (sharing personal details or adopting an overly casual tone), and be careful with humor. Plain language is a way of presenting information in a simple, unadorned style so that your audience can easily grasp your meaning. By writing and speaking in plain terms, you demonstrate the “you” attitude and show respect for your audience. In the active voice, the subject performs the action and the object receives the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The passive voice combines the helping verb to be with a form of the verb that is usually in the past tense.

4 Describe how to select words that are both correct and effective. To select the best words, first make sure they are correct by checking grammar and usage guides. Then choose words that have few connotations (to reduce the chance of misinterpretation) and no unintended negative connotations (to reduce the chance of offending your audience). Select words that communicate clearly, specifically, and dynamically. Choose words that are strong and familiar, avoid clichés, be extremely careful with buzzwords, and use jargon only when your audience will understand it.

5 Define the four types of sentences, and explain how sentence style affects emphasis within a message. The four types of sentences are simple (one main clause), compound (two main clauses that express independent but related ideas of equal importance), complex (one main clause and one subordinate clause of lesser importance), and compound-complex (two main clauses, at least one of which contains a subordinate clause).

Sentence style affects emphasis by playing up or playing down specific parts of a sentence. To emphasize a certain point, you can place it at the end of the sentence or make it the subject of the sentence. To deemphasize a point, put it in the middle of the sentence.

6 Define the three key elements of a paragraph, and list five ways to develop unified, coherent paragraphs. The three key elements of a paragraph are a topic sentence that identifies the subject of the paragraph, support sentences that develop the topic and provide examples and evidence, and transitional words and phrases that help readers connect one thought to the next. Effective paragraphs are both unified (focused on a single idea) and coherent (logically organized). You can develop paragraphs through illustration (giving examples), comparison or contrast (pointing out similarities or differences), cause and effect (giving reasons), classification (discussing categories), and problem and solution (stating a problem and showing how to solve it).

7 List five techniques for writing effective messages for mobile readers. Five techniques for writing effective messages for mobile readers are using a linear organization so readers don’t have to jump around the screen to find important message elements; prioritizing information and delivering the most important information first; writing short, focused messages; using short subjects lines and headings; and using short paragraphs.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) to complete the problems marked with this icon .

Test Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

5-1. What is meant by the “you” attitude? [LO-1]

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474)

5-2. Why is it important to establish your credibility when communicating with an audience of strangers? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002580#P7001012451000000000000000002582)

5-3. In what three situations is the passive voice appropriate? [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P70010124510000000000000000025D6)

5-4. How does an abstract word differ from a concrete word? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698)

5-5. How does the denotative meaning of a word differ from its connotative meaning? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698)

5-6. How can you use sentence style to emphasize key thoughts? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002768#P700101245100000000000000000276A)

5-7. How can topic sentences help readers? [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P70010124510000000000000000027D6)

5-8. What functions do transitions serve? [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P70010124510000000000000000027D6)

5-9. How does reading comprehension on small, mobile devices compare with comprehension on full-size screens? [LO-7] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002870)

Apply Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

5-10. Millions of people in the United States are allergic to one or more food ingredients, including 1 of every 13 children. Allergic reactions to food

items or ingredients send more than 200,000 people to the emergency room every year. Many of these episodes are tied to poorly written food labels

that either fail to identify dangerous allergens or use scientific terms that most consumers don’t recognize.25

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#P7001012451000000000000000002ADB) Do food manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that consumers read, understand, and follow warnings on food products? Explain your answer. [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474)

5-11. When composing business messages, how can you communicate with an authentic voice and project your company’s image at the same time?

[LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002580#P7001012451000000000000000002582)

5-12. Does using plain language make you come across as less of an expert? Explain your answer. [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P70010124510000000000000000025D6)

5-13. Should you bother using transitions if the logical sequence of your message is obvious? Why or why not? [LO-6]

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P70010124510000000000000000027D6)

5-14. Why can it be difficult to use the indirect approach for a complex message that will be read on mobile devices? [LO-7] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002870)

Practice Your Skills 5-15. Messages for Analysis: Creating a Businesslike Tone [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474) , [LO-3]

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P70010124510000000000000000025D6) Read the following email draft, then (a) analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each sentence and (b) revise the document so that it follows this chapter’s guidelines. The message was written by the marketing manager of an online retailer of baby-related products in the hope of becoming a retail outlet for Inglesina strollers and high chairs. As a manufacturer of stylish, top-quality products, Inglesina (based in Italy) is extremely selective about the retail outlets through which it allows its products to be sold.

Our e-tailing site, www.BestBabyGear.com (http://www.BestBabyGear.com) , specializes in only the very best products for parents of newborns, infants, and toddlers. We constantly scour the world looking for products that are good enough and well-built enough and classy enough—good enough to take their place alongside the hundreds of other carefully selected products that adorn the pages of our award-winning website, www.bestbabygear.com (http://www.bestbabygear.com) . We aim for the fences every time we select a product to join this portfolio; we don’t want to waste our time with onesey- twosey products that might sell a half dozen units per annum—no, we want every product to be a top-drawer success, selling at least one hundred units per specific model per year in order to justify our expense and hassle factor in adding it to the above mentioned portfolio. After careful consideration, we thusly concluded that your Inglesina lines meet our needs and would therefore like to add it.

Exercises

Each activity is labeled according to the primary skill or skills you will need to use. To review relevant chapter content, you can refer to the indicated Learning Objective. In some instances, supporting information will be found in another chapter, as indicated.

Writing: Communicating with Sensitivity and Tact [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474) Substitute a better phrase for each of the following:

5-16. You claim that

5-17. It is not our policy to

5-18. You neglected to

5-19. In which you assert

5-20. We are sorry you are dissatisfied

5-21. You failed to enclose

5-22. We request that you send us

5-23. Apparently you overlooked our terms

5-24. We have been very patient

5-25. We are at a loss to understand

Writing: Demonstrating the “You” Attitude [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474) Rewrite these sentences to reflect your audience’s viewpoint:

5-26. Your email order cannot be processed; we request that you use the order form on our website instead.

5-27. We insist that you always bring your credit card to the store.

5-28. We want to get rid of all our 15-inch LCD screens to make room in our warehouse for the new 19-, 23-, and 35-inch monitors. Thus, we are offering a 25 percent discount on all sales of 15-inch models this week.

5-29. I am applying for the position of accounting intern in your office. I feel my grades prove that I am bright and capable, and I think I can do a good job for you.

5-30. As requested, we are sending the refund for $25.

5-31. If you cared about doing a good job, you would’ve made the extra effort required to learn how to use the machinery properly.

5-32. Your strategy presentation this morning absolutely blew me away; there’s no way we can fail with all the brilliant ideas you’ve pulled together—I’m so glad you’re running the company now!

5-33. Regarding your email message from September 28 regarding the slow payment of your invoice, it’s important for you to realize that we’ve just undergone a massive upgrade of our accounts payable system and payments have been delayed for everybody, not just you.

5-34. I know I’m late with the asset valuation report, but I haven’t been feeling well and I just haven’t had the energy needed to work through the numbers yet.

5-35. With all the online news sources available today, I can’t believe you didn’t know that MyTravel and Thomas Cook were in merger talks—I mean, you don’t even have to get up from your computer to learn this!

Writing: Emphasizing the Positive [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474) Revise these sentences to be positive rather than negative:

5-36. To avoid damage to your credit rating, please remit payment within 10 days.

5-37. We don’t offer refunds on returned merchandise that is soiled.

5-38. Because we are temporarily out of Baby Cry dolls, we won’t be able to ship your order for 10 days.

5-39. You failed to specify the color of the blouse that you ordered.

5-40. You should have realized that waterbeds will freeze in unheated houses during winter. Therefore, our guarantee does not cover the valve damage, and you must pay the $9.50 valve-replacement fee (plus postage).

Writing: Using Unbiased Language [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474) Rewrite each of the following to eliminate bias:

5-41. For an Indian, Maggie certainly is outgoing.

5-42. He needs a wheelchair, but he doesn’t let his handicap affect his job performance.

5-43. A pilot must have the ability to stay calm under pressure, and then he must be trained to cope with any problem that arises.

5-44. Renata Parsons, married and the mother of a teenager, is a top candidate for CEO.

5-45. Even at his age, Sam Nugent is still an active salesman.

5-46. Writing: Establishing Your Credibility; Microblogging Skills [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002580#P7001012451000000000000000002582) , Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) Search LinkedIn for the profile of an expert in any industry or profession. Now imagine that you are going to introduce this person as a speaker at a convention. You will make an in-person introduction at the time of the speech, but you decide to introduce him or her the day before on Twitter. Write four tweets: one that introduces the expert and three that cover three key supporting points that will enhance the speaker’s credibility in the minds of potential listeners. Make up any information you need to complete this assignment, and then email the text of your proposed tweets to your instructor.

5-47. Writing: Using Plain Language; Communication Ethics: Making Ethical Choices, [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#P70010124510000000000000000025D6) , Chapter 1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000105b#P700101245100000000000000000105B) Your company has been a major employer in the local community for years, but shifts in the global marketplace have forced some changes in the company’s long-term direction. In fact, the company plans to reduce local staffing by as much as 50 percent over the next 5 to 10 years, starting with a small layoff next month. The size and timing of future layoffs have not been decided, although there is little doubt that more layoffs will happen at some point. In the first draft of a letter aimed at community leaders, you write that “this first layoff is part of a continuing series of staff reductions anticipated over the next several years.” However, your boss is concerned about the vagueness and negative tone of the language and asks you to rewrite that sentence to read “this layoff is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to continually align its resources with global market conditions.” Do you think this suggested wording is ethical, given the company’s economic influence in the community? Explain your answer in an email message to your instructor.

5-48. Writing: Creating Effective Sentences: Media Skills: Social Networking [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698) , Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) If you are interested in business, chances are you’ve had an idea or two for starting a company. If you haven’t yet, go ahead and dream up an idea now. Make it something you are passionate about, something you could really throw yourself into. Now write a four-sentence summary that could appear on the Info tab on a Facebook profile. Make sure the first sentence is a solid topic sentence, and make sure the next three sentences offer relevant evidence and examples. Feel free to make up any details you need. Email your summary to your instructor or post it on your class blog.

Writing: Choosing Powerful Words [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698) Write a concrete phrase for each of these vague phrases:

5-49. Sometime this spring

5-50. A substantial savings

5-51. A large number attended

5-52. Increased efficiency

5-53. Expanded the work area

5-54. Flatten the website structure

Writing: Choosing Powerful Words [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698) List terms that are stronger than the following:

5-55. Ran after

5-56. Seasonal ups and downs

5-57. Bright

5-58. Suddenly rises

5-59. Moves forward

Writing: Choosing Powerful Words [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698) As you rewrite these sentences, replace the clichés and buzzwords with plain language (for any terms you don’t recognize, you can find definitions online):

5-60. Being a jack-of-all-trades, Dave worked well in his new general manager job.

5-61. Moving Leslie into the accounting department, where she was literally a fish out of water, was like putting a square peg into a round hole, if you get my drift.

5-62. My only takeaway from the offsite was that Laird threw his entire department under the bus for missing the deadline.

5-63. I’d love to help with that project, but I’m bandwidth- constrained.

5-64. The board green-lighted our initiative to repurpose our consumer products for the commercial space.

Writing: Choosing Powerful Words [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698) Suggest short, simple words to replace each of the following:

5-65. Inaugurate

5-66. Terminate

5-67. Utilize

5-68. Anticipate

5-69. Assistance

5-70. Endeavor

5-71. Ascertain

5-72. Procure

5-73. Consummate

5-74. Advise

5-75. Alteration

5-76. Forwarded

5-77. Fabricate

5-78. Nevertheless

5-79. Substantial

Writing: Choosing Powerful Words [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698) Write up-to-date, less-stuffy versions of these phrases; write “none” if you think there is no appropriate substitute or “delete” if the phrase should simply be deleted:

5-80. As per your instructions

5-81. Attached herewith

5-82. In lieu of

5-83. In reply I wish to state

5-84. Please be advised that

Writing: Creating Effective Sentences [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002768#P700101245100000000000000000276A) Rewrite each sentence so that it is active rather than passive:

5-85. The raw data are entered into the customer relationship management system by the sales representative each Friday.

5-86. High profits are publicized by management.

5-87. The policies announced in the directive were implemented by the staff.

5-88. Our computers are serviced by the Santee Company.

5-89. The employees were represented by Tamika Hogan.

5-90. Writing: Crafting Unified, Coherent Paragraphs; Collaboration: Evaluating the Work of Others [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P70010124510000000000000000027D6) , Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) Working with four other students, divide the following five topics among yourselves and each write one paragraph on your selected topic. Be sure each student uses a different technique when writing his or her paragraph: One student should use the illustration technique, one the comparison or contrast

technique, one a discussion of cause and effect, one the classification technique, and one a discussion of problem and solution. Then exchange paragraphs within the team and pick out the main idea and general purpose of the paragraph one of your teammates wrote. Was everyone able to correctly identify the main idea and purpose? If not, suggest how the paragraph could be rewritten for clarity.

• Types of phablets available for sale • Advantages and disadvantages of eating at fast-food restaurants • Finding that first full-time job • Good qualities of my car (or house, or apartment, or neighborhood) • How to make a dessert (or barbecue a steak or make coffee)

Writing: Using Transitions [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#P70010124510000000000000000027D6) Add transitional elements to the following sentences to improve the flow of ideas. (Note: You may need to eliminate or add some words to smooth out your sentences.)

5-91. Facing some of the toughest competitors in the world, Harley-Davidson had to make some changes. The company introduced new products. Harley’s management team set out to rebuild the company’s production process. New products were coming to market and the company was turning a profit. Harley’s quality standards were not on par with those of its foreign competitors. Harley’s costs were still among the highest in the industry. Harley made a U-turn and restructured the company’s organizational structure. Harley’s efforts have paid off.

5-92. Whether you’re indulging in a doughnut in New York or California, Krispy Kreme wants you to enjoy the same delicious taste with every bite. The company maintains consistent product quality by carefully controlling every step of the production process. Krispy Kreme tests all raw ingredients against established quality standards. Every delivery of wheat flour is sampled and measured for its moisture content and protein levels. Krispy Kreme blends the ingredients. Krispy Kreme tests the doughnut mix for quality. Krispy Kreme delivers the mix to its stores. Financial critics are not as kind to the company as food critics have been. Allegations of improper financial reporting have left the company’s future in doubt.

5-93. Media Skills: Writing for Mobile Devices [LO-7] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#P7001012451000000000000000002870) Find an interesting website article on any business topic. Write a three-paragraph summary that would be easy to read on a phone screen.

Expand Your Skills Critique the Professionals

Locate an example of professional communication from a reputable online source. Choose a paragraph that has at least three sentences. Evaluate the effectiveness of this paragraph at three levels, starting with the paragraph structure. Is the paragraph unified and cohesive? Does it have a clear topic sentence and sufficient support to clarify and expand on that topic? Second, evaluate each sentence. Are the sentences easy to read and easy to understand? Did the writer vary the types and lengths of sentences to produce a smooth flow and rhythm? Is the most important idea presented prominently in each sentence? Third, evaluate at least six word choices. Did the writer use these words correctly and effectively? Using whatever medium your instructor requests, write a brief analysis of the piece (no more than one page), citing specific elements from the piece and support from the chapter.

Sharpening Your Career Skills Online

Bovée and Thill’s Business Communication Web Search, at websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com (http://websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com) , is a unique research tool designed specifically for business communication research. Use the Web Search function to find a website, video, article, podcast, or presentation that offers advice on writing effective sentences. Write a brief email message to your instructor, describing the item that you found and summarizing the career skills information you learned from it.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:

5-94. Why are email, texting, and other forms of digital communication so prone to inadvertent etiquette breakdowns in which even well-intentioned writers insult or confuse readers? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#P7001012451000000000000000002474)

5-95. What steps can you take to make abstract concepts such as opportunity feel more concrete in your messages? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#P7001012451000000000000000002698)

Endnotes

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002445#rP7001012451000000000000000002AAB) . Personal communication, Natalie MacNeil, 10 February 2015; She Takes on the World, accessed 20 March 2016, shetakesontheworld.com (http://shetakesontheworld.com) ; Prashanth Gopalan, “Natalie MacNeil Vs. the World,” TechVibes, 29 September 2010, www.techvibes.com (http://www.techvibes.com) ; Natalie MacNeil website, accessed 9 June 2013, nataliemacneil.com (http://nataliemacneil.com) ; product page for She Takes on the World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy, and Living on Purpose, accessed 9 June 2013, www.amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) ; Natalie MacNeil bio, Huffington Post, accessed 9 June 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/natalie-macneil (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/natalie-macneil) .

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#rP7001012451000000000000000002AAD) . Annette N. Shelby and N. Lamar Reinsch Jr., “Positive Emphasis and You Attitude: An Empirical Study,” Journal of Business Communication 32, no. 4 (1995): 303–322.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#rP7001012451000000000000000002AAF) . Quinn Warnick, “A Close Textual Analysis of Corporate Layoff Memos,” Business Communication Quarterly 73, no. 3 (September 2010): 322–326.

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#rP7001012451000000000000000002AB1) . Sherryl Kleinman, “Why Sexist Language Matters,” Qualitative Sociology 25, no. 2 (Summer 2002): 299–304.

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#rP7001012451000000000000000002AB3) . Judy E. Pickens, “Terms of Equality: A Guide to Bias-Free Language,” Personnel Journal, August 1985, 24.

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#rP7001012451000000000000000002AB5) . Xerox website, accessed 20 March 2016, www.xerox.com (http://www.xerox.com) ; ADM website, accessed 20 March 2016, www.adm.com (http://www.adm.com) .

7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002472#rP7001012451000000000000000002AB7) . Lisa Taylor, “Communicating About People with Disabilities: Does the Language We Use Make a Difference?” Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication 53, no. 3 (September 1990): 65–67.

8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#rP7001012451000000000000000002AB9) . Susan Benjamin, Words at Work (Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley, 1997), 136–137.

9 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#rP7001012451000000000000000002ABB) . Plain English Campaign website, accessed 28 June 2010, www.plainenglish.co.uk (http://www.plainenglish.co.uk) .

10 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#rP7001012451000000000000000002ABD) . Plain Language website, accessed 13 May 2016, www.plainlanguage.gov (http://www.plainlanguage.gov) ; Irene Etzkorn, “Amazingly Simple Stuff,” presentation, 7 November 2008, www.slideshare.net (http://www.slideshare.net) .

11 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#rP7001012451000000000000000002ABF) . Creative Commons website, accessed 20 March 2016, creativecommons.org (http://creativecommons.org) .

12 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000025d4#rP7001012451000000000000000002AC1) . Susan Jaderstrom and Joanne Miller, “Active Writing,” Office Pro, November/December 2003, 29.

13 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#rP7001012451000000000000000002AC3) . Mary Munter, Guide to Managerial Communication, 7th ed. (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006), 41.

14 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#rP7001012451000000000000000002AC5) . Portions of this section are adapted from Courtland L. Bovée, Techniques of Writing Business Letters, Memos, and Reports (Sherman Oaks, Calif.: Banner Books International, 1978), 13–90.

15 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#rP7001012451000000000000000002AC7) . Catherine Quinn, “Lose the Office Jargon; It May Sunset Your Career,” The Age (Australia), 1 September 2007, www.theage.com.au (http://www.theage.com.au) .

16 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002695#rP7001012451000000000000000002AC9) . Robert Hartwell Fiske, The Dimwit’s Dictionary (Oak Park, Ill.: Marion Street Press, 2002), 16–20.

17 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#rP7001012451000000000000000002ACB) . Beverly Ballaro and Christina Bielaszka-DuVernay, “Building a Bridge over the River Boredom,” Harvard Management Communication Letter, Winter 2005, 3–5.

18 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#rP7001012451000000000000000002ACD) . Jakob Nielsen, “Mobile Content Is Twice as Difficult,” Nielsen Norman Group, 28 February 2011, www.nngroup.com (http://www.nngroup.com) .

19 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#rP7001012451000000000000000002ACF) . Jakob Nielsen and Raluca Budiu, Mobile Usability (Berkeley, Calif.: New Riders, 2013), 10, 102.

20 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#rP7001012451000000000000000002AD1) . Nielsen and Budiu, Mobile Usability, 23.

21 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#rP7001012451000000000000000002AD3) . “Mobile Web Best Practices,” W3C website, accessed 12 March 2014, www.w3.org (http://www.w3.org) .

22 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#rP7001012451000000000000000002AD5) . “Mobile Message Mayhem,” Verne Ordman & Associates, accessed 12 March 2014, www.businesswriting.biz (http://www.businesswriting.biz) .

23 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#rP7001012451000000000000000002AD7) . “Mobile Message Mayhem.”

24 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000286e#rP7001012451000000000000000002AD9) . Marieke McCloskey, “Writing Hyperlinks: Salient, Descriptive, Start with Keyword,” Nielsen Norman Group, 9 March 2014, www.nngroup.com (http://www.nngroup.com) .

25 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000028e8#rP7001012451000000000000000002ADB) . Food Allergy Research & Education website, accessed 22 March 2016, www.foodallergy.org (http://www.foodallergy.org) ; Diana Keough, “Snacks That Can Kill; Schools Take Steps to Protect Kids Who Have Severe Allergies to Nuts,” Plain Dealer, 15 July 2003, E1; “Dawdling over Food Labels,” New York Times, 2 June 2003, A16; Sheila McNulty, “A Matter of Life and Death,” Financial Times, 10 September 2003, 14.

6 Completing Business Messages LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you will be able to

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#P7001012451000000000000000002B0E) Discuss the value of careful revision, and describe the tasks involved in evaluating your first drafts and the work of other writers.

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b84#P7001012451000000000000000002B88) List four techniques you can use to improve the readability of your messages.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C20) Describe eight steps you can take to improve the clarity of your writing, and give four tips on making your writing more concise.

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6E) List four principles of effective design, and explain the role of major design elements in document readability.

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E2F) Explain the importance of proofreading and give eight tips for successful proofreading.

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e83#P7001012451000000000000000002E87) Discuss the most important issues to consider when distributing your messages.

MyBCommLab®

Improve Your Grade!

More than 10 million students improved their results using Pearson MyLabs. Visit mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for simulations, tutorials, and end-of-chapter problems.

COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UP AT Type Together

www.type-together.com (http://www.type-together.com)

Take a moment and look at the variety of textual messages all around you, from this book to whatever posters and signs might be in view to the displays on mobile devices. Wherever text is presented in print or digital form, someone had to make a decision about which typeface to use for each string of text. And behind the scenes, somebody designed every character of every typeface. (Font and typeface are often used interchangeably, although strictly speaking, a font is a set of characters that use a given typeface design.)

Typefaces aren’t something most people think about very often, but they can have considerable influence on the success of a written message. Type design can contribute to or detract from a message in two major ways: readability and personality. Naturally, readability is essential. If people can’t accurately read the words on the page or screen, they won’t interpret a message as intended. If a typeface is legible but difficult to read for more than few a words, people will tend to give up and never finish reading the document.

Personality is more subtle but also important because the “look and feel” of a typeface sends a nonverbal message along with the verbal (written) message. Various typefaces can convey a wide range of these nonverbal messages, from serious and formal to casual and even playful. Just like showing up for a job interview in wildly inappropriate clothing, using a typeface with the wrong personality can detract from even a well-written message. (And as you can see from studying a variety of typefaces, personality needs to be balanced with readability; some typefaces with “strong” personalities can be difficult to read.) Personality is so important that some companies commission their own custom typefaces that become integral elements of their overall brand presence.

Type design has been an active art form for hundreds of years, and many contemporary designs are the result of efforts to adapt classic designs to contemporary uses. For some designs, this modernization is an effort to improve a typeface’s readability or update its visual presence. For others, the modernization has a more technical aspect, creating typefaces that work more successfully with digital print or display technologies. For instance, the Georgia typeface was created in the 1990s primarily as a solution for that era’s lower-resolution computer screens, although thanks to its attractive readability it is still a popular choice today.

Designers José Scaglione and Veronika Burian of Type Together focus on creating typefaces that are easy to read in lengthy stretches of text but that still display fresh and unique personalities.

Courtesy TypeTogether

Although thousands of typefaces are now available, type design remains a vibrant artistic profession, with new designs appearing all the time. Veronika Burian and José Scaglione are among the latest generation of designers lending their talents to the ageless challenge of balancing readability and personality. Their type foundry Type Together, based in the Czech Republic capital of Prague, specializes in editorial typefaces, those used for long blocks of text such as in newspapers and books. (As a nod to the days when all typefaces were made from metal, type design studios are still referred to as foundries.)

Burian and Scaglione focus on the challenge of making type that is highly readable while offering fresh new personalities and meeting the technical demands of contemporary digital publishing. As individual designers and together as the cofounders of Type Together, Burian and Scaglione have achieved international recognition for their designs and their contribution to the art of type design through workshops, teaching, and publications. Their commissioned work has ranged from customizing e-reader type for Apple’s iBooks to creating a font that Levi’s could use in multiple languages for a global ad campaign.

Your business audiences may not think about typefaces often, but their responses to your messages and documents depend more than they might imagine on the

efforts of type designers such as Burian and Scaglione—and on your skill in using their designs.1

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P700101245100000000000000000302F)

6.1 Revising Your Message: Evaluating the First Draft

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

1 Discuss the value of careful revision, and describe the tasks involved in evaluating your first drafts and the work of other writers. Veronika Burian and José Scaglione (profiled in the chapter-opening Communication Close-Up (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002AF7) ) lend their creativity and talents to an essential stage of the writing process—producing professional-quality messages that convey the intended message both verbally and nonverbally. You’ll read more about document design and production, including choosing and using typefaces, later in the chapter.

Before getting to the design stage, though, it’s important to fine-tune the content you’ve diligently researched, organized, and composed. Successful communicators recognize that the first draft is rarely as tight, clear, and compelling as it needs to be. Careful revision can mean the difference between a rambling, unfocused message and a lively, direct message that gets results.

The revision task can vary somewhat, depending on the medium and the nature of your message. For informal messages to internal audiences, particularly when using instant messaging, text messaging, email, or blogging, the revision process is often as simple as quickly looking over your message to correct any mistakes before sending or posting it. However, don’t fall into the common trap of thinking that you don’t need to worry about grammar, spelling, clarity, and other fundamentals of good writing when you use such media. These qualities can be especially important in digital media, particularly if these messages are the only contact your audience has with you. Audiences are likely to equate the quality of your writing with the quality of your thinking. Poor-quality messages create an impression of poor-quality thinking and can cause confusion, frustration, and costly delays.

For important messages, schedule time to put your draft aside for a day or two before you begin the revision process.

With more complex messages, try to put your draft aside for a day or two before you begin the revision process so that you can approach the material with a fresh eye. Then start with the “big picture,” making sure that the document accomplishes your overall goals before moving to finer points such as readability, clarity, and conciseness. Compare the letters in Figures 6.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#P7001012451000000000000000002B17) and 6.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#P7001012451000000000000000002B3E) on the next two pages for an example of how careful revision improves a letter to a customer.

EVALUATING YOUR CONTENT, ORGANIZATION, STYLE, AND TONE

When you begin the revision process, focus your attention on content, organization, style, and tone. To evaluate the content of your message, answer these questions:

• Is the information accurate? • Is the information relevant to the audience? • Is there enough information to satisfy the readers’ needs?

Figure 6.1 Improving a Letter Through Careful Revision

Careful revision makes this draft shorter, clearer, and more focused. The proofreading symbols you see here are still widely used whenever printed documents are edited and revised; you can find a complete list of symbols in Appendix C (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000752b#P700101245100000000000000000752B) . Note that many business documents are now “marked up” using such software tools as revision marks in Microsoft Word and comments in Adobe Acrobat. No matter what the medium, however, careful revision is key to more effective messages.

Figure 6.2 Professional Business Letter

Here is the revised and finished version of the edited letter from Figure 6.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#P7001012451000000000000000002B17) . Note that the block format used here is just one of several layout options; Appendix A (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000070ad#P70010124510000000000000000070AD) also describes the modified block format and the simplified format.

• Is there a good balance between general information (giving readers enough background information to appreciate the message) and specific information (giving readers the details they need to understand the message)?

When you are satisfied with the content of your message, you can review its organization. Answer another set of questions:

• Are all the points covered in the most logical order? • Do the most important ideas receive the most space, and are they placed in the most prominent positions? • Would the message be more convincing if it were arranged in a different sequence? • Are any points repeated unnecessarily? • Are details grouped together logically, or are some still scattered through the document?

Next, consider whether you have achieved the right tone for your audience. Is your writing formal enough to meet the audience’s expectations without being too formal or academic? Is it too casual for a serious subject?

Spend a few extra moments on the beginning and end of your message; these sections usually have the greatest impact on the audience. Be sure that the opening is relevant, interesting, and geared to the reader’s probable reaction. In longer messages, ensure that the first few paragraphs establish the subject, purpose, and organization of the material. Review the conclusion to be sure that it summarizes the main idea and leaves the audience with a positive impression.

EVALUATING, EDITING, AND REVISING THE WORK OF OTHERS

At many points in your career, you will be asked to evaluate, edit, or revise the work of others. Whether you’re suggesting improvements or actually making the improvements yourself (as you might on a wiki site, for example), you can make a contribution by using all the skills you are learning in Chapter 4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f59#P7001012451000000000000000001F59) through Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) .

