What is your communicator style (senser, feeler, thinker, or intuitor)? What is your learning style (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic)? Why do you identify with these?

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After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

LO13.1 Explain how completed reports affect your credibility.

LO13.2 Demonstrate excellent thinking by applying a precision-oriented style to reports.

LO13.3 Design your reports to aid in decision making.

LO13.4 Project objectivity in reports.

LO13.5 Review reports for effectiveness and fairness.

Learning Objectives

Completing Business Reports

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Chapter Case: Reporting about Customer Satisfaction at Prestigio Hotels

Who’s Involved

The Situation

Andrea has asked Jeff to write two reports from information he has collected and analyzed. Andrea has placed a high priority on these reports. The first report she wants completed is about the future of green meetings. She views this as an area of strategic concern. Jeff has collected secondary research and interviewed several hotel managers who have successfully marketed green meetings. Now, he needs to think about how to put all the information together.

The second report is based on survey data of conference attendees. Jeff will distribute this report to all marketing team members. The Prestigio marketing team has been conducting a similar survey

WHY DOES T HIS MATTER?

Your primary goal as you draft business reports is to improve decision making. More so than routine business correspondence, reports should be built on thorough, pre- cise, and reliable information and analysis, and should offer advice to help decision makers—typically middle-level and upper-level managers—make informed choices. As a report writer, your personal credibility is tied to how well you provide facts, conclusions, and positions that help decision making (competence), involve decision makers and address their needs (caring), and report information honestly and trans- parently (character). Chapter 12 discussed collecting primary and secondary research for business reports and displaying the data in meaningful charts and tables. In this chapter, we focus on putting it all together. As you do with other written documents, when writing reports, you’ll focus on achieving the right style, design, and tone. We focus first on style, emphasizing the importance of absolute precision. Next, we discuss design, which you can use to ensure that decision makers rapidly pull out the most important pieces of information. Finally, we focus on achieving an objective tone. This chapter contains two sample reports: one based on primary research and one based on secondary research. There are far too many types of reports to display in this chapter. You can see examples of a business proposal and a business plan in Appendix C. Also, you can see additional examples of reports (such as a status report) in the online resources at www.mhhe.com/cardon. The examples throughout this chapter are based on the continued case of the Prestigio Hotel. Read the chapter case to get reacquainted with the situation.

LO13.1 Explain how completed reports affect your credibility.

Andrea Garcia, general manager • Has worked as general manager for

one year • Started at the Prestigio nearly nine

years ago in a position similar to Jeff’s marketing assistant position

• Expects well-analyzed, organized, polished reports

Jeff Anderton, marketing assistant • Has worked at the Prestigio for

three months • Roles include marketing the meeting fa-

cilities to business/professional groups and tracking customer satisfaction

• Graduated a year ago with a marketing major and statistics minor

Hear Pete Cardon explain why this

matters.

bit.ly.com/CardonWhy13

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380 Part Five Reports and Presentations

for the past five years and uses this annual guest satisfaction report to benchmark performance over time. The team will begin working on a new strategic plan in the upcoming months and needs as much reliable information as possible.

Task 1 Jeff will compose a report about the current market for green meetings and

recommend courses of action for the Prestigio.

Task 2 Jeff will work with one of his colleagues to write a report about the results of a survey

he administered to conference attendees at the Prestigio.

The most basic and critical component of any report is precision in thinking as re- flected in style—meaning that it offers accurate, well-documented facts; good reason- ing for conclusions; and a solid basis for recommendations (see Figure 13.1 ). The foundation for these facts, conclusions, and recommendations must be a well-stated business problem or challenge. In short, a report that facilitates effective decision mak- ing must demonstrate excellence in thinking.

In Jeff’s case, he spends several months working from start to finish on his two research projects. After clearly articulating the business problem, he collects all the necessary information, carefully checks the reliability of each of his sources, examines the facts from many angles as he develops conclusions and recommendations, and asks various colleagues about their perspectives. His critical thinking skills allow him to apply a precision-oriented style to his reports.

Start with a Clear Statement of the Business Problem or Challenge Placing a clear statement of the central business problem or challenge at the beginning helps establish the purpose and value of the report. Without such a statement, reports lack direction and may be perceived as unimportant.

Problem statements are most effective when they provide the unique context of the problem for the organization and reflect an appropriate sense of urgency. Typically, such statements should be one to three paragraphs long. Notice how Jeff establishes the direction of his green meetings report in Table 13.1 .

LO13.2 Demonstrate excellent thinking by applying a precision- oriented style to reports.

Demonstrate Excellent Thinking by Applying a Precision-Oriented Style

FIGURE 13.1

Excellence in Thinking for Reports

Conclusions

Facts

Business Problem

Recommendations

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TABLE 13.1

Problem Statement or Business Challenge

Less Effective More Effective

Since 2008, our revenues from conventions and meetings have declined by roughly 23 percent. One reason that we may have not rebounded is that we still do not provide options for clients who want green meetings.

Since 2008, our revenues from conventions and meetings have declined by roughly 23 percent. Since meetings constitute nearly 60 percent of our total revenues and form the basis for our reputation as a high-class provider of events, we may need to seek new ways of rebuilding our conventions and meetings business. Like many hotels and organizations dependent on business travel, the Prestigio Hotel has lost revenue due to the Great Recession that began in late 2007. However, unlike some others in the meetings and conventions industry, we have not rebounded. Meeting Professionals International (2011) reports that by 2010, hotels and other organizations that hosted meetings had already recovered from the recession. From 2010 to 2011 in the meetings industry, there was an 8 percent increase in the number of meetings held, and revenues per meeting increased by 5 percent from $188,000 to $197,000. One reason we may not have rebounded is that we still do not provide options for clients who want green meetings. Our director of conventions and meetings, Barbara Brookshire, has noticed that many meeting planners inquire about such options. She is certain that we have lost business because we do not provide green meetings, and she expects that meeting planners will increasingly request these options.

This brief statement does suggest one reason revenues may have dropped. However, it lacks contextual details that provide the urgency to solve this problem.

This problem statement provides sufficient context to communicate the severity of the situation. Not only has the Prestigio lost revenue in meetings, but also meetings constitute the most important element of its business, and the recession cannot be used as an explanation for the continued fall in revenue. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests a reason for the lost revenue.

Since 2008, we have evaluated guest satisfaction and future intentions among conference attendees with an annual survey. This report provides the results of this year’s survey as well as year-to-year comparisons for the past five years.

Guest satisfaction has always been the foundation for repeat business. With so many online reviews of hotels readily available to meeting planners, the importance of achieving high guest satisfaction ratings is more important now than ever. Since 2008, we have used an annual survey to evaluate guest satisfaction, assess future intentions of conference attendees, and determine how we can improve guest satisfaction. This report provides the results of this year’s survey as well as year-to-year comparisons for the past five years.

This statement fails to explain the basic purpose and value behind conducting the surveys.

By adding a few additional thoughts in just two sentences, this problem statement establishes the importance of using the surveys to improve guest satisfaction and, consequently, repeat business. Furthermore, it explains the increased urgency of this effort.

Use Fact-Based Language Precision in reports relies on facts. You can raise the credibility of your report by (a) sup- plying the facts with precision; (b) providing supporting details for your conclusions; (c) carefully dealing with predictions and cause-effect statements (see Table 13.2 ); and (d) responsibly citing your research sources (see the next section about documenting secondary research).

Document Secondary Research and Avoid Plagiarism By nature, decision makers adopt a methodical and skeptical approach to making in- vestments, changing strategies, and making other substantial changes. They expect quality information to make these decisions. By documenting your sources, you allow decision makers to judge the quality of your data. Decision makers are also looking for

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TABLE 13.2

Using Fact-Based Language

Less Effective More Effective

Nearly all of our respondents reported satisfaction with their conference experiences.

Overall, the vast majority (84%) of our respondents reported satisfaction with their conference experiences.

This fact is imprecise and open to interpretation.

By providing the exact percentage in parentheses, this fact is precise.

One of the strongest indicators that meeting planners expect green meetings options is that they increasingly inquire about such meetings in RFPs.

One of the strongest indicators that meeting planners expect green meetings options is that they increasingly inquire about such meetings in RFPs. A recent survey showed that 71 percent of meeting planners already do or plan to inquire about green initiatives on RFPs for meeting venues (Shapiro, 2009).

Without a supporting fact, this conclusion may be viewed as unsubstantiated or merely the writer’s opinion.

This conclusion is immediately substantiated with a supporting statistic (fact). Because the author provides a citation, decision makers can view the original research if they want to.

The return on investment for providing green meeting options is guaranteed to be at least 300 percent and potentially as high as 500 percent. Investing in green meetings would certainly be a wise choice moving forward.

Based on our conversations with three individuals who have introduced green meeting options at hotels comparable to ours, we concluded that the return on investment for developing a basic infrastructure for green meetings is strong—as high as 500 percent. Each hotel has invested $150,000 to $250,000 annually to build green meeting infrastructures. Although precisely determining how much return is due to new green meeting options is difficult, each of these individuals attributes between $500,000 and $1.3 million in additional revenue due to providing green meeting options ( J. Hardaway, personal communication, October 14, 2012; K. Cafferty, personal communication, October 15, 2012; M. Dipprey, personal communication, October 14, 2012).

This statement guarantees that the investment will bring a return. Many decision makers would view the statement as naïve.

This set of statements demonstrates a cautious but confident analysis that the investment may reap substantial returns. It treats statements about prediction and cause and effect carefully, and it includes source information.

signals that you have been methodical in collecting, analyzing, and reporting findings. By documenting your sources, you display your thorough, detail-oriented approach.

Typically, you should provide a reference list at the end of the report that contains all your sources. Also, throughout your document, you should provide citations to indi- cate the information you have drawn from other sources. You can use a variety of docu- mentation systems, including APA and MLA styles. You can see examples of these two styles in Table 13.3 . You should, however, use an official style guide to document with precision. Style guides contain hundreds of rules for various types of sources. Addi- tionally, many websites contain the most current documentation guidelines, including the APA style website (www.apastyle.org) and the Purdue Online Writing Lab (http:// owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/). Also, if you will spend a lot of time writing reports that need documentation, you might explore some of the available software to help in this process (see the Technology Tips section on page 392).

Although you will generally base your reports on secondary research, you must still demonstrate your originality in thought. That is, your goal is to combine information from your various sources in novel and insightful ways and thereby generate your own conclusions and recommendations.

To develop original reports, make sure that you avoid all forms of plagiarism. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to plagiarize is to “steal and pass off (the ideas of another) as one’s own” and “to commit literary theft.” 1 Thus, plagiarism is serious; it is literally stealing the ideas of others.

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TABLE 13.3

References in APA and MLA Documentation Styles

APA MLA

Book Zavada, N., & Spatrisano, A. J. (2007). Simple steps to green meetings and events: The professional’s guide to saving money and the earth . (Portland, OR: Meeting Strategies Worldwide).

Zavada, Nancy, and Amy Spatrisano. Simple Steps to Green Meetings and Events: The Professional’s Guide to Saving Money and the Earth . Portland: Meeting Strategies Worldwide, 2007.

Report from an Organization (white paper)

MeetGreen. (2010). Oracle Open World sustainable event report . (Portland, OR: Author).

MeetGreen. Oracle Open World Sustainable Event Report . Portland: Author, 2010.

Scholarly or Scientific Journal Kim, Y., & Han, H. (2010). Intention to pay conventional-hotel prices at a green hotel – a modification of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18 (8), 997–1014.

Kim, Yunhi, and Heesup Han. “Intention to Pay Conventional-Hotel Prices at a Green Hotel – A Modification of the Theory of Planned Behavior.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism 18.8 (2007): 997–1014. Print.

Magazine/Periodical Lowe, M. C. (2010, October). The greening of hotels: A look at what major chains are doing to support eco-friendly meetings. Meetings & Conventions, 45 (10), 45–56.

Lowe, Michael C. “The Greening of Hotels: A Look at What Major Chains Are Doing to Support Eco-Friendly Meetings.” Meetings & Conventions Oct. 2010: 45–56. Print.

Newspaper White, M. C. (2010, August 16). For hotels, eco-friendly ideas await a friendlier economy. The New York Times , p. B5.

White, Martha C. “For Hotels, Eco-Friendly Ideas Await a Friendlier Economy,” The New York Times 16 Aug. 2010: B5. Print.

Web Page Environmental Protection Agency. (2010, May 12). Greening your meetings and conferences: A guide for federal purchasers. Retrieved from www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/ meet/greenmeetings.htm

Environmental Protection Agency. “Greening Your Meetings and Conferences: A Guide for Federal Purchasers.” epa.gov. , 12 May 2010, Author. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.

Article from Online Periodical

Campbell, S. (2008, January). Shades of green. Elite Meetings . Retrieved from www .elitemeetings.com/docs/shades-of-green.php

Campbell, Susan. “Shades of Green.” Elite Meetings , Elite Meetings International, Jan. 2008. Web. Oct. 2012.

Personal Interviews (J. Hardaway, personal communication, October 14, 2012)* *not included in reference list; used as in-text citation only.

Hardaway, Jack. Personal Interview. 14 Oct. 2012.

In-Text Citations (Kim & Han, 2010) (Kim and Han)

To avoid plagiarism on a sentence and paragraph level, document all references to the ideas of others, including (1) direct quotations, (2) paraphrases, and (3) other instances in which you borrow or reference the ideas of others. Direct quotations are verbatim restatements from another source. Use direct quotations only when the quotation contains a particularly compelling combination of words, flows effectively with your paper, and emphasizes the credibility of the original speaker or writer. In most situations, you should paraphrase rather than use direct quotations. Paraphras- ing involves using your own words to express the meaning of the original speaker or writer. When you paraphrase, you significantly alter the original words and sentence structure, but you still need to give credit to the original speaker or writer for the idea. Notice Table 13.4 for examples of using direct quotations and paraphrasing in ways that avoid plagiarism. 2

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TABLE 13.4

Citing Secondary Sources of Information and Avoiding Plagiarism

Original Statement from Source

In July 2008, as the process became more involved, the committee began working with ASTM International, a voluntary standards-development organization. Through each stage, members of the ASTM community have read and voted on the evolving document, including people unfamiliar with the meetings industry. Spatrisano was hoping to submit the standards for the final balloting process at the end of September. “There have been some philosophical disagreements,” notes Spatrisano, “such as how you determine what ‘recycled’ means, as in whether a recycled item contains preconsumed products or just postconsumed. That’s one of the issues we are tied up in.” Source: Braley, S. J. F. (2010, October). Guidelines for green meetings: M&C previews the forthcoming APEX Initiative. Meetings & Conventions, 45 (10), 57.

Situation Plagiarized Statement Non-Plagiarized Statement

Direct quotations Spatrisano explained that there have been some philosophical disagreements such as how you determine what “recycled” means (Braley, 2010).

As Spatrisano explained, “There have been some philosophical disagreements . . . such as how you determine what ‘recycled’ means” (Braley, 2010, p. 57).

Although this statement contains an in-text citation, it is plagiarized because it does not use quotation marks to indicate verbatim statements from Spatrisano.

This statement correctly identifies the direct quotation with quotation marks and includes a source and page number.

In July 2008, as the process became more involved, the committee began working with ASTM International, a voluntary standards- development organization.

“In July 2008, as the process became more involved, the committee began working with ASTM International, a voluntary standards- development organization” (Braley, 2010, p. 57).

This statement is extremely deceptive; it presents verbatim text from another source without any documentation.

This statement is technically not plagiarized. It uses quotation marks and indicates the source and page number of the original source. However, direct quotes should be used selectively, and this statement is unlikely to flow more smoothly than a simple paraphrase.

Paraphrasing The ASTM/APEX process became more involved in July 2008, when ASTM International (a voluntary organization that develops standards) became involved. ASTM community members studied and voted on an evolving document at various stages. The final balloting will end around September after Spatrisano submits the standards (Braley, 2010).

The Convention Industry Council has partnered with ASTM International to develop industry standards for green meetings. These evolving standards will go up for vote in September (Braley, 2010).

This statement is plagiarized because it retains essentially the same set of ideas with nearly identical phrases and sentence structures. Such minor alterations are not considered paraphrasing.

This statement reflects the meaning of the original source but is reworded sufficiently. It correctly identifies the source of the information. It is effective to the degree it flows with the ideas before and after the paraphrasing.

Other forms of borrowing the ideas of others

The process of developing industrywide standards is complicated. For example, even coming to agreement about the definition of a seemingly basic term such as recycled is a matter of contention. Currently, members are divided as to whether recycled items refer to those with preconsumed or postconsumed products (Braley, 2010).

The process of developing industrywide standards is complicated. For example, Amy Spatrisano, principal of MeetGreen, has indicated that even coming to agreement about the definition of a seemingly basic term such as recycled is a matter of contention. Currently, members are divided as to whether recycled items refer to those with preconsumed or postconsumed products (Braley, 2010).

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TABLE 13.4

(Continued )

Situation Plagiarized Statement Non-Plagiarized Statement

This statement partially identifies the source of this information. However, it can provide more complete accounting of where the information came from by identifying who originally stated these ideas.

By including a reference to the person who originally provided these ideas, this article provides more complete information about the original source of ideas.

The best way to avoid plagiarism on a documentwide level is to demonstrate origi- nality of thought—supplying your own ideas, conclusions, and recommendations that you support by weaving together information from a variety of sources. If the majority of ideas in your report are based on just one or two sources, your report is essentially plagiarized.

Base Recommendations on Facts and Conclusions in the Report One of the foremost goals of many reports is to give good advice, but business pro- fessionals often fail to sufficiently connect their recommendations to their facts and conclusions. If decision makers are to take your report seriously and feel comfortable acting on it, they must be able to see clear connections between the facts and conclu- sions you present and the related recommendations, as depicted in Figure 13.2 .

Provide Specific and Actionable Recommendations In addition to being based on facts and conclusions in the report, recommendations must be specific and actionable. Many business professionals run out of steam by the end of the report or are reluctant to take a firm position, so they provide vague and sometimes superficial recommendations. Make sure you provide recommendations that are sufficiently detailed and realistic for decision makers (see Table 13.5 ). You can

Recommendation: Adjust marketing strategy to focus more extensively on local organizations.

Conclusion: Meeting planners in the private sector want to lower overall meeting costs and highlight lower carbon footprints as part of CSR efforts.

Conclusion: Many meeting planners in public sector organizations are required to seek out local options for meetings.

Fact: Traveling to and from meetings is the largest cause of pollution and largest contributor to a carbon footprint.

Fact: Rising fuel prices have dramatically increased the cost of traveling long distances to meetings.

Fact: Many public sector organizations are required to travel locally for meetings based on EPP guidelines.

FIGURE 13.2

Basing Recommendations on Facts and Conclusions

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TABLE 13.5

Making Recommendations Specific and Actionable

Less Effective More Effective

Gain certification as a green meetings provider.

Gain recognition and certification from organizations creating green meeting standards. Gaining certification will immediately place us in a select group of venues. The process of gaining certification will help us develop further knowledge about providing green meetings. Moreover, this effort allows us to meet evolving industry standards and promote ourselves with these third-party endorsements. We seek to do the following in the upcoming year:

A. Achieve Level 1 compliance for each of the nine standards in the APEX/ ASTM green meeting standards.

B. Gain Green Seal certification as a green meetings provider. C. Gain recognition as a green hotel on websites such as Travelocity. D. Join the Green Meeting Industry Council.

This recommendation is somewhat specific but not actionable. It does not provide any clear steps to take.

This recommendation contains a rationale as well as specific steps that decision makers would view as actionable.

Focus on energy-efficient transportation for our guests.

