Project 3
mark39
Project3businessmessages.pptxBusiness messages:
Brief and long!
1. Brief messages using digital channels
Media choices for brief messages
Social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat [geofilters], Instagram
Information and content sharing sites (YouTube, Flickr, Yelp, etc.)
Instant messaging (IM)
Text messaging
Blogging/microblogging (Tumblr/Twitter)
Podcasting
Writing modes for digital media
Conversations
Do not think of these as a lecture or sales pitch
Comments and critiques
Orientations
Summaries
Reference materials
Narratives
General tips for using digital media
User-generated content sites
Make it easy to find (tagging, SEO)
YouTube, use playlists
Content curation sites
Pinterest!
2. Email
Gather information on audience
What are their needs!
Organize your message
1st: main idea
2nd: major points (examples, evidence)
Adopt the ‘You’ attitude
Replace terms that refer to your audience instead of yourself and your company.
Example of ‘You’ attitude
Instead of this:
Tuesday is the only day that we can promise quick response to purchase order requests; we are swamped the rest of the week.
Write this:
If you need a quick response, please submit your purchase order requests on Tuesday.
The ‘you’ attitude is meant to connect with the client/audience’s needs first.
Email etiquette
Emphasize the positive
Use bias free language
Gender bias
Words containing man
Female gender words (-ess)
IDing roles with gender (Whoever heard of a male nurse, Greg?)
Racial and ethnic bias
Stereotypes
Race or ethnicity (Sarah Peters, a black woman, was hired by accounting.)
Age bias
Disability bias
3. Plain language
Make sure your language choices are easy for all audiences to read.
From http://www.plainlanguage.gov/Examples/before_after/johnsonmanualBEFORE1.cfm
Before Right of use means any authorization issued under this part that allows use of Outer Continental Shelf lands. After Right of use means any authorization under this part to use Outer Continental Shelf lands.
4. Routine requests/positive messages
Pay attention to tone
Use please and I would appreciate
Assume that your audience will comply
Most people generally understand your request
Be specific
Important! You don’t want to be handed over 100 pages of data from your marketing research department when you wanted a summary.
Justify your request if needed
Routine example
Dear Syntergy Electric,
A comparison of our electricity bills with those of our neighboring businesses suggests that the utility meter in our store may not be accurate. Please send a technician to check it.
We opened Simply Trash Beauty Salon on November 1, and we have received two monthly bills since then. In both instances the amount charged was nearly twice that of our neighbor, Hogzilla’s BBQ, even though our equipment takes up less energy. We paid $634.59 in December and $669.02 in January. Our neighbor, in contrast, paid $534.23 and $545.20.
I under stand that you regularly provide technician checks, and I would appreciate hearing from you this week. You can reach me by calling XXX-XXX-XXXX during business hours. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Sarah Trash
5. Writing negative messages
Plan your negative message
Direct approach: open with the bad news first.
Indirect approach: use a buffer
Our department shares your goal of making the best self-serve yogurt.
As a result of the last downsizing, every brand in the company is running shorthanded.
Types of buffers:
Agreement
Appreciation
Fairness
Cooperation
Praise
Understanding
Good news
Negative direct approach
Open with negative news.
Give reasons for the situation or decision.
Offer any additional information that will help the audience.
Close with a respectful tone
Negative indirect approach
Open with a buffer.
Build up the reasons for situation.
Present the negative news.
Offer any additional information that will help the audience.
Close on a respectful tone.
6. Crisis communication
Available channels
Print (trad. Newspapers, magazines, newsletters)
Electronic (email, websites)
Social media (Facebook, Twitter)
YouTube
Plan a response!
First 24 hour rule
Make sure this isn’t a hoax
Communication internally and externally with team
Respond to customer queries
Individual scale: Twitter/Facebook
Find appropriate venue to respond to a large audience at once
YouTube
Crisis Communication Planning
What is happening?
Is anyone in danger?
How big is the problem?
Who reported the problem?
Where is the problem?
Has a response started?
Who is responding so far?
Crisis Communication Plan
Tell the truth.
There will be immediate misinformation out there.
Discuss rumors and quash them.
Be open and honest about everything.
Partner with the public. Don’t avoid their concerns.
Meet the needs of the media by releasing information in a timely manner.
Accept uncertainity. You cannot control everything.
Dominos Crisis Response
Easter Sunday, April 2009
Two employees in NC post a YouTube video of them defiling company cheese in various ways. They then put the cheese on a sandwich.
First 24 hours (Monday)
Tim McIntyre, VP of Corporate Communications, surveyed the situation and spoke with his media team and senior management. ID’d rogue employees.
Tuesday
Company responds to Twitter accounts asking what the company was doing, and why there was no official statement.
Wednesday
Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s, records apology video that is uploaded to YouTube.
Recommendation memo
Requirements:
Statement of purpose: direct statement, background info, supporting info. Points toward the memo’s recommendations
Recommendations
Persuasive, has supporting evidence
Straightforwarded
Uses mini-arguments, rationales
Cost assessment normal included in supporting data
Pros and cons
Request for approval to implement the action.
Recommendation memo cont.
To write the recommendation memo:
Gather the data relevant to the problem, analyze the data and base recommendations on it;
Turn the data into information by considering it in terms of the problem and your company’s situation;
Study the information and decide on the best recommendations;
Format your memo to highlight your recommendations and other material you wish to bring to your reader’s attention;
Edit the memo
Proofread and draft the final copy