When you evaluate, edit, or revise someone else’s work, remember that your job is to help that person succeed, not to impose your own style.

Before you dive into someone else’s work, recognize the dual responsibility that doing so entails. First, unless you’ve been specifically asked to rewrite something in your own style or to change the emphasis of the message, remember that your job is to help the other writer succeed at his or her task, not to impose your writing style or pursue your own agenda. In other words, make sure your input focuses on making the piece more effective, not on making it more like something you would’ve written. Second, make sure you understand the writer’s intent before you begin suggesting or making changes. If you try to edit or revise without knowing what the writer hoped to accomplish, you run the risk of making the piece less effective, not more. With those thoughts in mind, answer the following questions as you evaluate someone else’s writing:

• What is the purpose of this document or message? • Who is the target audience? • What information does the audience need? • Does the document provide this information in a well-organized way? • Does the writing demonstrate the “you” attitude toward the audience? • Is the tone of the writing appropriate for the audience? • Can the readability be improved? • Is the writing clear? If not, how can it be improved? • Is the writing as concise as it could be? • Does the design support the intended message?

You can read more about using these skills in the context of wiki writing in Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) .

6.2 Revising to Improve Readability

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

2 List four techniques you can use to improve the readability of your messages. After confirming the content, organization, style, and tone of your message, make a second pass to improve readability. Most professionals are inundated with more reading material than they can ever hope to consume, and they’ll appreciate your efforts to make your documents easier to read. You’ll benefit from this effort, too: If you earn a reputation for creating well-crafted documents that respect the audience’s time, people will pay more attention to your work.

You may be familiar with one of the indexes that have been developed over the years in an attempt to measure readability. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score computes reading difficulty relative to U.S. grade-level achievement. For instance, a score of 10 suggests that a document can be read and understood by the average 10th grader. The Flesch Reading Ease score, a similar scoring system, ranks documents on a 100-point scale. Higher scores suggest that the document should be easier to read, based on word size and sentence length. If these measurements aren’t built into your word-processing software, you can find a number of calculators for various indexes online.

Readability indexes offer a useful reference point, but they are limited by what they are able to measure: word length, number of syllables, sentence length, and paragraph length. They can’t measure any of the other factors that affect readability, such as document design, the “you” attitude, clear sentence structure, smooth transitions, and proper word usage. Compare these two paragraphs:

Readability indexes offer a useful reference point, but they are all limited by what they are able to measure: word length, number of syllables, sentence length, and paragraph length. They can’t measure any of the other factors that affect readability, from “you” orientation to writing clarity to document design.

Readability indexes can help. But they don’t measure everything. They don’t measure whether your writing clarity is good. They don’t measure whether your document design is good or not. Reading indexes are based on word length, syllables, sentences, and paragraphs.

The second paragraph scores much better on both grade level and reading ease, but it is choppy, unsophisticated, and poorly organized. As a general rule, then, don’t assume that a piece of text is readable if it scores well on a readability index—or that it is difficult to read if it doesn’t score well.

Beyond using shorter words and simpler sentences, you can improve the readability of a message by making the document interesting and easy to skim. Most business audiences—particularly influential senior managers—tend to skim documents, looking for key ideas, conclusions, and recommendations. If they think a document contains valuable information or requires a response, they will read it more carefully when time permits. Four techniques will make your message easier to read and easier to skim: varying sentence length, using shorter paragraphs, using lists and bullets instead of narrative, and adding effective headings and subheadings.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VISITING THIS WEBSITE

Editing and proofreading tips, with an error treasure hunt

This guide from the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, offers advice on editing and proofreading, and a chance to find errors strategically embedded in the advice itself. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

VARYING YOUR SENTENCE LENGTH

Varying the length of your sentences is a creative way to make your messages interesting and readable. By choosing words and sentence structure with care, you can create a rhythm that emphasizes important points, enlivens your writing style, and makes information more appealing to your reader. For example, a short sentence that highlights a conclusion at the end of a substantial paragraph of evidence makes your key message stand out. Try for a mixture of sentences that are short (up to 15 words or so), medium (15–25 words), and long (more than 25 words).

To keep readers’ interest, look for ways to combine a variety of short, medium, and long sentences.

Each sentence length has its advantages. Short sentences can be processed quickly and are easier for nonnative speakers and translators to interpret. Medium- length sentences are useful for showing the relationships among ideas. Long sentences are often the best for conveying complex ideas, listing multiple related points, or summarizing or previewing information.

Of course, each sentence length also has disadvantages. Too many short sentences in a row can make your writing choppy. Medium sentences can lack the punch of short sentences and the informative power of longer sentences. Long sentences can be difficult to understand because they contain more information and usually have a more complicated structure. Because readers can absorb only a few words per glance, longer sentences are also more difficult to skim. By choosing the best sentence length for each communication need and remembering to mix sentence lengths for variety, you’ll get your points across while keeping your messages lively and interesting.

KEEPING YOUR PARAGRAPHS SHORT

Short paragraphs have the major advantage of being easy to read.

Large blocks of text can be visually daunting, particularly on screen and even more so on small mobile devices, so the optimum paragraph length is short to medium in most cases. Unless you break up your thoughts somehow, you’ll end up with lengthy paragraphs that are guaranteed to intimidate even the most dedicated reader. Short paragraphs, generally 100 words or fewer (this paragraph has 92 words), are easier to read than long ones, and they make your writing look inviting. You can also emphasize ideas by isolating them in short, forceful paragraphs.

However, don’t go overboard with short paragraphs. In particular, be careful to use one-sentence paragraphs only occasionally and usually only for emphasis. Also, if you need to divide a subject into several pieces to keep paragraphs short, be sure to help your readers keep the ideas connected by guiding them with plenty of transitional elements.

USING LISTS TO CLARIFY AND EMPHASIZE

Lists are effective tools for highlighting and simplifying material.

An effective alternative to using conventional sentences is to set off important ideas in a list—a series of words, names, or other items. Lists can show the sequence of your ideas, heighten their visual impact, and increase the likelihood that a reader will find key points. In addition, lists help simplify complex subjects, highlight main points, visually break up a page or screen, ease the skimming process for busy readers, and give readers a breather. Compare these two treatments of the same information:

Narrative List

Owning your own business has many potential advantages. One is the opportunity to pursue your own personal passion. Another advantage is the satisfaction of working for yourself. As a sole proprietor, you also have the advantage of privacy because you do not have to reveal your financial information or plans to anyone.

Owning your own business has three advantages:

• Opportunity to pursue personal passion

• Satisfaction of working for yourself

• Financial privacy

You can separate list items with numbers, letters, or bullets (a general term for any kind of graphical element that precedes each item). Bullets are generally preferred over numbers, unless the list is in some logical sequence or ranking or you need to refer to specific list items elsewhere in the document.

Lists are easier to locate and read if the entire numbered or bulleted section is set off by a blank line before and after. Furthermore, make sure to introduce lists clearly so that people know what they’re about to read. One way to introduce lists is to make them a part of the introductory sentence:

The board of directors met to discuss the revised annual budget. To keep expenses in line with declining sales, the directors voted to

• Cut everyone’s salary by 10 percent • Close the employee cafeteria • Reduce travel expenses

Another way to introduce a list is to precede it with a complete introductory sentence, followed by a colon:

The decline in company profit is attributable to four factors:

• Slower holiday sales • Increased transportation and fuel costs • Higher employee wages • Slower inventory turnover

Regardless of the format you choose, the items in a list should be parallel; that is, they should all use the same grammatical pattern. For example, if one list item begins with a verb, every item should begin with a verb. If one item is a noun phrase, all should be noun phrases.

Nonparallel List Items (a mix of verb and noun phrases) Parallel List Items (all verb phrases)

• Improve our bottom line • Identification of new foreign markets for our products • Global market strategies • Issues regarding pricing and packaging size

• Improving our bottom line • Identifying new foreign markets for our products • Developing our global market strategies • Resolving pricing and packaging issues

TABLE 6.1 Achieving Parallelism

Method Example

Parallel words The plan was approved by Clausen, Whittaker, Merlin, and Carlucci.

Parallel phrases We are gaining market share in supermarkets, in department stores, and in specialty stores.

Method Example

Parallel clauses I’d like to discuss the issue after Vicki gives her presentation but before Marvin shows his slides.

Parallel sentences In 2015 we exported 30 percent of our production. In 2016 we exported 50 percent.

Parallel forms are easier to read and skim. You can create parallelism by repeating the pattern in words, phrases, clauses, or entire sentences (see Table 6.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b84#P7001012451000000000000000002BF1) ).

ADDING HEADINGS AND SUBHEADINGS

A heading (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EAE) is a brief title that tells readers about the content of the section that follows. Subheadings (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EBA) are subordinate to headings, indicating subsections within a major section. Headings and subheadings serve these important functions:

Use headings to grab the reader’s attention and organize material into short sections.

• Organization. Headings show your reader at a glance how the document is organized. They act as labels to group related paragraphs and organize lengthy material into shorter sections.

• Attention. Informative, inviting, and in some cases intriguing headings grab the reader’s attention, make the text easier to read, and help the reader find the parts he or she needs to read—or skip.

• Connection. Using headings and subheadings together helps readers see the relationship between main ideas and subordinate ones so that they can understand your message more easily. Moreover, headings and subheadings visually indicate shifts from one idea to the next.

Informative headings are generally more helpful than descriptive ones.

Headings and subheadings fall into two categories. Descriptive headings (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EAB) , such as “Cost Considerations,” identify a topic but do little more. Informative headings (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EB1) , such as “Redesigning Material Flow to Cut Production Costs,” guide readers to think in a certain way about the topic. They are also helpful in guiding your work as a writer, especially if cast as questions you plan to address in your document. Well-written informative headings are self-contained, which means readers can read just the headings and subheadings and understand them without reading the rest of the document. For example, “Staffing Shortages Cost the Company $150,000 Last Year” provides a key piece of information and captures the reader’s attention. Whatever types of headings you choose, keep them brief and use parallel construction throughout the document.

6.3 Editing for Clarity and Conciseness

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

3 Describe eight steps you can take to improve the clarity of your writing, and give four tips on making your writing more concise. After you’ve reviewed and revised your message for readability, your next step is to make your message as clear and as concise as possible.

EDITING FOR CLARITY

Verify that every sentence conveys the message you intend and that readers can extract that meaning without needing to read it more than once. To ensure clarity, look closely at your paragraph organization, sentence structure, and word choices (see Chapter 5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002445#P7001012451000000000000000002445) ). Can readers make sense of the related sentences in a paragraph? Is the meaning of each sentence easy to grasp? Is each word clear and unambiguous (meaning it doesn’t have any risk of being interpreted in more than one way)?

Clarity is essential to getting your message across accurately and efficiently.

See Table 6.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C2B) for examples of the following tips:

• Break up overly long sentences. If you find yourself stuck in a long sentence, you’re probably trying to make the sentence do more than it reasonably can, such as expressing two dissimilar thoughts or peppering the reader with too many pieces of supporting evidence at once. (Did you notice how difficult this long sentence was to read?)

• Rewrite hedging sentences. Hedging means pulling back from making a confident, definitive statement about a topic. Granted, sometimes you have to write may or seems to avoid stating a judgment or prediction as a fact. When you hedge too often or without good reason, however, you come across as being unsure of what you’re saying.

Hedging is appropriate when you can’t be absolutely sure of a statement, but excessive hedging undermines your authority.

• Impose parallelism. When you have two or more similar ideas to express, make them parallel by using the same grammatical construction. Parallelism shows that the ideas are related, of similar importance, and on the same level of generality.

When you use parallel grammatical patterns to express two or more ideas, you show that they are comparable thoughts.

• Correct dangling modifiers. Sometimes a modifier is not just an adjective or an adverb but an entire phrase modifying a noun or a verb. Be careful not to leave this type of modifier dangling, with no connection to the subject of the sentence.

• Reword long noun sequences. When multiple nouns are strung together as modifiers, the resulting sentence can be hard to read. See if a single well- chosen word will do the job. If the nouns are all necessary, consider moving one or more to a modifying phrase, as shown in Table 6.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C2B) .

TABLE 6.2 Revising for Clarity

Issues to Review Ineffective Effective

Overly Long Sentences (taking compound sentences too far)

The magazine will be published January 1, and I’d better meet the deadline if I want my article included because we want the article to appear before the trade show.

The magazine will be published January 1. I’d better meet the deadline because we want the article to appear before the trade show.

Hedging Sentences (overqualifying sentences)

I believe that Mr. Johnson’s employment record seems to show that he may be capable of handling the position.

Mr. Johnson’s employment record shows that he is capable of handling the position.

Unparallel Sentences (using dissimilar construction for similar ideas)

Mr. Simms had been drenched with rain, bombarded with telephone calls, and his boss shouted at him. To waste time and missing deadlines are bad habits.

Mr. Sims had been drenched with rain, bombarded with telephone calls, and shouted at by his boss. Wasting time and missing deadlines are bad habits.

Dangling Modifiers (placing modifiers close to the wrong nouns and verbs)

Walking to the office, a red sports car passed her. [suggests that the car was walking to the office] Reduced by 25 percent, Europe had its lowest semiconductor output in a decade. [suggests that Europe shrank by 25 percent]

A red sports car passed her while she was walking to the office. Europe reduced semiconductor output by 25 percent, its lowest output in a decade.

Long Noun Sequences (stringing too many nouns together)

The window sash installation company will give us an estimate on Friday.

The company that installs window sashes will give us an estimate on Friday.

Issues to Review Ineffective Effective

Camouflaged Verbs (changing verbs into nouns)

The manager undertook implementation of the rules. Verification of the shipments occurs weekly. reach a conclusion about give consideration to

The manager implemented the rules. We verify shipments weekly. conclude consider

Subject-Predicate Separation (putting the predicate too far from the subject)

A 10% decline in market share, which resulted from quality problems and an aggressive sales campaign by Armitage, the market leader in the Northeast, was the major problem in 2016.

The major problem in 2016 was a 10% loss of market share, which resulted from quality problems and an aggressive sales campaign by Armitage, the market leader in the Northeast.

Modifier Separation (putting adjectives, adverbs, or prepositional phrases too far from the words they modify)

Our antique desk lends an air of strength and substance with thick legs and large drawers.

With its thick legs and large drawers, our antique desk lends an air of strength and substance.

Awkward References (linking ideas in ways that cause more work for the reader)

The Law Office and the Accounting Office distribute computer supplies for paralegals and accountants, respectively.

The Law Office distributes computer supplies for paralegals; the Accounting Office distributes them for accountants.

• Replace camouflaged verbs. Watch for words that end in -ion, -tion, -ing, -ment, -ant, -ent, -ence, -ance, and -ency. These endings often change verbs into nouns and adjectives, requiring you to add a verb to get your point across.

Subject and predicate should be placed as close together as possible, as should modifiers and the words they modify.

• Clarify sentence structure. Keep the subject and predicate of a sentence as close together as possible. When the subject and predicate are far apart, readers may need to read the sentence twice to figure out who did what. Similarly, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases usually make the most sense when they’re placed as close as possible to the words they modify.

• Clarify awkward references. If you want readers 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, and respectively. Use a specific pointer such as “as described in the second paragraph on page 162 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#page_162) .”

EDITING FOR CONCISENESS

Many of the changes you make to improve clarity also shorten your message by removing unnecessary words. The next step is to examine the text with the specific goal of reducing the number of words. Readers appreciate conciseness and are more likely to read your documents if you have a reputation for efficient writing. See Table 6.3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002CD2) for examples of the following tips:

Make your documents tighter by removing unnecessary words, phrases, and sentences.

• Delete unnecessary words and phrases. To test whether a word or phrase is essential, try the sentence without it. If the meaning doesn’t change, leave it out.

• Shorten long words and phrases. Short words and phrases are generally more vivid and easier to read than long ones. Also, by using infinitives (the “to” form of a verb) in place of some phrases, you can often shorten sentences while making them clearer.

• Eliminate redundancies. 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.

• Rewrite “It is/There are” starters. If you start a sentence with an indefinite pronoun such as it or there, chances are the sentence could be shorter and more active. For instance, “We believe . . . ” is a stronger opening than “It is believed that . . . ” because it is shorter and because it identifies who is doing the believing.

As you rewrite, concentrate on how each word contributes to an effective sentence and on how each sentence helps build a coherent paragraph. For a reminder of the tasks involved in revision, see “Checklist: Revising Business Messages (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C9C) .”

CHECKLIST Revising Business Messages

A. Evaluate content, organization, style, and tone. • Make sure the information is accurate, relevant, and sufficient. • Check that all necessary points appear in logical order. • Verify that you present enough support to make the main idea convincing and compelling. • Be sure the beginning and ending of the message are effective. • Make sure you’ve achieved the right tone for the audience and the situation.

B. Review for readability. • Consider using a readability index, but be sure to interpret the answer carefully.

• Use a mix of short, medium, and long sentences. • Keep paragraphs short. • Use bulleted and numbered lists to emphasize key points. • Make the document easy to skim with headings and subheadings.

C. Edit for clarity. • Break up overly long sentences and rewrite hedging sentences. • Impose parallelism to simplify reading. • Correct dangling modifiers. • Reword long noun sequences and replace camouflaged verbs. • Clarify sentence structure and awkward references.

D. Edit for conciseness. • Delete unnecessary words and phrases. • Shorten long words and phrases. • Eliminate redundancies. • Rewrite sentences that start with “It is” or “There are.”

TABLE 6.3 Revising for Conciseness

Issues to Review Less Effective More Effective

Unnecessary Words and Phrases

Using wordy phrases for the sum of in the event that prior to the start of in the near future at this point in time due to the fact that in view of the fact that until such time as with reference to

for if before soon now because because when about

Using too many relative pronouns (such as that or who)

Cars that are sold after January will not have a six-month warranty. Employees who are driving to work should park in the underground garage.

Cars sold after January will not have a six-month warranty. Employees driving to work should park in the underground garage. OR Employees should park in the underground garage.

Using too few relative pronouns The project manager told the engineers last week the specifications were changed.

The project manager told the engineers last week that the specifications were changed. OR The project manager told the engineers that last week the specifications were changed

Long Words and Phrases

Using overly long words During the preceding year, the company accelerated productive operations. The action was predicated on the assumption that the company was operating at a financial deficit.

Last year the company sped up operations. The action was based on the belief that the company was losing money.

Using wordy phrases rather than infinitives

If you want success as a writer, you must work hard. He went to the library for the purpose of studying. The employer increased salaries so that she could improve morale.

To succeed as a writer, you must work hard. He went to the library to study. The employer increased salaries to improve morale.

Redundancies

Issues to Review Less Effective More Effective

Repeating meanings absolutely complete basic fundamentals follows after free and clear refer back repeat again collect together future plans return back important essentials end result actual truth final outcome uniquely unusual surrounded on all sides

complete fundamentals follows free refer repeat collect plans return essentials result truth outcome unique surrounded

Using double modifiers modern, up-to-date equipment modern equipment

It Is and There Are Starters It would be appreciated if you would sign the lease today. Please sign the lease today.

Starting sentences with It or There There are five employees in this division who were late to work today.

Five employees in this division were late to work today.

THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION

Haptic Technologies

As the most intimate form of communication, touch can convey shades of emotion and meaning in ways that other forms can’t match. Think of the range of messages you can send by the way you greet someone, for example. A firm handshake, a light kiss on the cheek, an awkward embrace, and a fist bump all send different nonverbal signals. Haptic communication or haptics is the study of touch in a communication context.

Touch is a vital aspect of human-to-human and human-to-machine interaction, but it is missing from most forms of digital communication. You can’t give someone a hearty handshake over email or feel the vibration patterns of a machine while viewing it over a video link.

However, the field of haptic technology is enabling touch and tactile sensations in a growing number of ways. Many arcade video games and video game controllers use haptic feedback to give players some sense of the feel of driving a racecar, for example. Moving beyond simple vibration feedback, some controllers can now simulate the sensation of holding and using specific weapons or other physical elements in a game.

Mobile devices and wearables such as smartwatches are incorporating haptic input and output in ways that simulate the nuances of human touch. For instance, you can use a smartwatch to send specific, personalized “touch messages” to other smartwatch wearers with complete privacy. The ability to remotely manipulate objects and machines through simulated touch (rather than abstracted devices such as joysticks) is another intriguing promise of haptics.

The technology has exciting potential in such diverse areas as training, online retailing, and making more devices usable by people with limited vision. Imagine being able to feel the texture of fabric from halfway around the world or letting an expert’s hands remotely guide yours as you learn a new procedure. Now that display technologies have more or less reached the resolution capacity of human eyesight, the next wave of user interface advances is likely to come in the form of touch.

WHAT’S YOUR PREDICTION?

Research the current state of haptic technology to identify one way in which the technology has the potential to change business communication practices, such as replacing detailed verbal descriptions of products with touch-enabled virtual interaction. Do you agree with the predictions the experts make? Why or why not?

Sources: Maya Baratz, “The Communication of the Future Is So Real You Can Touch It,” Fast Company, 12 January 2015, www.fastcodesign.com (http://www.fastcodesign.com) ; JV Chamary, “The iPhone 7 Killer Feature Should Be Haptic Feedback,” Forbes, 25 September 2015, www.forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com) ; Brian S. Hall, “Taptic, Haptics, and the Body Fantastic: The Real Apple Watch Revolution,” Macworld, 3 October 2014, www.macworld.com (http://www.macworld.com) .

6.4 Producing Your Message

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

4 List four principles of effective design, and explain the role of major design elements in document readability. Now it’s time to put your hard work on display. The production quality of your message—the total effect of page or screen design, graphical elements, typography, and so on—plays an important role in its effectiveness. A polished, inviting design not only makes your material easier to read but also conveys a sense of

professionalism and importance.2

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000003031)

The quality of your document design, both on paper and on screen, affects readability and audience perceptions.

DESIGNING FOR READABILITY

Good design enhances the readability of your material.

Design affects readability in two important ways. First, carefully chosen design elements can improve the effectiveness of your message. In contrast, poor design decisions, such as using distracting background images behind text, pointless animations, or tiny typefaces, act as barriers to communication. Second, the visual design sends a nonverbal message to your readers, influencing their perceptions of the communication before they read a single word.

Effective design helps you establish the tone of your document and helps guide your readers through your message (see Figure 6.3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D7A) ). To achieve an effective design, pay careful attention to the following design elements:

For effective design, pay attention to

• Consistency • Balance • Restraint • Detail

• Consistency. Throughout each message, be consistent in your use of margins, typeface, type size, and space. Also be consistent when using recurring design elements, such as vertical lines, columns, and borders. In many cases you’ll want to be consistent from message to message as well; that way, audiences who receive multiple messages from you recognize your documents and know what to expect.

• Balance. Balance is an important but subjective issue. One document may have a formal, rigid design in which the various elements are placed in a grid pattern, whereas another may have a less formal design in which elements flow more freely across the page—and both could be in balance. Like the tone of your language, visual balance can be too formal, just right, or too informal for a given message.

• Restraint. Strive for simplicity in design. Don’t clutter your message with too many design elements, too many typeface treatments, too many colors, or too many decorative touches. Let “simpler” and “fewer” be your guiding concepts.

MOBILE APP

Genius Scan lets you scan documents with your phone and create PDFs on the go.

• Detail. Pay attention to details that affect your design and thus your message. For instance, extremely wide columns of text can be difficult to read; in many cases a better solution is to split the text into two narrower columns.

Figure 6.3 Designing for Readability

The website of the web development firm Iron to Iron is a model of elegant design that promotes easy reading.

Courtesy of Iron to Iron.

Even without special training in graphic design, you can make your print and digital messages more effective by understanding the use of white space, margins and line justification, typefaces, and type styles.

White Space

White space separates elements in a document and helps guide the reader’s eye.

Any space that doesn’t contain text or artwork, both in print and online, is considered white space (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EC3) . (Note that “white space” isn’t necessarily white; it is simply blank.) These unused areas provide visual contrast and important resting points for your readers. White space includes the margins, paragraph indents, space around images, open areas surrounding headings, vertical space between columns, and horizontal space between paragraphs or lines of text. To increase the chance that readers will read your messages, be generous with white space; it makes pages and screens feel less

intimidating and easier to read.3

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000003033)

Margins and Justification

Margins define the space around text and between text columns. In addition to their width, the look and feel of margins are influenced by the way lines of text are arranged. They can be set (1) justified (which means they are flush, or aligned vertically, on both the left and the right), (2) flush left with a ragged right margin, (3) flush right with a ragged left margin, or (4) centered. This paragraph is justified, whereas the paragraphs in Figure 6.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#P7001012451000000000000000002B3E) on page 156 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#page_156) are flush left with a ragged right margin.

Most business documents use a flush left margin and a ragged right margin.

Magazines, newspapers, and books often use justified type because it can accommodate more text in a given space. However, justified type needs to be used with care. First, it creates a denser look because the uniform line lengths decrease the amount of white space along the right margin. Second, it produces a more formal and less personalized look. Third, unless it is used with some skill and attention, justified type can be more difficult to read because it can produce large gaps between words and excessive hyphenation at the ends of lines. The publishing specialists who create magazines, newspapers, and books have the time and skill

needed to carefully adjust character and word spacing to eliminate these problems. (In some cases sentences are even rewritten to improve the appearance of the printed page.) Because most business communicators don’t have that time or skill, it’s best to avoid justified type in routine business documents.

In contrast to justified type, flush-left, ragged-right type creates a more open appearance on the page, producing a less formal and more contemporary look. Spacing between words is consistent, and only long words that fall at the ends of lines are hyphenated.

Centered type is rarely used for text paragraphs but is commonly used for headings and subheadings. Flush-right, ragged-left type is rarely used in business documents.

Typefaces

Typeface (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EC0) refers to the visual design of letters, numbers, and other text characters. As the Type Together vignette at the beginning of the chapter noted, typeface and font are often used interchangeably, but typeface is the design of the type itself, and a font is a collection of characters using that design.

The classic style of document design uses a sans serif typeface for headings and a serif typeface for regular paragraph text; however, many contemporary documents and webpages now use all sans serif.

Typeface design influences the tone of your message, making it look authoritative or friendly, businesslike or casual, classic or modern, and so on (see Table 6.4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002DC0) ). Veronika Burian, José Scaglione, and other type designers know how to make design choices that evoke specific emotional reactions and trigger particular visual associations, so be sure to choose fonts that are appropriate for your message. (Note that many of the fonts on your computer are not appropriate for normal business use.)

TABLE 6.4 Typeface Personalities: Serious to Casual to Playful

Serif Typefaces Sans Serif Typefaces Specialty Typefaces (rarely used for routine business communication)

Bookman Old Style Arial Bauhaus

Century Schoolbook News Gothic Com Broadway

Courier Eras Bold Civilite MJ

Garamond Franklin Gothic Book Commercial Script

Georgia Gill Sans Forte MT

Times New Roman Verdana STENCIL

Serif typefaces (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EB7) have small crosslines (called serifs) at the ends of each letter stroke. Sans serif typefaces (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EB4) , in contrast, lack these serifs. For years, the conventional wisdom in typography was that serif faces were easier to read in long blocks of text because the serifs made it easier for the eye to pick out individual letters. Accordingly, the standard advice was to use serif faces for the body of a document and sans serif for headings and subheadings.

However, the research behind the conventional wisdom is not as conclusive as once thought.4

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000003035) In fact, many sans serif typefaces work as well or better for body text than some serif typefaces. This seems to be particularly true on screens, which often have lower resolution than printed text. Many contemporary documents and webpages now use sans serif faces for body text.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

Improve your document designs by learning the fundamentals of typography

Knowing the basics of type usage will help you create more effective page and screen layouts. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

For most documents, you shouldn’t need more than two typefaces, although if you want to make captions or other text elements stand out, you can use another

font.5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000003037) Using more typefaces can clutter a document and produce an amateurish look.

Type Styles

Type style (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000002EBD) refers to any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type, including boldface, italic, underlining, color, and other highlighting and decorative styles. Using boldface type for subheads breaks up long expanses of text. You can also set individual words or phrases as bold to draw more attention to them. For example, the

key terms in each chapter in this book are set in boldface. Italic type also creates emphasis, although not as pronounced as boldface. Italic type has specific uses as well, such as highlighting quotations and indicating foreign words, irony, humor, book and movie titles, and unconventional usage.

Avoid using any type style that inhibits your audience’s ability to read your messages.

As a general rule, avoid using any style in a way that slows your audience’s progress through the message. For instance, underlining or using all uppercase letters can interfere with a reader’s ability to recognize the shapes of words, and shadowed or outlined type can seriously hinder legibility. Also, avoid overusing any type style. For example, putting too many words in boldface dilutes the impact of the special treatment by creating too many focal points in the paragraph.

Type size is an important consideration as well. For most printed business messages, use a size of 10 to 12 points for regular text and 12 to 18 points for headings and subheadings (1 point is approximately 1/72 inch). Resist the temptation to reduce type size too much in order to squeeze in extra text or to enlarge type to fill up space. Type that is too small or too large can be difficult to read. Be particularly careful with small type online. Small type that looks fine on a medium- resolution screen can be hard to read on both low-resolution screens (because these displays can make letters look jagged or fuzzy) and high-resolution screens (because these monitors reduce the apparent size of the type even further).