Get a fleet of hybrid or alternative fuel vans . Many meeting planners on RFPs request that hotels provide energy-efficient transportation options. Doing so can significantly lower the overall carbon footprint of the conference and serves as a high-profile illustration of our commitment to eco-friendly meetings. Our initial estimates suggest that we could replace our four-van fleet for roughly $100,000 (after trade-in or sale of our existing fleet).

This recommendation is vague. It can refer to many types of actions and indicates a superficial, nonthorough effort to provide advice.

This recommendation is specific and provides elaboration about a detail all decision makers are interested in: cost.

elaborate on your recommendations with a section on your rationale, the implications of your recommendations, and clear steps to take toward implementation.

Some decision makers will read your reports from start to end. Others will try to glean the key messages by first reading the summary and headings before reading the report completely. Other decision makers will skim the report due to time pressures. In any case, assume that decision makers may not read your report from start to end, and de- sign it so they can navigate the information rapidly.

One way to make your report easy to navigate is to provide a structure that deci- sion makers are familiar with. Figure 13.3 contains sample structures from common types of business reports. Some formal reports contain many additional components, as illustrated in Figure 13.4 . These additional components can be classified as front matter, text, and back matter. You can see examples of full, formal reports in the online learning materials.

Tell the Story of Your Report with an Executive Summary As you glance through Figure 13.3 , you’ll notice that one section common to all of these reports is the executive summary . Nearly all reports, especially those that are more than a few pages long, contain one at the beginning. The purpose is to summarize

LO13.3 Design your reports to aid in decision making.

Designing Your Reports to Help Decision Makers

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Completing Business Reports Chapter Thirteen 387

FIGURE 13.3

Common Structures for Business Reports 3

Components of a Survey Report

Executive Summary Introduction and Background Methodology Findings Conclusions Recommendations References Appendices

Components of a Trend Report

Executive Summary Introduction Background Trend Analysis Recommendations References Appendices

Components of a Business Proposal

Cover Page Executive Summary Current Situation Specific Objectives Deliverables Overview Timeline Results Enhancers Pricing

Components of a Business Plan

Cover Page Executive Summary Business Description and Vision/General Company Description Business Objectives Description of the Market/Market Analysis Description of the Products and Services Organization and Management Marketing and Sales Strategy Financial Management Appendices

Components of a Strategic Plan

Cover Page Executive Summary SWOT Analysis Vision, Mission, Values Strategic Objectives Action Items Implementation Process Evaluation

Components of an Annual Report

Cover Narrative Statements (letter to stockholders from the CEO— functions as executive summary, company overview, mission statement, history) Financial Statements (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, auditor’s report) References Appendixes

Components of a Progress Report

Executive Summary Introduction Background Accomplishments Problems Future Plans/Timeline Conclusion References Appendixes

Components of a SWOT Analysis

Executive Summary Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Recommendations References Appendixes

Components of a Marketing Plan

Executive Summary Market Research Product Competition Mission Statement Marketing Strategies Pricing Positioning/Branding Budget Marketing Goals/ Objectives

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the most important contents, including key findings, conclusions, and recommenda- tions, so that busy executives and other decision makers can quickly understand and act on the report. 5 A good executive summary “demonstrates that you can clearly focus on your goals and state, in no-nonsense fashion, who you are, what you want, and where you are going.” 6 Generally, an executive summary should be about one page long for every 10 to 20 pages in the report. You can see two examples of executive sum- maries on pages 394 and 402 as well as two examples in Appendix C with a business proposal and a business plan.

Provide the Story Line with Descriptive Headings and Other Content Markers Nearly all reports contain headings to help readers quickly navigate. Particularly with reports, decision makers often skim from section to section to find information. At a minimum, you will include first-level headings. For reports over five pages, you will likely use second-level headings and perhaps even third-level headings (see Table 13.6 ). In addition to accurately showing what is contained in each section, head- ings should also demonstrate the basic logic of a report. Notice in the left-hand column in Table 13.6 how Jeff uses headings to develop the basic story line of the report: problem ➭ opportunities and risks ➭ best practices ➭ potential rewards ➭ advice/ recommendations.

Although your reports must generally follow a fairly standard order with regard to contents, you do have some flexibility in how you label your headings. Where pos- sible, opt for descriptive titles and headings that help your readers quickly recognize

FIGURE 13.4

Components of a Formal Report 4

Acknowledgments

Preface or Foreword

List of Tables and/or Figures

Table of Contents

Title Page

Cover

Letter or Memo of Transmittal

Conclusion

Recommendations

Findings

Introduction

Executive Summary

Attachments

Appendixes

Reference List or Bibliography

Front Matter Text Back Matter

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Heading Structure (should stay consistent throughout document)

Title (14-pt bold) Level-1 Heading (11-pt bold) Level-2 Heading (11-pt italicized)

Title is descriptive Should the Prestigio Hotel Develop and Market Green Meetings?

Story of the report Executive Summary

Business problem or challenge

Market Demand for Green Meetings

Introduction to Green Meetings

Many Public Sector Organizations Are Required to Hold Green Meetings Many Private Sector Organizations Seek Green Meetings as Part of CSR Efforts Many Organizations Are Pursuing More Local Options for Meetings

Risks of Marketing Green Meetings

Best Practices and Standards for Green Meetings Current Best Practices for Green Meetings Emerging Standards for Green Meetings

Return on Investment for Green Meetings

Recommendations

Opportunities and risks

Best practices

Potential rewards

Advice

TABLE 13.6

Providing Clear Headings That Support a Story Line

TABLE 13.7

Creating Headings to Help Decision Makers Navigate the Document

Less Effective More Effective

A Report of the Current Market Situation for Green Meetings with Related Recommendations

Should the Prestigio Hotel Develop and Market Green Meetings?

This title is difficult to process with a variety of noun clusters. This title is more intriguing and signals to the decision maker the central direction of the report.

Best Practices Best Practices and Standards for Green Meetings

This brief heading in isolation tells little about the contents of the section.

The addition of just a few words clarifies what will be included in this section.

the value and contents of any given section. Notice in Table 13.7 how minor changes can make headings more efficient and engaging.

Use Preview Statements to Frame Your Messages and Accentuate Takeaway Messages Reports are often lengthy and dense, so preview statements can help decision makers follow the direction of your text. Also, preview statements frame the mes- sage, allowing readers to create a mental map of your key takeaway messages (see Table 13.8 ).

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TABLE 13.8

Providing Clear Preview Statements

Less Effective More Effective

In our research, we found several trends that we discuss in the upcoming pages.

In our research, we found the following trends regarding green meetings: (a) many public sector organizations are required to hold green meetings; (b) many private sector organizations seek green meetings as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts; and (c) many organizations are pursuing local options for meetings.

This short, abrupt statement leaves readers with no direction about the trends. If the readers do not read further, they will not have any indication of the key takeaway messages.

This preview statement—in just a few sentences—creates the mental map for decision makers as they read further and groups the takeaway messages all in one place.

TABLE 13.9

Using Charts to Support the Story Line of the Report

Less Effective More Effective

Figure 1. Gender Composition of Survey Respondents

Men, 54%

Women, 46%

Figure 1. Guest Satisfaction by Gender

Would Recommend

Want to Return

Overall Satisfaction

47%

66%

69%

77%

78%

89%

Women Men

Percentage of Agreement

This chart presents a set of statistics that is peripheral to the main themes of the report. Therefore, it is not a strategic use of space.

This chart is central to the story line of the report, as one key theme is how women and men perceive convention experiences differently.

Insert Charts and Tables to Draw Attention to Your Key Points Reports based on research data frequently include tables and figures (including charts) to supplement the text. You will apply principles for tables and charts that you learned in Chapter 12. Keep in mind that the purpose of tables and charts is first and foremost to fit into the story line you have established for your report. Also, tables and charts should simplify or clarify complicated numerical information that may bog down your reader in text (see Table 13.9 ).

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Apply Bulleting and Enumerated Lists to Make Passages Easier to Process Since reports often contain dense information, using bulleting and enumerated lists can help readers rapidly process and group information (see Table 13.10 ). On the other hand, when too much of the report is in bullet points, it can create a choppy, staccato- like effect.

Create a Cover Page, a Table of Contents, and Appendixes Reports of more than ten pages often include a cover page . Regardless of length, for- mal reports—especially those submitted to external decision makers (i.e., loan offi- cers, venture capitalists, stockholders)—always include a cover page. At a minimum, the cover page should include a title, names of those who wrote and/or are submitting the report, and a date. For formal reports, companies often rely on internal or external graphic designers, public relations professionals, and other document design special- ists to create a visually appealing document. The cover page is generally the most emphasized aspect of this document design.

Likewise, a table of contents is expected for nearly any report over ten pages long. The table of contents contains all first-level headings and sometimes all second-level headings. Providing a well-designed table of contents immediately creates an impres- sion that you are organized. 7 You can see an example of a business plan with a table of contents in Appendix C.

Reports also frequently include appendixes to provide reference materials. For example, common information in appendixes include financial statements, marketing materials, detailed data tables, brochures, references, résumés, and biographies.

Achieving Objectivity and Positivity through Tone Achieving a positive, can-do tone in your communications is appropriate in nearly all business situations. In many business reports, projecting positivity is also important. However, more so than positivity, you should project objectivity—the sense that you are providing information, analysis, and advice that is sound, reliable, and unbiased. In other words, project objectivity first and positivity second. Furthermore, ensure that

LO13.4 Project objectivity in reports.

TABLE 13.10

Applying Bulleting

Less Effective More Effective

Within the past few years, surveys show that the majority of meeting planners strongly consider green meeting options. For example, the following survey results are typical: In a 2009 survey, 51 percent of meeting planners reported increasing efforts to run green meetings (Drammeh, 2009); in a 2010 survey, 93 percent of meeting planners stated that they would at least occasionally use green meetings (Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2010); and in a 2011 survey, 51 percent said green meetings were more highly prioritized than before (Green Meetings Portland, 2011).

Within the past few years, surveys show that the majority of meeting planners strongly consider green meeting options. For example, the following survey results are typical: • In a 2009 survey, 51 percent of meeting planners reported

increasing efforts to run green meetings (Drammeh, 2009). • In a 2010 survey, 93 percent of meeting planners stated

that they would at least occasionally use green meetings (Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2010).

• In a 2011 survey, 51 percent said green meetings were more highly prioritized than before (Green Meetings Portland, 2011).

This passage is too dense to read and process quickly. By using bullets, readers can much more quickly digest the information.

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Technology Ti ps

USING SOFTWARE TO PROVIDE STRUCTURE AND DOCUMENTATION Most word processing soft- ware packages—notably Microsoft Word—contain features to help you pro- vide structure and docu- mentation to your reports. Using Word, you can accomplish some of the following tasks in your reports:

• Create a table of contents that can be automatically updated as you make revisions.

• Create your own styles that apply to head- ings (Title, Heading 1, Heading 2).

• Use captions for tables and figures that auto- matically update num- bers as you work on the document.

• Use cross-referencing so that if you change the order of referenced objects, any references to objects in the text are updated with the new object reference number.

• Use co-authoring tools.

You can also use Word to help you document the information contained in your reports. Typically, you’ll use the following sequence: Create a source . You’ll use a simple wizard that walks you through the in- formation you need to provide. Word automatically generates the reference in APA or MLA style and places it in the reference list. Create an in - text citation . Within your report where you want to insert a citation, simply use the Insert Citation feature, select the reference, and click OK: Word automatically inserts a properly formatted in-text citation.

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TABLE 13.11

Striking an Objective Tone While Also Projecting Positivity

Less Effective More Effective

Generally, the research indicates that market demand for green meetings is growing, with the majority of meeting planners showing interest. The following features define the increasing demand: (a) many public sector organizations are required to hold green meetings; (b) many private sector organizations seek green meetings as part of CSR efforts; and (c) many organizations are pursuing more local options for meetings. Currently, demand far outstrips supply. This provides us with a golden opportunity to gain market share before other meeting venues develop green meeting options. Hotels of comparable size to the Prestigio have reported phenomenal return on investment for next to nothing as far as developing and marketing green meetings. Even though we can’t predict the future market with certainty, the exponential growth of this market shows its forward trajectory, and we should make sure we’re not the latecomers for this trend. As a result, the Prestigio should make short-term investments to provide some green meeting options, and also position us to invest heavily to meet future long-term demand. We should immediately take the following actions to break into the green meetings market before it’s too late: 1. Hire a green meetings specialist. 2. Get a fleet of hybrid or alternative fuel vans. 3. Gain recognition and certification as a green meetings

venue from reputable third-party organizations. 4. Adjust marketing strategy to focus more extensively on

local organizations. 5. Reevaluate prospects in the public sector. 6. Feature our green meeting options prominently in

marketing materials.

Generally, the research indicates that market demand for green meetings is growing, with the majority of meeting planners showing interest. The following features define the increasing demand: (a) many public sector organizations are required to hold green meetings; (b) many private sector organizations seek green meetings as part of CSR efforts; and (c) many organizations are pursuing more local options for meetings. Right now is a good time to develop green meetings because demand far outstrips supply. Hotels of comparable size to the Prestigio have reported strong return on investment for minimal investments in developing and marketing green meetings. However, the future demand is neither clear nor certain. As a result, the Prestigio should make relatively small, short-term investments to provide some green meeting options. This will position us to invest more heavily as we learn more about the long-term demand. In particular, we recommend the following actions during the next year : 1. Hire a green meetings specialist. 2. Get a fleet of hybrid or alternative fuel vans. 3. Gain recognition and certification as a green meetings

venue from reputable third-party organizations. 4. Adjust marketing strategy to focus more extensively on

local organizations. 5. Reevaluate prospects in the public sector. 6. Feature our green meeting options prominently in

marketing materials.

The tone of this passage projects excessive enthusiasm and perhaps a rush to action. Some of the adjectives are exaggerated, perhaps displaying an imprecise, unprofessional approach to the report.

The tone of this passage projects objectivity. The adjectives are businesslike and measured. A tempered can-do attitude emerges without sacrificing the sense that the research is methodical, thorough, and unrushed.

your enthusiasm and strong positive emotion do not appear to cloud your judgment. In Table 13.11 , notice the comparisons between two alternative approaches to writing an executive summary. As you read through these passages, consider how to strike the right balance between objectivity and positivity.

Assessing Key Features of a Completed Report In the upcoming pages, you can see two examples of business reports. The first ( Fig- ure 13.5 ) is based on secondary research. It can be classified as a business trend or business issue report. The second ( Figure 13.6 ) is based on survey results, which is pri- mary research. Although you will find that reports vary greatly in purpose and length, as you glance through these examples, consider the key features to strive for in all your reports: value to decision makers, precision, documentation, easy navigation, and objectivity.

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FIGURE 13.5

Business Report with Secondary Research

Should the Prestigio Hotel Develop and Market Green Meetings?

Prepared by Jeff Anderton October 2012

Executive Summary

In the past few years, potential clients have increasingly requested green meeting options. As a result, Prestigio managers have increasingly wondered whether providing such options could increase revenues in our conventions and meetings business. This report addresses whether the Prestigio should develop and market green meeting options. It contains analysis in the following areas: (a) market demand for green meetings; (b) risks of marketing green meetings; (c) best practices and standards for green meetings; (d) return on investment for green meetings; and (e) recommendations.

Hotels of comparable size to the Prestigio have reported strong return on investment for minimal investments in developing and marketing green meetings. However, the future demand is neither clear nor certain. As a result, the Prestigio should make relatively small, short-term investments to provide some green meeting options. This will position us to invest more heavily as we learn more about the long-term demand. In particular, we recommend the following actions during the next year:

1. Hire a green meetings specialist. 2. Get a fleet of hybrid or alternative fuel vans. 3. Gain recognition and certification as a green meetings venue from reputable third-party organizations. 4. Adjust marketing strategy to focus more extensively on local organizations. 5. Reevaluate prospects in the public sector. 6. Feature our green meeting options prominently in marketing materials.

Introduction to Green Meetings

The Great Recession that began in late 2007 led to lost revenue for all hotels and organizations dependent on business travel. However, unlike others in the conventions and meetings industry, Prestigio has not rebounded in

– Page 1 –

The executive summary tells the story of the report so the busy reader can get the gist of the content.

The executive summary concludes with recommendations.

Introduction begins with statement of and brief background to the problem.

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FIGURE 13.5

(Continued )

the past few years. Meeting Professionals International (2011) reports that by 2010, hotels and other organizations that hosted meetings had already recovered from the recession. From 2010 to 2011 in the meetings industry, there was an 8 percent increase in the number of meetings held, and revenues per meeting increased by 5 percent from $188,000 to $197,000.

One reason we may have not rebounded is that we still do not provide options for clients who want green meetings. Our director of conventions and meetings, Barbara Brookshire, has noticed that many meeting planners inquire about green meeting options. She is certain that we have lost business because we do not provide such meetings, and she expects that meeting planners will increasingly request these options.

The purpose of this report is to examine the following aspects of green meetings: (a) current and projected market demand; (b) risks of developing and marketing green meetings; (c) best practices and emerging standards related to green meetings; and (d) potential return on investment. We conclude the report with recommendations about the degree to which the Prestigio Hotel should develop and market green meetings.

Market Demand for Green Meetings

Increasingly, meeting planners expect green meetings options. Just five to six years ago, surveys of meeting planners showed that a minority showed strong interest in green meetings, with roughly 18 to 43 percent in various surveys deeming them important (Drammeh, 2009; Gecker, 2008). Around 2009, the market demand quickly accelerated. Within the past few years, surveys show that the majority of meeting planners strongly consider green meeting options. For example, the following survey results are typical over the past few years:

• In a 2009 survey, 51 percent of meeting planners reported increasing efforts to run green meetings (Drammeh, 2009). • In a 2010 survey, 93 percent of meeting planners stated that they would at least occasionally use green meetings (Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2010). • In a 2011 survey, 51 percent said green meetings were more highly prioritized than before (Green Meetings Portland, 2011).

One of the strongest indicators that meeting planners expect green meetings options is whether they inquire about them in RFPs. A recent survey showed that 71 percent of meeting planners do or plan to inquire about green initiatives on RFPs for meeting venues (Shapiro, 2009).

Venues that currently offer green meeting options are in a strong competitive position. Several industry analysts have reported that the demand for green meetings is far greater than the supply (Campbell, 2008; Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). In one survey, 40 percent of meeting planners said there are not enough green meeting venues (Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2010).

While surveys of meeting planners and forecasts by industry analysts point to a continuing and increasing demand, not much information is available about the market size for green meetings. In our research, we found that the following trends will increasingly impact market size: (a) many public sector organizations are required to hold green meetings; (b) many private sector organizations seek green meetings as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts; and (c) many organizations are pursuing local options for meetings.

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Headings clearly state section content.

Introduction concludes with a review of report contents.

In-text citations allow readers to know exactly where the information came from.