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VISITING THIS WEBSITE

See the newest designs from some of the brightest minds in typography

Type design is a fascinating and dynamic field; this portfolio shows dozens of innovative new typefaces. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

FORMATTING FORMAL LETTERS AND MEMOS

Formal business letters usually follow certain design conventions, as the letter in Figure 6.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#P7001012451000000000000000002B3E) illustrates. Most business letters are printed on letterhead stationery, which includes the company’s name, address, and other contact information. The first element to appear after the letterhead is the date, followed by the inside address, which identifies the person receiving the letter. Next is the salutation, usually in the form of Dear Mr. or Ms. Last Name. The message comes next, followed by the complimentary close, usually Sincerely or Cordially. And last comes the signature block: space for the signature, followed by the sender’s printed name and title. Your company will probably have a standard format to follow for letters, possibly along with a template in Microsoft Word or whatever word processor is standard in the organization. For in-depth information on letter formats, see Appendix A (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000070ad#P70010124510000000000000000070AD) , “Format and Layout of Business Documents.”

Like letters, business memos usually follow a preset design. Memos have largely been replaced by digital media in many companies, but if they are still in use at the firm you join, the company may have a standard format or template for you to use. Most memos begin with a title such as Memo, Memorandum, or Interoffice Correspondence. Following that are usually four headings: Date, To, From, and Subject. (Re:, short for Regarding, is sometimes used instead of Subject.) Memos usually don’t use a salutation, complimentary close, or signature, although signing your initials next to your name on the From line is standard practice in most companies. Bear in mind that memos are often distributed without sealed envelopes, so they are less private than most other message formats.

DESIGNING MESSAGES FOR MOBILE DEVICES

In addition to making your content mobile-friendly using the writing tips in Chapter 5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f59#P7001012451000000000000000001F59) (see page 144 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#page_144) ), you can follow these steps in formatting that content for mobile devices:

• Think in small chunks. Remember that mobile users consume information one screen at a time, so try to divide your message into independent, easy- to-consume bites. If readers have to scroll through a dozen screens to piece together your message, they might miss your point or just give up entirely.

• Make generous use of white space. White space is always helpful, but it’s critical on small screens because readers are trying to get the point of every message as quickly as possible. Keep your paragraphs short (four to six lines), and separate them with blank lines so the reader’s eyes can easily jump

from one point to the next.6

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ea5#P7001012451000000000000000003039)

• Format simply. Avoid anything that is likely to get in the way of fast, easy reading, including busy typefaces, complex graphics, and complicated layouts. • Consider horizontal and vertical layouts. Most phones and tablets can automatically rotate their screen content from horizontal to vertical as the user

rotates the device. A layout that doesn’t work well with the narrow vertical perspective might be acceptable at the wider horizontal perspective.

Compare the two messages in Figure 6.4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002E19) ; notice how much more difficult the screen in Figure 6.4a (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002E19) is to read.

Figure 6.4 Designing for Mobile Devices

Compare the readability of Figures 6.4a (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002E19) and 6.4b (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002E19) . Even simple changes such as revising with shorter paragraphs, choosing cleaner typefaces, and making generous use of white space in and around the text can dramatically improve readability on mobile screens.

6.5 Proofreading Your Message

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

5 Explain the importance of proofreading and give eight tips for successful proofreading. 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.

Your credibility is affected by your attention to the details of mechanics and form.

Look for two types of problems: (1) undetected mistakes from the writing, design, and layout stages and (2) mistakes that crept in during production. For the first category, you can review format and layout guidelines in Appendix A (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000070ad#P70010124510000000000000000070AD) on page 578 (Z01_APP1.xhtml#page_578) and brush up on writing basics with the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage on page 601 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000076c3#page_601) . The second category can include anything from computer glitches such as missing fonts to broken web links to problems with the ink used in printing. Be particularly vigilant with complex documents and complex production processes that involve multiple colleagues and multiple computers. Strange things can happen as files move from computer to computer, especially when lots of fonts and multimedia elements are involved.

The types of details to look for when proofreading include language errors, missing material, design errors, and typographical errors.

Resist the temptation to treat proofreading as a casual scan up and down the page or screen. Instead, approach it as a methodical procedure in which you look for specific problems that may occur. Use these techniques from professional proofreaders to help ensure high-quality output:

MOBILE APP

The NounPlus English Grammar Checker can check your writing for a variety of basic grammatical issues.

• Make multiple passes. Go through the document several times, focusing on a different aspect each time. For instance, look for content errors the first time and layout errors the second time.

• Use perceptual tricks. You’ve probably experienced the frustration of reading over something a dozen times and still missing an obvious error. This happens because your brain has developed a wonderful skill of subconsciously supplying missing pieces and correcting mistakes when it knows what is supposed to be on the page. To keep your brain from tricking you, you need to trick it by changing the way you process the visual information. Try (1) reading each page backward, from the bottom to the top, (2) placing your finger under each word and reading it silently, (3) making a slit in a sheet of paper that reveals only one line of type at a time, and (4) reading the document aloud and pronouncing each word carefully.

• Double-check high-priority items. Double-check the spelling of names and the accuracy of dates, addresses, and any number that could cause grief if incorrect (such as telling a potential employer that you’d be happy to work for $5,000 a year when you meant to say $50,000).

• Give yourself some distance. If possible, don’t proofread immediately after finishing a document; let your mind wander off to new topics and then come back fresh later.

• Be vigilant. Avoid reading large amounts of material in one sitting and try not to proofread when you’re tired. • Stay focused. Concentrate on what you’re doing. Try to block out distractions and focus as completely as possible on your proofreading task. • Review complex digital documents on paper. Some people have trouble proofreading webpages, online reports, and other digital documents on

screen. If you have trouble, print the materials so you can review them on paper. • Take your time. Quick proofreading is not careful proofreading.

The amount of time you need to spend on proofing depends on the length and complexity of the document and the situation. A typo in an email message to your team may not be a big deal, but a typo in a financial report, a contract, or a medical file certainly could be serious. See “Checklist: Proofing Business Messages (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E53) ” for a handy list of items to review during proofing.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY LISTENING TO THIS PODCAST

Tips for proofing your papers

This advice for proofreading class assignments will help you on the job, too. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

CHECKLIST Proofing Business Messages

A. Look for writing errors.

• Typographical mistakes • Misspelled words • Grammatical errors • Punctuation mistakes

B. Look for missing elements. • Missing text sections • Missing exhibits (drawings, tables, photographs, charts, graphs, online images, and so on) • Missing source notes, copyright notices, or other reference items

C. Look for design, formatting, and programming mistakes. • Incorrect or inconsistent font selections • Problems with column sizing, spacing, and alignment • Incorrect margins • Incorrect special characters • Clumsy line and page breaks • Problems with page numbers • Problems with page headers and footers • Lack of adherence to company standards • Inactive or incorrect links • Missing files

6.6 Distributing Your Message

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

6 Discuss the most important issues to consider when distributing your messages. With the production finished, you’re ready to distribute your message. As with every other aspect of business communication, your options for distribution multiply with every advance in technology. For many digital systems, distribution is a simple matter of selecting a Send or Publish option when you’re ready to go. When you have a 100-page report with full-color graphics or a massive multimedia file, however, you need to plan the distribution carefully so that your message is received by everyone who needs it. When choosing a means to distribute messages, consider the following factors:

Consider cost, convenience, time, security, and privacy when choosing a distribution method.

• Cost. Cost isn’t a concern for most messages, but for lengthy reports or multimedia productions, it may well be. Printing, binding, and delivering reports can be expensive, so weigh the cost versus the benefits. Be sure to consider the nonverbal message you send regarding cost as well. Overnight delivery of a printed report could seem responsive in one situation but wasteful in another, for example.

• Convenience. How much work is involved for you and your audience? For instance, if you use a file-compression utility to shrink the size of email attachments, make sure your recipients have the means to expand the files on arrival. For extremely large files, consider recordable media such as DVDs or one of the many free or low-cost file-hosting sites now available.

• Time. How soon does the message need to reach the audience? Don’t waste money on overnight delivery if the recipient won’t read the report for a week. And speaking of time, don’t mark any messages, printed or digital, as “urgent” if they aren’t truly urgent.

• Security and privacy. The convenience offered by digital communication needs to be weighed against security and privacy concerns. For the most sensitive messages, your company will probably restrict both the people who can receive the messages and the means you can use to distribute them. In addition, most computer users are wary of opening attachments these days. Instead of sending word processor files, you can use Adobe Acrobat or an equivalent product to convert your documents to PDF files (which are more immune to viruses).

MOBILE APP

SignEasy solves the problem of signing digital documents such as contracts; you can sign right on your phone screen.

For more advice on revision, proofreading, and other topics related to this chapter, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) .

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT Type Together

You’ve joined Type Together as a marketing communications specialist, and your responsibilities include writing new content as well as revising and editing content submissions from other people in the company. Use what you’ve learned in this chapter about revising and editing to address these two challenges.

INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE: Type foundries such as Type Together can sell their wares through a variety of online stores, where graphic designers and other users can select from thousands of fonts. These sites typically include a short description of the foundry’s history, design philosophy, product line, or other characteristics. Assume that a particular site has a 75-word limit for this description. Review the Info page on Type Together’s website at www.type- together.com (http://www.type-together.com) , including the About Us section and the biographies of José Scaglione and Veronika Burian. Identify three or four essential points that would be of interest to people shopping for fonts, then craft a compelling introductory paragraph of no more than 75 words.

TEAM CHALLENGE: As with many aspects of digital media, the tasks of selecting and using fonts were once the domain of trained specialists but are now within the reach of every computer user. In fact, users with no background in typography are often forced to make choices involving type, even if they would rather not do so. Not surprisingly, everyday computer users can make ill-informed choices that limit the effectiveness of their messages and documents. With a team assigned by your instructor, do the research needed to come up with a list of “dos and don’ts” for choosing and using the fonts available on a typical computer or tablet. Start with the information provided in this chapter, but review at least three other sources to expand your perspective. As your instructor directs, present your advice in class or in a post on your class blog. Assume your target audience is made up of business professionals with no training or experience in graphic design or typography.

Quick Learning Guide

KEY TERMS

descriptive headings Headings that simply identify a topic

heading A brief title that tells readers about the content of the section that follows

informative headings Headings that guide readers to think in a certain way about a topic

sans serif typefaces Typefaces whose letters lack serifs

serif typefaces Typefaces with small crosslines (called serifs) at the ends of letter strokes

subheadings Titles that are subordinate to headings, indicating subsections with a major section

type style Any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type, including boldface, italic, underlining, color, and other highlighting and decorative styles

typeface The physical design of letters, numbers, and other text characters (font and typeface are often used interchangeably, although strictly speaking, a font is a set of characters in a given typeface)

white space Space (of any color) in a document or screen that doesn’t contain any text or artwork

SUMMARY OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Discuss the value of careful revision and describe the tasks involved in evaluating your first drafts and the work of other writers. Revision is a vital step in producing effective business messages; even if the first draft conveys the necessary information, chances are it can be made tighter, clearer, and more compelling—making it more successful. Careful revision also helps you locate and correct errors that can reduce the effectiveness of messages and damage your reputation as a communicator.

When evaluating your first drafts, check the content (is the content accurate, relevant, complete, and well balanced between general and specific information?); the organization (are your points grouped and sequenced logically, with focus on the most important ideas?); and the tone (is the tone appropriate for the audience and the specific situation?).

2 List four techniques you can use to improve the readability of your messages. Four techniques that help improve readability are varying sentence length, keeping paragraphs short, using lists, and adding headings and subheadings. Varying sentence length helps keep your writing fresh and dynamic while giving you a chance to emphasize the most important points. Paragraphs, on the other hand, are usually best kept short to make it easier for readers to consume your information in manageable chunks. Lists are effective devices for delineating sets of items, steps in a procedure, or other collections of related information. Headings and subheadings organize your message, call attention to important information, and help readers make connections between related pieces of information.

3 Describe eight steps you can take to improve the clarity of your writing, and give four tips on making your writing more concise. To clarify your writing, (1) break up overly long sentences, (2) rewrite hedging sentences, (3) impose parallelism, (4) correct dangling modifiers, (5) reword long noun sequences, (6) replace camouflaged verbs, (7) improve sentence structure, and (8) clarify awkward references. To make messages more concise, (1) delete unnecessary words and phrases, (2) shorten overly long words and phrases, (3) eliminate redundancies, and (4) recast sentences that begin with “It is” and “There are.”

4 List four principles of effective design and explain the role of major design elements in document readability. Four important principles of effective design are consistency (using design elements in a consistent and predictable way throughout a document); balance (creating a balanced effect on page or screen, whether that balance is dynamic and informal or symmetrical and formal); restraint (striving for visual simplicity to avoid drawing attention away from your ideas); and detail (making sure that details are handled correctly so that errors or design misjudgments don’t detract from your message).

The major design elements for textual messages include white space, margins, typefaces, and type styles. White space provides contrast and gives readers a resting point. Margins define the space around the text and contribute to the amount of white space. Margins can affect both readability and the overall visual appeal of your messages. Typefaces influence the tone of the message and should be chosen carefully for each use to ensure maximum readability. Type styles such as boldface, italics, and underlining provide contrast or emphasis.

5 Explain the importance of proofreading and give eight tips for successful proofreading. Proofreading is essential because it is your final opportunity to verify the quality of your communication efforts and to make sure that no errors in writing, design, or production will undo all the hard work you’ve put in. Proofreading should be more than just a quick glance through the document. Use the techniques the pros use to make sure your documents are top quality: (1) Make multiple passes, looking for specific types of problems each time. (2) Use perceptual tricks such as reading aloud or reading backward to prevent your brain from fooling you by filling in pieces or correcting errors. (3) Double-check high-priority items such as names, dates, addresses, and financial data. (4) Give yourself some distance by putting the document aside for a few hours or even a few days if possible. (5) Stay vigilant by proofing only small sections at a time and not proofing when you are tired. (6) Stay focused on your work. (7) Review complex digital documents on paper if possible. (8) Take your time.

6 Discuss the most important issues to consider when distributing your messages. Consider cost, convenience, time, security, and privacy when choosing the method to distribute your messages. Cost isn’t a major issue for most messages, although production, printing, and distribution of lengthy or complex reports can be a concern. In general, balance the cost with the importance and urgency of the message. Make sure the distribution method is convenient for your audience. For example, attaching a document to an email message might be easy for you, but that might not be the best approach for a given audience. As with cost, balance the time factor with your needs and the needs of your audience. Finally, consider security and privacy issues before distributing documents that contain sensitive or confidential information. Your company may have restrictions on the type of information that can be distributed through various media and channels.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) to complete the problems marked with this icon .

Test Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

6-1. What are the three main tasks involved in revising a business message? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b84#P7001012451000000000000000002B86)

6-2. What are your two primary responsibilities when editing or revising the work of another writer? [LO-1]

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b84#P7001012451000000000000000002B86)

6-3. What are the relative advantages of short, medium, and long sentences? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C1E)

6-4. What functions do headings serve? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C1E)

6-5. What are some ways you can make a document more concise? [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C)

6-6. What are hedging sentences and why should they be avoided unless truly necessary? [LO-3]

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C)

6-7. What steps should you take to format content for mobile devices? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E2D)

6-8. Why is proofreading an important part of the writing process? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e83#P7001012451000000000000000002E85)

6-9. What perceptual tricks can you use to improve your chances of spotting errors during proofreading? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e83#P7001012451000000000000000002E85)

6-10. What factors should you consider when choosing a distribution method for your messages (other than for systems where you don’t have a choice)? [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e83#P7001012451000000000000000002E85)

Apply Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

6-11. How does careful revision reflect the “you” attitude? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b84#P7001012451000000000000000002B86)

6-12. Why should you limit the number of typefaces and type styles in most business documents? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E2D)

6-13. Why is white space particularly critical when designing documents for mobile devices? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E2D)

6-14. How can you demonstrate good business sense in the choices you make regarding message distribution? [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e83#P7001012451000000000000000002E85)

Practice Your Skills 6-15. Message for Analysis 6.A: Revising to Improve Readability [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C1E)

Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this message, then revise it so that it follows the guidelines in Chapter 4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f59#P7001012451000000000000000001F59) through Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) :

As an organization, the North American Personal Motorsports Marketing Association has committed ourselves to helping our members—a diverse group comprising of dealers of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, Snowmobiles, and personal watercraft—achieve their business objectives. Consequently, our organization, which usually goes under the initials NAPMMA, has the following aims, goals, and objectives. Firstly, we endeavor to aid or assist our members in reaching their business objectives. Second, NAPMMA communicates (“lobbying” in slang terms) with local, state, and national governmental agencies and leaders on issues of importance to our members. And lastly, we educate the motorsports public, that being current motorsports vehicle owners, and prospective owners of said vehicles, on the safe and enjoyable operation of they’re vehicles.

6-16. Message for Analysis 6.B: Designing for Readability [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E2D)

To access this message, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) , select Student Assignments, then select Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) , Message

6.B. Download and open the document. Using the various page, paragraph, and font formatting options available in your word processor, modify the formatting of the document so that its visual tone matches the tone of the message. 6-17. Message for Analysis 6.C: Evaluating the Work of Another Writer [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b84#P7001012451000000000000000002B86)

To access this message, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) , select Student Assignments, then select Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) , Message 6.C. Download and open the document. Using your knowledge of effective writing and the tips on page 157 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#page_157) for evaluating the work of other writers, evaluate this message. After you set Microsoft Word to track changes, make any necessary corrections. Insert comments, as needed, to explain your changes to the author.

Exercises

Each activity is labeled according to the primary skill or skills you will need to use. To review relevant chapter content, you can refer to the indicated Learning Objective. In some instances, supporting information will be found in another chapter, as indicated.

6-18. Evaluating the Work of Other Writers [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b84#P7001012451000000000000000002B86) Find a blog post (at least three paragraphs long) on any business-related topic. Evaluate it using the 10 questions on page 157 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#page_157) . Email your analysis to your instructor, along with a permalink (a permanent link to this specific post, rather than to the blog overall) to the blog post.

6-19. Revising for Readability (Sentence and Paragraph Length) [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C1E) Rewrite the following paragraph to vary the length of the sentences and to shorten the paragraph so it looks more inviting to readers:

Although major league baseball remains popular, more people are attending minor league baseball games because they can spend less on admission, snacks, and parking and still enjoy the excitement of America’s pastime. Connecticut, for example, has three AA minor league teams, including the New Haven Ravens, who are affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals; the Norwich Navigators, who are affiliated with the New York Yankees; and the New Britain Rock Cats, who are affiliated with the Minnesota Twins. These teams play in relatively small stadiums, so fans are close enough to see and hear everything, from the swing of the bat connecting with the ball to the thud of the ball landing in the outfielder’s glove. Best of all, the cost of a family outing to see rising stars play in a local minor league game is just a fraction of what the family would spend to attend a major league game in a much larger, more crowded stadium.

6-20. Revising for Readability (Sentence Length) [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C1E) Break the following sentences into shorter ones by adding more periods, and revise as needed for smooth flow:

a. The next time you write something, check your average sentence length in a 100-word passage, and if your sentences average more than 16 to 20 words, see whether you can break up some of the sentences.

b. Don’t do what the village blacksmith did when he instructed his apprentice as follows: “When I take the shoe out of the fire, I’ll lay it on the anvil, and when I nod my head, you hit it with the hammer.” The apprentice did just as he was told, and now he’s the village blacksmith.

c. Unfortunately, no gadget will produce excellent writing, but using a yardstick like the Fog Index gives us some guideposts to follow for making writing easier to read because its two factors remind us to use short sentences and simple words.

d. Know the flexibility of the written word and its power to convey an idea, and know how to make your words behave so that your readers will understand.

e. Words mean different things to different people, and a word such as block may mean city block, butcher block, engine block, auction block, or several other things.

6-21. Editing for Conciseness (Unnecessary Words) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Cross out unnecessary words in the following phrases:

a. Consensus of opinion b. New innovations c. Long period of time d. At a price of $50 e. Still remains

6-22. Editing for Conciseness (Long Words) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Revise the following sentences using shorter, simpler words:

a. My antiquated PC is ineffectual for solving sophisticated problems. b. It is imperative that the pay increments be terminated before an inordinate deficit is accumulated. c. There was unanimity among the executives that his behavior was cause for a mandatory meeting with the company’s human resources director. d. The impending liquidation of the company’s assets was cause for jubilation among the company’s competitors. e. The expectations of the president for a stock dividend were accentuated by the preponderance of evidence that the company was in good

financial condition.

6-23. Editing for Conciseness (Lengthy Phrases) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Use infinitives as substitutes for the overly long phrases in these sentences:

a. For living, I require money.

b. They did not find sufficient evidence for believing in the future. c. Bringing about the destruction of a dream is tragic.

6-24. Editing for Conciseness (Lengthy Phrases) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Rephrase the following in fewer words:

a. In the near future b. In the event that c. In order that d. For the purpose of e. With regard to f. It may be that g. In very few cases h. With reference to i. At the present time j. There is no doubt that

6-25. Editing for Conciseness (Lengthy Phrases) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Revise to condense these sentences to as few words as possible:

a. We are of the conviction that writing is important. b. In all probability, we’re likely to have a price increase. c. Our goals include making a determination about that in the near future. d. When all is said and done at the conclusion of this experiment, I’d like to summarize the final windup. e. After a trial period of three weeks, during which time she worked for a total of 15 full working days, we found her work was sufficiently

satisfactory so that we offered her full-time work.

6-26. Editing for Conciseness (Unnecessary Modifiers) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Remove all the unnecessary modifiers from these sentences:

a. Tremendously high pay increases were given to the extraordinarily skilled and extremely conscientious employees. b. The union’s proposals were highly inflationary, extremely demanding, and exceptionally bold.

6-27. Editing for Clarity (Hedging) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Rewrite these sentences so that they no longer contain any hedging:

a. It would appear that someone apparently entered illegally. b. It may be possible that sometime in the near future the situation is likely to improve. c. Your report seems to suggest that we might be losing money. d. I believe Yolanda apparently has somewhat greater influence over employees in the inbound marketing department. e. It seems as if this letter of resignation means you might be leaving us.

6-28. Editing for Clarity (Indefinite Starters) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Rewrite these sentences to eliminate the indefinite starters:

a. There are several examples here to show that Elaine can’t hold a position very long. b. It would be greatly appreciated if every employee would make a generous contribution to Draymond Cook’s retirement party. c. It has been learned in Washington today from generally reliable sources that an important announcement will be made shortly by the White

House. d. There is a rule that states that we cannot work overtime without permission. e. It would be great if you could work late for the next three Saturdays.

6-29. Editing for Clarity (Parallelism) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Revise these sentences to present the ideas in parallel form:

a. Mr. Hill is expected to lecture three days a week, to counsel two days a week, and must write for publication in his spare time. b. She knows not only accounting, but she also reads Latin. c. Both applicants had families, college degrees, and were in their thirties, with considerable accounting experience but few social connections. d. This book was exciting, well written, and held my interest. e. Don is both a hard worker and he knows the financial reporting standards.

6-30. Editing for Clarity (Awkward References) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Revise the following sentences to delete the awkward references:

a. The vice president in charge of sales and the production manager are responsible for the keys to 34A and 35A, respectively. b. The keys to 34A and 35A are in executive hands, with the former belonging to the vice president in charge of sales and the latter belonging to

the production manager. c. The keys to 34A and 35A have been given to the production manager, with the aforementioned keys being gold embossed. d. A laser printer and an inkjet printer were delivered to John and Megan, respectively.

e. The walnut desk is more expensive than the oak desk, the former costing $300 more than the latter.

6-31. Editing for Clarity (Dangling Modifiers) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Rewrite these sentences to clarify the dangling modifiers:

a. Full of trash and ripped-up newspapers, we left Dallas on a plane that apparently hadn’t been cleaned in days. b. Lying on the shelf, Ruby found the operations manual. c. With leaking plumbing and outdated wiring, I don’t think we should buy that property. d. Being cluttered and filthy, Sandy took the whole afternoon to clean up her desk. e. After proofreading every word, the letter was ready to be signed.

6-32. Editing for Clarity (Noun Sequences) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Rewrite the following sentences to eliminate the long strings of nouns:

a. The focus of the meeting was a discussion of the bank interest rate deregulation issue. b. Following the government task force report recommendations, we are revising our job applicant evaluation procedures. c. The production department quality assurance program components include employee training, supplier cooperation, and computerized

detection equipment. d. The supermarket warehouse inventory reduction plan will be implemented next month. e. The State University business school graduate placement program is one of the best in the country.

6-33. Editing for Clarity (Sentence Structure) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C)

Rearrange the following sentences to bring the subjects closer to their verbs:

a. Trudy, when she first saw the bull pawing the ground, ran. b. It was Terri who, according to Ted, who is probably the worst gossip in the office (Tom excepted), mailed the wrong order. c. William Oberstreet, in his book Investment Capital Reconsidered, writes of the mistakes that bankers through the decades have made. d. Judy Schimmel, after passing up several sensible investment opportunities, despite the warnings of her friends and family, invested her

inheritance in a jojoba plantation. e. The president of U-Stor-It, which was on the brink of bankruptcy after the warehouse fire, the worst tragedy in the history of the company,

prepared a press announcement.

6-34. Editing for Clarity (Camouflaged Verbs) [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) Rewrite each sentence so that the verbs are no longer camouflaged:

a. Adaptation to the new rules was performed easily by the employees. b. The assessor will make a determination of the tax due. c. Verification of the identity of the employees must be made daily. d. The board of directors made a recommendation that Mr. Ronson be assigned to a new division. e. The auditing procedure on the books was performed by the vice president.

6-35. Completing: Designing for Readability; Media Skills: Blogging [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E2D) , Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) Compare the home pages of Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com) ) and MarketWatch (www.marketwatch.com (http://www.marketwatch.com) ), two websites that cover financial markets. What are your first impressions of these two sites? How do their overall designs compare in terms of information delivery and overall user experience? Choose three pieces of information that a visitor to these sites would be likely to look for, such as a current stock price, news from international markets, and commentary from market experts. Which site makes it easier to find this information? Why? Present your analysis in a post for your class blog.

6-36. Communication Ethics: Making Ethical Choices; Media Skills: Blogging [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#P7001012451000000000000000002D6C) , Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) The time and energy required for careful revision can often benefit you or your company directly, such as by increasing the probability that website visitors will buy your products. But what about situations in which the quality of your writing and revision work really doesn’t stand to benefit you directly? For instance, assume that you are putting a notice on your website, informing the local community about some upcoming construction to your manufacturing plant. The work will disrupt traffic for nearly a year and generate a significant amount of noise and air pollution, but knowing the specific dates and times of various construction activities will allow people to adjust their commutes and other activities to minimize the negative impact on their daily lives. However, your company does not sell products in the local area, so the people affected by all this are not potential customers. Moreover, providing accurate information to the surrounding community and updating it as the project progresses will take time away from your other job responsibilities. Do you have an ethical obligation to keep the local community informed with accurate, up-to-date information? Why or why not?

6-37. Proofreading [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e83#P7001012451000000000000000002E85) Proofread the following email message and revise it to correct any problems you find:

Our final company orrientation of the year will be held on Dec. 20. In preparation for this sesssion, please order 20 copies of the Policy handbook, the confindentiality agreenemt, the employee benefits Manual, please let me know if you anticipate any delays in obtaining these materials.

Expand Your Skills Critique the Professionals

Identify a company website that in your opinion violates one or more of the principles of good design discussed on pages 164 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#page_164) –167 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#page_167) . Using whatever medium your instructor requests, write a brief analysis of the site (no more than one page), citing specific elements from the piece and support from the chapter.

Sharpening Your Career Skills Online

Bovée and Thill’s Business Communication Web Search, at websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com (http://websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com) , is a unique research tool designed specifically for business communication research. Use the Web Search function to find a website, video, article, podcast, or presentation that offers advice on effective proofreading. Write a brief email message to your instructor, describing the item you found and summarizing the career skills information you learned from it.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:

6-38. How does varying the length of one’s sentences improve the flow and readability of business documents? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002c1c#P7001012451000000000000000002C1E)

6-39. How do your typeface selections help determine the personality of your documents and messages? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002e2a#P7001012451000000000000000002E2D)

Endnotes

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#rP700101245100000000000000000302F) . Type Together website, accessed 27 March 2016, www.type-together.com (http://www.type-together.com) ; “Georgia,” in “Microsoft Typography,” accessed 27 March 2016, www.microsoft.com (http://www.microsoft.com) ; “Women in Design: Veronika Burian,” Fontshop, 9 March 2015, www.fontshop.com (http://www.fontshop.com) ; Jan Middendorp, “Creative Characters: Veronika Burian,” MyFonts, October 2008, www.myfonts.com (http://www.myfonts.com) .

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#rP7001012451000000000000000003031) . Deborah Gunn, “Looking Good on Paper,” Office Pro, March 2004, 10–11.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#rP7001012451000000000000000003033) . Jacci Howard Bear, “What are the Rules of Desktop Publishing?” About Tech, accessed 13 May 2016, desktoppub.about.com (http://desktoppub.about.com) .

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#rP7001012451000000000000000003035) . Kas Thomas, “The Serif Readability Myth,” blogorrhea, 18 January 2013, asserttrue.blogspot.com (http://asserttrue.blogspot.com) ; Ole Lund, “Knowledge Construction in Typography: The Case of Legibility Research and the Legibility of Sans Serif Typefaces” (PhD diss., University of Reading, October 1999).

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#rP7001012451000000000000000003037) . Jacci Howard Bear, “Use Fewer Fonts: Desktop Publishing Rules for How Many Fonts to Use,” About.com (http://About.com) , accessed 22 August 2005, desktoppub.about.com (http://desktoppub.about.com) .

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#rP7001012451000000000000000003039) . “Mobile Message Mayhem,” Verne Ordman & Associates, accessed 12 March 2014, www.businesswriting.biz (http://www.businesswriting.biz) .

7 Digital Media LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you will be able to

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P7001012451000000000000000003083) Identify the major digital media formats available for business messages, and list nine compositional modes used in digital media.

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FE) Describe the evolving role of email in business communication, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to email messages.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P70010124510000000000000000031D2) Identify the advantages and disadvantages of business messaging systems.

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003239) Explain why organizing website content is so challenging, and explain the concept of information architecture.

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032C1) Explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to podcasting.

MyBCommLab®

Improve Your Grade!

More than 10 million students improved their results using Pearson MyLabs. Visit mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for simulations, tutorials, and end-of-chapter problems.

COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UP AT Slack

slack.com (http://slack.com)

If there’s a business award for accidental success, Stewart Butterfield would surely be a leading contender for it. He has the unusual distinction of being the cofounder of two different video game companies that didn’t succeed at their original missions but wound up spinning off secondary software features that became massive business successes on their own. The first turned into the photo-sharing web service Flickr, which was once just a feature inside an online role- playing game.

After selling Flickr to Yahoo! for a tidy sum, Butterfield cofounded another video game company. Again, the game business didn’t work out, but he and his partners commercialized an instant messaging function the company had developed for internal use. That capability was expanded and became the Slack messaging system, and it is leading an upheaval in the world of business communication.

Slack cofounder and CEO Stewart Butterfield guides the development of a workplace messaging system that thousands of companies are using to improve team communication.

REUTERS/Mike Blake/Files

Slack offers several communication and information-management tools, but at its heart it is a workplace messaging system. Teams can set up a variety of channels to manage communication on specific topics, and individuals can configure alerts to make sure they get the messages they need without getting flooded by messages they don’t (one of the banes of email). All communication is automatically archived, so it’s easy for everyone on a team to find information. A key feature that Butterfield promotes with Slack is transparency, in that communication threads are no longer lost or hidden in private email exchanges but out in the open for everyone on a team to see and share.

To understand the appeal of Slack, one needs to understand the love/hate relationship many business professionals have with email. Email is so ubiquitous that it’s easy to forget what a revolutionary and disruptive medium it once was. In a world where internal memos could take hours to deliver and external letters could take days, nearly instantaneous email changed business communication forever, and it remains a vital communication tool.

However, email has long suffered from a serious case of too-much-of-a-good-thing. Many professionals complain of drowning in a flood of messages, with some getting dozens or hundreds of messages a day—even as they miss vital information when colleagues neglect to include them in message threads. Moreover, email is poorly suited to some of the tasks people use it for, such as project management, collaboration, information management, and other processes that require group communication and shared information access.

A variety of technologies that aim to overcome the disadvantages of email have recently entered the market, from basic instant messaging to full-featured collaboration systems. But few have caught on as quickly as Slack. Within a year of its 2013 launch, Slack had a half million daily users in 60,000 teams around the world and laid claim to being the fastest-growing business app in history. Within two years, the service had more than 2 million active users. Some describe it as more than a mere communication tool, calling it a radical way to transform how they work.

For many business communicators, Slack is clearly filling an unmet need. A majority of customers report greater productivity, more transparency, improved team culture, easier access to information, and a reduced need for meetings. On average, users say it has cut email use in their organizations almost in half, and many say it has nearly eliminated email entirely. By enabling communication and collaboration in ways that support how today’s professionals want and need to work,

Slack and other corporate messaging systems might finally be taming the dreaded email monster.1

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003433)

7.1 Digital Media for Business Communication

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

1 Identify the major digital media formats available for business messages, and list nine compositional modes used in digital media. The runaway success of Slack (profiled in the chapter-opening Communication Close-Up) highlights two important considerations in using digital media: choosing the best tools for the task at hand and using each tool wisely. This chapter offers advice on using tools you’re likely to encounter in any profession: email, messaging, websites, and podcasting. (Digital media with a social component are covered in Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) .)

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA OPTIONS

The considerable range of digital media available for business messages continues to grow as communication technologies evolve:

Business communicators use the full range of digital media options, from conventional email and messaging to social networking tools.

• Email. Conventional email has long been a vital medium for business communication, although in many instances it is being replaced by other tools that provide better support for instant communication and real-time collaboration.

• Messaging. From basic text messaging on mobile devices to multifunction group systems such as those offered by Slack, messaging in various forms now rivals or exceeds email in many companies.

• Web content. Websites are one of the most important digital media types, from small-business sites with a few pages to large corporate sites with hundreds or thousands of pages.

• Podcasting. Businesses use podcasts to replace or supplement some conference calls, newsletters, training courses, and other communication activities. • Social networks. Social networks have evolved into a major business communication technology, from well-known public networks to the private,

internal networks that many companies now use. • Information- and content-sharing sites. In addition to social networks, a variety of systems have been designed specifically for sharing content,

including user-generated content sites, media curation sites, and community Q&A sites. • Wikis. The collaborative nature of wikis—websites that can be expanded and edited by teams, user communities, or the public at large—make them a

natural fit for aggregating the knowledge of groups ranging from individual departments to the public at large. • Blogging and microblogging. The ability to update content quickly and easily makes blogs and microblogs (such as Twitter) a natural medium when

communicators want to get messages out in a hurry. • Online video. Digital and online video have transformed what used to be a fairly specialized tool into a mainstream business communication medium.

The first four of these—email, messaging, web content, and podcasting—are covered in this chapter. Digital media with a strong social element, from social networks to microblogs, are addressed in Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) . Online video, along with other visual media, is covered in Chapter 9 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003806#P7001012451000000000000000003806) .

Note that the lines between these media often get blurred as systems expand their capabilities or people use them in new ways. Moreover, the mobile variants of all these technologies add another layer of challenges and opportunities for business communicators. For example, the ability to scan coded labels such as barcodes or the similar Quick Response (QR) codes attached to printed materials, products, or store windows (or the ability to pick up radio signals from near-field communication tags) gives smartphone users a way to get more information—from companies themselves and from other consumers providing reviews on social websites.

Most of your business communication is likely to be via digital means, but don’t overlook the benefits of printed messages. (For more on formatting printed letters and memos, see Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) and Appendix A (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000070ad#P70010124510000000000000000070AD) .) Here are several situations in which you should consider using a printed message rather than digital alternatives:

Even with the widespread use of digital media, printed memos and letters still play an important role in business communication.

• When you want to make a formal impression. For special messages, such as sending congratulations or condolences, the formality of printed documents usually makes them a much better choice than digital messages.

• When you are legally required to provide information in printed form. Business contracts and government regulations sometimes require that information be provided on paper.

• When you want to stand out from the flood of digital messages. If your audience’s computers are overflowing with Twitter updates, email messages, and messaging notifications, sometimes a printed message can stand out enough to get noticed.

• When you need a permanent, unchangeable, or secure record. Letters and memos are reliable. Once printed, they can’t be erased with a single keystroke or surreptitiously modified the way some digital messages can be. Printed documents also require more effort to copy and forward.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

Should you email, text, or pick up the phone?

These tips will help you make the best choice in various business situations. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

COMPOSITIONAL MODES FOR DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA

As you practice using various media and channels in this course, it’s best to focus on the fundamentals of planning, writing, and completing messages, rather than

on the specific details of any one medium or system.2

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003435) Fortunately, the basic communication skills required usually transfer from one system to another. You can succeed with written communication in virtually all digital media by using one of nine compositional modes:

Communicating successfully with digital media requires a wide range of writing approaches.

• Conversations. Messaging is a great example of a written medium that mimics spoken conversation. And just as you wouldn’t read a report to someone sitting in your office, you wouldn’t use conversational modes to exchange large volumes of information or to communicate with more than a few people at once.

• Comments and critiques. One of the most powerful aspects of social media is the opportunity for interested parties to express opinions and provide feedback, whether by leaving comments on a blog post or reviewing products on an e-commerce site. Sharing helpful tips and insightful commentary is also a great way to build your personal brand. To be an effective commenter, focus on short chunks of information that a broad spectrum of other site visitors will find helpful. Rants, insults, jokes, and blatant self-promotion are of little benefit to others.

• Orientations. The ability to help people find their way through an unfamiliar system or subject is a valuable writing skill and a talent that readers greatly appreciate. Unlike summaries (see the next item), orientations don’t give away the key points in the collection of information but rather tell readers where to find those points. Writing effective orientations can be a delicate balancing act because you need to know the material well enough to guide others through it while being able to step back and view it from the inexperienced perspective of a “newbie.”

• Summaries. At the beginning of an article or webpage, a summary functions as a miniature version of the document, giving readers all the key points while skipping over details. At the end of an article or webpage, a summary functions as a review, reminding readers of the key points they’ve just read. A series of key points extracted from an article or webpage can also serve as a summary.

• Reference material. One of the greatest benefits of the Internet is the access it can provide to vast quantities of reference materials—numerical or textual information that people typically don’t read in a linear way but rather search through to find particular data points, trends, or other details. One of the challenges of writing reference material is that you can’t always know how readers will want to access it. Making the information accessible via search engines is an important step. However, readers don’t always know which search terms will yield the best results, so consider an orientation and organize the material in logical ways with clear headings that promote skimming.

• Narratives. The storytelling techniques covered in Chapter 4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f59#P7001012451000000000000000001F59) can be effective in a wide variety of situations. Narratives work best when they have an intriguing beginning that ignites readers’ curiosity, a middle section that moves quickly through the challenges that an individual or company faced, and an inspiring or instructive ending that gives readers information they can apply in their own lives and jobs.

• Teasers. Teasers intentionally withhold key pieces of information as a way to pull readers or listeners into a story or other document. Teasers are widely used in marketing and sales messages, such as a bit of copy on the outside of an envelope that promises important information on the inside. In digital media, the space limitations and URL linking capabilities of Twitter and other microblogging systems make them a natural tool for the teaser approach. Although they can certainly be effective, teasers need to be used with respect for readers’ time and information needs. Be sure that the payoff, the information a teaser links to, is valuable and legitimate. You’ll quickly lose credibility if readers think they are being tricked into clicking through to information they don’t really want. (Tweetables are Twitter-ready bites of information extracted from a blog post or other messages. They often serve as teasers, although a series of them can make an effective summary as well.)

• Status updates and announcements. If you use social media frequently, much of your writing will involve status updates and announcements (see Figure 7.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P70010124510000000000000000030CA) ). However, don’t post trivial information that only you are likely to find interesting. Post only those updates that readers will find useful, and include only the information they need.

• Tutorials. Given the community nature of social media, the purpose of many messages is to share how-to advice. Becoming known as a reliable expert is a great way to build customer loyalty for your company while enhancing your own personal value.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

Telling compelling stories on social media

Storytelling is an effective business communication strategy, and social media can be the ideal platform for it. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

As you approach a new communication task using digital media, ask yourself what kind of information audience members are likely to need, then choose the appropriate compositional mode. Of course, many of these modes are also used in written media, but over time, you may find yourself using all of them in various digital and social media contexts.

Figure 7.1 Compositional Modes: Status Updates and Announcements

Contests, such as this one featuring Fender musical equipment, are a popular message form on Facebook and other social media.

Courtesy Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

OPTIMIZING CONTENT FOR MOBILE DEVICES

Chapters 5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002445#P7001012451000000000000000002445) and 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) offer tips on writing and formatting messages for mobile devices. While keeping the limitations of the small screens of mobile devices and alternative input methods in mind, look for opportunities to take advantage of mobile-specific capabilities via apps and mobile-friendly websites. Mobile expands your options as a content creator, and it gives your audience members a wider range of engaging ways to consume your content:

Mobile offers a range of exciting ways to enhance the audience experience.

• Location-based services. Location-based social networking links the virtual world of online social networking with the physical world of retail stores and other locations. As mobile web use in general continues to grow, location-based networking promises to become an important business communication medium because mobile consumers are a significant economic force—through the purchases they make directly and through their

ability to influence other consumers.3

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003437)

• Gamification. The addition of game-playing aspects to apps and web services, known as gamification, can increase audience engagement and encourage repeat use. The highlight box on page 27 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001390#page_27) has more on this intriguing business tool.

• Augmented reality. Superimposing data on live camera images can enrich experiences for consumers and supply useful information to business users (see Figure 7.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P70010124510000000000000000030E9) on the next page). The Future of Communication (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003243) box on page 213 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#page_213) has more on augmented reality and virtual reality.

• Wearable technology. From virtual-reality goggles to smartwatches to body-movement sensors, wearable technology pushes the radical connectivity of mobile to the next level. Some of these items work as auxiliary screens and controls for other mobile devices, but others are meant for independent

use. One of the key promises of wearable technology is simplifying and enhancing everyday tasks for consumers and employees alike.4

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003439)

• Mobile blogging. Smartphones and tablets are ideal for mobile blogs, sometimes known as moblogs. The mobile capability is great for workers whose jobs keep them on the move and for special-event coverage such as live-blogging trade shows and industry conventions.

Figure 7.2 Augmented Reality

The Maintenance Augmented Reality feature in Panasonic’s computer-integrated manufacturing software is a great example of using augmented reality for business communication. By simply pointing a mobile device at a machine, technicians can get detailed information needed for maintenance and repair.

Panasonic Corporation of North America

• Mobile podcasting. Similarly, smartphone-based podcasting tools make it easy to record audio on the go and post finished podcasts to your blog or website.

• Cloud-based services. Mobile communication is ideal for cloud-based services—digital services that rely on resources stored in the cloud.

7.2 Email

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

2 Describe the evolving role of email in business communication, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to email messages. Email has been a primary medium for many companies for several decades, and in the beginning it offered a huge advantage in speed and efficiency over the media it frequently replaced (printed and faxed messages). Over the years, email began to be used for many communication tasks simply because it was the only widely available digital medium for written messages and millions of users were comfortable with it. However, as Slack’s growth illustrates, other tools are taking over specific tasks for which they are better suited.

Overuse is one of the major complaints about email.

In addition to the widespread availability of better alternatives for many communication purposes, the indiscriminate use of email has lowered its appeal in the eyes of many professionals. In a sense, email is too easy to use—it’s too easy to send low-value messages to multiple recipients and to trigger long message chains that become impossible to follow as people chime in along the way. And because it is such a general-purpose tool, email gets used for everything from critically important messages to automated updates and confirmations with little or no value.

Email also suffers from an enormous problem with spam (unsolicited bulk email) and security risks such as computer viruses and phishing (fraudulent messages that prompt unwary users to divulge sensitivity information or grant access to protected networks). Spam accounts for roughly half of all email and requires great

effort to keep it from flooding users’ inboxes.5

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000343D) Most systems use spam and threat filters, but these filters are never 100 percent accurate and can also reject messages that are legitimate.

In spite of its shortcomings, email remains a major business communication medium.

Even with these drawbacks, email still has compelling advantages that will keep it in steady use in many companies. First, email is universal. Anybody with an email address can reach anybody else with an email address, no matter which systems the senders and receivers are on. Second, email is still the best medium for many private, short- to medium-length messages, particularly when the exchange is limited to two people. Unlike with microblogs or messaging, for instance, midsize messages are easy to compose and easy to read on email. Third, email’s noninstantaneous nature is an advantage when used properly. Email lets senders compose substantial messages in private and on their own schedule, and it lets recipients read those messages at their leisure.

PLANNING EMAIL MESSAGES

The solution to email overload starts in the planning step, by making sure every message has a valid, business-related purpose. Also, be aware that many companies now have formal email policies that specify how employees can use email, including restrictions against using the company email service for personal messages, sending confidential information, or sending material that might be deemed objectionable. In addition, many employers now monitor email, either automatically with software programmed to look for sensitive content or manually via security staff actually reading selected email messages. Regardless of formal policies, every email user has a responsibility to avoid actions that could cause trouble, from downloading virus-infected software to sending inappropriate photographs.

Cut down on message overload by making sure every email message you send has a valid business purpose.

Even with fairly short messages, spend a moment or two on the message planning tasks described in Chapter 4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000001f59#P7001012451000000000000000001F59) : analyzing the situation, gathering necessary information for your readers, and organizing your message. You’ll save time in the long run because you will craft a more effective message on the first attempt. Your readers will get the information they need and won’t have to generate follow-up messages asking for clarification or additional information.

WRITING EMAIL MESSAGES

Business email messages are more formal than the email messages you send to family and friends.

Figure 7.3 Email for Business Communication

In this response to an email query from a colleague, Elaine Burgman takes advantage of her email system’s features to create an efficient and effective message.

MS Outlook 2013, © Microsoft.

Business email is a more formal medium than you are probably accustomed to with email for personal communication (see Figure 7.3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P7001012451000000000000000003116) ). The expectations of writing quality for business email are higher than for personal email, and the consequences of bad writing or poor judgment can be much more serious. For example, email messages and other digital documents have the same legal weight as printed documents, and they are often used as evidence in lawsuits and

criminal investigations.6

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000343B)

The subject line is often the most important part of an email message because it can determine whether the message gets read.

The email subject line might seem like a small detail, but it is actually one of the most important parts of an email message because it helps recipients decide which messages to read and when to read them. To capture your audience’s attention, make your subject lines informative and compelling. Go beyond simply

describing or classifying your message; use the opportunity to build interest with keywords, quotations, directions, or questions.7

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000343F) For example, “July sales results” accurately describes the content of the message, but “July sales results: good news and bad news” is more intriguing. Readers will want to know why some news is good and some is bad.

In addition, many email programs display the first few words or lines of incoming messages, even before the recipient opens them. As noted by the social media public relations expert Steve Rubel, you can “tweetify” the opening lines of your email messages to make them stand out. In other words, choose the first few

words carefully to grab your reader’s attention.8

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003441) Think of the first sentence as an extension of your subject line.

Attitudes about emoticons in business communication are changing; you’ll have to use your best judgment in every case.

As a lean medium, email can present challenges when you need to express emotional nuances, whether positive or negative. For years, users of email (as well as messaging and text messaging) have used a variety of emoticons to express emotions in casual communication. For example, to express sympathy as a way to take some of the sting out of negative news, one might use a “frowny face,” either the :( character string or a graphical emoticon such as or one of the colorful and

sometimes animated characters available in some systems.

DIGITAL + SOCIAL + MOBILE: TODAY’S COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT

Will Emoticons Give Your Career a Frowny Face?

Your project team has just been reprimanded by the boss for missing a deadline. Your colleagues left the meeting grumbling about being criticized in public after working nights and weekends, and you fear that morale will slip.

You could craft an inspirational message to soothe the bruised egos and get the team’s energy turned around in a positive direction. However, writing such a message could be risky because world-weary teammates might just brush it off as “happytalk” and resent you for trying to be a cheerleader.

Alternatively, you could suggest that your colleagues lighten up and stay focused on the ultimate goal of the project. However, you already know that telling grumpy people to cheer up is a surefire way to make most of them even grumpier.

Instead, you opt for a quick bit of gentle sarcasm, designed to help release the negative emotions in a collegial way. When you get back to your desk, you write the following instant message:

Well, let’s pick up the pieces of our shattered lives and move on ;-)

The over-the-top phrasing is a subtle way to remind everyone that the criticism wasn’t all that traumatic, and that winking emoticon tells everyone to lighten up without actually saying so. The apparent sarcasm connects with people who are marinating in their negative emotions, but it’s really a pep talk disguised as sarcasm.

Then you worry that the emoticon will seem unprofessional, so you replace it with a simple period:

Well, let’s pick up the pieces of our shattered lives and move on.

Oops. That one minor change to make the message more professional turned it into a statement of resigned sadness. You search your keyboard for any acceptable symbol that might help:

Well, let’s pick up the pieces of our shattered lives and move on!

Great, now you’ve managed to sound bitter and demanding at the same time.

Given the difficulty of communicating emotional nuance in lean media such as messaging and email, are emoticons really all that bad? The answer depends on the situation, your relationship with your audience, and the company culture. Until emoticons become more widely accepted in business communication, it’s wise to err on the side of caution.

CAREER APPLICATIONS

1. As a manager, what reaction would you have to job applicants who use emoticons in their email messages? 2. Are emoticons just a generational difference in perspective, or is there more to the issue? Explain your answer.

In past years, the use of emoticons was widely regarded as unprofessional and therefore advised against in business communication. Recently, though, an increasing number of professionals seem to be using them, particularly for communication with close colleagues, even as other professionals continue to view

them as evidence of lazy or immature writing.9

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003443) In the face of these conflicting perspectives, the best advice is to use caution. Avoid emoticons for all types of external communication and for formal internal communication, and avoid those bright yellow graphical emoticons (and particularly animated emoticons) in all business communication.

COMPLETING EMAIL MESSAGES

Particularly for important messages, taking a few moments to revise and proofread might save you hours of headaches and damage control. The more important the message, the more carefully you need to proofread. Also, favor simplicity when it comes to producing your email messages. A clean, easily readable font, in black on a white background, is sufficient for nearly all email messages. Take advantage of your email system’s ability to include an email signature (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000330A) , a small file that automatically includes such items as your full name, title, company, and contact information at the end of your messages.

Think twice before hitting “Send.” A simple mistake in your content or distribution can cause major headaches.

When you’re ready to distribute your message, pause to verify what you’re doing before you click “Send.” Make sure you’ve included everyone necessary—and no one else. Don’t click “Reply All” when you mean to select “Reply.” The difference could be embarrassing or even career threatening. Don’t include people in the cc (courtesy copy or “carbon copy,” historically) or bcc (blind courtesy copy) fields unless you know how these features work. (Everyone who receives the message can see who is on the cc line but not who is on the bcc line.) Also, don’t set the message priority to “high” or “urgent” unless your message is truly urgent. And if you intend to include an attachment, be sure that it is indeed attached.

To review the tips and techniques for successful email, see Table 7.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P7001012451000000000000000003164) and “Checklist: Creating Effective Email Messages (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000031A0) ,” or select Chapter 7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#P7001012451000000000000000003055) at real- timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) .

TABLE 7.1 Tips for Effective Email Messages

Tip Why It’s Important

When you request information or action, make it clear what you’re asking for, why it’s important, and how soon you need it; don’t make your reader write back for details.

People will be tempted to ignore your messages if they’re not clear about what you want or how soon you want it.

When responding to a request, either paraphrase the request or include enough of the original message to remind the reader what you’re replying to.

Some businesspeople get hundreds of email messages a day and may need to be reminded what your specific response is about.

If possible, avoid sending long, complex messages via email. Long messages are easier to read as attached reports or web content.

Adjust the level of formality to the message and the audience. Overly formal messages to colleagues can be perceived as stuffy and distant; overly informal messages to customers or top executives can be perceived as disrespectful.

Activate a signature file, which automatically pastes your contact information into every message you create.

A signature saves you the trouble of retyping vital information and ensures that recipients know how to reach you through other means.

Don’t let unread messages pile up in your inbox. You’ll miss important information and create the impression that you’re ignoring other people.

Never type in all caps. ALL CAPS ARE INTERPRETED AS SCREAMING.

Don’t overformat your messages with background colors, multicolored type, unusual fonts, and so on.

Such messages can be difficult and annoying to read on screen.

Remember that messages can be forwarded anywhere and saved forever. Don’t let a moment of anger or poor judgment haunt you for the rest of your career.

Use the “return receipt requested” feature only for the most critical messages.

This feature triggers a message back to you whenever someone receives or opens your message; many consider this an invasion of privacy.

Make sure your computer has up-to-date virus protection. One of the worst breaches of “netiquette” is infecting other computers because you haven’t bothered to protect your own system.

Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and capitalization. Some people don’t think email needs formal rules, but careless messages make you look unprofessional and can annoy readers.

Use acronyms sparingly. Shorthand such as IMHO (in my humble opinion) and LOL (laughing out loud) can be useful in informal correspondence with colleagues, but avoid using them in more formal messages.

CHECKLIST Creating Effective Email Messages

A. Planning email messages • Make sure every email message you send is necessary. • Don’t cc or bcc anyone who doesn’t really need to see the message. • Follow company email policy; understand the restrictions your company places on email usage. • Practice good email hygiene by not opening suspicious messages, keeping virus protection up to date, and following other company

guidelines. • Follow the chain of command.

B. Writing email messages • Remember that business email is more formal than personal email. • Recognize that email messages carry the same legal weight as other business documents. • Pay attention to the quality of your writing and use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. • Make your subject lines informative by clearly identifying the purpose of your message. • Make your subject lines compelling by wording them in a way that intrigues your audiences. • Use the first few words of the email body to catch the reader’s attention.

C. Completing email messages • Revise and proofread carefully to avoid embarrassing mistakes. • Keep the layout of your messages simple and clean, particularly for mobile recipients. • Use an email signature file to give recipients your contact information. • Double-check your recipient list before sending. • Don’t mark messages as “urgent” unless they truly are urgent.

7.3 Messaging

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

3 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of business messaging systems. The Slack profile at the beginning of the chapter highlights the rapid growth of messaging (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003310) , a category of communication tools whose core focus is conversational exchanges. In contrast to email, which is a digital alternative to printed memos and letters, messaging is best thought of as a digital alternative to live voice conversation. Messaging technologies include text messaging on mobile phones, conventional instant messaging (IM) systems, online chat systems (such as those used by many companies for customer support), and workplace messaging systems such as Slack and its competitors.

A variety of digital messaging solutions are now available, from text messaging on mobile devices to private group messaging systems.

Messaging is a diverse category, and various systems offer a range of capabilities. They range from semipublic systems such as standard text messaging on mobile phones, in which anyone with your phone number can send you a message, to private systems that are closed to anyone other than invited members. Slack and other enterprise messaging systems are catching on with many businesses because they do a better job of enabling and capturing the communication flows that teams, departments, and other groups need in order to work together successfully. Messaging is also a function available on many collaboration platforms and social networks. And messaging isn’t strictly limited to human-to-human exchanges. As the Future of Communication box on page 278 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003f7a#page_278) in Chapter 10 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003e00#P7001012451000000000000000003E00) points out, automated messaging bots can participate in simple conversational exchanges and assist users with various business tasks.

MOBILE APP

Telegram is a free messaging app that offers one-on-one and group chat capabilities.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MESSAGING

Messaging offers several key benefits over email:

• The ability to mimic live conversation • Improved security • Instantaneous delivery

Messaging offers several key benefits over email for specific communication purposes, so it’s not surprising that it has been steadily replacing email in many applications in recent years. First, because it mimics voice conversation to a high degree, it is better suited to back-and-forth exchanges than email and other digital formats. If you’ve ever tried to carry on a conversation via email or Facebook comments, you know how agonizingly slow it can be to wait for the other person to respond. Second, with closed systems such as Slack, administrators can choose who is allowed to participate, which means they can block out all outside

distractions and threats.10

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003445) Unlike email, which has no centralized control mechanism on the Internet, these private messaging systems spare users from many of the overload problems and security threats that plague mail. Third, the instantaneous nature of messaging makes it the best choice when senders want messages to be seen and acted on immediately. (Email systems can be set up with alerts to tell receivers about incoming messages, but the email messages still need to be opened before they can be read.)

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

The security worries behind the surge in business messaging

Find out why mobile messaging apps can be security risks. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

Messaging does have several potential drawbacks. First, for real-time conversational exchange, users of all systems are at the mercy of other users’ typing speed and accuracy, which can make messaging annoyingly slow in some cases. Second, messaging systems vary widely in their levels of security and privacy, and public IM systems aren’t as secure as private, enterprise-level systems. But even closed messaging systems such as Slack are at risk from security attacks. Third, like

email, messaging is a lean medium with little opportunity to convey nonverbal signals, which increases the chances of misinterpretation.11

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003447)

Messaging is vulnerable to other people’s typing skills, systems are vulnerable to security attacks (although generally less vulnerable than email), and it is a lean medium with potential for miscommunication.

GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESSFUL MESSAGING

Although messages are often conceived, written, and sent within a matter of seconds, you can still apply key principles of the three-step process:

Although you don’t plan individual instant messages in the usual way, view important messaging exchanges as conversations with specific goals.

• Planning instant messages. View every exchange as a conversation; while you may not deliberately plan every individual statement you make or question you pose, take a moment to plan the overall exchange. If you’re requesting something, think through exactly what you need and the most effective way to ask for it. If someone is asking you for something, consider his or her needs and your ability to meet them before you respond. And although you rarely need to organize instant messages in the sense of creating an outline, try to deliver information in a coherent, complete way that minimizes the number of individual messages required.

• Writing instant messages. As with email, the appropriate writing style for business messaging is more formal than the style you may be accustomed to with personal IM or text messaging. You should generally avoid acronyms (such as FWIW for “for what it’s worth” or HTH for “hope that helps”) except when communicating with close colleagues. In the exchange in Figure 7.4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P70010124510000000000000000031FC) , notice how the participants communicate quickly and rather informally but still maintain good etiquette and a professional tone. This style is even more important if you or your staff use messaging to communicate with customers and other outside audiences.