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Many Public Sector Organizations Are Required to Hold Green Meetings

Government agencies are leading the way in demanding green meetings (Torrence, 2010). Many government groups are increasingly required to abide by Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP). The following EPP standards are the overarching principles that apply to green meetings:

• Include environmental factors as well as traditional considerations of price and performance as part of the normal purchasing process. • Emphasize pollution prevention early in the purchasing process. • Examine multiple environmental attributes throughout a product’s or service’s life cycle. • Compare relative environmental impacts when selecting products and services. • Collect and base purchasing decisions on accurate and meaningful information about environmental performance. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2010)

The application of these EPP principles demonstrates that the major sources of waste and pollution for meetings are the following: marketing of events and registration; travel to the event; hotel stays; food services; exhibition halls; and local transportation. As a result, government meeting planners increasingly emphasize green meetings with the following components: location that minimizes travel; eco-friendly meeting facilities and processes; local transportation; eco-friendly catering; and eco-friendly promotion, marketing, and registration practices (Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

Many Private Sector Organizations Seek Green Meetings as Part of CSR Efforts

One of the primary motivations for planning green meetings is to fulfill corporate CSR initiatives. Nearly all Fortune 500 organizations have developed CSR plans that include green initiatives, and, increasingly, small- and medium-sized organizations emphasize green initiatives as part of CSR plans. Many stakeholders expect that being a good corporate citizen must include these green initiatives (Gecker, 2009). Meeting planners, then, often seek out green meetings to satisfy CSR plans. In fact, 42 percent of meeting planners say that they plan green meetings with CSR in mind (Meeting Professionals International, 2011).

With the prominent role of green initiatives as part of CSR efforts, green meetings will likely become a major focus because meetings are among the least green activities for many organizations. According to MeetGreen, a three-day conference with 300 attendees creates waste equivalent to the mass of 33 small vehicles; water resources that would fill half of an Olympic-sized swimming pool; and greenhouse gases to fill 25 million basketballs (Torrence, 2010). Furthermore, one well-known meeting standards organization, the Green Meeting Industry Council, envisions a green meeting industry with zero net environmental impact by 2020 (Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2010).

Many Organizations Are Pursuing Local Options for Meetings

The major cause of pollution for meetings is travel to and from these events. As a result, many organizations that are seeking to minimize carbon footprints are holding meetings that are more local. Because of increased demand for green meetings combined with the impact of higher fuel costs, 32 percent of meeting planners say they are planning more local events and 29 percent say they will hold more virtual meetings (Edelstein, 2011a). This trend may mean that event venues need to increasingly market locally.

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These level-2 headings allow rapid comprehension of key supporting points.

FIGURE 13.5

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Risks of Marketing Green Meetings

Although the demand for green meetings is growing, developing and marketing green meetings is not without risks. While it is true that meeting planners increasingly ask about green meetings in RFPs, there is little evidence to show the impact of such options on the ultimate selection of a meeting venue. In particular, clients resist green meetings for the following reasons (Campbell, 2008):

• Many meeting planners incorrectly believe green meetings are more expensive. In reality, most green meetings cost less than non-green meetings. Yet, many meeting planners and other decision makers perceive that green meetings cost more (Gecker, 2009; Lowe, 2010; MeetGreen, 2010). In one survey, 46 percent of meeting planners agreed that green meetings are too expensive (Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2010). • Some executives and senior managers are not interested in green meetings. Although meeting planners organize and coordinate most of the communication between their organizations and meeting venues, they are rarely the final decision makers. Sometimes meeting planners express interest in green meetings only to lack support from decision makers in their organizations (Campbell, 2008). • Many potential clients view green meetings as lower-quality experiences. Many meeting planners worry that although green meetings are eco-friendly and may even save money, they provide a lower-quality experience (Campbell, 2008). This is largely a misperception. In one recent study of conventions held in three common meeting destinations (Orlando, Florida; Birmingham, Alabama; Columbus, Ohio), the researchers found that green meeting practices were correlated with higher satisfaction among convention attendees (Lee, Brieter, & Choi, 2011). • Some meeting planners are unaware of green meeting options. Because of the limited supply of venues that offer legitimate green meeting options, some meeting planners assume that they will not find a venue up to their expectations (Campbell, 2008).

Many of the risks of marketing green meetings are based on misperceptions. Thus, any successful development and marketing of green meetings must focus on educating the client base about the actual costs and actual quality of green meetings (Campbell, 2008).

Best Practices and Standards for Green Meetings

Although meeting planners increasingly seek green meeting options, they often hold varied views of exactly what constitutes a green meeting. During the past five years, the options developed and marketed by major hotel chains have established current best practices. Furthermore, in the past few years, various third-party organizations have begun developing concrete standards for green meetings.

Current Best Practices for Green Meetings

Most major hotel chains now offer green meeting options that can serve as effective models for smaller hotel groups such as the Prestigio. Fairmont’s Eco-Meet program, initiated in 2007, is often considered among the industry innovators. Other major hotel chains—including Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott—have followed Fairmont’s lead and established comparable programs. The Eco-Meet program focuses on four main areas (Lowe, 2010):

• Eco-accommodation: provide information to guests about how to be more environmentally conscious during their stays; place recycling bins in all rooms; use energy-efficient lighting and water-conservative plumbing.

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Headings support common story lines and rationales in business decision making, including terms such as benefits, risks, and best practices.

FIGURE 13.5

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• Eco-service: use dishes/cutlery instead of disposable plates/plastic utensils; provide recycling bins; use reusable items such as silk flowers and linen napkins for restaurant and catering services.

Eco-cuisine: source local, seasonal, and organically grown foods from with 100 miles; attain a 50 percent reduction in animal proteins (use vegetable proteins instead).

•

Some insight about which green meeting options are most often implemented can be gained from recent studies. One study of meeting planners showed that the three most common practices to achieve green meetings were the following: reducing paper by using digital alternatives (79%); providing on-site recycling programs (61%); and selecting host cities that require less travel (48%) (Richard K. Miller & Associates, 2010).

Even with many major hotel chains developing and marketing green meetings, however, the concept of exactly what constitutes green meetings is not clearly defined, and there is no industrywide agreement (Lee, Brieter, & Choi, 2011). Because of the growing demand, the Convention Industry Council and ASTM International are developing the APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards.* These standards are the most comprehensive and most respected set of green meeting standards in the industry.

The APEX/ASTM standards will address nine areas: (a) accommodation; (b) audiovisual and production; (c) communications and marketing; (d) destinations; (e) exhibits; (f) food and beverage; (g) meeting venues; (h) on-site offices; and (i) transportation (Convention Industry Council, n.d.; Torrence, 2010). These nine standards involve four levels of compliance from minimal to zero-waste meetings (level one to level four). Currently, there are about 30 pages of standards. Some meeting planners view the standards as most applicable to large conventions (Braley, 2010). Soon, meeting venues may gain certification for compliance with APEX/ASTM standards (Convention Industry Council, n.d.).

Another set of standards that are particularly relevant for public sector meetings was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA requires government agencies to include the following questions in RFPs for meetings (“Be Green,” 2009):

1. Do you have a recycling program? If so, please describe.

2. Do you have a linen/towel reuse option that is communicated to guests?

3. Do guests have easy access to public transportation or shuttle services at your facility?

4. Are lights and air conditioning turned off when rooms are not in use? If so, how do you ensure this?

5. Do you provide bulk dispensers or reusable containers for beverages, food, and condiments?

6. Do you provide reusable serving utensils, napkins, and tablecloths when food and beverages are served?

7. Do you have an energy-efficiency program? Please describe.

8. Do you have a water-conservation program? Please describe.

*The Convention Industry Council is a leading advocate for the meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry. It is composed of 103,500 individuals and 19,500 organizations involved in the meetings industry. It produces the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), which is a set of industrywide standards for the meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry. ASTM International is an organization that establishes international voluntary consensus standards. It is represented by members from 135 countries and develops standards based on the guiding principles of the World Trade Organization.

Eco-programming: use electronic registration and check-in; engage in paper reduction efforts; purchase carbon offsets and energy certificates.

Emerging Standards for Green Meetings

Footnotes used for additional information.

•

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FIGURE 13.5

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9. Does your facility provide guests with paperless check-in and checkout?

10. Does your facility use recycled or recyclable products? Please describe.

11. Do you source food from local growers or take into account the growing practices of farmers that provide the food? Please describe.

12. Do you use bio-based or biodegradable products, including bio-based “cafeteriaware”? Please describe.

13. Do you provide training to your employees on these green initiatives? Please describe. What other environmental initiatives have you undertaken, including any environment-related certifications you possess, EPA voluntary partnerships in which you participate, support of a green suppliers network, or other initiatives?

Aside from the APEX/ASTM and EPA standards, other certification and compliance programs exist. For example, another third-party certification program is the Green Seal certification (Lee, Brieter, & Choi, 2011). Various websites, such as Travelocity and Yahoo, designate hotels as green hotels. In some cases, even travel companies and agencies have created measures of green compliance. For example, American Express Meetings and Events recently created a metric that measures carbon, water, and waste for each meeting venue (Edelstein, 2011b). In addition to venue certification, some hotel chains provide in-house certification for green planners. For example, Marriott has certified 3,600 employees as Marriott Green Planners (Lowe, 2010).

Return on Investment for Green Meetings

Although surveys of meeting planners show growing interest in green meetings, little data exists about the return on investment for developing and marketing green meetings. Furthermore, little is known about how often green meeting options are a deciding factor for meeting planners. Rather, much of the research and advice about green meetings focuses more on social responsibility than profitability.

We talked to three individuals during the past month who have initiated green meetings in their hotels as a marketing strategy: Jack Hardaway, Director of Meetings at Lionwood Hotels; Melanie Dipprey, General Manager of Silver Lake Hotel and Resort; and Kirsley Cafferty, Director of Sales at the Easton Inn. Each of these individuals is extensively involved in marketing meetings at their hotels, all of which are similar in size to our hotel. Each has initiated green meetings during the past 18 to 24 months.

Based on our conversations with them, we concluded that the return on investment for developing a basic infrastructure for green meetings is strong – as high as 500 percent. Each hotel has invested approximately $150,000 to $250,000 annually to build their green meetings infrastructures. Although precisely determining how much return is due to new green meeting options is difficult, each hotel attributes between $500,000 and $1.3 million in additional revenue due to providing green meeting options (J. Hardaway, personal communication, October 14, 2012; K. Cafferty, personal communication, October 15, 2012; M. Dipprey, personal communication, October 14, 2012).

These hotels have taken the following actions, which require little investment, to develop and market their green meetings: (a) hired or trained full‐time green meetings specialists; (b) sought out public sector organizations; (c) gained Green Seal certification; and (d) created a web page about green meeting options (J. Hardaway, personal communication, October 14, 2012; K. Cafferty, personal communication, October 15, 2012; M. Dipprey, personal communication, October 14, 2012). In addition, Lionwood Hotels has started ensuring that at least half of all catered food is sourced from within 50 miles of their hotels. They believe their focus on local, organic foods has been the deciding factor in two groups selecting their hotel for conventions (J. Hardaway, personal communication, October 14, 2012).

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Report relies on firsthand interviews in addition to secondary research. The firsthand information addresses difficult-to-find secondary information.

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Recommendations

With the majority of meeting planners to some extent prioritizing green meetings, most large hotel chains moving toward heavily promoting such options, and a unique opportunity to gain market share given the current undersupply of hotels providing these options, we should move immediately to develop and market green meetings. However, because the future demand for green meetings and related services is not well understood (even among the major hotel chains), we recommend a short-term strategy. An initial one-year strategy requires little initial investment but positions us to move forward aggressively in years to come as we gain a clearer understanding of the market demands. Specifically, we recommend the following actions in the next year:

1. Hire a green meetings specialist. An experienced green meeting planner or marketer could help us develop green meeting options and provide the needed expertise to develop longer-term plans.

a. Achieve Level 1 compliance for each of the nine standards in the APEX/ASTM green meeting standards.

b. Gain Green Seal certification as a green meetings provider.

c. Gain recognition as a green hotel on websites such as Travelocity.

d. Join the Green Meeting Industry Council.

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Get a fleet of hybrid or alternative fuel vans. Many meeting planners on RFPs request that hotels provide energy-efficient transportation options. Providing local transportation with energy-efficient vans can significantly lower the overall carbon footprint of conferences held at our hotel and serve as a high-profile illustration of our commitment to eco-friendly meetings. Our initial estimates suggest that we could replace our four-van fleet for roughly $100,000 (after trade-in or sale of our existing fleet).

Gain recognition and certification as a green meetings venue from reputable third-party organizations. Gaining certification will immediately place us in a select group of venues. Moreover, the process of gaining certification will help us develop knowledge about providing green meetings. This effort also allows us to meet evolving industry standards and promote ourselves with these third-party endorsements. Specifically, we can accomplish the following actions in the upcoming year:

Adjust our marketing strategy to focus more extensively on local organizations. Most organizations are realizing that travel to and from the host city of an event is the least eco-friendly aspect of meetings. As a result, we suggest increasing our marketing efforts to organizations located within 500 miles to build more local clientele for our services.

Reevaluate prospects in the public sector. Government agencies are among the most progressive organizations that are seeking green meeting options. As we position ourselves as a green meetings provider, we should market aggressively to public sector organizations.

Feature our green meeting options prominently in marketing materials. We should feature our new options prominently on our website and develop contract language that favors green meetings. On the website, we should address frequently asked questions and address frequent misperceptions about green meetings.

Enumerated list contains recommendations. They are set apart in italics and followed by a short rationale to allow decision makers to understand the ideas clearly.

Recommendations are specific and achievable. They are based on needs and opportunities described in the body of the paper.

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Cumming, P., & Pelham, F. (2010). Making events more sustainable: A guide to BS 8901. (London: BSI Group).

Drammeh, J. (2009, February 15). Green meetings good for business. Connect Meetings Intelligence [online]. Retrieved from www.connectyourmeetings.com/2009/02/15/green-meetings-good-for-business/

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References

Reference list (in APA style) allows decision makers and other readers to follow up on information and make judgments about data quality. It also inspires confidence in the writer as organized and detail-oriented.

“Be Green: 14 Questions for Your Hotel.” (2009, July 1). Retrieved from www.meetingsnet.com/green/venue/0701-epa-hotel-questions/

Braley, S. J. F. (2010, October). Guidelines for green meetings: M&C previews the forthcoming APEX Initiative. Meetings & Conventions, 45(10), 57–60.

Campbell, S. (2008, January). Shades of green. Elite Meetings [online]. Retrieved from www.elitemeetings.com/docs/shades-of-green.php

Convention Industry Council. (n.d.). APEX/ASTM environmentally sustainable meeting standards. Retrieved from www.conventionindustry.org/StandardsPractices/APEXASTM.aspx

Edelstein, L. G. (2011a, May). Slammed by fuel costs: Planners say oil prices are directly affecting meetings. Meetings and Conventions, 46(5), 20–21.

Edelstein, L. G. (2011b, October 18). American Express releases green meetings measurement tool. Retrieved from www.meetings-conventions.com/articles/american-express-releases-green-meetings-measurement- tool/c44242.aspx

Environmental Protection Agency. (2010, May 12). Greening your meetings and conferences: A guide for federal purchasers. Retrieved from www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/meet/greenmeetings.htm

Gecker, R. (2009, July). Lean and green: How companies that are cutting budgets still manage to make their meetings sustainable. Corporate Meetings & Incentives, 28(7), 16–20.

Kim, Y., & Han, H. (2010). Intention to pay conventional-hotel prices at a green hotel – a modification of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18(8), 997–1014.

Meeting Professionals International (2011). FutureWatch 2011. (Dallas, TX: RR Donnelley & Sons Company).

Lee, J., Breiter, D., & Choi, Y. (2011). Quality of a green destination as perceived by convention attendees: The relationships between greening and competitiveness. Proceedings of the 16th Graduate Students Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism.

Lowe, M. C., (2010, October). The greening of hotels: A look at what major chains are doing to support eco-friendly meetings. Meetings & Conventions, 45(10), 45–56.

MeetGreen. (2010). Oracle Open World sustainable event report. (Portland, OR: Author).

Pizam, A. (2009). Green hotels: A fad, ploy or fact of life? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28(1), 1–5.

Richard K. Miller & Associates (2010). 2010 Travel & Tourism Market Research Handbook (Loganville, GA: Author).

Shapiro, M. J. (2009, October 1). Still thinking green: Planners continue sustainability efforts in difficult times. Meetings & Conventions, 44(10), 28–31.

Spatrisano, A., & Wilson, N. J. (2007). Simple steps to green meetings and events: The professional’s guide to saving money and the earth. (Portland, OR: Meeting Strategies Worldwide).

Torrence, S. (2010, November). Change the world one meeting at a time: APEX/ASTM sustainability standards nearly set. Corporate Meetings & Incentives, 29(11), 18–21.

Travel Portland and Oregon Convention Center. (2011, October 23). Green meetings. Retrieved from www.greenmeetings.travelportland.com/

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Business Report with Primary Research

Guest Satisfaction among Conference Attendees 2012 Report

The Prestigio

Prepared by Barbara Brookshire and Jeff Anderton January 2013

Executive Summary

Survey Details: To determine guest-satisfaction levels, we surveyed 264 convention attendees who participated in three- or four-day conventions between January and October 2012.

Key Findings: • Satisfaction ratings for key guest services and amenities: conference meals, 76 percent;

meeting rooms, 75 percent; staff and service, 69 percent.

• Key indicators of repeat business: overall guest satisfaction, 84 percent; willingness to recommend the Prestigio, 57 percent.

• Overall satisfaction ratings by gender and income: women, 78 percent; men, 89 percent; higher-income, 66 percent, lower-income, 88 percent.

• Overall satisfaction in the past five years: 2008, 87 percent; 2009, 81 percent; 2010, 79 percent; 2011, 79 percent; 2012, 84 percent.

Key Conclusions:

• We fell short of our 85 percent satisfaction targets in the following areas: conference meals, meeting rooms, and staff and service.

• We received high ratings for our restaurants, which are the most popular guest service and amenity. Preferences for other guest services and amenities are highly variable based on gender and income.

• We fell short of our goals for overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend the Prestigio.

• We found that women and higher-income guests tend to be less satisfied, less willing to return, and less willing to recommend the Prestigio. Women and higher-income guests are also less satisfied with conference meals and staff and service.

• We have made significant improvement over the past year in nearly all satisfaction ratings following four years of declines.

Recommendations: • Examine how we can raise satisfaction among women and higher-income conference attendees.

• Adapt our marketing of meetings to the group composition of prospects.

• Continue our customer service initiatives to improve staff and service ratings.

• Reexamine our catering services to improve conference meals.

This executive summary is in structured format (compared to the narrative format of the executive summary in Figure 13.5). The headings allow decision makers and other readers to easily distinguish between survey details, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

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FIGURE 13.6

(Continued )

Introduction

Guest satisfaction has always been the foundation for repeat business. With so many online reviews of hotels readily available to meeting planners, the importance of achieving high guest satisfaction ratings is more important now than ever. Since 2008, we have evaluated guest satisfaction and future intentions among conference attendees with an annual survey to help us determine how we can improve guest satisfaction.This report provides the results of this year’s survey as well as year-to-year comparisons for the past five years.

Survey Purpose and Administration

This year, we asked the following broad research questions:

• How satisfied are conference attendees with conference services and amenities?

• What hotel amenities do conference attendees use during their conference stays?

• How likely are our conference attendees to contribute to future business?

Most of the survey questions have remained identical since we started these annual surveys. Some unique questions are inserted into the survey each year to address particular areas of strategic concern. Survey questions are provided in the Appendix of Survey Questions.

The survey was administered online. The survey link was sent to 534 guests who had participated in three- or four-day conferences between January 2012 and October 2012. Altogether, 236 respondents completed the survey, garnering a participation rate of roughly 44 percent.

Findings and Conclusions from This Year’s Survey

Findings and conclusions can be grouped into three broad areas: (1) satisfaction with conference services and amenities; (2) use of Prestigio guest services and amenities during conference stays; and (3) overall satisfaction and future intentions among conference attendees.