Figure 7.4 Instant Messaging for Business Communication

Instant messaging is widely used in business, but in most cases you should not use the same informal style of communication you probably use for messaging with your friends and family.

• Completing instant messages. One of the biggest attractions of messaging is that the completing step is so easy. You don’t have to produce the message in the usual sense, and distribution is as simple as hitting “Enter” or clicking a “Send” button. However, don’t skip over the revising and proofreading tasks. Quickly scan each message before you send it, to make sure you don’t have any missing or misspelled words and that your message is clear and complete. Keep in mind that many corporate messaging systems store every message, and systems such as Slack make them easily searchable, too, so even brief messages that you send in a hurry become part of a permanent record.

Regardless of the system you’re using, you can make messaging more efficient and effective by following these tips:12

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003449)

Successful messaging starts with being thoughtful and courteous.

• Be thoughtful and courteous. People can be overloaded by messages just as easily as they can by emails and social media updates, so don’t waste time with chatter. When you want to start an exchange, ask the other person if he or she is free to chat, just as you would knock on someone’s office door and ask if this is a good time to talk. Introduce yourself if you’re messaging someone in your company for the first time.

• Make yourself unavailable when you need to focus on other work. You can reset your availability when a messaging conversation or meeting is scheduled.

• If you’re not on a secure system, don’t send confidential information. Your company’s security policies may prohibit certain types of communication on its messaging system.

• Be extremely careful about sending personal messages. They clutter communication channels meant for business, and they can embarrass recipients if they pop up at awkward moments.

• Don’t use messaging for impromptu meetings if you can’t verify that everyone concerned is available. You risk leaving important contributors out of the loop otherwise.

• Don’t use messaging for lengthy, complex messages. Email and other formats are better for those.

• Try to avoid carrying on multiple conversations at once. This minimizes the chance of sending messages to the wrong people or making one person wait while you tend to another conversation.

• Follow all security guidelines. These are designed to keep your company’s information and systems safe from attack.

To review the advice for effective messaging in the workplace, see “Checklist: Using Messaging Productively (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P7001012451000000000000000003227) ” or select Chapter 7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#P7001012451000000000000000003055) at real- timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) .

CHECKLIST Using Messaging Productively

• Pay attention to security and privacy issues and be sure to follow all company guidelines. • Treat messaging as a professional communication medium, not an informal, personal tool; avoid using messaging slang with all but close colleagues. • Maintain good etiquette, even during simple exchanges. • Protect your own productivity by making yourself unavailable when you need to focus. • In most instances, don’t use messaging for complex or personal messages.

7.4 Website Content

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

4 Explain why organizing website content is so challenging, and explain the concept of information architecture. You probably won’t develop web content as often as you use email, social networks, and other media, but most companies have at least a basic website, and you might be involved in planning or expanding on it. Most of what you’re learning about using other digital media is relevant to website content as well, although the unique nature of websites presents some special challenges. (The information here applies to conventional web content. Blogs and wikis are covered in Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) .)

ORGANIZING WEBSITE CONTENT

MOBILE APP

Weebly offers a simple way to create mobile-friendly websites.

The versatility of websites can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because a single web presence can serve multiple purposes for multiple audiences. For example, a company website can have sections for potential employees, investors, future customers, current customers, business partners, the media, and members of the local community. Anyone who wants to learn more about the company can visit the website and find what he or she needs.

THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION

Telepathic Communication

Mental telepathy—sending and receiving messages purely through the power of the mind—has long been a staple of science fiction and the province of psychics. However, some rudimentary experiments in technology-enabled telepathy show at least a hint of promise that telepathy could add an intriguing element to business communication in the future.

Using existing medical technologies for sensing and stimulating brain activity, scientists at the University of Washington demonstrated a simple video game in which one user’s thoughts controlled a second user’s physical motions. When the first user saw something on his screen and made a decision about how to react (without actually moving his hand), that brain activity was detected and transmitted to a second user. Using essentially the reverse technology, the decision the first user made would stimulate the brain of the second user and cause him to move his hand to implement the decision via his game controller. In a separate test, an international team of researchers showed it was possible to send simple verbal messages using a similar concept of encoding and decoding.

If the technology has practical applications, it is years away from being ready for the market. The potential is mindboggling to consider, though. Imagine just thinking up a message and having it appear on a colleague’s mobile screen or, better yet, directly in his or her mind. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has speculated on this very possibility.

Even if it never achieves mainstream use, technological telepathy could be a boon for people with sensory or motor issues that prevent them from using existing modes of sending and receiving messages. They could put the full power of their creative and analytical minds directly to work without being stymied by layers of input/output technology.

WHAT’S YOUR PREDICTION?

Look into the current research on technology-enabled telepathy. Is it getting close to practical application? Aside from the technological hurdles, what other hurdlers will need to be overcome to make this a practical tool for communication?

Sources: Caitlin Dewey, “Mark Zuckerberg Says the Future of Communication Is Telepathy. Here’s How That Would Actually Work,” Washington Post, 1 July 2015, www.washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com) ; University of Washington Neural Systems Laboratory, “Direct Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans: A Pilot Study,” 12 August 2013, neural.cs.washington.edu; Corinne Iozzio, “Scientists Prove That Telepathic Communication Is Within Reach,” Smithsonian, 2 October 2014, smithsonianmag.com (http://smithsonianmag.com) .

That versatility can also be curse, however, because it makes websites more difficult to plan and organize than virtually any other type of communication. Each of the target audiences has unique information needs and possibly little interest in the other material that might be on the site. Visitors also enter the site at different points. Some will type in the top-level URL, some will link through to lower-level pages from other websites (a product review in a blog, for example), and many will land on specific pages after using a search engine.

The versatility of websites can make them a challenge to organize because different visitors want different types of information.

Because the web is a multidimensional medium, readers move around in any order they please; there often is no beginning, middle, or end. When organizing a website, you need to anticipate the various paths your readers will want to follow and make sure you provide the right hyperlinks in the right places to help readers explore successfully. Professional website designers use the term information architecture (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000330D) to describe the content structure, labeling, and navigational flow of all the parts of a website.

Thinking through the information architecture of a website is essential to creating a rewarding experience for all visitors.

In a sense, the information architecture is a three-dimensional outline of the site, showing (1) the vertical hierarchy of pages from the homepage down to the lower level, (2) the horizontal division of pages across the various sections of the site, and (3) the links that tie all these pages together, both internally (between various pages on the site) and externally (between the site and other websites).

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VISITING THIS WEBSITE

Examples of effective one-page web design

One Page Love has a large gallery of single-page web designs. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

On simpler sites with few content categories, the information architecture is fairly straightforward. A recent trend toward one-page websites, in which all the content is presented on a single, scrolling page, represents the ultimate in website simplicity. These sites can be particularly good for mobile devices because navigating them requires nothing more than simple scrolling action by the user. Companies also use one-page designs for individual sections of a larger website.

However, on large corporate or organizational websites (such as your college or university’s website), the architecture can be extremely complex, and it is the information architect’s job to make each visitor’s experience as simple as possible.

To organize a site effectively, follow these tips:13

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000344B)

Start developing the information architecture by brainstorming how all your potential visitors will want to use the site.

• Brainstorm all the likely usage scenarios—who will visit the site, where will they be coming from, what will they be looking for, and what terms will they use to identify the information they need?

• Identify all the likely entry points to the site and the target information for each visitor segment. • Create a map or other visual tool (web designers refer to these as wireframes) that shows all the pathways between entry points and target information,

then organize the content and links in the simplest, most direct way possible. • Make sure visitors can always find their way back to the top level of the site, even if a search engine link plunked them onto a page deep within the site. • Give visitors options for finding what they want (see Figure 7.5

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P700101245100000000000000000326E) ). Some will want to search by key terms, for example, whereas others will prefer to follow clearly defined paths that drill down into more specific information (such as Products ▶ Consumer Products ▶ Tools ▶ Handheld Power Tools, for example).

Figure 7.5 Reader-Friendly Web Design

This page from Zappos’s website shows how to organize content in ways that help readers find desired information quickly. The numbered list on the left side serves as both a high-level overview and a clickable table of contents, and selecting any item displays a one-sentence summary and a more detailed description. Readers can quickly explore all 10 values without bouncing around from page to page.

Courtesy of Zappos.

• Be consistent with labels and link behaviors, and use commonly accepted terminology. For example, web visitors now expect information about a company to be on a page titled “About Us.”

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VISITING THIS WEBSITE

Intrigued by the challenge of designing effective websites?

The Information Architecture Institute can help you learn more about the IA profession. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

Think of your website as an information-delivery machine that visitors must learn how to operate in order to use efficiently. By making your machine as easy to use as possible, you’ll help visitors find what they want quickly and encourage them to come back for more.

DRAFTING WEBSITE CONTENT

Everything you know about effective writing applies to web content, but keep these extra points in mind as well (see Figure 7.6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P700101245100000000000000000329A) ):

Figure 7.6 Writing for the Web

This page from the Google Help feature for Gmail demonstrates several important points about effective web writing.

© Google. All rights reserved.

With the inverted pyramid style, summarize the key points at the beginning of a webpage, then move on to provide details.

• Take special care to build trust with your intended audiences, as careful readers can be skeptical of online content. Make sure your content is accurate, current, complete, and authoritative.

• Wherever you can, use the inverted pyramid style, in which you briefly cover the most important information first and then gradually reveal successive layers of detail—letting readers choose to see those additional layers if they want to.

• Help readers absorb information by breaking it into small, self-contained, easily readable chunks that are linked together logically. Many readers don’t have the patience to read lengthy pages online.

• Present your information in a concise, skimmable format. Effective websites use a variety of means to help readers skim pages quickly, including lists, careful use of color and boldface, informative headings, and helpful summaries that give readers a choice of learning more if they want to.

• Use direct and concise link names that serve for both site navigation and content skimming. Above all else, clearly identify where a link will take readers. Don’t use cute wordplay that obscures the content, and don’t force readers to click through in order to figure out where they’re going.

• As much as possible, adapt your content for a global audience. Translating content is expensive, however, so some companies compromise by localizing the homepage while keeping the deeper, more detailed content in its original language.

7.5 Podcasting

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

5 Explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to podcasting. Podcasting (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003313) is the process of recording audio or video files and distributing them online. Podcasting combines the media richness of voice or visual communication with the convenience of portability. Audiences can listen to or watch podcasts on a blog or website, or they can download them to phones or portable music players to consume on the go. Particularly with audio podcasts, the hands-off, eyes-off aspect makes them great for listening while driving or exercising.

UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS APPLICATIONS OF PODCASTING

Podcasting can be used to deliver a wide range of audio and video messages.

Podcasting is a good choice to replace existing audio and video messages, such as one-way teleconferences in which a speaker provides information without expecting to engage in conversation with the listeners. Training is another good use of podcasting; you may have already taken a college course via podcasts. Marketing departments can replace expensive printed brochures with video podcasts that demonstrate new products in action. Sales representatives who travel to meet with potential customers can listen to audio podcasts or view video podcasts to get the latest information on their companies’ products. Human resources departments can offer video tours of their companies to entice new recruits. Podcasts are also a useful feature on blogs to let audiences listen to or watch recordings of their favorite bloggers.

ADAPTING THE THREE-STEP PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL PODCASTING

The three-step process adapts quite well to podcasting.

Although it might not seem obvious at first, the three-step writing process adapts quite nicely to podcasting. First, focus the planning step on analyzing the situation, gathering the information you’ll need, and organizing your material. One vital planning step depends on whether you intend to create podcasts for limited use and distribution (such as a weekly audio update to your virtual team) or a podcasting channel (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003316) with regular recordings on a consistent theme, designed for a wider public audience. If you intend to create a podcasting channel, be sure to think through the range of topics

you want to address over time to verify that you have a sustainable purpose.14

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000344D) If you bounce from

one theme to another, you risk losing your audience.15

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P700101245100000000000000000344F) Maintaining a

consistent schedule is also important; listeners will stop paying attention if they can’t count on regular updates.16

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003304#P7001012451000000000000000003451)

Steering devices such as transitions, previews, and reviews are vital in podcasts.

As you organize the content for a podcast, pay close attention to previews, transitions, and reviews. These steering devices are especially vital in audio recordings because audio lacks the headings and other elements that audiences rely on in print media. Moreover, scanning back and forth to find specific parts of an audio or video message is much more difficult than with textual messages, so you need to do everything possible to make sure your audience successfully receives and interprets your message on the first try.

Plan your podcast content carefully; editing is more difficult with podcasts than with textual messages.

One of the attractions of podcasting is the conversational, person-to-person feel of the recordings, so unless you need to capture exact wording, speaking from an outline and notes rather than a prepared script is often the best choice. However, no one wants to listen to rambling podcasts that take several minutes to get to the topic or struggle to make a point, so don’t try to make up your content on the fly. Effective podcasts, like effective stories, have a clear beginning, middle, and end.

MOBILE APP

Mobile Podcaster lets you record audio podcasts on your iOS devices and instantly post them on your WordPress blog.

For basic podcasts, your computer and perhaps even your smartphone might have the hardware you already need, and you can download free recording software.

The completing step is where podcasting differs most dramatically from written communication, for the obvious reason that you are recording and distributing audio or video files. Particularly for more formal podcasts, start by revising your script or thinking through your speaking notes before you begin to record. The closer you can get to recording your podcasts in one take, the more productive you’ll be.

Most personal computers, smartphones (see Figure 7.7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032DF) ), and other devices now have basic audio recording capability, including built-in microphones, and free editing software such as Audacity is available online. If you require higher production quality or greater flexibility, you’ll need additional pieces of hardware and software, such as an audio processor (to filter out extraneous noise and otherwise improve the audio signal), a mixer (to combine multiple audio or video signals), a better microphone, more sophisticated recording and editing software, and perhaps some physical changes in your recording location to improve the acoustics.

Figure 7.7 Mobile Podcasting

Mobile podcasting apps make it easy to record podcasts on location.

Courtesy of bossjock studio, www.bossjockstudio.com (http://www.bossjockstudio.com) .

Podcasts can be distributed in several ways, including through media stores such as iTunes, by dedicated podcast hosting services, or on a blog with content that supports the podcast channel.

For a quick review of the key points of business podcasting, see “Checklist: Planning and Producing Business Podcasts (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032E9) .” For more news on podcasting, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Chapter 7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#P7001012451000000000000000003055) .

CHECKLIST Planning and Producing Business Podcasts

• Consider podcasting whenever you have the opportunity to replace existing audio or video messages. • If you plan a podcast channel with a regular stream of new content, make sure you’ve identified a theme or purpose that is rich enough to sustain

your effort. • Pay close attention to previews, transitions, and reviews to help prevent your audience from getting lost. • Decide whether you want to improvise or speak from a written script. • If you improvise, do enough planning and organization to avoid floundering and rambling in search of a point. • Remember that editing is much more difficult to do with audio or video than with textual media, so plan your content and recording carefully.

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT Slack

You work as a product manager in Slack’s San Francisco offices. In this role you lead a cross-functional team responsible for defining new features for the Slack platform and working with professionals in engineering, marketing, sales, and finance to bring these new capabilities to market. These people are geographically dispersed, so much of your communication takes place via written team messaging, not in-person or online meetings. Apply what you’ve learned about messaging to address these two challenges.

INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE: Software companies usually keep wish lists of new features, combining requests from customers, ideas submitted by insiders, and capabilities that are part of a long-term product plan. Choosing which of these ideas to implement for a given software update is no simple task and often requires trade-offs among time, cost, market demand, competitive moves, staffing, and other variables. Earlier this week, someone from the sales department said

customers are clamoring for a particular feature, but the engineers responded that it will take too long to implement for the next scheduled software update, so they proposed an interim capability that they acknowledge is a good but not truly great solution. The marketing people then chimed in with the concern that promoting a less-than-ideal feature set could dampen the product’s momentum in the marketplace. After this spirited discussion had been going on for several days, someone on the team from accounting wrote, quite bluntly, that it was time to stop all this chatter and make a decision already. He said he was under pressure to update the engineering and marketing budgets, and he couldn’t do his work if everyone else on the team was “wandering around in circles” without making a decision.

In your role as the leader of this team, write a brief response (no more than one paragraph). Be sure to consider the need to convey whatever information you intend to share and the need to smooth out the inevitable tension the accountant’s message has produced. Make up whatever information you need while imagining yourself in the role of a product manager.

TEAM CHALLENGE: With a team assigned by your instructor, discuss the scenario described in the individual challenge above and identify several other business scenarios in which important questions need to be batted around by various members of a team before they can reach a decision. As with many decision-making challenges, there is tension between needing to make a decision and making sure you’ve collected and analyzed all the information you need in order to make the best possible decision. Brainstorm a set of guidelines that teams in any company could use to handle these decision-making challenges. Produce a brief document that could be posted on a collaboration platform such as Slack.

Quick Learning Guide

KEY TERMS

email signature A small file that automatically includes such items as your full name, title, company, and contact information at the end of your messages

information architecture Plan or map of the content structure, labeling, and navigational flow of all the parts of a website

messaging Category of communication system in which users’ messages appear on each other’s screens instantly, without the need to be opened individually, as with email; includes phone-based text messaging, conventional instant messaging, and workplace messaging

podcasting Process of recording audio or video files and distributing them online

podcasting channel Series of regular recordings on a consistent theme

SUMMARY OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Identify the major digital media formats available for business messages, and list nine compositional modes used in digital media. Major digital media for business messages include email, messaging, web content, podcasting, social networks, information- and media-sharing sites, wikis, blogging and microblogging, and online video. The nine compositional modes used in digital communication are conversations, comments and critiques, orientations, summaries, reference materials, narratives, teasers, status updates and announcements, and tutorials.

2 Describe the evolving role of email in business communication, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to email messages. As the earliest widely available digital written medium, email was applied to a broad range of communication tasks—some it was well suited for and some it wasn’t. Over time, newer media such as instant messaging, blogs, and social networks have been taking over some of these tasks, but email remains a vital medium that is optimum for many private, short to medium-length messages.

The three-step process adapts easily to email communication. One of the most important planning decisions in crafting email is making sure every message has a valuable purpose. Any key planning decision should, in most instances, follow the chain of command in your organization; emailing over your boss’s head is a good way to stir up resentment. When writing email messages, bear in mind that the expectations of writing quality and formality are higher in business email. Also, pay close attention to the wording of an email message’s subject line; it often determines whether and when recipients open and read the message. Effective subject lines are both informative (concisely identifying what the message is about) and compelling (giving recipients a reason to read the message). Completing email messages is straightforward. Proof and revise messages (particularly important ones), stick with a clean design, make use of the email signature feature, and make sure you distribute the message to the right people.

3 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of business messaging systems. The benefits of messaging include its ability to mimic conversational exchanges, the ability to avoid many of the distractions and security threats that affect email, and its instantaneous nature. Messaging’s disadvantages include its dependency on individual users’ typing skills during real-time exchanges, some vulnerability to security threats, and the general disadvantages of lean media.

4 Explain why organizing website content is so challenging, and explain the concept of information architecture. The primary challenge in organizing website content is the medium’s extreme versatility. This versatility can be a blessing because a single web presence can serve multiple purposes for multiple audiences, but it also creates the challenge of providing an efficient and successful experience for all these unique visitors. The key to organizing a website is careful consideration of its information architecture, which is a map of the content structure, labeling, and navigational links and pathways in a website.

5 Explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to podcasting. Although you’ll be recording audio or video when creating podcasts, rather than writing messages, using the three-step process is an effective way to develop podcasts. Focus the planning step on analyzing the situation, gathering the information you’ll need, and organizing your material. If you plan to create a series of podcasts on a given theme (the equivalent of starting a radio or TV show), make sure you’ve identified a range of topics extensive enough to keep your podcasts going over time. As you organize and begin to think about the words or images you’ll use as content, pay close attention to previews, transitions, and reviews so that audiences don’t get lost while listening or watching. Before you record, think through what you plan to say or shoot so that you don’t ramble while trying to make your key points. Finally, consider the necessary level of production quality; good-quality podcasts usually require some specialized hardware and software.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) to complete the problems marked with this icon .

Test Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

7-1. What are the situations in which a printed memo or letter might be preferable to a digital message? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P7001012451000000000000000003081)

7-2. How do the compositional modes of orientations, summaries, and teasers differ? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P7001012451000000000000000003081)

7-3. Why are subject lines important in email messages? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC)

7-4. What are the benefits of using messaging in business communication? [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P70010124510000000000000000031D0)

7-5. Should you ever plan a messaging exchange? Explain your answer. [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237)

7-6. What is information architecture? [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237)

7-7. Why is it important to have a long-term, sustainable purpose in mind before you launch a podcast channel? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032BF)

7-8. Is it wise to speak “off the cuff,” with no notes or outline, when recording business podcasts? Why or why not? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032BF)

Apply Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

7-9. What are three innovative ways you could optimize your college’s website for mobile devices? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P7001012451000000000000000003081)

7-10. If you wanted to get your employees’ attention about the need to reduce costs without starting up the rumor mill about the possibility of layoffs, would it be wise to send out an email with the subject line “To save everyone’s job, we must reduce costs now”? Explain your answer. [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC)

7-11. Should you ever use emoticons in business email messages? Explain your answer. [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC)

7-12. Communication on a major project is suffering because several team members are in the habit of writing cryptic or careless instant messages that often force recipients to engage in several rounds of follow-up messaging to figure out what the sender had in mind. As project leader, you’ve spoken with these team members about the need to write clearer messages, but they respond that careful planning and writing defeats the whole purpose of instant messaging. How should you handle the situation? [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P70010124510000000000000000031D0)

7-13. Your company’s webmaster has become a big fan of tagging, the practice of identifying web content with category labels to make it easy to later retrieve all the content on a particular topic. She thinks tags are so powerful, in fact, that there is no longer any need to organize a website in any conventional, structured way. By using tag filtering, she claims, people can find whatever they need. In an email message, explain to her why information architecture is still necessary. [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237) , [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237)

7-14. Imagine that you’ve been on the job for two or three decades, and you’ve amassed a deep store of leadership wisdom during the years. You’d like to share your wisdom with your 800 employees in a biweekly podcast. How should you go about planning this podcast series to make sure your employees will listen regularly? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032BF)

Practice Your Skills 7-15. Message 7.A: Media Skills: Messaging, Creating a Busi- nesslike Tone [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P70010124510000000000000000031D0)

Review this messaging exchange and explain how the customer service agent could have handled the situation more effectively.

Agent: Thanks for contacting Home Exercise Equipment. What’s up? Customer: I’m having trouble assembling my home gym. Agent: I hear that a lot! LOL Customer: So is it me or the gym? Agent: Well, let’s see ?g?. Where are you stuck? Customer: The crossbar that connects the vertical pillars doesn’t fit. Agent: What do you mean doesn’t fit? Customer: It doesn’t fit. It’s not long enough to reach across the pillars. Agent: Maybe you assembled the pillars in the wrong place. Or maybe we sent the wrong crossbar. Customer: How do I tell? Agent: The parts aren’t labeled so could be tough. Do you have a measuring tape? Tell me how long your crossbar is.

7-16. Message 7.B: Media Skills: Podcasting, Planning: Outlining Your Content [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032BF)

To access this message, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) , select Student Assignments then Chapter 7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#P7001012451000000000000000003055) , Message 7.B to listen to this podcast. Identify at least three ways in which the podcast could be improved, and draft a brief email message that you could send to the podcaster, giving your suggestions for improvement.

Exercises

Each activity is labeled according to the primary skill or skills you will need to use. To review relevant chapter content, you can refer to the indicated Learning Objective. In some instances, supporting information will be found in another chapter, as indicated.

7-17. Collaboration: Working in Teams; Planning: Selecting Media [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P7001012451000000000000000003081) Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) For each of these message needs, choose a medium that you think would work effectively and explain your choice. (More than one medium could work in some cases; just be able to support your particular choice.)

a. A technical support service for people trying to use their digital music players b. A message of condolence to the family of an employee who passed away recently c. A message from the CEO of a small company to the employees of the firm, explaining that she is leaving the company to join a competitor d. A series of observations on the state of the industry, intended mostly for professionals within the industry e. A series of messages, questions, and answers surrounding the work of a team on a confidential company project

7-18. Media Skills: Writing Email Subject Lines [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC) Using your imagination to make up whatever details you need, revise the following email subject lines to make them more informative:

a. New budget figures b. Marketing brochure—your opinion? c. Production schedule

7-19. Media Skills: Email [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC) The following email message contains numerous errors related to what you’ve learned about planning and writing business messages. Using the information it contains, write a more effective version.

TO: Felicia August <[email protected] (http://[email protected]) >

SUBJECT: Those are the breaks, folks

Some of you may not like the rules about break times; however, we determined that keeping track of employees while they took breaks at times they determined rather than regular breaks at prescribed times was not working as well as we would have liked it to work. The new rules are not going to be an option. If you do not follow the new rules, you could be docked from your pay for hours when you turned up missing, since your direct supervisor will not be able to tell whether you were on a “break” or not and will assume that you have walked away from your job. We cannot be responsible for any errors that result from your inattentiveness to the new rules. I have already heard complaints from some of you and I hope this memo will end this issue once and for all. The decision has already been made.

Starting Monday, January 1, you will all be required to take a regular 15-minute break in the morning and again in the afternoon, and a regular thirty- minute lunch at the times specified by your supervisor, NOT when you think you need a break or when you “get around to it.”

There will be no exceptions to this new rule!

Felicia August

Manager, Billing and Accounting

7-20. Media Skills: Messaging, Creating a Businesslike Tone [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P70010124510000000000000000031D0) Your firm, which makes professional-grade paint sprayers, uses messaging extensively for internal communication and frequently for external communication with customers and suppliers. Several customers have recently forwarded copies of messages they’ve received from your staff, asking if you know how casually some employees are treating this important medium. You decide to revise parts of several messages to show your staff a more appropriate writing style. Rewrite these sentences, making up any information you need, to convey a more businesslike style and tone. (Look up the acronyms online if you need to.)

a. IMHO, our quad turbo sprayer is best model 4U. b. No prob; happy2help! c. FWIW, I use the L400 myself & it rocks. d. Most cust see 20–30% reduct in fumes w/this sprayer—of course, YMMV.

7-21. Media Skills: Web Writing, Planning: Outlining Your Content [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237) Find the website of a small company or nonprofit organization; make sure it is a fairly small and simple website. Identify all the individual pages on the site, then as best you can, “reverse engineer” the site’s information architecture, identifying all the linkages between the individual pages. Draw a map of the architecture, showing how the various pages are linked together. (Hint: If the website has a “Site map” link, select that to see a hierarchical list of all the pages contained within the site.)

7-22. Media Skills: Podcasting, Planning: Outlining Your Content [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032BF) You began recording a weekly podcast to share information with your large and far-flung staff. After a month, you ask for feedback from several of your subordinates, and you’re disappointed to learn that some people stopped listening to the podcast after the first couple of weeks. Someone eventually admits that many staffers feel the recordings are too long and rambling, and the information they contain isn’t valuable enough to justify the time it takes to listen. You aren’t pleased, but you want to improve. An assistant transcribes the introduction to last week’s podcast so you can review it. You immediately see two problems. Revise the introduction based on what you’ve learned in this chapter.

So there I am, having lunch with Selma Gill, who just joined and took over the Northeast sales region from Jackson Stroud. In walks our beloved CEO with Selma’s old boss at Uni-Plex; turns out they were finalizing a deal to co-brand our products and theirs and to set up a joint distribution program in

all four domestic regions. Pretty funny, huh? Selma left Uni-Plex because she wanted to sell our products instead, and now she’s back selling her old stuff, too. Anyway, try to chat with her when you can; she knows the biz inside and out and probably can offer insight into just about any sales challenge you might be running up against. We’ll post more info on the co-brand deal next week; should be a boost for all of us. Other than those two news items, the other big news this week is the change in commission reporting. I’ll go into the details in a minute, but when you log onto the intranet, you’ll now see your sales results split out by product line and industry sector. Hope this helps you see where you’re doing well and where you might beef things up a bit. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the most important bit. Speaking of our beloved CEO, Thomas is going to be our guest of honor, so to speak, at the quarterly sales meeting next week and wants an update on how petroleum prices are affecting customer behavior. Each district manager should be ready with a brief report. After I go through the commission reporting scheme, I’ll outline what you need to prepare.

Expand Your Skills Critique the Professionals

Check out the Twitter accounts of several companies that sell products or services you use or might use in the future. Find three teaser messages that attempt to persuade you to click through to another website. In a brief summary on your class blog or in an email message to your instructor, compare the effectiveness of the three teasers. Which was most effective, and which was least effective? Why? Were the payoffs for all three teasers satisfactory and in line with what you expected to see?

Sharpening Your Career Skills Online

Bovée and Thill’s Business Communication Web Search, at websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com (http://websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com) , is a unique research tool designed specifically for business communication research. Use the Web Search function to find a website, video, article, podcast, or presentation that offers advice on writing effective email and messages for mobile devices. Write a brief email message to your instructor, describing the item that you found and summarizing the career skills information you learned from it.

Cases

For all cases, feel free to use your creativity to make up any details you need in order to craft effective messages.

EMAIL SKILLS

7-23. Media Skills: Email; Message Strategies: Routine Messages [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC) , Chapter 10 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003e00#P7001012451000000000000000003E00) Team messaging apps are improving communication in all kinds of organizations, from small teams to entire companies to school groups and other nonbusiness entities.