Satisfaction with Conference Services and Amenities

Between two-thirds (64%) and three-fourths (76%) of respondents expressed satisfaction with various conference services and amenities (see Table 1). Based on these findings, we made the following conclusions:

• We fell short of our goals in the following areas: conference meals, meeting rooms, and staff and service. In January 2012, we set goals to reach at least 85 percent satisfaction for these three key areas. Barbara Brookshire, our Director of Conventions and Meetings, has indicated that 85 percent satisfaction in these areas would place us in the elite category compared to our competitors. We fell between 9 and 16 percent short of these goals.

• Our guests are most satisfied with conference meals and meeting rooms. While our goal remains to reach 85 percent satisfaction for our conference services and amenities, we generally view 75 percent satisfaction as good performance. Therefore, we consider satisfaction with conference

Level-1 and Level-2 headings help readers make sense of the report information.

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meals and meeting rooms acceptable. However, we may not have the unique competitive advantage in this area that we did five years ago.

• Many of our guests are unhappy with Internet pricing and the business center. Roughly one in three respondents was not satisfied with these services.

Table 1. Satisfaction with Conference Services and Amenities Conference

Meals Meeting Rooms

Staff and Service

Internet Pricing

Business Center

All Respondents 76% (179) 75% (178) 69% (163) 66% (155) 64% (152)

Gender

Male 85% (108) 76% (97) 72% (91) 73% (93) 56% (71)

Female 65% (71) 74% (81) 66% (72) 57% (62) 74% (81)

Income

Under $40,000 89% (65) 77% (56) 78% (57) 38% (28) 64% (47)

$40,000–$75,000 73% (94) 76% (97) 68% (87) 76% (97) 66% (84)

Over $75,000 57% (20) 71% (25) 54% (19) 86% (30) 60% (21)

Note: Altogether, 236 respondents took the survey. Percentages and number of respondents (in parentheses) refer to those who responded satisfied or extremely satisfied on the survey.

Use of Prestigio Guest Services and Amenities during Conference Stays

By far, the most used guest services and amenities by conference attendees are the Prestigio restaurants, with over half (53%) of our respondents stating they ate there during their conference stays. Roughly 30 to 40 percent of respondents reported using the comedy club (39%), the fitness center (35%), or the swimming pool (31%). Relatively few of our conferences guests reported using the spa or golf course (see Table 2). Based on these findings, we made the following conclusions:

• The restaurants are most convenient for use during conference stays. Other internal surveys show that our non-conference guests tend to frequent the fitness center, the swimming pool, and the golf course more so than our restaurants. We believe that conference attendees most

Table 2. Use of Prestigio Guest Services and Amenities during Conference Stay Prestigio

Restaurants Comedy

Club Fitness Center

Swimming Pool

Spa Golf

Course

All Respondents 53% (126) 39% (92) 35% (82) 31% (73) 19% (45) 8% (18)

Gender

Male 46% (59) 53% (67) 38% (48) 29% (37) 2% (3) 11% (14)

Female 61% (67) 23% (25) 31% (34) 33% (36) 39% (42) 4% (4)

Income

Under $40,000 33% (24) 22% (16) 18% (13) 33% (24) 1% (1) 3% (2)

$40,000–$75,000 62% (79) 50% (64) 39% (50) 30% (39) 17% (22) 7% (9)

Over $75,000 66% (23) 34% (12) 43% (15) 29% (10) 63% (22) 20% (7)

Note: Altogether, 236 respondents took the survey. Percentages and number of respondents (in parentheses) refer to those who responded satisfied or extremely satisfied on the survey.

Tables allow decision makers to examine the data themselves and make their own judgments.

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FIGURE 13.6

(Continued )

likely use the restaurants more than other services and amenities because of their busy conference schedules.

• Use of guest services and amenities is highly variable based on gender and income. We discuss this further in the Differences by Gender and Income section.

Overall Satisfaction and Future Intentions among Conference Attendees

Overall, the vast majority (84%) of our respondents reported satisfaction with their conference experiences. Nearly three out of four (73%) respondents stated that they would want to attend another conference at the Prestigio, and nearly six in ten respondents (57%) said they would recommend the Prestigio as a good site for a business conference (see Table 3). Based on these findings, we made the following conclusions:

• We fell short of our goals for overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend the Prestigio. In January 2012, we set goals for overall satisfaction at 90 percent and willingness to recommend the Prestigio at 65 percent. We fell short by 6 to 8 percentage points. We have found that these two survey questions are good indicators of repeat and referred business.

• Overall satisfaction, desire to return to the Prestigio, and willingness to recommend the Prestigio are highly variable on gender and income. We discuss this further in the Differences by Gender and Income section.

Table 3. Overall Satisfaction and Future Intentions among Conference Attendees

Overall Satisfaction Want to Return Would Recommend

All Respondents 84% (198) 73% (173) 57% (135)

Gender

Male 89% (113) 77% (98) 66% (84)

Female 78% (85) 69% (75) 47% (51)

Income

Under $40,000 88% (64) 81% (59) 67% (49)

$40,000 –$75,000 87% (111) 74% (95) 57% (73)

Over $75,000 66% (23) 54% (19) 37% (13) Note: Altogether, 236 respondents took the survey. Percentages and number of respondents (in parentheses) refer to those who responded satisfied or extremely satisfied on the survey. The full wording for survey items was as follows: Overall, I was satisfied with the conference experience; I would like to attend another business conference held at the Prestigio; I would recommend the Prestigio as a good site for a business conference.

Differences by Gender and Income

For the first time, we analyzed this year’s guest satisfaction survey by taking into account gender and income. We found major differences and arrived at the following conclusions:

• Women and higher-income guests tend to be less satisfied, less willing to return, and less willing to recommend (see Figure 1). A review of findings in Table 3 reveals that women and higher-income guests are far less likely to express satisfaction on those items that we consider barometers of future and repeat

Table notes give additional information to decision makers to evaluate the data quality and relevance.

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(Continued )

business. On the issue of willingness to recommend, roughly half (47%) of women reported that they are willing to recommend, whereas roughly two-thirds (67%) of men said they would recommend the Prestigio. The difference is even larger by income level. Just one-third (37%) of high-income respondents said that they would recommend the Prestigio, whereas roughly two-thirds (67%) of lower-income respondents said that they would do so.

• Women and higher-income guests are less satisfied with conference meals and staff and service, as revealed in Table 1. In past years, we have identified these as key factors leading to overall satisfaction. The gaps are especially wide for conference meals. Whereas the vast majority (85%) of men were satisfied with conference meals, just two-thirds (65%) of women were satisfied. The gap is wider when considering income level. Whereas nearly all (89%) lower-income respondents were satisfied with conference meals, just over half (57%) of higher-income respondents felt this way.

• Women conference attendees tend to disproportionately choose Prestigio restaurants and the spa. Men conference attendees disproportionately choose the comedy club and the golf course. Women attendees’ top two choices of guest services and amenities are Prestigio restaurants (61%) and the spa (39%), whereas men attendees’ top two choices are the comedy club (53%) and the Prestigio restaurants (46%). Men are roughly three times as likely to use the golf course (11% to 4%).

Higher-income guests tend to disproportionately choose the spa and the golf course; middle-income guests tend to disproportionately choose the comedy club; and lower-income guests tend to utilize all hotel services and amenities less with the exception of the swimming pool. Higher-income guests are three to four times more likely to use the spa and golf course compared to middle-income guests. Lower-income guests rarely if ever use the spa and golf course.

•

These conclusions regarding the experiences of women and higher-income guests are quite concerning. We deal mostly with meeting planners who are women, and our women respondents likely reflect the expectations of these meeting planners. Furthermore, we pride ourselves in providing high-class conference experiences–those that we assume would cater to the tastes of higher-income guests.

Figure 1. Guest Satisfaction by Gender.

89%

77%

66%

78%

69%

47%

Overall Satisfaction

Want to Return

Would Recommend

Percentage of Agreement

Women

Men

Figure 2. Guest Satisfaction by Income.

88%

81%

67%

87%

74%

57%

66%

54%

37%

Overall Satisfaction

Want to Return

Would Recommend

Percentage of Agreement

Over $75k $40k to $75k

Charts reveal the key findings.

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FIGURE 13.6

(Continued )

Comparison of Guest Satisfaction Rates over the Past Five Years

Comparisons of survey results over the past five years reveal several basic trends (see Table 4 for complete results):

• Overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend have increased over the past year. From 2008 to 2011, overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend fell 10 and 13 percentage points, respectively. However, in the past year (2011 to 2012), overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend improved 5 and 8 percentage points, respectively (see Figure 3).

• Satisfaction with conference meals and staff and service has increased over the past year. From 2008 to 2011, satisfaction with conference meals and staff and service decreased 19 and 3 percentage points respectively. However, in the past year (2011 to 2012), satisfaction with conference meals and staff and service increased 8 and 7 percentage points, respectively.

• Most indicators of satisfaction have returned to levels from five years ago. In general, nearly all indicators of satisfaction showed steady deterioration from 2008 to 2011 with the past year showing improvement back to near-2000 levels of satisfaction.

Table 4. Year-to-Year Comparisons of Key Satisfaction Indicators, 2008–2012

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Indicators of Repeat and Referral Business

Overall Satisfaction 87% 81% 79% 79% 84%

Want to Return 72% 74% 71% 72% 73%

Would Recommend 62% 59% 55% 49% 57%

Conference

Conference Meals 87% 76% 74% 68% 76%

Meeting Rooms 77% 71% 74% 76% 75%

Staff & Service 65% 64% 61% 62% 69%

Internet Pricing - - - - 66%

Business Center - - - - 64%

87%

81% 79% 79%

Overall Satisfaction;

84%

72% 74% 71% 72%

Want to Return; 73%

62% 59%

55%

49%

Would Recommend;

57%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Year

Figure 3. Five-Year Trends in Indicators of Repeat and Referral Business

The report provides perspective by comparing current satisfaction rates with those of past years.

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Recommendations

1. Examine ways to raise satisfaction among women and higher-income conference attendees. We view women and higher-income guests as particularly important to our success. Most meeting planners we work with are women and likely reflect the perspectives of our female guests more so than our male guests. Furthermore, since we pride ourselves on providing high-end conference services, we should examine why our higher-income guests are less satisfied. To better understand how we can raise guest satisfaction among women and higher-income conference attendees, we should take the following actions:

a. Set up focus groups with women and higher-income guests to gain a more in-depth understanding of their concerns and suggestions for improvement.

b. Informally talk to some of our women and higher-income guests during conferences and catalog these guests’ feedback in a lessons-learned database.

2. Adapt our marketing of meetings to the group composition of prospects. We now have a much better understanding of how the gender and income level of our guests impact which amenities and services they use. We should adapt our marketing materials to appeal more strongly to certain groups. For example, each year we host meetings for the Northern Hunters Association, with over 90 percent male membership, and the Farmers Healthcare Group, comprised mostly of female nurses.

3. Continue our customer service initiatives to improve staff and service ratings. Our recent initiatives to improve personalized guest service appear to have been successful. Given our emphasis on guest service as a foundation for all of our improvements, we should ensure we maintain a high staff-to-guest ratio, provide incentives for exceptional guest service, and continue our intensive two-month mentoring and training program for new guest attendants.

4. Reexamine our catering services to improve conference meals. Five years ago, our guests were overwhelmingly satisfied with conference meals. In fact, many guests recommended repeat business in large part due to the excellent meals. To cut costs, we have changed catering services over the past five years, and the result has been far lower guest satisfaction with meals. To strengthen or regain our reputation for high-end conference experiences, we should identify ways to return to 2008-level guest satisfaction for conference meals.

These recommendations demonstrate thoughtful examination of the survey findings. Decision makers will take these seriously.

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FIGURE 13.6

(Continued )

Appendix of Survey Questions

1. Gender:

2. Age:

3. Income Level: a. Under $30,000 b. $30,000–$40,000 c. $40,000–$50,000 d. $50,000–$75,000 e. $75,000–$100,000 f. Over $100,000

4. How many days of Internet service did you purchase during your conference visit? *a. 0 b. 1 c. 2 d. 3

5. How satisfied were you with the following aspects of your conference experience? (on the following scale: 1, not satisfied; 2, somewhat satisfied; 3, satisfied; 4, extremely satisfied).

a. Conference meals b. Internet pricing* c. Internet speed in rooms* d. Business center e. Staff and service f. Meeting rooms

6. Please respond to the following statements based on your experiences during your recent conference at the Prestigio (on the following scale: 1, strong disagree; 2, disagree; 3, neutral; 4, agree; 5, strongly agree).

a. Overall, I was satisfied with the conference experience.

b. I would like to attend another business conference held at the Prestigio.

c. I would recommend the Prestigio as a good site for a business conference.

7. Which of the following guest services and amenities did you use during your conference stay? Check all that apply.*

a. Spa b. Fitness center c. Outdoor swimming pool d. Prestigio golf course e. Prestigio comedy club f. One of the Prestigio restaurants

*Survey items added to this year’s survey.

Decision makers perceive primary and secondary research as more credible when the related procedures, sources, and other information are provided. However, much of this information takes up a lot of space. As a result, appendixes and other back- report sections are used to provide complete information for inquisitive readers.

Reviewing Your Reports for Fairness and Effectiveness As with other written documents, you will always review your reports to ensure that you have been fair to yourself and your readers. Also, you want to make sure the report is as effective as possible.

Since research-based reports are generally commissioned for high-stakes decisions, you have likely worked collaboratively with others. If you’ve developed the report by yourself, you should still try to get other perspectives before you officially submit it. When possible, discuss the report with the ultimate decision makers so that you can best tailor the final product to their needs.

As you review the report by yourself and with others, run through it numerous times, each time considering a different perspective. For example, review the entire document several times for accuracy and precision in logic. Review it at least once,

LO13.5 Review reports for effectiveness and fairness.

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Commu nicatio

n Q&A

CONVERSATIONS WITH CURRENT BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

Pete Cardon: What are some keys to writing effective reports? Rich Harrill: Reports should be comprehensive in their presentation of data and information, but should also have a strong, succinct executive summary for busy industry and community leaders. The report should be well organized with a table of contents. Tables, graphs, and charts need to be used only where relevant to illustrate an example. The same rule goes for ap- pendixes. I always provide a brief PowerPoint presentation to go with the document. It is often this presentation that is circulated among interested parties rather than the report itself. Project reports should be attractive. I now prefer “perfect” bound documents to messy, spiral binding. A writing and editing mentor once told me that you should write so that the reader can under- stand every word. He offered very simple but very effective advice in a world that sometimes uses esoteric words and concepts as a replacement for simple and direct communication.

PC: How do you facilitate effective team writing on reports? RH: I believe it is best to let individual team members write in their own voice and style. In some cases I might provide a very loose style sheet to guide certain requirements. However, I generally suggest structural or content changes to the authors. When the manuscript comes back after this first pass, an experienced editor and I will edit thoroughly and try to integrate the different styles. It is a good editor’s job to weave the submissions together in a way that results in a coherent document with consistent style and tone.

PC: Has report writing changed during your career? RH: Yes, and quite drastically. Increasing competition among individuals and firms has upped the ante on report writing. Years ago, a report that was technically great was held to minimal aesthetic standards. Today, a report must have both style and substance. The data or informa- tion must be great, the document must look appealing, and it must be accessible to many dif- ferent clients and constituents—from laypersons or reporters to politicians and bureaucrats. No matter how good the methodology or analysis used to produce the report, it will go unnoticed if it is not interesting, compelling, and even “sexy.” This trend is now the rule rather than the exception in the age of viral marketing and social media.

PC: For young professionals, what concluding advice would you give about creating business proposals and reports? RH: Cultivate your own sense of style and substance. Be technically proficient but also confi- dent and appealing. The report should be an extension of your own brand—classy and attrac- tive to people that work with you and would like to work with you. Shoot for timeless qualities in composition. Develop an ear for pauses and breaths, the same way you develop good conversational skills that make you popular with friends and colleagues. Good technical report writing is not much different; the researcher is disseminating information in a way that defies fad and will be relevant to readers many years from now.

Rich Harrill is director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Travel and Tourism Industry Center and the International Tourism Research Institute at the University of South Carolina. He has written dozens of reports for government and private sector clients.

imagining yourself in the position of decision makers to improve it based on what you perceive as their needs. Also, review it at least once for typos or mechanical errors. Make sure you review the report over several sittings and several days if possible, since you are unlikely to catch all of the changes you would ideally make in just one sitting. And for the perspective of an experienced business professional on writing reports, see the Communication Q&A with Rich Harrill.

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Chapter Takeaway for Completing Business Reports

LO 13.1. Explain how completed reports affect your credibility. ( pp. 379–380 ) Completing business reports demonstrates your personal credibility.

It shows competence when you provide facts, conclusions, and positions that help decision making.

It shows caring when you involve decision makers and address their needs.

It shows character when you report all information honestly and provide access to your rationale.

LO 13.2. Demonstrate excellent thinking by applying a precision-oriented style to reports. ( pp. 380–386 )

Style: Apply precision-oriented language and display excellence in thinking.

See examples of a clear problem statement (Table 13.1), fact-based language (Table 13.2), citations to avoid plagiarism (Table 13.4), recommendations based on facts and conclusions (Figure 13.2), and specific and actionable recommendations (Table 13.5).

LO 13.3. Design your reports to aid in decision making. ( pp. 386–391 )

Design: Provide easy navigation so that decision makers can quickly identify key points and themes.

See examples of common headings/sections in reports (Figure 13.3), common components of formal reports (Figure 13.4), use of headings as a storyline device (Table 13.6), wording for headings (Table 13.7), use of preview statements (Table 13.8), effective charts (Table 13.9), and bulleting and enumerated lists (Table 13.10).

LO 13.4. Project objectivity in reports. ( pp. 391–409 )

Tone: Emphasize objectivity and project a tempered can-do attitude.

See examples of objective tone (Table 13.11).

LO 13.5. Review reports for effectiveness and fairness. ( pp. 409–410 )

Conclusions

Facts

Business Problem

Recommendations

FAIR Test

Proofreading Feedback

Reviewing Process FAIR Test: Make sure facts, conclusions, and positions are as objective as possible. Make any of your biases apparent. Proofreading: Check for precision and excellence in thinking. Ensure that your report is complete but easy to navigate. Feedback: Involve as many trusted colleagues and partners as possible. Ideally, involve decision makers.

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412 Part Five Reports and Presentations

direct quotations (p. 383) paraphrasing (p. 383) plagiarism (p. 382)

Key Terms

13.1 Chapter Review Questions (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3, LO 13.4)

For each of the following items, respond with one or two paragraphs.

A. Explain the significance of stating the business problem or challenge at the beginning of a report.

B. Discuss the various ways in which reports should be precise. C. Describe the value of good documentation in your research

reports. D. Explain what it means for recommendations to be specific

and actionable. E. Discuss how charts should be used in reports. F. Describe how you can strike a tone of objectivity in a report

and also project positivity. G. Explain various approaches for reviewing reports.

13.2 Communication Q&A Discussion Questions (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Read the Communication Q&A section with comments from Rich Harrill. Respond to the following questions:

A. What does Harrill offer as keys to writing effective reports? B. According to Harrill, how should you lead a team writing

effort? C. How has report writing changed in recent years, according

to Harrill? What does this mean for your approach to report writing?

D. Harrill repeatedly mentions getting advice and feedback from others. In some cases, he relies on hired editors. In other cases, he gets informal feedback. Why is it so impor- tant to get feedback for your report writing? What steps can you take in your report writing to get more feedback from others? How should you select others you will approach for advice?

13.3 Complete SBA Training for Business Plans (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Go to the Small Business Administration website (www.sba.gov) and complete the online training for “Starting a Business” (www .sba.gov/training/index.html), which takes about 30 minutes. In three to five paragraphs, describe the key points of developing a business plan that apply to writing effective reports.

Discussion Exercises

13.4 Evaluating a Business Report (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3, LO 13.4)

Choose a business report to evaluate. Answer the following ques- tions related to it:

A. How effectively does the report tell a story? B. How effectively are headings used? C. How effectively are charts, figures, and/or other graphics

used? D. How effectively are research results presented? E. Overall, how reliable and useful is this report? Explain.

F. What three aspects of the report would you like to model in your report writing?

G. What three aspects of the report do you think should be improved?

You can find numerous reports online; often these are white papers. Ideally, search for a topic of interest. For example, if you are interested in the future of shopping malls, you could conduct an Internet search with a search phrase such as future of shopping malls “white paper,” and you will likely find dozens of options to choose from. Spend 10 to 15 minutes to find a report that is inter- esting to you.

Evaluation Exercises

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Completing Business Reports Chapter Thirteen 413

13.5 Writing a Survey Report and Marketing Plan for an Ice Cream Shop (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Assume you are planning to open an ice cream shop on campus. There are currently no ice cream shops within three miles of your

Application Exercises campus. You are deciding between leasing space in the student cen- ter or opening a stand-alone shop on the outskirts of campus. You recently surveyed just over 400 university students to identify their preferences. The following table contains the results.

Gender

Female Male Total

# % # % # %

How often do you go to an ice cream parlor in a given month?

0 times 26 14% 40 19% 66 16%

1 time 73 38 112 53 185 46

2 to 4 times 83 43 57 27 140 35

5 or more times 9 5 4 2 13 3

Would you prefer a drive-through versus sit-down?

Drive-through 51 27 95 45 146 36

Sit-down 140 73 118 55 258 64

Which do you prefer?

Ice cream 77 40 170 80 247 61

Frozen yogurt 102 53 43 20 145 36

Sherbet 12 6 0 0 12 3

How do you like your ice cream prepared?

Sundae 57 30 38 18 95 24

Cone 47 25 40 19 87 22

Cup 64 34 67 31 131 32

Milkshake 23 12 68 32 91 23

What’s your favorite condiment?

Candy 35 18 93 44 128 32

Cookies 31 16 49 23 80 20

Flavored syrup 57 30 52 24 109 27

Nuts 45 24 19 9 64 16

Fruit 23 12 0 0 23 6

Have you bought store novelties in the past (i.e., shirts, hats, etc.)?

Yes 111 58 178 84 289 72

No 80 42 35 16 115 28

How many scoops do you typically prefer?

1 112 59 42 20 154 38

2 71 37 140 66 211 52

3 8 4 31 15 39 10

How much are you willing to pay for a one-scoop ice cream cone?

$1.00–$1.50 67 35 45 21 112 28

$1.51–$2.00 105 55 64 30 169 42

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(Continued)

Gender

Female Male Total

# % # % # %

$2.01–$2.50 13 7 62 29 75 19

$2.51 or more 6 3 42 20 48 12

How much are you willing to pay for a two-scoop ice cream cone?

$1.51–$2.25 73 38 43 20 116 29

$2.26–$3.00 76 40 40 19 116 29

$3.01–$3.50 31 16 84 39 115 28

$3.51 or more 11 6 46 22 57 14

Would you prefer an all-you-can-eat ice cream shop?

Yes 25 13 158 74 183 45

No 166 87 55 26 221 55

Write a marketing report that includes your survey objectives, methodology, findings, and conclusions. Also, provide your related marketing recommendations.

13.6 Writing a Proposal for a Student Club (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Assume your university has recently developed a grant program for student clubs. The goal of the program is to award between $5,000 and $10,000 per club for activities that promote academic research and/or travel to industry conferences. Choose a student club of interest and write a proposal that describes the purpose of your club and a specific project that the grant money would support. Provide a rationale for how you will use the money, a timeline for completing your project (or travel), and a description of deliverables. (Look at the proposal in Appen- dix C as a guide.)

13.7 Writing a Survey Report about Mobile Phone Use in the Workplace (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Ashley Foxe works for Process Leadership, a large consulting group that advises companies in North America, Europe, and Asia. It typically works on one- to six-month projects with companies that are trying to develop more open and collaborative work en- vironments. The Process slogan is leading with culture , implying that entire companies need to share work values to maximize their productivity. Ashley’s role with Process Leadership is to write research reports or white papers that are available free of charge. These research reports are distributed on the Process Leadership home page and are intended to reinforce the Process brand of improving corporate culture. Process generally disseminates press releases about the research. Often, the research is picked up in newspaper, business magazines, and other professional publications. Each time the research is mentioned, it serves as free marketing and advertis- ing for Process Leadership.

Ashley recently conducted a survey project about mobile phone use in the workplace. She conducted a nationwide survey of full- time business professionals with annual salaries over $30,000. She compiled the following data tables from the survey.

TABLE A

Demographics of Survey Respondents

Gender Count Percentage

Male 186 53.1%

Female 164 46.9

Age Group

21–30 35 10.0

31–40 95 27.1

41–50 87 24.9

51–65 133 38.0

Income

$30,000 to $39,999 41 11.7

$40,000 to $49,999 46 13.1

$50,000 to $59,000 53 15.1

$60,000 to $69,999 31 8.9

$70,000 to $79,999 40 11.4

$80,000 to $89,999 33 9.4

$90,000 to $99,999 29 8.3

$100,000 to $149,999 50 14.3

$150,000 or more 27 7.7

Total 350 100

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TABLE B

Appropriateness of Mobile Phone Use in Meetings by Gender

Male Female Total

Rarely Never Rarely Never Rarely Never

Bringing phone to meeting 34.5 11.4 33.7 24.0 34.0 21.7

Checking time with phone 26.9 30.6 27.4 30.5 27.1 30.6

Checking incoming calls 26.3 25.8 31.1 21.3 28.6 27.4

Checking text messages 30.1 41.4 30.5 50.6 30.3 45.7

Answering a call 35.5 41.3 25.6 64.0 30.9 56.3

Excusing self to answer call 36.0 18.8 30.5 23.8 33.4 21.1

Writing and sending texts 26.9 54.3 22.0 65.2 24.6 51.3

Browsing the Internet 28.5 43.5 26.8 53.0 27.7 48.0

TABLE C

Appropriateness of Mobile Phone Use in Meetings by Age Group

21–30 31–40 41–50 51–65

Rarely Never Rarely Never Rarely Never Rarely Never

Bringing phone to meeting 20.0 8.6 28.4 12.6 35.6 28.7 40.6 27.1

Checking time with phone 37.1 2.9 22.1 26.3 28.7 34.5 27.1 38.3

Checking incoming calls 25.7 5.7 24.2 24.2 27.6 32.2 33.1 32.3

Checking text messages 28.6 20.0 30.5 37.9 32.2 50.6 21.3 54.9

Answering a call 22.9 42.9 36.8 42.1 34.5 51.4 26.3 67.7

Excusing self to answer call 31.4 11.4 23.2 16.8 313.1 25.3 37.6 24.1

Writing and sending texts 22.9 34.3 30.5 45.3 28.7 51.4 18.0 75.9

Browsing the Internet 28.6 20.0 32.6 32.6 24.1 57.5 26.3 60.2

TABLE D

Attitudes toward Texting and Making Calls with Mobile Phones

Males Females 21–30 31–40 41–50 51–65 Total

Overall, using mobile phones for TEXTING in the workplace . . .

Reduces miscommunication. 37.6 34.8 54.3 42.1 33.3 21.3 36.3

Makes communication more efficient. 41.4 45.7 71.4 55.8 41.3 34.6 47.7

Improves relations with colleagues. 32.3 21.3 60.0 37.9 28.7 11.4 30.9

Improves relations with clients. 36.6 26.8 54.3 34.7 31.0 24.8 32.0

Makes work easier. 43.5 40.2 65.7 56.8 35.6 21.3 42.0

Overall, using mobile phones for CALLS in the workplace . . .

Reduces miscommunication. 64.0 53.7 77.1 74.7 55.2 45.9 51.3

Makes communication more efficient. 70.4 65.2 88.6 81.1 66.7 54.1 68.0

Improves relations with colleagues. 51.3 51.3 88.6 70.5 60.9 42.1 51.3

Improves relations with clients. 66.1 61.6 88.6 82.1 60.9 46.6 64.0

Makes work easier. 65.6 64.0 88.6 75.8 63.2 51.9 64.9

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416 Part Five Reports and Presentations

Take the role of Ashley and write a white paper on mobile phone use in the workplace. You can include any other information you find useful. Include sections for data collection, survey find- ings and conclusions, and recommendations. Make sure to include at least a few charts or figures that illustrate compelling points. Remember your corporate slogan as you develop the report.

13.8 Write a Business Plan for a Franchise (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Choose a franchise that interests you. Write a business plan for the franchise in your location (or location of your choice) that includes the following:

● Executive summary ● Introduction ● Management ● Marketing ● Financial projections ● Financial needs

Be creative with your management and marketing ideas. You may not be familiar with creating financial projections, but do your best and simplify this step if necessary. The point of this assign- ment is to practice writing the plan. Work with your instructor to decide what is acceptable. You can find possible franchises for this project by search- ing online for franchising opportunities. Most franchisors supply plenty of information about requirements to open a franchise.

You may want to consult several online articles about writing business plans. You can find many good resources. For example, consider the following article: Jeff Elgin, “Writing the Franchise Business Plan,” Entrepreneur online (September 5, 2005). Available at www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/buyingafranchise/ franchisecolumnistjeffelgin/article79626.html.

13.9 Conducting Survey Research (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Individually or in groups, select a business problem you can learn more about by conducting survey research. You will create an on- line survey for all of your classmates to take, so design your project around the assumption that you are finding out what university- aged students think or feel about the topic. Design the survey so that respondents can complete it in three to five minutes. Once you have conducted the survey, write a report that includes your objec- tives, methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

13.10 Write a Report about a Business Trend (LO 13.1, LO 13.2, LO 13.3)

Using research from your university library, write report in APA or MLA documentation style that accomplishes the following:

A. States a business problem or challenge (you might imagine yourself in a position within a company of interest).

B. Describes and substantiates a trend that impacts business. C. Provides recommendations for how your company can re-

spond to the trend to become more competitive.

Endnotes 1. “Plagiarize,” retrieved March 1, 2012, from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ plagiarize.

2. “What Is Citation?” retrieved March 1, 2012, from Plagiarism.org website at http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_citation .html; “Plagiarism FAQs,” retrieved March 1, 2012, from Plagiarism .org website at http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_ citation.html; “What Is Plagiarism?” retrieved March 1, 2012, from Plagiarism.org website at http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_ what_is_citation.html.

3. David Kintler and Bob Adams, Independent Consulting: A Com- prehensive Guide to Building Your Own Consulting Business (Avon, MA: Streetwise, 1998); Brian R. Ford, Jay M. Bornstein, and Patrick T. Pruitt, The Ernst & Young Business Plan Guide (Hoboken, NJ:

John Wiley & Sons, 2007); Small Business Administration, “Write a Business Plan,” retrieved September 15, 2010, from Small Business Administration website at www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/ writeabusinessplan/index.html.

4. Roberta Moore, Patricia Seraydarian, and Rosemary Fruehling, Pearson Business Reference and Writer’s Handbook (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2010).

5. Joy Roach, Daniel Tracy, and Kay Durden, “Integrating Business Core Knowledge through Upper Division Report Composition,” Business Communication Quarterly 70, no. 4 (2007): 431–449.

6. Joseph Covello and Brian Hazelgren, Your First Business Plan, 5th ed. (Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2005): 12.

7. Ibid.

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C h

a p

t er

F o

u r

t ee

After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

LO14.1 Describe how planning your presentations leads to credibility.

LO14.2 Analyze presentation audiences in terms of message benefits, learning styles, and communicator styles.

LO14.3 Organize and gather content for a preview, view, and review.

LO14.4 Develop effective slide presentations.

LO14.5 Use the story line approach to presentations.

LO14.6 Evaluate your presentations for fairness and effectiveness.

Learning Objectives

Planning Presentations

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Chapter Case: Planning Presentations at Sinosourcing Experts

Who’s Involved

The Situation

Shannon recently accepted a sales rep position at Sinosourcing Experts, which combines her inter- ests in global supply chains and the Chinese culture. Sinosourcing Experts helps small businesses outsource their manufacturing to China. It markets its services in North America and maintains offices in Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. At the Chinese offices, Sinosourcing has nearly 30 em- ployees, including sourcing experts, engineers, and import/export specialists. These employees are the go-betweens in setting up and ensuring quality manufacturing in China for small North American companies.

Shannon’s job is to gain new clients in North America. She spends most of her time giving pre- sentations to small-business owners about how they can move some of their manufacturing to China and save on manufacturing costs. One approach the company uses to gain new clients is to set up small seminars about manufacturing in China. Between 15 and 20 participants attend each seminar at sites around the country. The seminars last three hours and culminate with Shannon’s 45-minute presentation. Typically, she gets one or two new clients at each presentation.

WHY DOES T HIS MATTER?

Presentations have many purposes, including promoting a new business or idea, reporting on the status of projects or product performance, helping management and employees stay informed about business policies, or selling a product or service. Pre- sentations give you opportunities to connect deeply with your audiences and convey and control your messages carefully. Presentations place a spotlight on you and allow you to maintain and even build your credibility. When you clearly know what you’re talking about, audiences judge you as competent. When you show that you are interested in the needs of your audi- ence, they judge you as caring. When you offer your views honestly and transpar- ently, audiences judge you as having character. Although speaking is a normal part of every day for you, making business pre- sentations is not necessarily automatic or natural. As speech expert Thomas Leech ex- plained, “Developing proficiency in oral communications doesn’t occur automatically. The ability to speak may have come much as did walking and breathing, but speak- ing well to groups is another matter.” 1 As you read this chapter, identify the areas that will help you most in developing your presentation skills. This chapter focuses on planning your content. The next one focuses on delivering that content effectively. Read the chapter case about Shannon Browne and her plans to revamp a sales presentation. In particular, note what she views as her unique challenges. Throughout the chapter, you’ll see how she attempts to overcome these challenges while crafting her presentation.

LO14.1 Describe how planning your presentations leads to credibility.

Shannon Browne • Has worked as a sales rep at Sinosourcing Experts for five months • Recently graduated with a major in supply chain management and a minor in Chinese

Hear Pete Cardon explain why this

matters.

bit.ly.com/CardonWhy14

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Shannon wants to revamp her presentation to increase her success. In particular, she wants to overcome several basic misconceptions and stereotypes that many seminar participants hold about manufacturing in China, most of which are negative. While many of these seminar participants believe that production costs are lower, they assume that quality suffers and time to market for new products takes too long. Some participants have the impression that moving production to China would involve supporting labor abuses in sweatshop-type factories that violate standard safety prac- tices. Others assume that Chinese management is unsophisticated and ideological (Communist).

420 Part Five Reports and Presentations

Task 1 Prepare the basic content of the presentation to explain the benefits of outsourcing manufacturing while also

addressing concerns.

Task 2 Develop slides to supplement the presentation and reinforce

the key messages.

As you design your presentations and speeches, the AIM planning process will help you, just as it does in the writing process. You’ll analyze your audience to make sure you’re addressing their needs and speaking to them in the way that is most appealing and easy to learn. You’ll develop your ideas by identifying the key facts and conclu- sions related to your topic. You’ll also construct your message to focus on the key takeaway concepts and to provide supporting points throughout. In this chapter, we do not focus on developing your ideas, since this process is largely similar to that for writing. We instead discuss analyzing your audience and structuring your message, since these processes have some unique features for presentations. Then, we discuss designing electronic slides, since these are commonly included in many professional presentations.

Analyze Your Audience Understanding the needs of your audience is one of your first tasks as you develop your presentations. Of course, this is complicated by a variety of factors. Your audiences for presentations may differ in size and makeup, and in some cases, you won’t know who they will be. As you do your homework about the audience, answer the following questions to the degree possible:

How Will Audience Members Benefit from the Product, Service, or Ideas I Am Proposing? This is the single most important question you can use to guide you as you design your presentation. In particular, focus on benefits that fulfill an unmet need. 2

In Shannon’s case, she focuses primarily on how small businesses can reduce pro- duction costs by outsourcing some or all of their manufacturing in China. This is an unmet need for many small businesses because they often compete with larger busi- nesses that have the resources and know-how to move productions overseas. Most small businesses, by contrast, lack the resources and know-how to do this successfully.

What Do the Audience Members Already Know about My Product, Service, or Ideas? Find out whatever you can about your audience members’ knowledge level. If people know little about your product, you will need to

LO14.2 Analyze presentation audiences in terms of message benefits, learning styles, and communicator styles.

Planning the Content of Your Presentation

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Planning Presentations Chapter Fourteen 421

spend a proportionately higher amount of your presentation time to inform them. Also, try to find out where they have gotten their information or how they have developed their perceptions about the topic. Knowing this allows you to more effectively deal with misinformation.

In Shannon’s case, she has found that seminar participants understand little about manufacturing in China. Much of what they know is based on news headlines or short 30-second news stories. Many of their judgments about the Chinese business and polit- ical environment come from short sound bites during highly charged political debates. Because many participants have such superficial understanding of manufacturing in China, her company allots three hours for the seminar, hoping to provide a deep under- standing. Her culminating 45-minute presentation specifically addresses outsourcing for small businesses.

What Are My Audience Members’ Chief Concerns? Considering this question is particularly important for presentations. Whereas you can take time to gather your thoughts when responding in writing to someone’s concerns, in presenta- tions and other face-to-face communications you must respond immediately.

Shannon recognizes that most small-business owners have superficial knowledge about manufacturing in China. They’ve often heard about the great cost savings but little else. Many people have stereotypes of sweatshops and unfair labor practices. Similarly, they may think that products made in China are of lower quality. Many seminar participants also hold a negative view of what they perceive as a Communist approach to business. In Shannon’s presentations, she wants to make sure to not only inform but also overcome incorrect stereotypes.

Who Are the Key Decision Makers? Your presentation is generally in- tended to draw support from your whole audience. Typically, however, some people in your audience have more impact on your ability to achieve your work objectives than do others. These key decision makers are the ones you want to influence the most.

For internal presentations, think about those individuals who have the most influ- ence and authority to act on your ideas. For presentations to clients, customers, and prospects, think about which individuals are the decision makers for their organiza- tions or who you perceive as the most likely prospects for future business. Focus most of your attention on them. 3

Shannon generally finds out about people who have signed up for her presentations before they arrive. She checks their company websites to learn about their businesses and gets a general sense for how well Sinosourcing Experts can meet the needs of their businesses. She typically identifies 5 or 6 out of the 15 to 20 people who attend her seminars who she considers the top prospects. Of course, she maintains flexibility since she doesn’t have complete information.

What Will Appeal to Your Audience? You can influence your audience by employing a combination of emotional and analytical appeals. Oral communica- tions, especially speeches and presentations, are well suited to strong emotional appeal, as they create bonds between the speaker and the audience and emotional connections with products, services, and ideas. At the same time, your speeches and presentations will include a set of ideas that you want your audience to appreciate analytically. Plan to make both emotional and analytical connections with your audience.

As you’re thinking about emotional and analytical appeals, consider the commu- nicator styles of your audience (see Chapter 2). Sensers will appreciate your ability to stay on point and discuss immediate goals. Emotionally and analytically, they are attracted to action-oriented and results-oriented language and logic.

Feelers will appreciate your ability to discuss business relationships—such as bene- fits to work teams and colleagues and loyalty to customers and clients. Emotionally, feel- ers will connect to you with your use of “we” language and other relationship-centered

Principles of Audience Analysis

Identify the following: • Audience benefits • Existing knowledge • Concerns • Decision makers • Appeals • Communicator style • Learning style

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422 Part Five Reports and Presentations

terms. Analytically, feelers will connect with your holistic approach to business ben- efits. They are attracted to business logic that includes more than just bottom-line measures of performance.