Your task: Imagine that you are responsible for choosing an organization’s new messaging software. You can use an organization you are already a member of, such as a current or past employer, a nonprofit where you volunteer, or a project team in one of your classes. Alternatively, choose any real or imaginary organization in which at least a few people would need to coordinate their efforts using text-centric messaging.

Research the capabilities of Slack and two of its competitors, identifying the three or four most important features of each system. Write an email message (no more than four paragraphs) comparing these key features and recommending one of the systems for your chosen organization.

EMAIL SKILLS

7-24. Media Skills: Email; Message Strategies: Negative Messages [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC) , Chapter 11 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004228#P7001012451000000000000000004228) Many companies operate on the principle that the customer is always right, even when the customer isn’t right. They take any steps necessary to ensure happy customers, lots of repeat sales, and a positive reputation among potential buyers. Overall, this is a smart and successful approach to business. However, most companies eventually encounter a nightmare customer who drains so much time, energy, and profits that the only sensible option is to refuse the customer’s business. For example, the nightmare customer might be someone who constantly berates you and your employees, repeatedly makes outlandish demands for refunds and discounts, or simply requires so much help that you not only lose money on this person but also no longer have enough time to help your other customers. “Firing” a customer is an unpleasant step that should be taken only in the most extreme cases and only after other remedies have been attempted (such as talking with the customer about the problem), but it is sometimes necessary for the well-being of your employees and your company.

Your task: If you are currently working or have held a job in the recent past, imagine that you’ve encountered just such a customer. If you don’t have job experience to call on, imagine that you work in a retail location somewhere around campus or in your neighborhood. Identify the type of behavior this imaginary customer exhibits and the reasons the behavior can no longer be accepted. Write a brief email message to the customer to explain that you will no longer be able to accommodate him or her as a customer. Calmly explain why you have had to reach this difficult decision. Maintain a professional tone and keep your emotions in check.

EMAIL SKILLS/TEAM SKILLS

7-25. Media Skills: Email; Collaboration: Team Projects [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC) , Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4)

Colleges and universities are complex organizations that try to optimize results for students while wrestling with budgetary constraints, staffing issues, infrastructure concerns, limitations on available space, and a host of other issues. Even in the best-managed and most generously funded institutions, there are aspects of campus life that could be improved.

Your task: With a team assigned by your instructor, choose an issue of campus life that you think could and should be improved. It can be anything from transportation to housing to personal safety. Draft an email message that could be sent to your school’s administration. In your message concisely describe the problem, speculate on why the problem or situation exists, offer suggestions on how it could be solved or improved, and explain how addressing it would improve campus life. (Don’t send the message unless your instructor directs you to do so.)

EMAIL SKILLS/TEAM SKILLS

7-26. Media Skills: Email [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC) Studying real-life examples is a great way to get a feel for how various companies communicate with customers and other stakeholders.

Your task: With teammates assigned by your instructor, select five email messages from the Just Good Copy website at www.goodemailcopy.com (http://www.goodemailcopy.com) . Evaluate them based on the criteria for effective email discussed in the chapter. Rank them from most effective to least effective and summarize your analysis in a presentation to your class or a post on your class blog.

EMAIL SKILLS/MOBILE SKILLS

7-27. Media Skills: Email [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC) The size limitations of smartphone screens call for a different approach to writing (see page 144 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000027d4#page_144) ) and formatting (see page 168 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002d6a#page_168) ) documents.

Your task: On the website of any company that interests you, find a news release (some companies refer to them as press releases) that announces the launch of a new product. Using Pages or any other writing app at your disposal, revise and format the material in a way that would be effective on smartphone screens.

MESSAGING SKILLS

7-28. Media Skills: Messaging; Compositional Modes: Tutorials [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#P7001012451000000000000000003081) , [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#P70010124510000000000000000031D0) High-definition television can be a joy to watch—but, oh, what a pain to buy. The field is cluttered with competing technologies and arcane terminology that is meaningless to most consumers. Moreover, it’s nearly impossible to define one technical term without invoking two or three others, leaving consumers swimming in an alphanumeric soup of confusion. As a sales support manager for Crutchfield, a leading online retailer of audio and video systems, you understand the frustration buyers feel; your staff is deluged daily by their questions.

Your task: To help your staff respond quickly to consumers who ask questions via Crutchfield’s online IM chat service, you are developing a set of “canned” responses to common questions. When a consumer asks one of these questions, a sales adviser can simply select the ready-made answer. Visit www.crutchfield.com/Learn/ (http://www.crutchfield.com/Learn/) and conduct the research you need to write concise, consumer-friendly definitions of the following terms: 1080p, HDMI, 4K, and 3D TV.

WEB WRITING SKILLS/TEAM SKILLS

7-29. Message Strategies: Online Content; Collaboration: Team Projects [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237) , Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) If you’re like many other college students, your first year was more than you expected: more difficult, more fun, more frustrating, more expensive, more exhausting, more rewarding—more of everything, positive and negative. Oh, the things you know now that you didn’t know then!

Your task: With several other students, identify five or six things you wish you would’ve realized or understood better before you started your first year of college. These can relate to your school life (such as “I didn’t realize how much work I would have for my classes” or “I should’ve asked for help as sooner”) and your personal and social life (“I wish I would’ve been more open to meeting people”). Use these items as the foundation of a brief informational report that you could post on a blog that is read by high school students and their families. Your goal with this report is to help the next generation of students make a successful and rewarding transition to college.

WEB WRITING SKILLS/MOBILE SKILLS/PORTFOLIO BUILDER

7-30. Message Strategies: Online Content [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237) Adapting conventional web content to make it mobile friendly can require rethinking the site’s information architecture to simplify navigation and content.

Your task: Choose the website of a company that makes products you find interesting. (Make it a conventional website, not one already optimized for mobile.) Analyze the section of the website that contains information about the company’s products and determine the best way to present that material on mobile device screens. Mock up at least two screens showing how you would reformat the content to make it mobile friendly. Create a brief presentation with “before” and “after” views to show how your redesign would benefit mobile site visitors.

WEB WRITING SKILLS

7-31. Message Strategies: Online Content [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237) As you probably experienced, trying to keep all the different schools straight in one’s mind while researching and applying for colleges can be rather difficult. Applicants and their families would no doubt appreciate a handy summary of your college or university’s key points as they relate to the selection and application process.

Your task: Adapt content from your college or university’s website to create a one-page “Quick Facts” sheet about your school. Choose the information you think prospective students and their families would find most useful. (Note that adapting existing content would be acceptable in a real-life scenario like this because you would be reusing content on behalf of the content owner. Doing so would definitely not be acceptable if you were using the content for yourself or for someone other than the original owner.)

PODCASTING SKILLS

7-32. Media Skills: Podcasting; Career Management: Personal Branding [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032BF) , Prologue While writing the many letters and email messages that are part of the job search process, you find yourself wishing that you could just talk to some of these companies so your personality could shine through. Well, you’ve just gotten that opportunity. One of the companies that you’ve applied to has emailed you back, asking you to submit a two-minute podcast introducing yourself and explaining why you would be a good person to hire.

Your task: Identify a company that you’d like to work for after graduation and select a job that would be a good match for your skills and interests. Write a script for a two-minute podcast (roughly 250 words). Introduce yourself and the position you’re applying for, describe your background, and explain why you think you’re a good candidate for the job. Make up any details you need. If your instructor asks you to do so, record the podcast and submit the file.

PODCASTING SKILLS/PORTFOLIO BUILDER

7-33. Media Skills: Podcasting; Message Strategies: Marketing and Sales Messages [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#P70010124510000000000000000032BF) , Chapter 12 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004853#P7001012451000000000000000004853) With any purchase decision, from a restaurant meal to a college education, recommendations from satisfied customers are often the strongest promotional messages.

Your task: Write a script for a one- to two-minute podcast (roughly 150–250 words), explaining why your college or university is a good place to get an education. Your audience is high school juniors and seniors. You can choose to craft a general message—something that would be useful to all prospective students—or you can focus on a specific academic discipline, the athletic program, or some other important aspect of your college experience. Either way, make sure your introductory comments make it clear whether you are offering a general recommendation or a specific recommendation. If your instructor asks you to do so, record the podcast and submit the file.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:

7-34. Why has email become overused and inappropriately used in many situations? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#P70010124510000000000000000030FC)

7-35. How can you use the inverted pyramid style of writing to craft effective website content? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#P7001012451000000000000000003237)

Endnotes

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#rP7001012451000000000000000003433) . Slack website, accessed 1 April 2016, slack.com (http://slack.com) ; Adrienne Lafrance, “The Triumph of Email,” The Atlantic, 6 January 2016, www.theatlantic.com (http://www.theatlantic.com) ; Harry McCracken, “With 500,000 Users, Slack Says It’s The Fastest-Growing Business App Ever,” Fast Company, 2 December 2015, www.fastcompany.com (http://www.fastcompany.com) ; Farhad Manjoo, “Slack, the Office Messaging App That May Finally Sink Email,” New York Times, 11 March 2015, www.nytimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com) ; Alyson Shontell and Eugene Kim, “Slack, a 2-Year-Old Messaging Platform, Is Raising $200 Million at Nearly a $4 Billion Valuation Led by Thrive Capital,” Business Insider, 11 March 2016, www.businessinder.com (http://www.businessinder.com) ; Ellis Hamburger, “Slack Is Killing Email,” The Verge, 12 August 2014, www.theverge.com (http://www.theverge.com) .

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#rP7001012451000000000000000003435) . Richard Edelman, “Teaching Social Media: What Skills Do Communicators Need?,” in Engaging the New Influencers; Third Annual Social Media Academic Summit (white paper), accessed 7 June 2010, www.newmediaacademicsummit.com (http://www.newmediaacademicsummit.com) .

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#rP7001012451000000000000000003437) . Samantha Murphy, “Why Mobile Commerce Is on the Rise,” Mashable, 7 March 2012, mashable.com (http://mashable.com) .

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000307f#rP7001012451000000000000000003439) . Christina “CK” Kerley, “Wearables,” AllThingsCK, accessed 6 April 2014, allthingsck.com (http://allthingsck.com) .

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#rP700101245100000000000000000343B) . Maria Vergelis, Tatyana Shcherbakova, Nadezhda Demidova, and Darya Gudkova, “Kaspersky Security Bulletin. Spam and Phishing in 2015,” Securelist, 5 February 2016, securelist.com (http://securelist.com) .

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#rP700101245100000000000000000343D) . Hilary Potkewitz and Rachel Brown, “Spread of Email Has Altered Communication Habits at Work,” Los Angeles Business Journal, 18 April 2005, labusinessjournal.com (http://labusinessjournal.com) ; Nancy Flynn, Instant Messaging Rules (New York: AMACOM, 2004), 47–54.

7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#rP700101245100000000000000000343F) . Mary Munter, Priscilla S. Rogers, and Jone Rymer, “Business Email: Guidelines for Users,” Business Communication Quarterly, March 2003, 26; Renee B. Horowitz and Marian G. Barchilon, “Stylistic Guidelines for Email,” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 37, no. 4 (December 1994): 207–212.

8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#rP7001012451000000000000000003441) . Steve Rubel, “Tip: Tweetify the Lead of Your Emails,” The Steve Rubel Stream blog, 20 July 2010, www.steverubel.com (http://www.steverubel.com) .

9 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000030fa#rP7001012451000000000000000003443) . Judith Newman, “If You’re Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too?” New York Times, 21 October 2011, www.nytimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com) .

10 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#rP7001012451000000000000000003445) . Eugene Kim, “The CEO of $2.8 Billion Slack Says It Has One Big Advantage over Facebook or LinkedIn,” Business Insider, 11 February 2016, www.businessinsider.com (http://www.businessinsider.com) .

11 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#rP7001012451000000000000000003447) . Martin Zwilling, “Texting is Killing Real Business Communication,” Business Insider, 13 January 2012, www.businessinsider.com (http://www.businessinsider.com) .

12 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000031ce#rP7001012451000000000000000003449) . Syndi Seid, “12 Tips for Instant Messaging in the Workplace,” Advanced Etiquette, 1 June 2014, www.advancedetiquette.com (http://www.advancedetiquette.com) ; Leo Babauta, “17 Tips to Be Productive with Instant Messaging,” Web Worker Daily, 14 November 2007, webworkerdaily.com (http://webworkerdaily.com) ; John Pallato, “Instant Messaging Unites Work Groups and Inspires Collaboration,” Internet World, December 2002, 14.

13 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003235#rP700101245100000000000000000344B) . Based in part on Shel Holtz, Writing for the Wired World (San Francisco: International Association of Business Communicators, 1999), 28–29.

14 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#rP700101245100000000000000000344D) . “Set Up Your Podcast for Success,” Feed For All website, accessed 4 October 2006, www.feedforall.com (http://www.feedforall.com) .

15 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#rP700101245100000000000000000344F) . “Set Up Your Podcast for Success.”

16 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000032bd#rP7001012451000000000000000003451) . Nathan Hangen, “4 Steps to Podcasting Success,” Social Media Examiner, 14 February 2011, www.socialmediaexaminer.com (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com) .

8 Social Media LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you will be able to

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003480#P7001012451000000000000000003484) Identify seven key points for using social media in business communication.

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034B0) Describe the business communication applications of social networks.

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#P7001012451000000000000000003543) Explain how information- and content-sharing sites are used in business communication.

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P7001012451000000000000000003571) Describe the role of blogging in business communication today, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to blogging.

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360C) Describe the business uses of Twitter and other microblogging systems.

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000367a#P7001012451000000000000000003680) Offer guidelines for becoming a valuable wiki contributor.

MyBCommLab®

Improve Your Grade!

Over 10 million students improved their results using Pearson MyLabs. Visit mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for simulations, tutorials, and end- of- chapter problems.

COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UP AT Starbucks

www.starbucks.com (http://www.starbucks.com)

With its portfolio of worldwide locations pushing toward the 20,000 mark, Starbucks has a reputation for being nearby wherever and whenever anybody might be craving a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, its online communications follows the same strategy of being everywhere its customers might be. Its broadest presence is on Facebook, with more than 50 company-sponsored pages, including local pages in more than 40 countries. Typical posts include contests and other special promotions, enticing photos of various coffee drinks, instructional videos on making a great cup of coffee at home, and updates on community involvement projects. Two of the company’s most popular drinks, the Frappuccino and Pumpkin Spice Latte, even have their own social media accounts.

Starbucks also maintains several dozen Twitter accounts, many of which are country specific and tuned into local interests. In the Netherlands, for instance, fresh pastries are an essential part of the coffee experience, so employees alert customers on Twitter whenever a fresh batch is ready.

The company is active on a wide variety of other platforms as well, including Pinterest, YouTube, Foursquare, and Instagram. Although it is everywhere online, Starbucks takes care not to wear out its welcome. It posts new information relatively infrequently compared with many other major consumer brands. “They’re not cluttering up your newsfeed,” notes one industry observer.

Many companies use social media to offer digital coupons and sponsor online contests, but Starbucks takes things to an entirely new level. Its attention-getting efforts have included an online puzzle/scavenger hunt featuring Lady Gaga and an augmented-reality smartphone app that triggered animated movies when a phone was pointed at specially coded coffee cups.

Alexandra Wheeler, the company’s vice president in charge of global digital marketing, emphasizes that these social media efforts are about more than gaining fans and building awareness. “They can have a material impact on the business,” she says, citing one social media campaign that brought a million customers into Starbucks stores.

Coffee shops are community gathering places, and a team of Starbucks employees use social media to extend that community feel into the virtual realm by connecting with fans and customers on a variety of social platforms.

© Iain Masterton/Alamy Stock Photo

Like many companies still experimenting with social media as new tools and techniques emerge, Starbucks has had a stumble or two along the way. A notable example was a holiday Twitter hashtag campaign in the United Kingdom in which the company used a big-screen monitor at a national museum to display any tweet that included #spreadthecheer. Starbucks was embroiled in a public controversy over corporate taxes at the time, and some people used the opportunity of the unmonitored Twitter channel to post angry and occasionally obscene messages about the company.

This episode highlights one of the core dilemmas in social media: How much control should companies exercise over the social media channels they sponsor? If they try to exert too much control, they can stifle the very aspect of social engagement they’re aiming for. If they exert too little, even well-intentioned efforts can spin out of control and lead to embarrassing public spectacles. As social media continue to reshape business communication, finding the right balance of

conversation and control promises to be a never-ending challenge.1

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037BB)

8.1 Writing Strategies for Social Media

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

1 Identify seven key points for using social media in business communication. Starbucks’s use of social media (profiled in the chapter-opening Communication Close-Up) may seem like an obvious move, but these media represent a fundamental shift in the way companies handle business communication. The shift is still taking place, as more consumers adopt social media and more businesses experiment with the best ways to integrate these media and to adapt their internal and external communication practices.

Readers of social media expect to have a more engaged relationship with writers, so creating content for social media requires a new approach to writing.

No matter what media or compositional mode you are using for a particular message, writing for social media requires a different approach than for traditional media. Social media have changed the relationship between sender and receiver, so the nature of the messages needs to change as well. Whether you’re writing a

blog or posting a product demonstration video to YouTube, consider these tips for creating successful content for social media:2

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037BD)

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

How social media have changed business communication

Katie Wagner highlights immediacy, access, connection, and research. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

• Remember that it’s a conversation, not a lecture or a sales pitch. One of the great appeals of social media is the feeling of conversation, of people talking with one another instead of one person talking at everyone else (see Figure 8.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003480#P7001012451000000000000000003493) ). For all their technological sophistication, in an important sense social media provide a new spin on the age-old practice of word-of-mouth communication. As more and more people gain a voice in the marketplace, companies that try to maintain the old “we talk, you listen” mindset are likely to be ignored in the social media landscape. People generally join social networks for the chance to interact, and you can help stimulate conversations by asking followers

for their ideas, options, and feedback.3

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037BF)

• Write informally but not carelessly. Write as a human being, not as a cog in a faceless corporate machine. At the same time, don’t get sloppy; no one wants to slog through misspelled words and half-baked sentences to find the message.

Readers—and search engines—don’t like spending time trying to figure out clever puns and other wordplay; make your headlines clear and direct.

• Create concise, specific, and informative headlines. Avoid the temptation to engage in clever wordplay with headlines. This advice applies to all forms of business communication, of course, but it is essential for social media. Readers don’t want to spend time and energy figuring out what your witty headlines mean. Search engines won’t know what they mean, either, so fewer people will find your content.

• Get involved and stay involved. Social media understandably make some businesspeople nervous because they don’t permit a high level of control over messages. However, don’t hide from criticism—it can be valuable feedback. Take the opportunity to correct misinformation or explain how mistakes will be fixed.

• If you need to promote something, do so indirectly. Just as you shouldn’t impose on people with a sales pitch during an informal social gathering, refrain from blatant promotional efforts in social media.

• Be transparent and honest. Honesty is always essential, of course, but a particular issue that has recently tripped up a few companies is hiding behind an online persona—either a fictitious character whose writing is actually done by a corporate marketing specialist or a real person who fails to disclose an affiliation with a corporate sponsor.

• Think before you post! Individuals and companies have been sued because of careless Twitter updates, employees have been fired for inappropriate Facebook posts, vital company secrets have been leaked, and business and personal relationships have been strained. To be safe, assume that every message you post will be read by people far beyond your original audience.

A momentary lapse in judgment while writing messages for social media can cause tremendous damage to your career or your company.

Figure 8.1 Community Building via Social Media

Customer-affiliation groups can be an effective way to build stakeholder support for a company and its products. Indian Motorcycles used this Google+ post to spur interest in its rider groups.

Courtesy Polaris Industries. Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission.

8.2 Social Networks

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

2 Describe the business communication applications of social networks. Social networks (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036C0) , online services that help people and organizations form connections and share information, have recently become a major force in both internal and external business communication. In addition to Facebook, a variety of public and private social networks are used by businesses and professionals. These can be grouped into three categories:

Business communicators make use of a wide range of specialized and private social networks, in addition to public networks such as Facebook and Google+.

• Public, general-purpose networks. Facebook and Google+ are the largest and best-known of these networks. Additionally, regionally focused

networks have significant user bases in some countries, such as China’s Renren and Kaixin001.4

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037C1)

• Public, specialized networks. Whereas Facebook and Google+ serve a wide variety of personal and professional needs, other networks focus on a particular function or a particular audience. The most widely known is LinkedIn, with its emphasis on career- and sales-related networking. Other networks address the needs of entrepreneurs, small-business owners, specific professions, product enthusiasts, and other narrower audiences.

• Private networks. Some companies have built private social networks for internal use, either as standalone systems or as part of broader collaboration and communication systems (such as Cemex’s Shift, profiled in Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) ). The Red Robin restaurant chain, for example, uses the Yammer social network to share information across the organization nationwide and up and down the corporate ladder. While many companies have found success with internal social networks, a recurring problem is getting enough people in an organization to use them. When top executives are visible participants and use the networks to share vital information, employees are more likely to

stay active on them as well.5

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037C3)

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY LISTENING TO THESE PODCASTS

Get daily tips on using social media in your business

These brief podcasts focus on marketing applications of social media. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

Regardless of the purpose and audience, social networks are most beneficial when all participants give and receive information, advice, support, and introductions—just as in offline interactions. The following two sections describe how social networks are used in business communication and offer advice on using these platforms successfully.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION USES OF SOCIAL NETWORKS

MOBILE APP

The social media management app SocialOomph lets you monitor multiple social media sites, schedule updates, and perform other time-saving tasks.

With their ability to reach virtually unlimited numbers of people through a variety of digital formats, social networks are a great fit for many business communication needs. Here are some of the key applications of social networks for internal and external business communication:

• Integrating company workforces. Just as public networks can bring friends and families together, internal social networks can help companies grow closer, including helping new employees navigate their way through the organization by finding experts, mentors, and other important contacts; encouraging workforces to jell after reorganizations or mergers; and overcoming structural barriers in communication channels, bypassing the formal communication system to deliver information where it is needed in a timely fashion.

• Fostering collaboration. Networks can play a major role in collaboration by identifying the best people, both inside the company and at other companies, to collaborate on projects; finding pockets of knowledge and expertise within the organization; giving meeting or seminar participants a way to meet before an event takes place and to maintain relationships after events; accelerating the development of teams by helping team members get to know one another and identify individual areas of expertise; and sharing information throughout the organization.

Community building, both within companies and with customers and other external parties, is an important function of social networking.

• Building communities. Social networks are a natural tool for bringing together communities of practice, people who engage in similar work, and communities of interest, people who share enthusiasm for a particular product or activity. Large and geographically dispersed companies can benefit greatly from communities of practice that connect experts who may work in different divisions or different countries. Communities of interest that form around a specific product are sometimes called brand communities (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036B1) , and nurturing these communities can be a vital business communication task. Some communities spring up spontaneously when product enthusiasts connect online, whereas others are more formal organizations established by companies to help customers use their products more successfully and engage with like-minded individuals. The SAP Community Network, for instance, set up by the enterprise software company SAP, has more than 2.5

million members.6

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037C5)

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS PDF

Starbucks’s social media guidelines

The coffee giant’s guidelines for its employees offer good advice for all business communicators. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

Socializing a brand is becoming an increasingly important element of marketing and public relations strategies.

• Socializing brands and companies. According to one survey of company executives, socialization now accounts for more than half of a company’s or

brand’s global reputation.7

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037C7) Brand socialization (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036B4) is a measure of how effectively a company engages with its various online stakeholders in a mutually beneficial exchange of information. The game and doll maker Mattel engages its Twitter followers by answering product questions, reposting fan videos, and acknowledging enthusiastic praise from

customers.8

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037C9)

• Understanding target markets. With hundreds of millions of people expressing themselves via social media, you can be sure that smart companies are listening. When asked about the value of having millions of Facebook fans, Coca-Cola’s CEO Muhtar Kent replied, “The value is you can talk with them.

They tell you things that are important for your business and brands.”9

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037CB) In addition, a number of tools now exist to gather market intelligence from social media more or less automatically. For example, sentiment analysis and reputation analysis tools use advanced language-analysis algorithms to assess the reputations of companies and individuals, measure the emotional

quality of online conversations, identify outrage “hot spots” on social media, and uncover trending topics of interest.10

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037CD)

Social networks are vital tools for distributing information as well as for gathering information about the business environment.

• Recruiting employees and business partners. Companies use social networks to find potential employees, short-term contractors, subject-matter experts, product and service suppliers, and business partners. A key advantage here is that these introductions are made via trusted connections in a professional network. On LinkedIn, for example, members can recommend each other based on current or past business relationships, which helps remove the uncertainty of initiating business relationships with strangers.

• Connecting with sales prospects. Salespeople on networks such as LinkedIn can use their network connections to identify potential buyers and then ask for introductions through those shared connections. Sales networking can reduce cold calling, telephoning potential customers out of the blue—a practice that few people on either end of the conversation find pleasant.

• Supporting customers. Customer service is another one of the fundamental areas of business communication that have been revolutionized by social media. Social customer service involves using social networks and other social media tools to give customers a more convenient way to get help from the company and to help each other.

• Extending the organization. Social networking is also fueling the growth of networked organizations, sometimes known as virtual organizations, where companies supplement the talents of their employees with services from one or more external partners, such as a design lab, a manufacturing firm, or a sales and distribution company.

• Crowdspeaking. Companies, nonprofits, musicians, authors, and others can use crowdspeaking to “boost a signal.” Crowdspeaking services such as Thunderclap and HeadTalker work in much the same manner as Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites. Someone with a message to spread sets a campaign goal, such as recruiting 100 supporters to help share the message. If that goal is reached, the message is “triggered” and automatically sent to all the followers in all those supporters’ social networks. By taking advantage of the social reach of their supporters, communicators can reach hundreds

or thousands of times as many people as they could on their own.11

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037CF)

BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS INNOVATING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

Companies in virtually every industry use social media and continue to experiment with new ways to connect with customers and other stakeholders. From offering helpful tips on using products to helping customers meet each other, these companies show the enormous range of possibilities that new media continue to bring to business communication.

Recruiting and Business-Focused Social Networks

Marketo, a developer of digital marketing software, maintains a profile in LinkedIn, as do hundreds of its employees.

Courtesy of Marketo, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tweetups

A powerful capability of online social media is bringing people with similar interests together offline. Tweetups, for example, are in-person meetings planned and organized over Twitter.

Monkey Business/Fotolia

Value-Added Content via Social Networks

Thousands of companies are on social networking platforms, but blatantly promotional posts are not always welcome by fans and followers. Instead, companies such as Whole Foods use social networks to share information of interest, such as recipes and nutritional advice.

Courtesy Whole Foods Market.

Value-Added Content via Blogging

One of the best ways to become a valued member of a network is to provide content that is useful to others in the network. The Quizzle personal finance blog offers a steady stream of articles and advice that help people manage their finances.

© Quizzle.

Value-Added Content via Online Video

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks of Warren, Maine, uses its YouTube channel to offer valuable information on choosing and using premium woodworking tools. By providing sought-after information for both current and potential customers free of charge, these videos help Lie-Nielsen foster relationships with the worldwide woodworking community and solidify its position as one of the leaders in this market. Animal Planet, Best Western, and Taco Bell are among the many other companies that make effective use of branded channels on YouTube.

© 2013 by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, Inc. Used by permission.

Employee Recruiting

Zappos is one of the many companies now using Twitter as a recruiting tool. The company’s @InsideZappos account gives potential employees an insider’s look at the company’s offbeat and upbeat culture.

Courtesy of Zappos.

STRATEGIES FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ON SOCIAL NETWORKS

Social networks offer attractive opportunities for business communication, but they must be used with the same care as other professional media. Follow these

guidelines to make the most of social networks for both personal branding and company communication:12

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037D1)

Choose the best composition mode (see Chapter 7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003055#P7001012451000000000000000003055) ) for every message type you post on social networks.

• Choose the best compositional mode for each message, purpose, and network. As you visit various social networks, take some time to observe the variety of message types you see in different parts of each website. For example, the informal status update mode works well for Facebook posts but would be less effective for company overviews and mission statements.

• Offer valuable content to members of your online communities. People don’t join social networks to be sales targets. They join looking for connections and information. Content marketing is the practice of providing free information that is valuable to community members but that also helps

a company build closer ties with current and potential customers.13

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037D3)

• Join existing conversations. Search for online conversations that are already taking place. Answer questions, solve problems, and respond to rumors and misinformation.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS INFOGRAPHIC

Social shaming in today’s business landscape

See how today’s consumers use the power of social media to get satisfaction from companies. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

• Anchor your online presence in your hub. Although it’s important to join those conversations and be visible where your stakeholders are active, it’s equally important to anchor your presence at your own central hub—a web presence you own and control. (Control is important because trying to use Facebook, Twitter, or another service as a hub leaves you at the mercy of changes in design, terms of service, and other variables.) The hub can be a

conventional website or a combination of a website, a blog, and a company-sponsored online community, for example.14

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037D5) Use the hub to connect the various pieces of your online “self” (as an individual or a company) to make it easier for people to find and follow you. For example, you can link to your blog from your LinkedIn profile or automatically announce new blog posts on Twitter.

• Facilitate community building. Make it easy for customers and other audiences to connect with the company and with each other. For instance, you can use the group feature on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks to create and foster special-interest communities within your networks. Groups are a great way to connect people who are interested in specific topics, such as owners of a particular product.