Thinkers will appreciate your ability to provide all of the facts and avoid rushing to judgment about conclusions. Thinkers generally pride themselves on a dispassionate (nonemotional) approach to decision making and may be turned off by what they con- sider blatant and irrelevant appeals to emotion. However, this in no way implies that emotional appeal is unimportant to thinkers. Thinkers are often emotionally connected to precise language; well-designed and conceptualized charts, models, and other fig- ures; and the ability to handle tough questions.

Intuitors will appreciate your ability to present visionary ideas. Emotionally, they connect to out-of-the-box thinking and emphasis on strategic initiatives. They want to feel a part of something larger than themselves. Analytically, they respond to discuss- ing concepts first and facts last.

Over time, Shannon has found that seminar participants inevitably represent a mix of all the communicator styles. However, she has noticed that her groups of small-business owners contain a high percentage of thinkers and intuitors. The thinkers often have engineering backgrounds and have branched off from a larger company to focus on a manufacturing niche of interest to them. The intuitors are often those who crave free- dom, don’t want a boss, and have a vision of creating revolutionary products. Shannon adjusts her presentation to these types of communicators and their backgrounds.

What Is the Learning Style of Your Audience? As with communicator styles, audience members have different learning styles. Visual learners , who make up about 40 percent of the population, learn best from illustrations and simple diagrams that show relationships and key ideas. They also enjoy gestures and metaphors. Ironi- cally, text-based PowerPoint slides do not appeal to them much. On the other hand, PowerPoint slides rich in images and figures do help visual learners respond to your message. Auditory learners , who also comprise roughly 40 percent of the population, like loud, clear voices and believe emotion is best conveyed through voice. Kinesthetic learners , who make up about 20 percent of the population, need to participate to focus their attention on your message and learn best. They need group activities, hands-on activities, or breaks at least every 20 minutes. 4

Shannon ensures that she has content and activities that appeal to each of these types of learners. She presents slides with images and diagrams to appeal to visual learners, speaks with conviction and enthusiasm to appeal to auditory learners, and provides a handout for participants to fill out to appeal to kinesthetic learners.

Develop Your Message As with written reports, successful presentations rely on well-developed takeaway messages, supporting information, and structure. You’ll get lots of advice during your career about how to deliver a successful presentation. Much of this advice is good be- cause delivery is important. However, developing your content is still the most critical factor in presentation success, so prepare your content before you spend too much time on your delivery. 5

Identify a Few Takeaway Messages Your first task is to identify the two or three key messages you want to convey. Once you’ve developed these key messages, everything in the presentation should lead back to them. 6 Particularly for presenting to busy executives, summarize your key takeaway messages at the outset and reempha- size them several times. 7

Overall, your presentation will be most effective if you focus on how your key mes- sages relate to the common interests of your audience. At the same time, be cautious about trying to please everyone. Some presenters broaden their messages in an attempt

Components of Presentations

• Preview (10–15 percent of time) • Attention-getter • Positioning

statement • Overview:

Takeaway messages

• View (85–90 percent of time) • Takeaway

message #1 • Takeaway

message #2 • Takeaway

message #3 • Review (5 percent

of time) • Recap • Call to action

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Planning Presentations Chapter Fourteen 423

to appeal to everyone in the audience. This approach is risky, however, since broaden- ing the message so much may dilute its impact and power. 8

In Shannon’s case, her takeaway messages are relatively simple: Your small busi- ness can reduce manufacturing costs, improve quality control, and reduce time to market by manufacturing in China. Shannon makes sure that nearly everything in her presentation leads back to these key messages.

Structure Your Presentation with a Clear Preview, View, and Review 9 Most audience members expect your presentation to include a preview, view, and review (analogous to the introduction, body, and conclusion in written docu- ments). Typically, your preview occupies roughly 10 to 15 percent of your presenta- tion time, your view takes up the vast majority (85 to 90 percent) of your time, and the review takes up the least time (5 percent).

Provide a Compelling Preview The beginnings of your presentations and speeches are critical. Audience members who do not know you well often form quick impressions about you and your message. Even people who know you fairly well generally decide quickly if your message is important to them. Dana LaMon, who lost his sight at the age of four but went on to achieve a highly successful career as a judge and professional speaker, suggests that audiences make up their minds in the first minute or two of the presentation:

As an administrative law judge for 26 years, I have heard and written decisions in about 6,400 cases. My unscientific estimate is that in about 95 percent of them, I knew what I would decide before the hearing was over. After 19 years in Toastmasters and 16 years as a professional speaker, I have learned that the audience, too, will make quick decisions. They will judge a speaker and his or her speech well before the presentation is done. That is why I have come to believe that the most important part of my speech is the opening. 10

In other words, during that first few minutes, audience members have their answers to the following questions: Am I going to listen? Am I going to benefit from what is said? Will it be valuable enough to take with me? Am I going to act on what I hear?

The preview should generally include an attention-getter, a positioning statement, and an overview. The preview should accomplish the following: create interest, show benefits, demonstrate value, and encourage action (all related to the four questions in the prior paragraph).

Choose an Effective Attention-Getter In research among executives, the factors most likely to attract their attention were the following: The message was per- sonalized, it evoked an emotional response, it came from a trustworthy source, and it was concise. In particular, personalized and emotion-evoking attention-getters led executives to pay close attention to presentations more than twice as often. 11

Stephen Denning, one of the world’s foremost authorities on leadership communica- tion, spent decades working for the World Bank. While leading World Bank initiatives and meeting leaders throughout the world, he learned that influence in presentations depends heavily on first garnering attention. He explained:

Successful leaders communicate very differently from the traditional, abstract approach to communication. In all kinds of settings, they communicate by following a hidden pattern: first, they get attention. Then they stimulate desire, and only then do they reinforce with reasons. 12

The primary goals of attention-getters are to get your audience members emotion- ally invested in your presentation and engaged in thinking about your ideas. Table 14.1 focuses on seven types of attention-getters that Shannon could use in her presentation: rhetorical questions, vivid examples, dramatic demonstrations, testimonials or quotations, intriguing statistics, unexpected exercises, and challenges. This is not a

LO14.3 Organize and gather content for a preview, view, and review.

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424 Part Five Reports and Presentations

TABLE 14.1

Types of Effective Attention-Getters

Attention-Getter Example

Rhetorical question How many of you have heard for years about the great opportunities to source from and manufacture in China? How many of you have thought it’s too complicated for a business your size to even consider this? In these tough times, when larger competitors have tremendous advantages in product costs, many small-business owners are asking these questions. “China” comes to mind, but you avoid exploring the possibility further because you assume it just won’t work for your small business. Today I’m going to explain how you can do it.

This attention-getter immediately evokes thinking about personal experiences for audience members. It focuses on an unmet need (getting costs down), and it is positive. It is also concise: it takes roughly 35 seconds to deliver (89 words).

Vivid example One of our more recent clients was a small computer cable manufacturer. To give you a sense of the possibilities of producing in China, I want to quickly paint a picture of the options this small business had to choose from in China. In the city of Dongguan, about one hour from Hong Kong, there’s a roughly 20-square-mile area with more than 50 computer cable manufacturers. Also in this area, there are roughly 100 suppliers of computer cable parts. Suppliers and manufacturers in many cases even share offices to create a seamless production process. It’s amazing to be on the ground and see the tens of thousands of managers, engineers, and workers in such a small geographic area who are zeroed in on a particular product niche. I’ve not seen this type of concentration of efforts in any other place in the world. You have dozens of manufacturing alternatives within a few minutes’ drive of one another. By contrast, here in the United States, this small company was 500 miles distant from its competitors and 1,000 miles from its suppliers. It’s no wonder that producing in China can save money on manufacturing costs, and with such proximity to competitors and suppliers, you can get your products to market far faster.

This example captures the attention of the audience with its vivid, story-based description of the manufacturing options available to a recent client. Many audience members will envision the manufacturing environment in their minds and wonder what comparable options await them in China. This example would take roughly 90 to 95 seconds to deliver (214 words). To keep the audience engaged, Shannon should communicate passion and enthusiasm.

Dramatic demonstration

(Holding two computer cables that appear identical) These two computer cables probably look the same to each of you. In fact, one of our recent clients made both of them. This one (holding out the first cable) was manufactured here in the States. It cost about $4 to make. After manufacturing, both cables were inspected and electronically tested. On average, cables like this fail the test 3 percent of the time. This other cable (holding out the second cable) was produced in southern China. It cost about $1.50 to make. Under the same inspection standards, less than 1 percent of these cables that were made in China failed quality tests.

This attention-getter gives the audience a tangible sense of a reduction in production costs and improvement in quality control. This demonstration is delivered in approximately 40 to 45 seconds (93 words).

Testimonial or quotation

Marble Home Makeovers, a small manufacturer of fabricated marble, is a small business that just moved much of its manufacturing to China. Its business manager, Juan Hernandez, recently told me that they increased sales by $3 million last year due to the ability to offer better pricing. In a few moments, I will show you a video of his experience.

This short statement focuses on the testimonial of a client. It emphasizes a dramatic rise in sales, which appeals to small-business owners emotionally and rationally. It would take just 25 seconds to deliver (60 words). Ideally, a compelling video testimonial will be provided as well.

Intriguing statistic Probably many of you have heard the talk of saving 30, 40, even 60 percent on manufacturing costs in China. Probably fewer of you have heard that time to market for products manufactured in China can be one to three months faster than if you manufactured them in the United States.

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comprehensive list; however, these strategies are among the most effective. 13 Think about how you might use each option in a presentation.

People enjoy humor in presentations. Generally, however, avoid opening with jokes. Few people do well when they open with jokes. Communication specialist Nick Morgan explains:

You need to start with something clever enough to catch everyone’s attention, but you’re at your most nervous, and thus it’s hard to shine like you want to. So how to get started? The traditional advice—still followed by many business speakers—is to begin with a joke. . . . For everyone except the professional comedian, this is bad counsel indeed. You’re at your worst in terms of nerves. Don’t compound the problem by setting for yourself one of the most difficult public speaking chores of all right off the bat: Delivering a punch line with brilliant comic timing. It’s extremely difficult to do under the best of circumstances—even for seasoned professionals. 14

Even if you’re one of the rare breed of people who can consistently pull them off, opening jokes may have unintended consequences. Audience members may remember your jokes more than your key messages, so if you choose a humorous opening, tie it to your key messages.

Starting with an overwhelming set of facts and numbers or telling the story of your company may not be particularly effective either. If you choose to give background on your company, do so concisely, and make sure you connect the story of your company to the needs of your audience. 15

Creating a Positioning Statement A positioning statement frames your message in appealing terms to your audience members and demonstrates clear and valu- able benefits to them. The positioning statement should be as concise as possible—ideally

TABLE 14.1

(Continued )

Attention-Getter Example

This attention-getter focuses on an exciting statistic for small-business owners (potential savings on production costs of up to 60 percent) and an unexpected one (time to market falling by one to three months). Not only does this meet their needs, it gets audience members thinking about how it’s possible to manufacture at such a distance but get products to market sooner. This concise statement takes roughly 20 seconds to deliver (51 words).

Unexpected exercise

As we get started, I’d like each of you to get a partner and tell them your three most important goals for manufacturing. Let’s take about two or three minutes and then I’d like you to report on what your partner told you.

Most people attending a seminar or workshop do not expect to be involved early on. By quickly getting participants talking, you may also get them to open up and relax. In this exercise, they will explicitly talk about their own goals, which will remain on the forefront of their minds as Shannon gets into the presentation. Another benefit for Shannon is she can now adapt her presentation to the needs of the audience more effectively. This is a great approach for kinesthetic learners.

Challenge Today I’m going to describe the experiences of several small-business owners who have successfully moved all or part of their production to China. In some cases, these small businesses have doubled or even tripled their net income within a few years. As I explain their experiences, think about your small business. Think about the similarities these small businesses have with yours and what this means for your business moving into China. At the same time, think about the unique obstacles your business has.

This direct challenge to audience members to conceptualize and envision how the content of the presentation applies to their own businesses will help many of them become more engaged and active during the presentation. This is a concise opening at just 30 to 35 seconds (84 words).

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426 Part Five Reports and Presentations

one to two sentences. With the attention-getter, you engage and capture interest. With the positioning statement, you demonstrate that your presentation is worth paying close attention to for its entirety.

In Shannon’s case, she selects the following positioning statement: “Today I’m going to discuss how small businesses like yours can easily move some or all of your manufacturing to China to lower production costs and achieve other manufacturing goals. In fact, I’m going to explain how you could have a manufacturing presence in China in as little as one month.” This positioning statement is strong. It speaks directly to the needs of small manufacturers who are seeking lower costs. It also employs posi- tive, upbeat, and client-focused language.

Providing an Overview Statement The final part of the preview is the overview. Ideally, you can state your overview in one to three sentences in simple, con- versational language. Immediately after Shannon makes her positioning statement, she provides an overview: “I’m going to focus on three primary benefits of sourcing and manufacturing in China: The first and most compelling reason is that you can reduce production costs by 40 to 60 percent; the second reason is that you can maintain and even increase the quality of your products; and the final reason is that you can cut time to market for your products by one to three months.” This overview segments the pre- sentation in terms of three key benefits or takeaway messages. These benefits are easy to remember and they are couched in the you-voice to help audience members think about the benefits to their own businesses.

Justify Your Views The majority of your presentation will be devoted to expressing and supporting your views— your two, three, or four key messages. Recognize that many of your audience members are skeptical. After all, you will likely be asking them to commit to your products, services, or ideas at the expense of their time, money, or other resources. In other words, you are generally asking people to take some type of professional and/ or personal risk. Make sure you can back up your main positions with strong support material, including specific cases or examples, stories and illustrations, analogies, sta- tistics and facts, quotations, or your own professional experiences. 16

Use support materials in moderation, however. You can easily overwhelm your audi- ence. Furthermore, most audience members prefer certain types of supporting material during presentations. For example, personalized case studies are more likely to influ- ence audience members than statistics. At the same time, avoid any weak evidence, since that will undermine your case, and be prepared with additional support material if audience members request it. 17 Furthermore, gain a sense of your audience mem- bers’ preferences. For example, thinkers are typically more influenced by quantitative information whereas feelers are typically more influenced by personal experiences.

Executive communication coach Roly Grimshaw observes that the most serious mistake business managers make is to present the evidence (numbers, statistics, facts) first, or only the evidence, and leave out their primary conclusions or central posi- tions. 18 A more successful approach is the PREP method , which involves stating your position, providing the reasons, giving an example or providing evidence, and then restating your position . 19 Table 14.2 provides an instance of the PREP method from Shannon’s presentation. As you read through this example, think about what Shannon gains from starting and ending with her position.

Conclude with an Effective Review The review comprises a small percentage of your presentation time. However, make sure to have a strong finish—this is the place where you are hoping to gain buy-in on specific actions. First, you will recap your message in just a few sentences. Then, you’ll provide a call to action, where you’ll ask the audience members to make specific

Components of PREP Method

• Position • Reasons • Example • Position

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Planning Presentations Chapter Fourteen 427

TABLE 14.2

The PREP Method

Sample Statements

Step 1: Position Step 2: Reasons

Step 3: Example

Step 4: Position

It’s challenging for most small businesses to set up manufacturing in China. It’s challenging because of the major barriers of entry: finding and developing relationships with Chinese suppliers and manufacturers, having engineers on the ground to ensure quality production, bearing the costs of facilitating communication, and learning to deal with another business culture. Let me give you a quick example of clients who we’ve worked with to successfully set up manufacturing in the past year. Their initial efforts to manufacture in China were costly and disappointing. Ten years ago and prior to our involvement, a marble fabrication company tried to set up manufacturing on their own. They sent a team of three managers to China on a two-week trip to meet potential manufacturers. They spent nearly $20,000 on the first trip and did little but eat meals with several manufacturers. A year, three more trips, and another $75,000 in travel expenses later, they were still confused about who to partner with. They had met a dizzying array of Chinese business managers and government officials. They finally settled on one manufacturer to produce a newly designed marble countertop. The first small batch turned out great. Then, they ordered a large batch of countertops worth nearly $300,000. When the shipment arrived, the quality was so poor they could not sell any of them. The Chinese manufacturer refused to reimburse them or remanufacture the order. The company tried to seek legal recourse with no success. Since they had no one on the ground in China to identify a reliable manufacturer in the first place, monitor quality once production started, nor resolve contract disputes, they ended up losing nearly half a million dollars. They also had unhappy customers at home who did not have products on time. So, without access to relationships with Chinese manufacturers and suppliers and an on-the-ground presence to monitor operations, small businesses can find it very challenging and costly to set up production in China.

commitments. For example, Shannon often ends with the following call to action: “Thank you for attending this seminar. I want to quickly mention how you can get a more specific understanding of the savings you can achieve by producing in China. In your packets, I’ve enclosed a free estimate form. If you can provide some fairly basic information about one of your products, we could have cost estimates and shipping details back to you within a week. The estimate is free. There is no obligation at all to receive an estimate.” This call to action is nonthreatening and is the natural next step for seminar participants to become clients.

Design Appealing Slides Businesspeople frequently use PowerPoint or other electronic slide presentations as visual aids for their presentations (see the Technology Tips feature on page 434 for alternatives to PowerPoint). The reason for doing so is compelling. Good visuals can increase communication effectiveness and persuasiveness by about 50 percent. 20 After all, about 75 percent of what people learn comes visually; 12 percent through hearing; and 12 percent through smell, taste, and touch. 21

However, poorly designed or poorly selected visuals can actually detract from pre- sentation effectiveness. 22 While the use of electronic slides is often effective and nearly ubiquitous for business presentations, take caution. People in the workplace sometimes mock poor electronic slide presentations as suffering death by PowerPoint . Consider some of the comments in Figure 14.1 from business leaders. 23

While well-designed electronic slide presentations can dramatically increase audi- ence learning, poorly designed ones can draw intense negative reactions, as evidenced

LO14.4 Develop effective slide presentations.

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428 Part Five Reports and Presentations

by the quotations in Figure 14.1 . Make sure your electronic slide presentations aid rather than detract from your presentation objectives. Consider the following advice as you design your slides:

You Are the Focus of Your Presentation From the beginning of the design process, resist the urge to make your slides the primary focal point; they are just an aid. Ideally, audience members will focus their eyes on you for the majority of the presentation. Consider the comments of Judith Humphrey, a prominent executive trainer:

Great leaders understand that they are the best visual. They instinctively know that their message will come through best if the audience looks at them and listens to them—with no distractions. Audiences that divide their attention will only be able to partially commit to you. PowerPoint slides are usually a dumbed-down version of the narrative script you are delivering. Visuals rely on bullet points; you speak in full sentences, with illustrations and stories. Slides are dispassionate; your voice and gestures provide passion and emphasis. So in deflecting the audience’s attention away from you to the bullet points, you’re reducing the quality of your material and its impact on the audience. 24

Create a Storyboard with Your PowerPoint Slide Titles Make sure that your presentations tell a story to your audience. To check whether your slides provide a flowing narrative rather than a disjointed set of ideas, line up your slide titles (see Table 14.3 ). Ask yourself whether the slide titles move naturally through the nar- rative of your presentation. 25

Shannon chooses to set up most of her titles as questions, which is a strategy that elicits thought and engagement. Collectively, these questions address hallmark issues of stories, such as who? where? why? when? and how? The order of these slides also includes the elements of a classic narrative of persuasion: attention, need and solution, rationale, counterpoints, and call to action (see Chapter 9).

Setting out the titles in this storyboard approach helps you see which slides you really need. A common misperception of electronic slide presentations is that more is better. In fact, using fewer slides can help you tell the story more effectively. As one recruiter in a recent Wall Street Journal study stated, “Students seem to think a better

FIGURE 14.1

Avoiding Death by PowerPoint

I actively despise how people use PowerPoint as a crutch. I think PowerPoint can be a way to cover up sloppy thinking, which makes it hard to differentiate between good ideas and bad ideas. I would much rather have somebody write something longhand, send it in ahead of the meeting and then assume everybody’s read it, and then you start talking, and let them defend it. The question from the beginning of the meeting to the end of the meeting is, “Have we added value: yes or no?” And I would say that if the meeting is mostly the presentation of a deck of PowerPoint slides, you conveyed information, but you didn’t actually add value.

‐Cristóbal Conde, CEO of SunGard

I prefer that people not go through a slide deck. If you’re working in an area, and you are running a business, you ought to be able to stand up there and tell me about your business without referring to a big slide deck. When you are speaking, people should focus on you and focus on the message. They can’t walk away remembering a whole bunch of different things, so you have to have three or four really key messages that you take them through, and you remind them of what’s important.

‐James J. Schiro, director at Pepsico

Death by PowerPoint occurs because of the bullet trap. Speakers and presenters often reduce their presentations to series of bullets and thoughts in outline form. As a result, they often bore their audiences and lose connection with their audiences.

‐Ellen Finkelstein, communication specialist

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TABLE 14.3

Setting Up Slide Titles to Help You Make a Smooth, Logical Presentation

Slide # Title Story Line

1 Manufacturing in China: How Your Small Business Can Do It

Positive overarching theme in the title slide: You can do this.

2 Why China? Attention: shows benefits of manufacturing in China

3 What Are the Challenges? Need: shows challenges to small businesses in outsourcing manufacturing

4 What Does Sinosourcing Do for Small Companies Like Yours?

Solution: shows the benefits that Sinosourcing provides through its services

5 Who Works for Sinosourcing? Rationale/Counterpoints: describes who provides these services and why they are qualified; addresses concerns that Chinese managers are not sophisticated

6 How Does Sinosourcing Identify Suppliers and Manufacturers?

Rationale/Counterpoints: describes process for finding excellent suppliers and manufacturers; addresses concerns about manufacturing quality, labor practices, and safety standards

7 What’s the Sinosourcing Process? Rationale/Counterpoints: describes the process for Sinosourcing working with clients; addresses concerns that the process takes too long

8 We Want to Partner with You Call to Action: sets up invitation to get free cost estimate

grade is assigned based on the number of slides in a presentation. In real life, you have 10 minutes to present to management. If you can’t get the whole story in that time on two or three slides, you’re dead in your career.” 26

In Shannon’s presentation (see Figure 14.2 ), she uses a total of eight slides—one slide for every five to six minutes of her 45-minute presentation. As a rule, avoid show- ing more than one slide for every minute to two minutes of a presentation.

Design Your Slides for Ease of Processing In relation to speeches and presentations, you have likely heard of the KISS method: Keep it simple, stupid . Creat- ing simple presentations is a good strategy. However, a more overarching and effective strategy is to focus on ease of processing. Your goal is to take your often complex data, relationships, and ideas and illustrate and depict them in easy-to-learn ways. Consider the following approaches to facilitate ease of processing: 27

● Limit the amount of information on any given slide . Readers should be able to grasp the content within 10 to 15 seconds. For text, rarely should you use more than ten words per line and more than five to six lines.

● Use font sizes that all audience members can read easily . For titles, use at least 24- point fonts; for body text, use at least 18-point fonts.

● Focus on and highlight key information . Use bold, italics, and other formatting fea- tures to make key phrases or key components in figures stand out.

● Use plenty of white space . White space is effective for borders and between items and text on slides; it provides an uncluttered appearance.

● Use high-contrast backgrounds and colors . Make sure backgrounds do not obscure text. For dark text, use light backgrounds. For light text, use dark backgrounds.

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(C on

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432

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433

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434 Part Five Reports and Presentations

Technology Ti ps

ALTERNATIVES TO POWERPOINT In many work environments, PowerPoint slides have become the standard visual aid for presentations and meetings. Even if you’re great at using them, you might consider other types of visual aids and props to add impact, creativity, or simply variety to your presentations. Try other electronic slide and presentation software . Consider trying Prezi, Google Docs, SlideRocket, 280 Slides, or other soft- ware packages to see what you’re most comfortable with. Many presenters find that presentation software such as Prezi does not box them into bullet-point-based, linear presentations and provides more flexibility. Use smart boards, whiteboards , or chalkboards . The act of writing as you go with keyboards, markers, or chalk may allow you to engage your audience more effectively because you are pre- senting in the moment, avoiding the structure or order of electronic slides, and getting input from your audience as you go. Furthermore, you may find that drawing objects freehand allows you to depict ideas more accurately and forcefully than you can with the drawing tools in PowerPoint. Still, make sure you avoid spending too much time facing away from the audience. Experiment with new presentation technologies . Hundreds of new and emerging presentation technologies are social. In other words, they allow you to get information and feedback from your audience and incorporate it into your presentation. By experimenting with these technolo- gies, you’ll learn to tap into the incoming messages while also controlling your message or the conversation.

● Use compelling images in moderation . One of the basic reasons to use electronic slide presentations in the first place is to display images. You can use these images to convey powerful messages efficiently and with emotional power, especially for the visual learners in your audience. But make sure you are selective. Too many pic- tures, poor-quality pictures, or off-message pictures may detract from your message.

● Develop simple charts and diagrams . Charts and diagrams can be particularly help- ful for simplifying complex data relationships. Make sure to use charts and figures that the audience can process in a matter of seconds. Otherwise, they have to spend an excessive amount of time trying to understand the chart or diagram and they’re not paying attention to you. In some cases, they may give up and become annoyed.

● Get professional design help when possible . For high-stakes presentations, consider getting help from public relations or design specialists. If you are part of a large organization, you can often get this help internally. In many cases, well-designed templates may already exist. For smaller organizations, you may need to hire out- side help.

For advice from an expert, read the Communication Q&A with James Robertson on page 438.

Earlier in this chapter, you learned about the PREP method of providing rich ex- amples to support your positions. You also learned that you should create electronic slides with a story line approach. This section explains how you can apply a story line approach to your entire presentation and enhance your ability to connect with and influence others.

LO14.5 Use the story line approach to presentations.

Applying the Story Line Approach to Your Presentations

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Planning Presentations Chapter Fourteen 435

The story line approach is useful for various types of presentations because it allows your listeners to engage on a deeper level emotionally and intellectually. Emotionally, they often feel a bond with you as a speaker. Furthermore, they tend to internalize stories, even developing their own parallel stories that evoke commit- ment, determination, sympathy, and other emotions. However, stories are far more than emotional tools. Research shows that people remember stories more easily than they do abstract information, and they are more likely to act on what they hear via stories. 28

When James E. Rogers, president and CEO of Duke Energy, was asked, “What would you like business schools to teach more of, or less of?” he had this to say:

What I would really teach is how to write, and how to speak and make presentations. I’ve overused this term in this conversation, but it’s the ability to pull the salient facts together and tell a story, so that people feel it, sense it, they’re convinced by it, and want to do something because of it . My first full-time job, I worked at night as a newspaper reporter, going to school during the day. So, I really started out covering police news, and then federal courts and political news. And I really kind of developed a sense of the importance of trying to find the essence of the story and trying to arrange the facts in some chronology to make sense out of it. In a sense, as a CEO, part of my job is not only to help develop direction but to teach the storytelling. Those early years as a reporter gave me a sense of that in terms of how to tell the story, how to communicate. 29

Rogers is not the only business professional who emphasizes storytelling. Jathan Janove, who did extensive HR training about sexual harassment in the early to mid- 1990s, described his transition to storytelling for presentations. Penalties to employ- ers and employees had increased substantially, and his job was to explain new laws governing appropriate behavior. As he lectured employees, he found that they often resented the perceived intrusiveness of the new laws and the fear tactics of describing harsh penalties. And they found the lectures boring. Here is what Janove did:

It didn’t take a great leap to realize that this training wasn’t working, so I adopted a new approach, jettisoning scare-you-straight legal points. I substituted stories illustrating types of behaviors employees should avoid and how they unwittingly get themselves in trouble. Something amazing happened: Suddenly, the rooms were full of bright eyes. Discovering that telling stories is an excellent way to train employees about workplace law, I began collecting parables. 30

Janove further explained that once he adopted a story-based approach to business training, he became far more influential. Audiences listened more attentively, learned more, and changed their behaviors.

You can use stories in many kinds of business presentations. For example, Sally Herigstad, a CPA and consultant to MSN Money, spoke about using this strategy for delivering financial presentations:

Financial presentations tell a story. You’re not just showing a collection of profit-and-loss statements and balance sheets—you’re telling a story that your audience needs to hear. It may be a story of a new company with promising growth. Or maybe it’s a story about meeting market challenges. Whatever your story is, stick to it: Toss everything that doesn’t help you tell it in a compelling, easy-to-follow way. Tell your story with simplicity and clarity. 31

Typically, stories for business connect facts with people and their business goals. Ideally, they are true, factual, and based on real events. In some cases, they may be hy- pothetical, but listeners still must find them realistic and relevant. 32 Generally, stories for business include the following components: 33

● Plot: a business situation that involves challenges or tensions to overcome and a clear beginning and end.

● Setting: the time, place, characters, and context of the business situation.

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436 Part Five Reports and Presentations

● Resolution: a solution to the challenges or tensions. ● Moral or lesson: a point to the story.

In Figure 14.3 you’ll find a story Shannon uses for her presentation about outsourc- ing to China. It contains a plot, a setting, a resolution, and a moral. It speaks directly to a concern nearly all small-business owners have—laying off workers. This story is part of a larger story line that Shannon carries across her entire presentation.

For this job, I love the opportunity to travel around the country and meet so many small‐ business owners. One thing I’ve learned from these meetings is that small‐business owners care about their employees and that they are loyal to them. They know their employees on an entirely different level than executives at large companies do.

Most small‐business owners who are contemplating outsourcing manufacturing really suffer at the thought of laying off any of their employees. They can appreciate the business benefits – the cost savings, the potentially faster time to market, even the possibility of higher quality. Yet, they have a hard time swallowing the fact that they may have to shut down some or all of their manufacturing operations and put their valued employees out of jobs, especially in tough times like this. I suspect many of you have considered this painful possibility as well.

Throughout our conversation, I’ve mentioned the example of Marble Home Makeovers. The business manager there, Juan Hernandez, knew that they had to sell product for less if they were going to stay competitive. He worried they might even go out of business. I’ve already mentioned how successful they were in terms of turning around their business by moving some of their manufacturing to China. However, I haven’t mentioned the impacts on the employees.

Of course, Juan agonized over the thought of laying off up to 30 of his factory workers. Many of these employees were neighbors and close friends. Over half the factory workers had been with the company for over five years.

Ultimately, Juan made a plan that he felt made business sense but also was as fair as possible to employees. He retained ten of the employees to manufacture customized products for local customers, he moved five employees to office or service positions, and he had to lay off 15 employees. Although he was not required to do so, he gave two months of pay as severance to these laid‐off employees.

Within a year, the business grew so quickly that Juan hired nearly ten local community members into marketing and office positions, including two of the employees he had to lay off. He projects that if the company continues to do so well, within two to three years, they will have more local employees than they did prior to outsourcing some of the manufacturing positions to China.

Juan’s experience is common. Outsourcing does require some painful decisions. Yet, it does keep your business more competitive, and you may hire more local employees in the long run.

Plot: This plot is about how small-business owners can responsibly outsource manufacturing to China.

Setting: The setting focuses on Juan Hernandez at Marble Home Makeovers, an example Shannon has used elsewhere in her presentation. He makes a painful decision to lay off some workers and outsource some work to China to keep the business competitive.

Resolution: By outsourcing, the business grows, and Juan is able to hire more local employees.

Moral or lesson: In the long run, outsourcing keeps businesses competitive and may allow hiring more local employees.

At 426 words, this story would take roughly 21/2 to 3 minutes.

FIGURE 14.3

Telling Stories to Connect with and Influence Audience Members

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Planning Presentations Chapter Fourteen 437

Keep in mind that stories should be short. Even when audience members are engaged, their patience is limited. They expect to get the point quickly. Typically, stories should last 30 seconds to one minute. In some cases, a story can last two to three minutes. Use your judgment and pay attention to your audiences. To help you identify how long a story is, time it while you rehearse. Or write it out and estimate how much time it will take to tell. Most people are comfortable with speaking at about 150 to 160 words per minute (this is the pace of most audio books). So, a 75-word story takes roughly 30 seconds, and a 150-word story takes about one minute.

It takes time to gather true stories for your presentations, so be alert for good ones. Remember, the purpose is always to make a point, not to entertain. If the stories have entertainment value, that’s an added bonus.

Reviewing Your Presentations for Fairness and Effectiveness Review your presentations in the same way you review your written communications. In the first place, double-check every aspect of your supplementary materials as well as the technology you will use to ensure that it is perfect and working. Typos on elec- tronic slides can be a glaring display of carelessness. Also, seek feedback from col- leagues and clients before and after your presentations. Ask them how they would change the presentation to better meet their needs.

As with all of your communications, ask yourself how fair your business presenta- tions are. Is the content based on facts? Have you granted others access to your real motives and reasoning? Have you been forthright about impacts on audience members and other stakeholders? Have you ensured that you show respect for audience mem- bers (see Figure 14.4 )?

In Shannon’s case, she evaluates her presentation in each regard. In particular, she has provided claims about savings in manufacturing costs, improving quality control, and decreasing time to market for products. Shannon is comfortable with these claims.

LO14.6 Evaluate your presentations for fairness and effectiveness.

FIGURE 14.4

Are Your Presentations FAIR?

Facts (How factual is your presentation?) • Have you presented all the facts correctly? • Have you presented information that allows colleagues, customers, and consumers to make informed decisions that are in

their best interests? • Have you carefully considered various interpretations of your data? Have you assessed the quality of your information?

Access (How accessible or transparent are your motives, reasoning, and information?) • Are your motives clear, or will others think you have a hidden agenda? Have you made yourself accessible to others so

that they can learn more about your viewpoints? • Have you fully disclosed information that colleagues, customers, or consumers should expect to receive? • Are you hiding any information to cast your recommendations in a better light or real reasons for making certain claims or

recommendations?

Impacts (How does your communication impact stakeholders?) • Have you carefully considered how your ideas, products, and services will impact colleagues, customers, and

consumers? • Have you made recommendations to colleagues, customers, and consumers that are in their best interests?

Respect (How respectful is your presentation?) • Does the message offend or pressure in any way? Does it show that your colleagues’ and customers’ needs are

important? • Would a neutral observer consider your communication respectful?

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438 Part Five Reports and Presentations

Commu nicatio

n Q&A

James Robertson is vice president of Global Data Networks and Information Technology Security at Turner Broadcasting. He has worked at Turner Broadcasting for 15 years and runs a global operations team of over 200 IT professionals.

CONVERSATIONS WITH CURRENT BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

Pete Cardon: What types of presentations do you give? James Robertson: In the course of a year I typically give two or three “keynote” presentations at conferences or conventions and many internal presentations on strategy, business plans, or technology directions to people above and below me in the organization. Many of my presentations come in the form of general communication and update meetings to staff teams or working groups where I need to deliver a consistent and accurate message on a topic as their leader.

PC: How do you prepare for the presentations? JR: The key to a successful presentation is knowing your audience and practicing your mes- sage. Regardless of how big or small the group, make sure you spend plenty of time preparing. I dedicate many hours of practice to making sure that the 20 or 30 minutes I’ll have in front of them comes off without a hitch. The audience is always the wild card, but anticipating their response is important.

PC: In what ways do you see PowerPoint used effectively in the workplace? JR: Presentations resonate with me more when they convey a simple message. There is an old saying “a picture says a thousand words.” I recently delivered a presentation where I did not have a single word on any of the slides, but the pictures on those slides conveyed the message. Humans are very visual and experiential, and they retain visuals in memory more easily than they do words. While not all presentations are purely visual, the best ones I’ve ever seen, or have given, involved more use of graphics and pictures and less use of words and text.

PC: In what ways do you see PowerPoint used ineffectively in the workplace? JR: I hate presentations where the slides consist only of words or numbers or very complicated charts I can’t read at a distance or really understand. That’s the ultimate turnoff and will put your audience to sleep in a hurry.

See more of Mr. Robertson’s comments about presentations at the end of the next chapter .

The company has tracked the success of its clients for many years and identifies these claims as valid and accurate. She provides access to her motives: She wants to get new clients for Sinosourcing. She is also clear about impacts —even those that harm others—of outsourcing. For example, she tells seminar participants that outsourcing requires them to lay off employees in their communities (see Figure 14.3 ). Finally, Shannon is respectful in every way. For example, many of the seminar participants raise concerns based on misperceptions about manufacturing in China. She listens to them respectfully and corrects their misperceptions without sounding judgmental. For additional thoughts on delivering presentations from an experienced professional, read the Communication Q&A with James Robertson.

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Chapter Takeaway for Planning Presentations

LO 14.1. Describe how planning your presentations leads to credibility. ( pp. 419–420 ) Planning presentation content demonstrates your personal credibility.

It shows competence when you demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about.

It shows caring when you provide content that meets the needs of others.

It shows character when you provide honest and transparent content.

LO 14.2. Analyze presentation audiences in terms of message benefits, learning styles, and communicator styles. ( pp. 420–423 )

Principles of Audience Analysis Learner Types

Identify the following: ● Visual

● Auditory

● Kinesthetic ● Audience benefits

● Existing knowledge

● Concerns

● Decision makers

● Appeals

● Communicator style

● Learning style

LO 14.3. Organize and gather content for a preview, view, and review. ( pp. 423–427 )

AIM Planning Process Audience Analysis: Identify how the message benefits the audience and make it easy to process. Idea Development: Identify your presentation goals, key messages, and supporting details. Message Structuring: Give a preview of your message, justify your views, and end with a review.

Audience Analysis

Idea Development

Message Structuring

Components of Presentations: Preview, View, Review Types of Attention-Getters: Rhetorical Question, Vivid Example, Dramatic Demonstration, Testimonial or Quotation, Intriguing Statistic, Unexpected Exercise, Challenge

See examples of attention-getters in Table 14.1.

PREP Method: Position, Reasons, Example, Position

See an example of a PREP statement in Table 14.2.

LO 14.4. Develop effective slide presentations. ( pp. 427–434 )

Principles for Developing Slides

● Create a storyboard with your PowerPoint slide titles.

● Design your slides for ease of processing.

● Limit the amount of information on any given slide.

● Use font sizes that all audience members can read easily.

● Focus on and highlight key information.

● Use plenty of white space.

● Use high-contrast backgrounds and colors.

● Use compelling images, charts, and figures.

● Get professional design help when possible.

See less-effective and more-effective examples of slides in Figure 14.2.

LO 14.5. Use the story line approach to presentations. ( pp. 434–437 )

Components of Effective Stories for Business See an example of a story for business in Figure 14.3.Plot, Setting, Resolution of challenge, Moral

LO 14.6. Evaluate your presentations for fairness and effectiveness. ( pp. 437–438 )

Reviewing Process FAIR Test: Focus on presenting factual information and being clear about impacts on others. Proofreading: Make sure your electronic slides, handouts, and other supplementary materials are perfect. Feedback: Ask colleagues and clients what they would like you to change about your presentation.