Products can be promoted on social networks, but it needs to be done in a low-key, indirect way.

• Restrict conventional promotional efforts to the right time and right place. Persuasive communication efforts are still valid for specific communication tasks, such as regular advertising and the product information pages on a website, but efforts to inject blatant “salespeak” into social networking conversations are usually not welcome.

• Maintain a consistent personality. Each social network is a unique environment with particular norms of communication.15

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037D7) As a strictly business-oriented network, for example, LinkedIn has a more formal “vibe” than Facebook and Google+ which cater to both consumers and businesses. While adapting to the expectations of each network, however, be sure to maintain a consistent personality across all the networks in which

you are active.16

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037D9)

See “Writing Promotional Messages for Social Media (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004a7a#P7001012451000000000000000004AC2) ” in Chapter 12 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004853#P7001012451000000000000000004853) (pages 344 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004a7a#page_344) –346 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000004a7a#page_346) ) for more tips on writing messages for social networks and other social media.

8.3 Information- and Content-Sharing Sites

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

3 Explain how information- and content-sharing sites are used in business communication. Social networks allow members to share information and media as part of the networking experience, but a variety of systems have been designed specifically for sharing content. Though the field is diverse and still evolving, the possibilities can be divided into user-generated content sites, content curation sites, and community Q&A sites.

THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) are two intriguing technologies that are starting to change the way employees perform a variety of job tasks, from training to research and development to customer service. Augmented reality provides a layer of digital information that enhances the immediate physical reality a person sees. This information can be as simple as text that displays on a mobile or wearable device pointed at a particular location or item, or as elaborate as 3D graphics that overlay whatever live scene the user is looking at through a device. For example, using an augmented reality app, technicians can point a smartphone or tablet at a machine and get information about its operation and repair. Travelers can use mobile devices to get additional information about environments they’re moving through—everything from reviews of a restaurant they’re walking past to details about the various businesses in an office building.

In contrast, VR creates a simulation in which the person experiences the sensation of being in an environment, even though that environment is entirely computer-generated. (Holograms, in which 3D representations of real people are projected into a physical space, are explored on page 487 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000006018#page_487) .) For training applications, for example, if it is difficult, expensive, or dangerous to put trainees in a real-life situation, a VR simulation can let employees experience the sensation of being there and doing whatever tasks are required. VR can also help people experience a product or structure before it is built. Ford uses VR to get feedback from drivers by letting them sit in and experience prototype designs before the cars are manufactured, and Audi lets buyers experience a virtual car with the options they’d like to order. The home improvement chain Lowes uses VR to let customers walk through rooms they want to build or redecorate in their homes. These simulated experiences can communicate much more powerfully than video, photos, or other conventional media.

WHAT’S YOUR PREDICTION?

Research an augmented or VR system that is currently used for business purposes (not games or other entertainment systems, in other words). Write a one- paragraph summary of how this technology is more effective than conventional business media and offer your prediction on whether it will enter the mainstream of business usage.

Sources: Peter Ray Allison, “Augmented Reality Business Applications Start to Get Real,” ComputerWeekly, May 2015, www.computerweekly.com (http://www.computerweekly.com) ; Nicole Laskowski, “Augmented and Virtual Reality Make a Play for the Enterprise,” TechTarget, February 2016, www.techtarget.com (http://www.techtarget.com) ; Leo King, “Ford, Where Virtual Reality Is Already Manufacturing Reality,” Forbes, 3 May 2014, www.forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com) ; Jack E. Gold, “Augmented-Reality Technology May Transform Work As We Know It,” TechTarget, June 2015, www.techtarget.com (http://www.techtarget.com) ; Lowe’s Innovation Labs, accessed 23 February 2016, www.lowesinnovationlabs.com/holoroom (http://www.lowesinnovationlabs.com/holoroom) .

USER-GENERATED CONTENT SITES

YouTube and other user-generated content sites are now important business communication channels.

YouTube, Flickr, Yelp, and other user-generated content (UGC) sites (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036C6) , in which users, rather than website owners, contribute most or all of the content, have become serious business tools. On YouTube, for example, companies post everything from product demonstrations and TV commercials to company profiles and technical support explanations.

Moreover, the business communication value of sites such as YouTube goes beyond the mere ability to deliver content. The social aspects of these sites, including

the ability to vote for, comment on, and share material, encourage enthusiasts to spread the word about the companies and products they endorse.17

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037DB)

Companies can also encourage UGC submissions on their own websites or through other social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. Burberry,

Starbucks, and Belkin are among the companies that generated thousands of responses when they invited customers to submit photos and other media.18

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037DD)

The “voice of the crowd,” which is enabled through social media sites, can dramatically influence the way businesses are managed.

As one example of the way these sites are changing business communication, Yelp has become a major and sometimes controversial influence on consumer

behavior at a local level by aggregating millions of reviews of stores, restaurants, and other businesses across the United States.19

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037DF) With the voice of

the crowd affecting consumer behavior, businesses need to (1) focus on performing at a high level so that customers reward them with positive reviews and (2) get involved on Yelp (the site encourages business owners to tell potential customers about themselves as well). These efforts could pay off much more handsomely than advertising and other conventional communication efforts.

CONTENT CURATION SITES

In many fields of business, so much original content is already available that sometimes the biggest value a communicator can offer audiences is guiding them to the best of what’s out there, rather than creating new content. Similar to what museum curators do when they decide which pieces in their collection to display, business communicators can find and share valuable material with the audiences through content curation (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036BA) .

Content curation is the process of collecting and presenting articles, videos, and other material on a particular topic in a way that makes it convenient for target readers.

At its simplest, content curation can involve sharing links to useful articles or video via blogs or social media accounts. Companies can also set up dedicated websites that publish links to original content in a variety of topic categories. The authors’ Business Communication Headline News (bchn.businesscommunicationnetwork.com (http://bchn.businesscommunicationnetwork.com) ), for instance, is one of the earliest examples of content curation in the field of business communication. As an alternative, a number of websites offer ready-made content curation solutions. Pinterest and Scoop.it, for example, make it easy to assemble attractive online magazines or portfolios on specific topics.

Curating content for a target audience can be a great way to add value and stand out as an expert in your field. Not only can you save readers the time it would take to find material on their own, but you can use your knowledge to locate and present the most useful articles, videos, and other media on a given topic.

All content curators need to be aware of two key ethical concerns. First, you must not plagiarize, which is presenting someone else’s content as your own. Second, you are promoting yourself as an expert when you curate content, and people will expect you to do a competent job of finding and filtering materials. As with any

communication task, make sure you understand the needs of your target audience so that you can provide the best material possible to meet their needs.20

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037E1)

COMMUNITY Q&A SITES

Community Q&A sites (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036B7) , on which visitors answer questions posted by other visitors, are a contemporary twist on the early ethos of computer networking, which was people helping each other. (Groups of like-minded people connected online long before the World Wide Web was even created.) Community Q&A sites include dedicated customer support communities such as those hosted on Get Satisfaction and public sites such as Quora and Yahoo! Answers.

Community Q&A sites offer great opportunities for building your personal brand.

Responding to questions on Q&A sites can be a great way to build your personal brand, to demonstrate your company’s commitment to customer service, and to counter misinformation about your company and its products. Keep in mind that when you respond to an individual query on a community Q&A site, you are also “responding in advance” to every person who comes to the site with the same question in the future. In other words, you are writing a type of reference material in addition to corresponding with the original questioner, so keep the long time frame and wider audience in mind.

8.4 Blogging

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

4 Describe the role of blogging in business communication today, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to blogging. Blogs (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036AE) , online journals that are easier to personalize and update than conventional websites, are a major force in business communication. To maintain a positive connection with target audiences, business bloggers should follow several important guidelines:

MOBILE APP

The Feedly reader app gathers fresh content from all your favorite websites.

Writing in a personal, authentic voice is key to attracting and keeping blog readers.

• Communicate with personal style and an authentic voice. Traditional business messages designed for large audiences tend to be carefully scripted and written in a “corporate voice” that is impersonal and objective. In contrast, successful business blogs tend to exhibit the personal style of their authors. Audiences relate to this fresh approach and often build closer emotional bonds with the blogger’s organization as a result.

• Deliver new information quickly. Blogging tools let you post new material as soon as you create or find it. This feature not only allows you to respond quickly when needed—such as during a corporate crisis—but also lets your audiences know that active communication is taking place. Blogs that don’t offer a continuous stream of new and interesting content are quickly ignored in today’s online environment.

• Choose topics of peak interest to audiences. Successful blogs cover topics that readers care about, and they emphasize useful information while

downplaying product promotion.21

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037E3) These topics don’t need to be earthshaking or cutting edge—they just need to be things that matter to target readers.

Most business blogs invite readers to leave comments as a way to encourage participation among stakeholders.

• Encourage audiences to join the conversation. Not all blogs invite comments, but many bloggers consider comments to be an essential feature. These comments can be a valuable source of news, information, and insights. In addition, the relatively informal nature of blogging seems to make it easier for company representatives to let their guards down and converse with their audiences. Of course, not all comments are helpful or appropriate, which is why many bloggers moderate comments, previewing them before allowing them to be displayed.

DIGITAL + SOCIAL + MOBILE: TODAY’S COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT

Community Manager: Keeping a Company Connected to Its Stakeholders

In the narrowest sense, a community manager is the social media interface between a company and its external stakeholders. More broadly, some community managers also plan and manage corporate events and oversee customer support operations. In smaller firms the community manager might be the sole voice in a company’s social media presence (running its Twitter account and Facebook pages, for example). In larger firms the job often entails supervising a team of people who carry out a broad range of audience-engagement activities.

Not surprisingly, communication skills are essential for community managers, from handling the nuts and bolts of effectively using social media to fostering a sense of community and inspiring people to be passionate about a company and its brands. In addition, community management is a data-intensive job in many companies; managers are expected to make full use of analytical tools to measure the effects of social interaction and to use those results to plan new initiatives. Community managers also have to be well versed in their company’s product and service offerings.

On a personal level, the job requires high energy, resilience, a thick skin for handling negative comments, and a willingness to be connected far beyond the limits of a 40-hour week. You are “the face of the brand,” as Adobe’s community manager Rachael King describes it, and when major events hit, social managers are expected to respond in real time.

If the attractions and challenges of this job sound appealing to you, be sure to add community manager to the list of career paths to explore as you get closer to graduation.

CAREER APPLICATIONS

1. Would someone with limited work experience but a long personal history of using social media be a good candidate for a community manager position? Why or why not?

2. What are the risks of having a single person be the voice of a company? How should companies address these risks?

Sources: Lindsay Kolowich, “What the Best Social Media Community Managers Actually Do in Their Jobs,” HubSpot blog, 8 July 2015, blog.hubspot.com (http://blog.hubspot.com) ; Don Power, “In Their Own Words: What Community Managers Do Every Day,” SproutSocial, 7 March 2013, sproutsocial.com (http://sproutsocial.com) ; Ryan Lytle, “10 Qualities of an Effective Community Manager,” Mashable, 27 January 2013, mashable.com (http://mashable.com) ; Jennifer Grayeb, “The 4 Pillars of Community Management,” Forbes, 25 December 2013, www.forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com) ; Tim McDonald, “Community Manager: Key to the Future of Business,” Huffington Post, 27 January 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com (http://www.huffingtonpost.com) .

UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS APPLICATIONS OF BLOGGING

Blogs are a potential solution whenever you have a continuing stream of information to share with an online audience—and particularly when you want the

audience to have the opportunity to respond. Here are some of the many ways businesses are using blogs:22

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037E5)

The business applications of blogs include a wide range of internal and external communication tasks.

• Anchoring the social media presence. As noted earlier, the multiple threads of any social media program should be anchored in a central hub that the company or an individual owns and controls. Blogs make an ideal social media hub.

• Project management and team communication. Using blogs is a good way to keep project teams up to date, particularly when team members are geographically dispersed.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY VISITING THIS WEBSITE

Big companies that blog well

Explore 10 blogs from such major brands as Coca-Cola and Disney. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

• Internal company news. Companies can use blogs to keep employees informed about general business matters, from facility news to benefit updates. By reducing the need for grapevines to spring up, blogs can enhance communication across all levels of a company.

• Customer support. Customer support blogs answer questions, offer tips and advice, and inform customers about new products. Also, many companies

monitor the blogosphere (and Twittersphere), looking for complaints and responding with offers to help dissatisfied customers.23

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037E7)

• Public relations and media relations. Many company employees and executives now share company news with both the general public and journalists via their blogs.

• Recruiting. Using a blog is a great way to let potential employees know more about your company, the people who work there, and the nature of the company culture. In the other direction, employers often find and evaluate the blogs and microblogs of prospective employees, making blogging a great way to build a name for yourself within your industry or profession.

• Policy and issue discussions. Executive blogs in particular provide a public forum for discussing legislation, regulations, and other broad issues of interest to an organization.

• Crisis communication. Using blogs is an efficient way to provide up-to-the-minute information during emergencies, to correct misinformation, or to respond to rumors.

• Market research. Blogs are a clever mechanism for soliciting feedback from customers and experts in the marketplace. In addition to using their own blogs for research, today’s companies need to monitor blogs that are likely to discuss them, their executives, and their products. Negative product reviews, rumors, and other information can spread across the globe in a matter of hours, and managers need to know what the online community is saying—whether it’s positive or negative.

• Brainstorming. Online brainstorming via blogs offers a way for people to toss around ideas and build on each others’ contributions. • Employee engagement. Blogs can enhance communication across all levels of a company, giving senior managers a channel they can use to

communicate with employees and giving employees the chance to offer comments and ask questions. • Customer education. Blogs are a great way to help current and potential customers understand and use your products and services. Doing so can also

improve sales and support productivity by reducing the need for one-on-one communication. • Word-of-mouth marketing. Bloggers and microbloggers often make a point of providing links to other blogs and websites that interest them, giving

marketers a great opportunity to have their messages spread by enthusiasts. Word-of-mouth marketing is often called viral marketing in reference to the transmission of messages in much the same way that biological viruses are transmitted from person to person. However, viral marketing is not

really an accurate metaphor. As author Brian Solis puts it, “There is no such thing as viral marketing.”24

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037E9) Real viruses spread from host to host on their own, whereas word-of-mouth marketing requires “hosts” to spread messages voluntarily. The distinction is critical because you need to give people a good reason—good content, in other words—to pass along your message.

• Influencing traditional media news coverage. According to the social media consultant Tamar Weinberg, “The more prolific bloggers who provide valuable and consistent content are often considered experts in their subject matter” and are often called upon when journalists need insights into

various topics.25

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037EB)

• Community building. Blogging is a great way to connect people with similar interests, and popular bloggers often attract a community of readers who connect with one another through the commenting function.

The possibilities of blogs are almost unlimited, so be on the lookout for new ways to use them to foster positive relationships with colleagues, customers, and other important audiences (see Figure 8.2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P70010124510000000000000000035C1) ).

Figure 8.2 Business Applications of Blogging

This Xerox blog illustrates the content, writing style, and features that make an effective, reader-friendly company blog.

Source: Courtesy of Xerox Corporation. Hero Images/Getty Images

ADAPTING THE THREE-STEP PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL BLOGGING

The three-step writing process is easy to adapt to blogging. The planning step is particularly important if you’re considering starting a blog because you’re planning an entire communication channel, not just a single message. Pay close attention to your audience, your purpose, and your scope.

Before you launch a blog, make sure you have a clear understanding of your target audience, the purpose of your blog, and the scope of subjects you plan to cover.

• Audience. Except with team blogs and other efforts that have an obvious and well-defined audience, defining the target audience for a blog can be challenging. You want an audience that is large enough to justify the time you’ll be investing but narrow enough that you can provide a clear focus. For instance, if you work for a firm that develops computer games, would you focus your blog on “hardcore” players, the types who spend thousands of dollars on super-fast PCs optimized for video games, or would you broaden the reach to include all video gamers? The decision often comes down to business strategy.

• Purpose. A business blog needs to have a business-related purpose that is important to your company and to your chosen audience. Moreover, the purpose has to “have legs”—that is, it needs to be something that can drive the blog’s content for months or years—rather than focus on a single event or an issue of only temporary interest. For instance, if you’re a technical expert, you might create a blog to give the audience tips and techniques for using your company’s products more effectively—a never-ending subject that’s important to both you and your audience. This would be the general purpose of your blog; each post would have a specific purpose within the context of that general purpose. Finally, if you are not writing an official company blog but rather blogging as an individual employee, make sure you understand your employer’s blogging guidelines. IBM, for example, gives its employees 12 specific social computing guidelines, such as identifying their role as IBM employees if they are discussing matters related to the company

and respecting intellectual property laws.26

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037ED)

• Scope. Defining the scope of your blog can be a bit tricky. You want to cover a subject area that is broad enough to offer ongoing discussion possibilities but narrow enough to have an identifiable focus. With a clear purpose in mind, you’ll have a better idea of how wide or narrow your subject can be.

After you begin writing your blog, careful planning needs to continue with each message. Unless you’re posting to a restricted-access blog, such as an internal blog on a company’s intranet, you can never be sure who might see your posts or when other bloggers might link to them.

The ideal writing style for blog posts is personal and comfortable—but not careless.

Use a comfortable, personal writing style. Blog audiences don’t want to hear from your company; they want to hear from you. Bear in mind, though, that comfortable does not mean careless. Sloppy writing annoys readers and damages your credibility.

Successful blog content also needs to be interesting, valuable to readers, and as brief as possible.27

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037EF) In addition, although audiences expect you to be knowledgeable in the subject area your blog covers, you don’t need to know everything about a topic. If you don’t have all the information yourself, provide links to other blogs and websites that supply relevant content. In fact, content curation (see page 213 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#page_213) ) is one of the most valuable aspects of blogging.

As with email subject lines, compelling headlines for blog posts are an essential tool to draw in readers. A headline needs to grab the reader’s attention in a split second by promising something useful, surprising, challenging, or otherwise different from what he or she already knows. Headlines should be as short as possible and suggest that the information in the post will be easy to read and use. “List” headlines that cut right to the heart of something readers care about, such as “10 Reasons You Didn’t Get That Promotion” or “Seven Ways to Save Money with Your Smartphone,” are particularly popular among bloggers.

Completing messages for your blog is usually easy. Evaluate the content and readability of your message, proofread to correct any errors, and post it. Most blogging systems have built-in newsfeed options (often called RSS newsfeeds) so that your audience can automatically receive new posts from you.

Finally, make your material easier to find by tagging (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036C3) it with descriptive words. Your readers can then select these “content labels” to find additional posts about those topics. Tags are usually displayed with each post, and they can also be grouped in a tag cloud display, which shows all the tags in use on your blog.

“Checklist: Blogging for Business” summarizes some of the key points to remember when creating and writing a business blog.

CHECKLIST Blogging for Business

• Consider creating a blog or microblog account whenever you have a continuing stream of information to share with an online audience. • Identify an audience that is broad enough to justify the effort but narrow enough to have common interests. • Identify a purpose that is comprehensive enough to provide ideas for a continuing stream of posts. • Consider the scope of your blog carefully; make it broad enough to attract an audience but narrow enough to keep you focused. • Communicate with a personal style and an authentic voice, but don’t write carelessly. • Deliver new information quickly. • Choose topics of peak interest to your audience. • Encourage audiences to join the conversation. • Consider using Twitter or other microblog updates to alert readers to new posts on your regular blog.

8.5 Microblogging

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

5 Describe the business uses of Twitter and other microblogging systems. A microblog (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000036BD) is a variation on blogging in which messages are sharply restricted to specific character counts. Twitter is the best known of these systems, but many others exist. Some companies have private microblogging systems for internal use only, either as standalone services or as part of broader collaboration systems.

MOBILE APP

The mobile app for Twitter helps you stay connected with your followers and the accounts you follow.

Many of the concepts of regular blogging apply to microblogging as well, although the severe length limitations call for a different approach to composition. Microblog messages often involve short summaries or teasers that provide links to more information. In addition, microblogs tend to have a stronger social

aspect that makes it easier for writers and readers to forward messages and for communities to form around individual writers.28

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037F1)

The business communication uses of microblogging extend well beyond the publication of brief updates.

Like regular blogging, microblogging quickly caught on with business users and is now a mainstream business medium. Microblogs are used for virtually all of the blog applications mentioned on pages 215 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#page_215) –216 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#page_216) . In addition, microblogs are frequently used for providing company updates, offering coupons and notices of sales, presenting tips on product usage, sharing relevant and interesting information from experts, announcing the headlines of new blog posts, engaging with customers (see Figure 8.3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P7001012451000000000000000003618) ), and serving as the backchannel in meetings and presentations (see page 477 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000005da5#page_477) ). By following top names in your field, you can

also customize Twitter as your own real-time news source.29

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037F3)

Customer service is also becoming a popular use for Twitter, thanks to its ease and speed and the option of switching between public tweets and private direct

messages as the situation warrants.30

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037F5) Even if a company doesn’t want to use Twitter as a customer service channel, it should monitor the system to look for complaints or questions from customers, many of whom use Twitter these days to ask for help or publicize their disappointment.

Figure 8.3 Business Applications of Microblogging

Mathews, a small manufacturer of archery products, uses Twitter to foster relationships with customers and other interested parties. Notice how every tweet in this time line is part of a conversation.

Courtesy of Mathews Archery, Inc.

The social networking aspect of Twitter and other microblogs also makes them good for crowdsourcing research questions: asking one’s followers for input or

advice.31 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037F7) Finally, the ease of retweeting, the practice of forwarding messages from other Twitter users, is the microblogging equivalent of sharing other content from other bloggers via content curation.

REAL-TIME UPDATES

LEARN MORE BY READING THIS ARTICLE

Tips for ensuring a positive Twitter experience

Twitter offers advice for getting the most from the service while avoiding common blunders. Go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real- timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Learn More in the Students section.

In addition to its usefulness as a standalone system, Twitter is integrated with other social media systems and a variety of publishing and reading tools and services. Many of these make use of the informal Twitter feature known as the hashtag (the # symbol followed by a word or phrase), which makes it easy for people to label and search for topics of interest and to monitor ongoing Twitter conversations about particular topics. As Starbucks discovered, however,

hashtags can turn into “bashtags” when members of the public use a hashtag campaign to ridicule or criticize a company32

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037F9) (see page 205 (M11_C08.xhtml#page_205) ).

Don’t let the speed and simplicity of microblogging lull you into making careless mistakes; every message should support your business communication objectives.

Although microblogs are designed to encourage spontaneous communication, when you’re using the medium for business communication, don’t just tweet whatever pops into your head. Make sure messages are part of your overall communication strategy. Twitter followers consider tweets that are entertaining, surprising, informative, or engaging (such as asking followers for advice) as the most valuable. In contrast, the least-valuable tweets tend to be complaints,

conversations between the Twitter account owner and a specific follower, and relatively pointless messages such as saying “good morning.”33

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037FB)

Table 8.1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P7001012451000000000000000003636) summarizes the advice for successful blogging and microblogging in business.

TABLE 8.1 Tips for Effective Business Blogging and Microblogging

Tip Why It’s Important

Don’t blog without a clear plan. Without a clear plan, your blog or Twitter feed is likely to wander from topic to topic and fail to build a sense of community with your audience.

Post frequently, but don’t overwhelm your readers.

If you won’t have a constant supply of new information or new links, create a traditional website instead. On the other hand, blogging or tweeting too often can overwhelm your followers.

Make it about your audience and the issues important to them.

Readers want to know how your blog will help them, entertain them, or give them a chance to communicate with others who have similar interests.

Write in an authentic voice; never create an artificial character who supposedly writes a blog.

Flogs, or fake blogs, violate the spirit of blogging, show disrespect for your audience, and will turn audiences against you as soon as they uncover the truth. Fake blogs that are used to promote products are now illegal in some countries.

Link and retweet generously—but carefully. Providing interesting links to other blogs and websites is a fundamental aspect of blogging, but make sure the links will be of value to your readers, and don’t point to inappropriate material. Similarly, retweeting is a good way to share interesting content and build relationships with other Twitter users, but retweeting too often can annoy your followers.

Keep blog posts brief. Most online readers don’t have the patience to read lengthy reports. Rather than writing long, report-style posts, you can write brief posts that link to in-depth reports.

Don’t post or tweet anything you wouldn’t want the entire world to see.

Future employers, government regulators, competitors, journalists, and community critics are just a few of the people who might eventually see what you’ve written.

Minimize marketing and sales messages. Even product enthusiasts and motivated shoppers don’t want to be “sold to” on company blogs. They want information about how products and services will meet their needs.

Take time to write compelling, specific headlines for your posts.

Readers usually decide within a couple of seconds whether to read a post; boring or vague headlines will turn them away instantly.

Tip Why It’s Important

Pay attention to spelling, grammar, and mechanics.

No matter how smart or experienced you are, poor-quality writing undermines your credibility with intelligent audiences.

Respond to criticism openly and honestly. Hiding sends the message that you don’t have a valid response to the criticism. If your critics are wrong, patiently explain why you think they’re wrong. If they are right, explain how you’ll fix the situation.

Listen and learn. If you don’t take the time to analyze the comments people leave on your blog or the comments other bloggers make about you, you’re missing out on one of the most valuable aspects of blogging.

Respect intellectual property. Improperly using material you don’t own is not only unethical but can be illegal as well.

Be scrupulously honest and careful with facts. Honesty is an absolute requirement for every ethical business communicator, of course, but you need to be extra careful online because inaccuracies (both intentional and unintentional) are likely to be discovered quickly and shared widely.

If you review products on your blog, disclose any beneficial relationships you have with the companies that make those products.

Bloggers who receive free products or other compensation from companies whose products they write about are now required to disclose the nature of these relationships.

8.6 Wikis

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

6 Offer guidelines for becoming a valuable wiki contributor. As Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) points out, using wikis is a great way for teams and other groups to collaborate on writing projects, from brief articles to long reports and reference works. The benefits of wikis are compelling, but they do require a unique approach to writing.

UNDERSTANDING THE WIKI PHILOSOPHY

To be a valuable wiki contributor, keep these points in mind:34

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037FD)

Being an effective wiki collaborator requires a different mindset when writing.

• Let go of traditional expectations of authorship, including individual recognition and control. • Encourage all team members to improve each other’s work. • Use page templates and other formatting options to make sure your content matches the rest of the wiki. • Many wikis provide both editing and commenting capabilities, and participants should use the appropriate tool for each. In other words, don’t insert

comments or questions into the main content; use the “talk page” or other commenting feature if you want to discuss the content. • Take advantage of the sandbox, if available; this is a “safe,” nonpublished section of the wiki where team members can practice editing and writing.

Wikis often have guideline pages to help new contributors integrate their work into the group’s ongoing effort. Be sure to read and understand these guidelines, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

ADAPTING THE THREE-STEP PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL WIKI WRITING

You can easily adapt the three-step writing process for wikis, depending on whether you are creating a new wiki, adding new material to an existing wiki, or revising existing material on a wiki.

If you are creating a new wiki, think through your long-term purpose carefully, just as you would with a new blog or podcast channel. Doing so will help you craft appropriate guidelines, editorial oversight, and security policies.

Make sure you understand how a new wiki page will fit in with the existing content.

If you are adding a page or an article to an existing wiki, figure out how this new material fits in with the existing organization. Determine whether any similar material already exists; it might be better to expand an existing article or add a subpage than to create a new item. Also, learn the wiki’s preferred style for handling incomplete articles. For example, on the wiki that contains the user documentation for the popular WordPress blogging software, contributors are

discouraged from adding new pages until the content is “fairly complete and accurate.”35

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P70010124510000000000000000037FF)

If you are revising or updating an existing wiki article, use the checklist on page 157 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#page_157) in Chapter 6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002ade#P7001012451000000000000000002ADE) to evaluate the content before you make changes. If you don’t agree with published content and plan to revise it, you can use the wiki’s discussion facility to share your concerns with other contributors. The wiki environment should encourage discussions and even robust disagreements, as long as everyone remains civil and respectful.

For the latest advice on using social media in business, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) and select Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) .

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT Starbucks

You’ve joined Alexandra Wheeler’s social media team. Use what you’ve learned in the course so far to solve these communication dilemmas.

INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE: You’ve written a blog entry describing an upcoming competition in which the small town that submits the most creative “community spirit” video will win a $50,000 makeover of a park or community center. Write a tweet of no more than 140 characters that could serve as a teaser to persuade your Twitter followers to click through to the blog post.

TEAM CHALLENGE: One member of the social media team is retiring, and you’ve been asked to recruit her replacement, whose primary responsibility will be blogging. Your plan is to send an email message to everyone in the company, providing a brief reminder of the blog’s purpose, describing the writing style you’re looking for, and inviting interested writers to submit sample blog entries for evaluation. (This message is for employees only; it won’t be seen by the public.) With a team assigned by your instructor, brainstorm the ideal qualities of writer for the Starbucks blog, then draft the email invitation.

Quick Learning Guide

KEY TERMS

blog An easily updatable online journal; short for weblog

brand communities Groups of people united by their interest in and ownership or use of particular products

brand socialization A measure of how effectively a company engages with its various online stakeholders in a mutually beneficial exchange of information

community Q&A sites Websites on which visitors answer questions posted by other visitors or by company representatives

content curation The practice of collecting, filtering, and republishing material on a particular topic

microblog A variation on a blog in which messages are restricted to specific character counts; Twitter is the best-known example

social networks Online services that enable individual and organizational members to form connections and share information

tagging Attaching descriptive terms to blog posts and other articles to facilitate searching

user-generated content (UGC) sites Websites on which users, rather than website owners, contribute most or all of the content

SUMMARY OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Identify seven key points for using social media in business communication. Seven key points for using social media are (1) remember that it’s a conversation, not a lecture or a sales pitch; (2) write informally but not carelessly; (3) create concise, specific, and informative headlines that don’t force readers to solve clever wordplay puzzles; (4) get involved and stay involved with conversations that concern your company; (5) promote your company and products indirectly; (6) be transparent and honest; and (7) think before you post to avoid problems caused by careless messages.

2 Describe the business communication applications of social networks. Businesses now use a variety of social networks, including well-known public networks such as Facebook and business-oriented networks such as LinkedIn, as well as a variety of specialized networks, single-company networks for customers, and internal employee-only networks. The business communication applications of social networks are important and diverse; major uses include collaborating, gathering market intelligence, recruiting employees, connecting with business partners, marketing, and fostering brand communities.

3 Explain how information- and content-sharing sites are used in business communication. User-generated content sites such as YouTube allow companies to host media (such as videos) that customers and other stakeholders can view, comment on, and share. Content curation sites allow professionals and consumers with expertise or interest in a particular field to collect and republish material on a particular topic. Community Q&A sites give individuals the opportunity to build their personal brands by providing expertise, and they give companies the chance to address customer complaints and correct misinformation.

4 Describe the role of blogging in business communication today, and explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to blogging. Blogs are used in numerous ways in business today, such as for project management and team communication, company news, customer support, public relations and media relations, employee recruiting, policy and issue discussions, crisis communication, market research, brainstorming, employee engagement, viral marketing, influencing traditional media news coverage, and community building.

The three-step writing process adapts readily to blogging. When planning, be particularly careful in defining your audience, identifying the overall purpose of your blog and the specific purposes of each post, and establishing a scope that is narrow enough to be focused but broad enough to afford a steady supply of topics. Be sure to write in a personal, authentic style, without slipping into overly familiar or careless writing. Completing messages involves the usual tasks of proofing and revising before posting, along with the particular tasks needed to distribute your posts via newsfeeds.

5 Describe the business uses of Twitter and other microblogging systems. Microblogs such as Twitter are used for many of the same purposes as conventional blogging, along with digital coupons, sale announcements, one-on-one customer service queries, and customized news channels created by following experts of interest. Microblogs can also serve as the backchannel during meetings and presentations.

6 Offer guidelines for becoming a valuable wiki contributor. To become a valuable wiki contributor, let go of traditional expectations of authorship, including individual recognition and control; don’t be afraid to edit and improve existing content; use page templates and other formatting options to make sure your content is formatted in the same style as the rest of the wiki; keep edits and comments separate by using the “talk page” to discuss content, rather than inserting comments directly into the text; take advantage of the sandbox to learn how use the wiki’s writing and editing tools; and understand and follow the wiki’s contributor guidelines.

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) to complete the problems marked with this icon .

Test Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

8-1. Why are straightforward, informative headlines better for social media than headlines with witty wordplay? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003480#P7001012451000000000000000003482)

8-2. How have social media tools spurred the growth of communities of practice? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE)

8-3. What does it mean to anchor your social media presence in a hub? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE)

8-4. What is content curation? [LO-3] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#P7001012451000000000000000003541)

8-5. How can blogs help with so-called viral marketing efforts? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F)

8-6. Why is it important to have a long-term, sustainable purpose in mind before you launch a blog? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F)

8-7. How can Twitter be used to crowdsource research? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A)

8-8. How does the use of hashtags on Twitter help people find information of interest? [LO- (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A) 5]

8-9. Why is it important to abandon traditional notions of ownership when writing on a wiki? [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000367a#P700101245100000000000000000367E)

Apply Your Knowledge To review chapter content related to each question, refer to the indicated Learning Objective.

8-10. Can your company stay in control of its messages if it stays off social media? Why or why not? [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003480#P7001012451000000000000000003482)

8-11. Is leveraging your connections on social networks for business purposes ethical? Why or why not? [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE)

8-12. If one of the benefits of blogging and microblogging is the personal, intimate style of writing, is it a good idea to limit your creativity by adhering to conventional rules of grammar, spelling, and mechanics? Why or why not? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F)

8-13. What are some of the ways the president of a hiking equipment company can use Twitter to engage potential customers without being overtly promotional? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A)

8-14. If you know that most readers of your management advice blog access it on mobile devices, should you switch to Twitter instead so the shorter messages would be easier to read on small screens? Why or why not? [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A)

Practice Your Skills 8-15. Message for Analysis 8.A: Media Skills: Blogging, Creating a Businesslike Tone [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F) Revise this blog post based on what you’ve learned in this chapter.

[headline]

We’re DOOMED!!!!!

[post]

I was at the Sikorsky plant in Stratford yesterday, just checking to see how things were going with the assembly line retrofit we did for them last year. I think I saw the future, and it ain’t pretty. They were demo’ing a prototype robot from Motoman that absolutely blows our stuff out of the water. They wouldn’t let me really see it, but based on the 10-second glimpse I got, it’s smaller, faster, and more maneuverable than any of our units. And when I asked about the price, the guy just grinned. And it wasn’t the sort of grin designed to make me feel good. I’ve been saying for years that we need to pay more attention to size, speed, and maneuverability instead of just relying on our historical strengths of accuracy and payload capacity, and you’d have to be blind not to agree that this experience proves me right. If we can’t at least show a design for a better unit within two or three months, Motoman is going to lock up the market and leave us utterly in the dust. Believe me, being able to say “I told you so” right now is not nearly as satisfying as you might think!!

8-16. Message 8.B: Revising Web Content with a “You” Attitude [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000367a#P700101245100000000000000000367E) To access this wiki exercise, visit real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) , select Student Assignments, then select Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) , Message 8.B. Follow the instructions for evaluating the existing content and revising it to make it more reader oriented.

8-17. Message 8.C: Improving the Effectiveness of a Wiki Article [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000367a#P700101245100000000000000000367E) To access this wiki exercise, go to real-timeupdates.com/bct14 (http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14) , select Student Assignments, then select Chapter 8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#P7001012451000000000000000003454) , Message 8.C. Follow the instructions for evaluating the existing content and revising it to make it clear and concise.

Exercises

Each activity is labeled according to the primary skill or skills you will need to use. To review relevant chapter content, you can refer to the indicated Learning Objective. In some instances, supporting information will be found in another chapter, as indicated.

8-18. Media Skills: Social Networking [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE) Pick a company in any industry that interests you. Imagine you are doing strategic planning for this firm, and identify one of your company’s key competitors. (Hint: You can use the free listings on www.hoovers.com (http://www.hoovers.com) to find several top competitors for most medium-size and large companies in the United States.) Now search through social media sources to find three strategically relevant pieces of information about this competitor, such as the hiring of a new executive, the launch of a major new product, or a significant problem of some kind. In a post on your class blog, identify the information you found and the sources you used. (If you can’t find useful information, pick another firm or try another industry.)

8-19. Media Skills: Social Networking [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE) Joining an ongoing social media conversation, such as a comment thread on Facebook, requires a delicate touch if you work for a company that has a commercial interest in the subject at hand. Imagine you work for a company that makes audiophile-quality headphones, acoustic guitars, or electronic drum kits (choose whichever product interests you most). While monitoring a Facebook group for enthusiasts of this product category, you see an active thread in which people are complaining about the quality of one of your competitor’s products. You know that for years this company had a reputation for making high-quality equipment, but after a poorly executed plan to outsource manufacturing in order to cut costs, quality has suffered. A similar product that your company offers is slightly more expensive but has significantly higher quality, according to a recent survey conducted by a respected and impartial industry website. Draft a brief comment that you could use to join the conversation. Decide what information you’ll include and whether you will disclose your company affiliation. Assume that representatives from various companies do occasionally make posts and leave comments in this group, but overt selling is explicitly forbidden by the group’s moderator. 8-20. Media Skills: Blogging, Creating a Businesslike Tone; Mobile Skills [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F) The members of the project team you lead have enthusiastically embraced blogging as a communication medium. Unfortunately, as emotions heat up during the project, some of the blog posts are becoming too casual, too personal, and even sloppy. Because your boss and other managers within the company also read this project blog, you don’t want the team to seem unprofessional. Revise the following blog post so that it communicates in a more businesslike manner while retaining the informal, conversational tone of a blog. In addition, break it into smaller paragraphs that are more compatible with mobile devices. (Be sure to correct any spelling and punctuation mistakes you find as well.)

[post]

Well, to the profound surprise of absolutely nobody, we are not going to be able meet the June 1 commitment to ship 100 operating tables to Southeast Surgical Supply. (For those of you who have been living in a cave the past six month, we have been fighting to get our hands on enough high-grade chromium steel to meet our production schedule.) Sure enough, we got news, this morning that we will only get enough for 30 tables. Yes, we look like fools for not being able to follow through on promises we made to the customer, but no, this didn’t have to happpen. Six month’s ago, purchasing warned us about shrinking supplies and suggested we advance-buy as much as we would need for the next 12 months, or so. We naturally tried to followed their advice, but just as naturally were shot down by the bean counters at corporate who trotted out the policy about never buying more than three months worth of materials in advance. Of course, it’ll be us—not the bean counters who’ll take the flak when everybody starts asking why revenues are down next quarter and why Southeast is talking to our friends at Crighton!!! Maybe, some day this company will get its head out of the sand and realize that we need to have some financial flexibility in order to compete.

8-21. Media Skills: Blogging [LO-4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F) ] Find a current political issue that could have a direct effect on business, such as immigration law, Internet sales tax, product safety, or international trade policy. Identify a company that is affected by this issue, and assume you are the president or CEO and want to speak out about it. Write a three- paragraph blog post that summarizes the issue, explains how it could affect your company, and urges a particular action from political leaders.

8-22. Media Skills: Microblogging [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A) Busy knitters can go through a lot of yarn in a hurry, so most keep a sharp eye out for sales. You’re on the marketing staff of Knitting-Warehouse, and you like to keep your loyal shoppers up to date with the latest deals. Visit the Knitting-Warehouse website at www.knitting-warehouse.com (http://www.knitting-warehouse.com) , choose any on-sale product that catches your eye, and compose a tweet that describes the product and the sale. (Unless you are working on a private Twitter account that is accessible only by your instructor and your classmates, don’t actually tweet this message. Email it to your instructor instead.)

8-23. Media Skills: Microblogging [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A) Choose a product you purchased recently or something you’re considering purchasing. Compose a three-tweet sequence that (1) introduces the product, (2) lists two or three important advantages, and (3) identifies which groups of consumers can benefit from it. Email your tweets to your instructor rather than posting them on Twitter.

Expand Your Skills Critique the Professionals

On Twitter, find two companies in the same industry and review a dozen recent tweets from each. Considering the tweets from the perspective of a potential customer, which company does a better job of engaging your attention and building your interest in its products? Using whatever medium your instructor requests, write a brief analysis of the two companies’ Twitter activity, and explain why one is using the social network more effectively than the other.

Sharpening Your Career Skills Online

Bovée and Thill’s Business Communication Web Search, at websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com (http://websearch.businesscommunicationnetwork.com) , is a unique research tool designed specifically for business communication research. Use the Web Search function to find a website, video, article, podcast, or presentation that offers advice on using social media in business. In a brief email message to your instructor, describe the item that you found and summarize the career skills information you learned from it.

Cases

For all cases, feel free to use your creativity to make up any details you need in order to craft effective messages.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SKILLS

8-24. Media Skills: Social Networking; Media Skills: Microblogging [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE) [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A) Foursquare is one of the leading providers of location-based social networking services. Millions of people use Foursquare for social engagement and friendly competition, and many business owners are starting to recognize the marketing potential of having people who are on the move in local areas broadcast their locations and share information about stores, restaurants, clubs, and other merchants.

Your task: Review the information on Foursquare’s Merchant Platform at business.foursquare.com (http://business.foursquare.com) . Now write four brief messages, no more than 140 characters long. The first should summarize the benefits to stores, restaurants, and other “brick-and-mortar” businesses of participating in Foursquare; the next three messages should convey three compelling points that support that overall benefit statement. If your class is set up with private Twitter accounts, use your private account to send your messages. Otherwise, email your four messages to your instructor or post them on your class blog, as your instructor directs.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SKILLS

8-25. Media Skills: Social Networking; Online Etiquette [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE) , Chapter 2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000015f4#P70010124510000000000000000015F4) Employees who take pride in their work are a priceless resource for any business. However, pride can sometimes manifest itself in negative ways when employees receive criticism—and public criticism is a fact of life in social media. Imagine that your company has recently experienced a rash of product quality problems, and these problems have generated some unpleasant and occasionally unfair criticism on a variety of social media sites. Someone even set up a Facebook page specifically to give customers a place to vent their frustrations.

You and your public relations team jumped into action, responding to complaints with offers to provide replacement products and help customers who have been affected by the quality problems. Everything seemed to be going as well as could be expected, until you were checking a few industry blogs one evening and discovered that a couple of engineers in your company’s product design lab have been responding to complaints on their own. They identified themselves as company employees and defended their product design, blaming the company’s production department and even criticizing several customers for lacking the skills needed to use such a sophisticated product. Within a matter of minutes, you see their harsh comments being retweeted and reposted on multiple sites, only fueling the fire of negative feedback against your firm. Needless to say, you are horrified.

Your task: You manage to reach the engineers by private message and tell them to stop posting messages, but you realize you have a serious training issue on your hands. Write a post for the internal company blog that advises employees on how to respond appropriately when they are representing the company online. Use your imagination to make up any details you need.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SKILLS/TEAM SKILLS

8-26. Media Skills: Social Networking [LO-2] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#P70010124510000000000000000034AE) Social media can be a great way to, well, socialize during your college years, but employers are increasingly checking the online activities of potential hires to avoid bringing in employees who may reflect poorly on the company.

Your task: Team up with another student and review each other’s public presence on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and any other website that an employer might check during the interview and recruiting process. Identify any photos, videos, messages, or other material that could raise a red flag when an employee is evaluating a job candidate. Write your teammate an email message that lists any risky material.

BLOGGING SKILLS

8-27. Media Skills: Blogging; Compositional Modes: Tutorials [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F) Studying abroad for a semester or a year can be a rewarding experience in many ways—improving your language skills, experiencing another culture, making contacts in the international business arena, and building your self-confidence.

Your task: Write a post for your class blog that describes your college’s study abroad program and summarizes the steps involved in applying for international study. If your school doesn’t offer study abroad opportunities, base your post on the program offered at another institution in your state.

BLOGGING SKILLS

8-28. Media Skills: Blogging [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F) Comic-Con International is an annual convention that highlights a wide variety of pop culture and entertainment media, from comic books and

collectibles to video games and movies. From its early start as a comic book convention that attracted several hundred fans and publishing industry insiders, Comic-Con has become a major international event with more than 130,000 attendees.

Your task: Several readers of your pop culture blog have been asking for your recommendation about visiting Comic-Con in San Diego next summer. Write a two- or three-paragraph post for your blog that explains what Comic-Con is and what attendees can expect to experience at the convention. Be

sure to address your post to fans, not industry insiders.36

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P7001012451000000000000000003801)

BLOGGING SKILLS/MOBILE SKILLS

8-29. Media Skills: Blogging; Compositional Modes: Tutorials; Mobile Skills [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F) Tumblr has become a popular “short-form” blogging platform by combining the simplicity of Twitter with the ability to share photos and other media easily.

Your task: Write a 300- to 400-word mobile-friendly post for your class blog that explains how to set up an account on Tumblr and get involved in the Tumblr community. The help pages on Tumblr are a good place to get more information about the service.

BLOGGING SKILLS

8-30. Media Skills: Blogging [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F) Credit card debt can be a crippling financial burden with myriad side effects, from higher insurance rates to more expensive loans to difficulty getting a job or a promotion. Unfortunately, credit debt is also frighteningly easy to fall into, particularly for young people trying to get started in life with limited cash flow.

Your task: Write a three- to five-paragraph blog post that warns college students about the dangers of credit card debt. Be sure to cite the sources you find in your research.

MICROBLOGGING SKILLS

8-31. Media Skills: Microblogging; Compositional Modes: Summaries [LO-1] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003480#P7001012451000000000000000003482) [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A) A carefully constructed series of tweets can serve as a summary of a blog post, video, or other message or document.

Your task: Find any article, podcast, video, or webpage on a business topic that interests you. Write four to six tweetables that summarize the content of the piece. Restrict the first tweetable to 120 characters to allow for a URL. Email the series to your instructor or publish them on Twitter if your instructor directs. If you quote phrases from the original directly, be sure to put them in quotation marks.

MICROBLOGGING SKILLS

8-32. Media Skills: Microblogging; Compositional Modes: Teasers [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A) Twitter updates are a great way to alert people to helpful articles, videos, and other online resources.

Your task: Find an online resource (it can be a website quiz, a YouTube video, a PowerPoint presentation, a newspaper article, or anything else appropriate) that offers some great tips to help college students prepare for job interviews. Write a teaser of no more than 120 characters that hints at the benefits other students can get from this resource. If your class is set up with private Twitter accounts, use your private account to send your message. Otherwise, email it to your instructor.

MICROBLOGGING SKILLS

8-33. Media Skills: Microblogging; Compositional Modes: Updates and Announcements [LO-5] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#P700101245100000000000000000360A) JetBlue is known for its innovations in customer service and customer communication, including its pioneering use of the Twitter microblogging system. Nearly 2 million JetBlue fans and customers follow the company on Twitter to get updates on flight status during weather disruptions, facility upgrades,

and other news.37

(http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#P7001012451000000000000000003803)

Your task: Write a message of no more than 140 characters that announces the limited-time availability of flights and travel packages—flights plus hotel rooms, for example—at JetBlue’s store on eBay. The key selling point is that travelers may be able to purchase flights they want at steep discounts. If your class is set up with private Twitter accounts, use your private account to send your message. Otherwise, email it to your instructor.

WIKI SKILLS

8-34. Media Skills: Wiki Writing; Evaluating the Work of Other Writers [LO-6] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000367a#P700101245100000000000000000367E) Evaluating existing content is a vital step in making improvements to a wiki.

Your task: Find an article on Wikipedia that needs to be updated, corrected, or otherwise improved. You can use an article that has been flagged by Wikipedia editors or find an article on a subject you are familiar with, such as the profile of a favorite musical artist. To keep the project at a manageable

size, feel free to select a portion of a longer article (roughly 500 to 1,000 words). Using the guidelines on page 157 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000002b0a#page_157) for evaluating the work of other writers, evaluate the quality of the article and identify the steps you would take to improve it. Revise the piece and post your version on your class blog or email it to your instructor. Include a brief summary of the changes you made and your reasons for making them. (Do not edit the Wikipedia entry as part of this assignment.)

MyBCommLab

Go to mybcommlab.com (http://mybcommlab.com) for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following Assisted-graded writing questions:

8-35. Why is “viral marketing” a misleading description? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F)

8-36. Why does a personal style of writing help blogs build stronger relationships with audiences? [LO-4] (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#P700101245100000000000000000356F)

Endnotes

1 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003454#rP70010124510000000000000000037BB) . Starbucks website, accessed 11 February 2016, www.starbucks.com (http://www.starbucks.com) ; “How Starbucks Social Media Team Captures the Personality of a Beverage,” Starbucks news release, 6 May 2015, news.starbucks.com (http://news.starbucks.com) ; David Moth, “How Starbucks Uses Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Google+” Econsultancy, 6 March 2013; Melissa Allison, “Starbucks Presses Social Media Onward,” Seattle Times, 27 April 2013; Bethany Simpson, “3 Insane Starbucks Campaigns,” iMedia Connection, 29 March 2012, www.imediaconnection.com (http://www.imediaconnection.com) ; Starbucks U.S. and U.K. pages on Facebook, accessed 14 June 2013; Margaret Rhodes, “Most Creative People 2013: 12. Luz Muller,” Fast Company, 13 May 2013.

2 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003480#rP70010124510000000000000000037BD) . Catherine Toole, “My 7 Deadly Sins of Writing for Social Media—Am I Right?” Econsultancy blog, 19 June 2007, www.econsultancy.com (http://www.econsultancy.com) ; Muhammad Saleem, “How to Write a Social Media Press Release,” Copyblogger, accessed 16 September 2008, www.copyblogger.com (http://www.copyblogger.com) ; Melanie McBride, “5 Tips for (Better) Social Media Writing,” Melanie McBride Online, 11 June 2008, accessed 16 September 2008, melaniemcbride.net (http://melaniemcbride.net) .

3 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003480#rP70010124510000000000000000037BF) . “Tips for Effective Social Media Writing,” MBO Partners, accessed 12 February 2016, www.mbopartners.com (http://www.mbopartners.com) .

4 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037C1) . Renren website, accessed 11 February 2016, renren-inc.com (http://renren-inc.com) ; Jon Russell, “Why ‘Going Global’ Makes No Sense for China’s Social Networks, for Now,” The Next Web, 14 May 2012, thenextweb.com (http://thenextweb.com) .

5 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037C3) . Charlene Li, “Why No One Uses the Corporate Social Network,” Harvard Business Review, 7 April 2015, hbr.com (http://hbr.com) .

6 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037C5) . Patrick Hong, “10 Exceptional Examples of Brand Communities,” Momentology, 15 January 2015, www.momentology.com (http://www.momentology.com) .

7 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037C7) . Todd Wasserman, “What Drives Brand Socialability?” Mashable, 12 October 2011, mashable.com (http://mashable.com) .

8 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037C9) . Michelle Manafy, “Stop Acting Like a Robot and Start Socializing Your Brand,” Inc., 29 June 2015, www.inc.com (http://www.inc.com) ; Mattel Twitter account, accessed 12 February 2016, twitter.com/mattel (http://twitter.com/mattel) .

9 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037CB) . Muhtar Kent, “Shaking Things Up at Coca-Cola,” Harvard Business Review, October 2011, 94–99.

10 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037CD) . Evolve24 website, accessed 10 February 2016, www.evolve24.com (http://www.evolve24.com) .

11 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037CF) . “The Top 20 Social Media Trends in 2016, According to the Experts,” Bitly, 16 December 2015, blog.bitly.com (http://blog.bitly.com) ; HeadTalker website, accessed 12 February 2016, headtalker.com (http://headtalker.com) .

12 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037D1) . Christian Pieter Hoffmann, “Holding Sway,” Communication World, November–December 2011, 26–29; Josh Bernoff, “Social Strategy for Exciting (and Not So Exciting) Brands,” Marketing News, 15 May 2009, 18; Larry Weber, Marketing to the Social Web (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2007), 12–14; David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing and PR (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2007), 62; Paul Gillin, The New Influencers (Sanger, Calif.: Quill Driver Books, 2007), 34–35; Jeremy Wright, Blog Marketing: The Revolutionary Way to Increase Sales, Build Your Brand, and Get Exceptional Results (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006), 263–365.

13 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037D3) . Sonia Simone, “What’s the Difference Between Content Marketing and Copywriting?” Copyblogger, accessed 4 June 2012, www.copyblogger.com (http://www.copyblogger.com) .

14 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037D5) . Matt Rhodes, “Build Your Own Community or Go Where People Are? Do Both,” FreshNetworks blog, 12 May 2009, www.freshnetworks.com (http://www.freshnetworks.com) .

15 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037D7) . Brian Solis, Engage! (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2010), 13.

16 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000034ac#rP70010124510000000000000000037D9) . Zachary Sniderman, “5 Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity,” Mashable, 7 July 2010, mashable.com (http://mashable.com) .

17 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#rP70010124510000000000000000037DB) . Vanessa Pappas, “5 Ways to Build a Loyal Audience on YouTube,” Mashable, 15 June 2010, www.mashable.com (http://www.mashable.com) .

18 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#rP70010124510000000000000000037DD) . Eric Siu, “10 User Generated Content Campaigns That Actually Worked,” HubSpot blog, 12 March 2015, blog.hubspot.com (http://blog.hubspot.com) .

19 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#rP70010124510000000000000000037DF) . “About Us,” Yelp, accessed 10 February 2016, www.yelp.com (http://www.yelp.com) ; Lisa Barone, “Keynote Conversation with Yelp Chief Operating Officer Geoff Donaker,” Outspoken Media, 5 October 2010, outspokenmedia.com (http://outspokenmedia.com) .

20 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000353f#rP70010124510000000000000000037E1) . Ben Betts and Allison Anderson, “Diamond in the Rough,” TD: Talent Development, January 2016, 30–34.

21 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#rP70010124510000000000000000037E3) . Amy Porterfield, “10 Top Business Blogs and Why They Are Successful,” Social Media Examiner, 25 January 2011, www.socialmediaexaminer.com (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com) .

22 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#rP70010124510000000000000000037E5) . Debbie Weil, “Why Your Blog Is the Hub of Social Media Marketing,” Social Media Insights blog, 12 January 2010, debbieweil.com (http://debbieweil.com) ; Ross Dawson, “A List of Business Applications for Blogging in the Enterprise,” Trends in the Living Network blog, 7 July 2009, rossdawsonblog.com (http://rossdawsonblog.com) ; Fredrik Wackå, “Six Types of Blogs—A Classification,” CorporateBlogging.Info website, 10 August 2004, www.corporateblogging.info (http://www.corporateblogging.info) ; Stephen Baker, “The Inside Story on Company Blogs,” BusinessWeek, 14 February 2006, www.businessweek.com (http://www.businessweek.com) ; Jeremy Wright, Blog Marketing (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006), 45–56; Paul Chaney, “Blogs: Beyond the Hype!” Radiant Marketing Group blog, 26 May 2005, radiantmarketinggroup.com (http://radiantmarketinggroup.com) .

23 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#rP70010124510000000000000000037E7) . Solis, Engage!, 314.

24 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#rP70010124510000000000000000037E9) . Solis, Engage!, 86.

25 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#rP70010124510000000000000000037EB) . Tamara Weinberg, The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web (Sebastopol, Calif.: O’Reilly Media, 2009), 89.

26 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#rP70010124510000000000000000037ED) . “IBM Social Computing Guidelines,” IBM website, accessed 10 February 2016, www.ibm.com (http://www.ibm.com) .

27 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000356d#rP70010124510000000000000000037EF) . Joel Falconer, “Six Rules for Writing Great Web Content,” Blog News Watch, 9 November 2007, accessed 14 February 2008, www.blognewswatch.com (http://www.blognewswatch.com) .

28 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#rP70010124510000000000000000037F1) . Dion Hinchcliffe, “Twitter on Your Intranet: 17 Microblogging Tools for Business,” ZDNet, 1 June 2009, www.zdnet.com (http://www.zdnet.com) .

29 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#rP70010124510000000000000000037F3) . B. L. Ochman, “Why Twitter Is a Better Brand Platform Than Facebook,” Ad Age, 1 June 2012, adage.com (http://adage.com) .

30 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#rP70010124510000000000000000037F5) . Leon Widrich, “4 Ways to Use Twitter for Customer Service and Support,” Social Media Examiner, 12 April 2012, www.socialmediaexaminer.com (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com) .

31 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#rP70010124510000000000000000037F7) . Paul André, Michael Bernstein, and Kurt Luther, “What Makes a Great Tweet,” Harvard Business Review, May 2012, 36–37.

32 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#rP70010124510000000000000000037F9) . Tom Hays and Jake Pearson, “Bashtag: NYPD Twitter Campaign Backfires,” Seattle Times, 23 April 2014, www.seattletimes.com (http://www.seattletimes.com) .

33 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p7001012451000000000000000003607#rP70010124510000000000000000037FB) . André et al., “What Makes a Great Tweet.”

34 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000367a#rP70010124510000000000000000037FD) . “Codex: Guidelines,” WordPress website, accessed 10 February 2016, wordpress.org (http://wordpress.org) ; Michael Shanks, “Wiki Guidelines,” Traumwerk website, accessed 18 August 2006, metamedia.stanford.edu/projects/traumwerk/home (http://metamedia.stanford.edu/projects/traumwerk/home) ; Joe Moxley, M. C. Morgan, Matt Barton, and Donna Hanak, “For Teachers New to Wikis,” Writing Wiki, accessed 18 August 2006, writingwiki.org (http://writingwiki.org) ; “Wiki Guidelines,” Psi, accessed 18 August 2006, psi-im.org (http://psi-im.org) .

35 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p700101245100000000000000000367a#rP70010124510000000000000000037FF) . “Codex: Guidelines.”

36 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#rP7001012451000000000000000003801) . Comic-Con website, accessed 27 February 2016, www.comiccon.org (http://www.comiccon.org) ; Tom Spurgeon, “Welcome to Nerd Vegas: A Guide to Visiting and Enjoying

Comic-Con International 2014,” The Comics Reporter, 25 May 2014, www.comicsreporter.com (http://www.comicsreporter.com) ; Rebecca Winters Keegan, “Boys Who Like Toys,” Time, 19 April 2007, www.time.com (http://www.time.com) .

37 (http://content.thuzelearning.com/books/Bovee.7626.18.1/sections/p70010124510000000000000000036a8#rP7001012451000000000000000003803) . JetBlue Twitter page, accessed 3 February 2011, twitter.com/JetBlue (http://twitter.com/JetBlue) .