FAIR Test

Proofreading Feedback

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440 Part Five Reports and Presentations

auditory learners (p. 422) kinesthetic learners (p. 422) positioning statement (p. 425)

PREP method (p. 426) preview (p. 423) review (p. 426)

view (p. 426) visual learners (p. 422)

Key Terms

14.1 Chapter Review Questions (LO 14.1, LO 14.2, LO 14.3, LO 14.4, LO 14.5, LO 14.6)

For each of the following items, respond with one or two paragraphs.

A. Explain why presenters must be aware of audience members’ chief concerns.

B. Discuss the importance of knowing which people in an audi- ence are decision makers.

C. Describe how presentations can be adapted to people of dif- ferent communicator and learning styles.

D. Discuss the value of identifying just a few takeaway messages. E. Explain the role of the preview, view, and review in

presentations. F. Describe common types of attention-getters. Explain the two

types that you generally consider most effective. G. Identify common types of support materials for presentations. H. Explain principles of effective electronic slide use for

presentations. I. Describe the story line approach to presentations.

14.2 Communication Q&A Discussion Questions (LO 14.2, LO 14.4, LO 14.5)

Read the Communication Q&A section with comments from James Robertson. Respond to the following questions:

A. What does Robertson say about preparing for presentations? B. What tips does he give for connecting with the audience? C. What does he say about effective and ineffective electronic

slide presentations? D. Why does he prefer visual slides over text- or number-heavy

slides?

14.3 Using Stories for Presentations (LO 14.5)

Read the following quotation from Stephen Denning:

These days, command-and-control approaches are unlikely to generate pos- itive responses in employees, let alone the marketplace. The era when top managers could simply give orders and expect their will to be done has long gone. As a result, leaders have turned to storytelling to overcome barriers to communication. Since time immemorial, human beings have used stories to spread religions, win support for political agendas or launch wars. And as we look around the business world, stories are everywhere. Managers think in stories, they remember in stories, they plan in stories, they express hopes and fears and dreams in stories, and they make decisions in stories. Story- telling is already part of our world.

Moreover, storytelling is not a rare skill possessed by a few people born with the gift of gab. All human beings start spontaneously telling stories at age 2 and go on doing it for the rest of their lives. They tell stories effort- lessly in social settings. Leadership storytelling involves taking a capacity that people already have and applying it for constructive purposes. Anyone can master the discipline. 34

Based on Denning’s comments and your own experiences, re- spond to each of the following items:

A. Why are stories an effective communication tool compared to command-and-control approaches?

B. What are some steps people can take to become effective storytellers?

C. What are some of the risks of storytelling?

14.4 Overcoming “Death by PowerPoint” (LO 14.4)

James E. Rogers of Duke Energy was asked, “What would you like business schools to teach more of, or less of?”

I believe there is such a thing as death by PowerPoint. Because I believe, and this is the storyteller in me and maybe the former newspaper reporter, that I’d much rather have someone write a two-page summary of what they’re thinking. When you’re forced to sit and write it, not only are you getting the subject, verb, predicates right, but you’re tying the sentences together and ideas together. PowerPoints are just bullets, bullets, bullets, and when you ac- tually have to write something, you start to develop a more cohesive logic. I think words really make a difference—what you say, how you say it. A lot of energy needs to go into how you present the idea. And I’m not talking about spin. I’m really talking about making the idea come alive through a story. 35

Based on these comments, respond to each of the following items:

A. What are some specific ways in which you think PowerPoint lowers the level of effective business thinking?

B. What are some specific ways that you can alter the design of electronic slide presentations to bring out good business thinking?

C. What do you think is the difference between spin and story in a business presentation?

14.5 Avoiding Bad PowerPoint Presentations (LO 14.4)

Read the various comments by business leaders in Figure 14.1 . Re- spond to the following questions with one or two paragraphs each:

A. What are the key points that these leaders make about PowerPoints?

B. For each key theme or key point you’ve identified, make coun- terpoints. Explain another perspective on the issue and/or explain how to use PowerPoint slides without encountering this problem.

Discussion Exercises

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Planning Presentations Chapter Fourteen 441

14.6 Evaluating an Electronic Slide Presentation (LO 14.4)

Find an electronic slide presentation you are interested in on the SlideShare website (www.slideshare.net). In three to five para- graphs, describe the following:

A. The electronic slide presentation. B. Use of white space. C. Use of charts, diagrams, and other figures. D. Use of pictures and other images.

E. Use of text. F. Three recommendations to improve the electronic slide

presentation.

14.7 Self-Assessment: Your Approach to Planning Presentations (LO 14.2, LO 14.3, LO 14.4)

Evaluate yourself with regard to each of the practices listed in the table below. Circle the appropriate number for each.

Evaluation Exercises

Statement 1 – Rarely/Never 2 – Sometimes 3 – Usually 4 – Always

I carefully select two or three key messages that I want to get across for my presentations.

1 2 3 4

I design my presentations so that nearly every aspect leads back to one of my main points.

1 2 3 4

I repeat my main points at least several times during a presentation.

1 2 3 4

I provide an overview at the beginning of my presentations that includes my key messages.

1 2 3 4

I think carefully about how my key messages meet the needs of my audiences.

1 2 3 4

I think carefully about how to adapt my key messages to the preferred communicator styles of my audience members.

1 2 3 4

I think carefully about how to adapt my key messages to the preferred learning styles of my audience members.

1 2 3 4

I provide enough support materials to make my key messages convincing.

1 2 3 4

I speak with confidence about my key messages.

1 2 3 4

I conclude with a call to action that is built upon my key messages.

1 2 3 4

Add up your score and consider the following advice:

35–40: You are a strategic, other-oriented presenter . You think about how to prepare and deliver a presen- tation that meets the needs of others. Continue with such awareness of the impact of your written messages.

30–34: You are a careful, considerate presenter . You spend some time thinking about the content of your mes- sage and the needs of your audience members. Take time to think your message through even more

carefully and pay close attention to the needs and potential responses to your written messages by audience members.

25–29: You are an average presenter. Sometimes you are careful about developing your message and con- siderate of the needs and reactions of others. Other times you are not. Get in the habit of taking time to carefully craft your message.

Under 25: You need to improve your approach to present- ing. You likely don’t spend enough time thinking

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442 Part Five Reports and Presentations

through the key messages and their impacts on others. You will be far more influential if you spend more time preparing your messages and delivering them with your audience members in mind.

Once you complete the assessment, write three paragraphs about the three specific ways in which you can improve your ability to prepare and deliver your key messages in presentations.

14.8 Evaluating Learning and Communicator Styles (LO 14.2)

Based on the descriptions of communicator styles (sensers, feelers, thinkers, intuitors) and learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) described in the “Analyze Your Audience” section of this chapter, do the following:

A. Describe your learning and communicator styles (you may consider yourself a combination of various styles).

B. Discuss how your learning and communicator styles may im- pact how you prefer to receive presentations.

C. Discuss how your learning and communicator styles may im- pact how you plan and deliver presentations.

D. Explain a few ways you can adapt your presentation style to learning and communicator styles other than your own.

14.9 Interviewing a Business Professional about Planning for Presentations (LO 14.1, LO 14.2, LO 14.3, LO 14.4)

Interview a business professional about best practices in planning business presentations. Write four to five paragraphs about the in- terview and address the following issues:

A. Planning themes and key points. B. Adapting the presentation to the needs and preferences of the

audience. C. Using attention-getters or other strategies to engage the audi-

ence in the opening moments. D. Preparing examples and support for key ideas. E. Developing electronic slides and handouts. F. Using technology.

14.10 Conducting a FAIR Test of a Recent Presentation (LO 14.6)

Think about a presentation you made recently. Assess how you did in terms of the following:

A. Did you present the facts correctly? B. Did you present all the relevant facts? C. Did you present any information that would be considered

misleading? D. Did you make your motives clear, or will others perceive that

you have a hidden agenda? E. Did you hide any of the real reasons for making certain

claims or recommendations? F. Did you seek the opinions and ideas of those impacted by

your communication? G. Did you think about how your communication will help or

even hurt others? H. Would others consider your presentation respectful?

14.11 Planning Attention-Getters (LO 14.3)

Using Table 14.1 as a guide, do the following:

A. Identify a topic for a presentation. B. Write how you could use each type of attention-getter: rhe-

torical question, vivid example, dramatic demonstration, testi- monial or quotation, intriguing statistics, unexpected exercise, and challenge.

C. Explain the three approaches you believe would be most effective.

14.12 Creating Positioning and Preview Statements (LO 14.3)

A. Identify a topic for a presentation. B. Write a positioning statement. C. Write a preview statement.

14.13 Employing the PREP Method to Take Positions (LO 14.3)

Identify a key position that you intend to make during your presen- tation. Using Table 14.2 as a guide, write out how you could use the PREP (Position—Reasons—Example—Position) method to effectively convey this position to your audience.

Application Exercises 14.14 Creating a Storyboard for Your Presentation (LO 14.4)

Identify a topic of interest. Create a storyboard (similar to the one displayed in Table 14.3 ) to outline the titles, content, and related story line of your PowerPoint slides.

14.15 Creating Electronic Slides (LO 14.4)

Create an electronic slide presentation for your topic of interest. Ensure that it conveys your key messages effectively.

14.16 Creating Electronic Slides from Reports (LO 14.4)

Many times in the workplace, you will create a written report and provide an oral presentation as well. Select a written report and de- velop a set of electronic slides that could be used to present it. If you have not developed your own report, consider the following options:

● A report or other written message in the textbook. For ex- ample, you could consider the following: Green Meetings in Chapter 13 or Guest Satisfaction Ratings among Conference Attendees in Chapter 13.

● An annual report from a company of interest. ● A white paper from a company of interest.

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Planning Presentations Chapter Fourteen 443

Endnotes 1. Thomas Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Pre- sentations, 3rd ed. (New York: American Management Association, 2004): 9–10.

2. Lin Grensing-Pophal, “Presentations That Sell without Offending,” Society for Human Resource Management website (July 1, 2004).

3. Harry Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presenta- tions That Sizzle and Sell (New York: AMACOM, 2007).

4. Nick Morgan, “Reach Audience Members Where They Learn,” Harvard Management Communication Letter (May 2002): 9.

5. Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell .

6. Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations.

7. Ibid.

8. Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell .

9. This section is adapted from the work of Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell .

10. Dana LaMon, “Making the Moment Meaningful,” Toastmaster online (November 2007), available at www.toastmasters.org/ ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2007/November/ MomentMeaningful.aspx.

11. Stephen Denning, The Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action through Narrative (San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2007).

12. Ibid.

13. Ibid.

14. Nick Morgan, “Opening Options: How to Grab Your Audience’s Attention: Six Great Ways to Begin a Presentation,” Harvard Manage- ment Communication Letter (June 2003): 3–4.

15. Denning, The Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action through Narrative .

16. Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations .

17. Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell .

18. Roly Grimshaw, “Communication by Numbers,” Harvard Management Communication Letter 8 no. 3 (2005): 3–4.

19. Nick Morgan, “How to Put Together a Great Speech When You’re Under the Gun ,” Harvard Management Communication Letter (September 2003): 3–4.

20. Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presenta- tions ; Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell .

21. Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell .

22. Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations .

23. New York Times Corner Office Blog, “Communication,” retrieved June 15, 2010, from http://projects.nytimes.com/corner-office/ Communication; New York Times Corner Office Blog, “Simplicity,”

retrieved June 15, 2010, from http://projects.nytimes.com/corner -office/Simplicity; Stephen M. Kosslyn, Clear and to the Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007): 1; Ellen Finkelstein, “Side- step the PowerPoint Trap,” Toastmaster online (May 2009), available at www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/ 2009/May/SidestepPowerPoint.aspx.

24. Judith Humphrey, “You Are the Best Visual,” Harvard Manage- ment Communication Letter (October 2011): 10–11.

25. Grimshaw, “Communication by Numbers.”

26. Ronald Alsop, “Poor Writing Skills Top M.B.A. Recruiter Gripes,” The Wall Street Journal , January 17, 2006.

27. Kosslyn, Clear and to the Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations; Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations; Sally Herigstad, “Giving Effec- tive Financial Presentations with PowerPoint,” Toastmaster online (July 2008), available at www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ ToastmasterArchive/2008/July/PresentationswithPowerPoint.aspx; Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell.

28. John Seely Brown, Stephen Denning, Katalina Groh, and Laurence Prusak, Storytelling in Organizations: Why Storytelling Is Transforming 21st Century Organizations and Management (Burling- ton, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005); Roger C. Schank, Tell Me a Story: A New Look at Real and Artificial Memory (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1990); Walter Swap, Dorothy Leonard, Mimi Shields, and Lisa Abrams, “Using Mentoring and Storytelling to Transfer Knowledge in the Workplace,” Journal of Management Information Systems 18, no. 1 (2001): 95–114; Michael W. McLaughlin, “Getting Clout from Speaking Engagements,” Society for Human Resource Management website (May 5, 2010); Judith Tingley, “Walk- ing a Fine Line: How Much Personal Information Should Speakers Share?” Toastmaster online (March 2009), available at www .toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2009/ March/Walking-a-Fine-Line.aspx; Jathan Janove, “A Story Is Worth a Thousand Lectures,” HR Magazine 54, no. 7 (July 1, 2009) [online version]; Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presenta- tions That Sizzle and Sell .

29. New York Times Corner Office Blog, “Communication.”

30. Janove, “A Story Is Worth a Thousand Lectures.”

31. Herigstad, “Giving Effective Financial Presentations with PowerPoint.”

32. David Armstrong, Managing by Storying Around (New York: Doubleday, 1992).

33. Adapted from Robert F. Dennehy, “The Executive as Storyteller,” Management Review 88, no. 3 (1999): 40–43; Roger C. Schank, Tell Me a Story: A New Look at Real and Artificial Memory (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1990).

34. Stephen Denning, “Stories in the Workplace,” Society for Human Resource Management website (October 1, 2008).

35. New York Times Corner Office Blog, “Communication.”

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After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

LO15.1 Describe how presentation delivery impacts your credibility.

LO15.2 Deliver presentations with authenticity, confidence, and influence.

LO15.3 Apply the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication for presentations.

LO15.4 Use slides and handouts to supplement your presentation effectively.

LO15.5 Interact effectively with your audience.

Learning Objectives

Delivering Presentations C

h a

p t

er F

if t

ee n

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Chapter Case: Attracting New Clients at Sinosourcing Experts

Who’s Involved

The Situation

Shannon has prepared a new presentation about how Sinosourcing Experts can help small manufac- turers outsource some of their manufacturing in China. Now she is ready to try it on several groups of small-business owners and managers. She’s nervous, though, and uncertain about the outcome.

Why Does T his Matter?

Once you’ve settled on the content of your presentation, you turn to preparing for the delivery. Delivering great presentations involves art and skill. With each of your professional presentations, you’ll fine-tune your abilities. In this chapter, we focus on making your delivery as smooth and engaging as possible so that you will success- fully connect with your audiences. Read the chapter case, which is a continuation from Chapter 14 and is the basis for many examples in this chapter. ?

Shannon Browne • Has worked as a sales rep at Sinosourcing Experts for five months • Recently graduated with a major in supply chain management and a minor in Chinese

Task 1 Connect with audiences, gaining their trust and

confidence.

Task 2 Deliver a persuasive and memorable explanation

of the benefits of working with Sinosourcing.

Establish Presence Presenting gives you an excellent opportunity to connect deeply with your colleagues, your clients, and your other contacts. It allows you to express your views in a rich, two- way environment. As you do with your written communication, you will aim to strike the right style and tone in your presentations. Moreover, you will strive to establish a “presence,” something great speakers and presenters are often described as doing. Hav- ing presence means commanding attention, garnering respect for your ideas, engaging your listeners, and even inspiring your audiences to action. In this section, we focus on strategies you can use to enhance your presence as you deliver your presentations.

Establish Credibility For internal presentations, you often present to people who know you well and who have already formed opinions about your credibility; they have a sense of your competence, caring, and character. However, internal presentations still provide you the opportunity

LO15.1 Describe how presentation delivery impacts your credibility.

Hear Pete Cardon explain why this

matters.

bit.ly.com/CardonWhy15

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446 Part Five Reports and Presentations

to change others’ views of you. Without appearing self-serving, find ways to increase your perceived credibility. Use the presentation to show your thorough understanding of a business issue. Frame your ideas in ways that show clear benefits to your company, its employees, and its stakeholders. In every way, display honesty and openness.

For external presentations, you are often dealing with people who have superficial impressions of your credibility. You have opportunities before, during, and after your presentation to bolster your credibility. Before the presentation, you can make infor- mation about your background available or have someone introduce you with a brief statement.

During the presentation, you establish your competence by showing that you know the content well. You show your caring by connecting emotionally with audience mem- bers and adapting to their needs. You show your character by being open and honest. After your presentation, following up as appropriate with audience members shows your caring and character as well. Some audience members may raise issues for you to look into or ask for additional information. Comply with these requests promptly and you will establish a reputation for responsiveness.

Maintain Authenticity Standing in front of an audience feels anything but natural for many business profes- sionals. Yet, nearly all audience members are making judgments about you and your message based on their perceptions of your authenticity. One of your primary goals as you develop your presentation skills is to find ways to present your real self to your audiences. Barbara De Angelis, a well-known communication specialist and speaker, explained the importance of maintaining authenticity:

I often work with speakers who can’t understand why they aren’t more successful, or why they become so anxious in front of others. Often, they make the mistake of trying to imitate other speakers who they believe are more powerful or more skilled, or they mechanically follow learned formulas for successful public speaking. However, by doing this, they are unintentionally disconnecting from one of their greatest assets—and one of the secret ingredients for being successful: their authenticity. . . . People can sense when we are trying too hard, or faking confidence, or projecting an image that doesn’t feel natural. When people see us appearing inauthentic, it makes them uneasy. And we actually appear awkward or nervous. 1

As you read this chapter about presentation delivery, focus on making a few changes at a time. Attempting to alter too many of your presentation techniques at once may detract from your ability to speak naturally and genuinely. Add new presentation techniques to your repertoire constantly, but also make sure to draw on your natural strengths.

Know Your Material and Rehearse By running through your presentations several times, you allow yourself to become more comfortable with the content, work out weakly connected areas, and identify parts that you want to emphasize through tone and nonverbal communication. Also, rehearsing allows you to time your presentation so you know if you need to add or remove content.

Far too many speakers and presenters avoid rehearsing. The presentation itself is often the first run-through. Executive speech coach Nick Morgan observed the follow- ing about this approach:

The sad truth is that when you wing it, the performance is rarely as good in the audience’s memory as it is in the speaker’s. The reason is that your heightened adrenaline literally makes you feel better—more energy, more enthusiasm, more acuity—and so you rate your own performance better. What the audience all too often sees, on the other hand, is disorganization, fumbled examples, and the vagueness that comes from not knowing your material thoroughly. 2

LO15.2 Deliver presentations with authenticity, confidence, and influence.

Principles for Establishing Presence

• Establish credibility. • Maintain

authenticity. • Know your

material. • Speak with

confidence. • Focus on people. • Start and finish

strong. • Stay flexible. • Use the room to

your advantage. • Communicate

nonverbally. • Dress for success.

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Delivering Presentations Chapter Fifteen 447

Rehearsing may involve running through the presentation in your mind or out loud. Ideally, you do it out loud. Consider videotaping your presentation so that you can get a sense of the overall impact of your ideas, the flow of your content, and the delivery of your presentation.

Many speakers and presenters use notes. Notes are not necessarily considered a weakness; however, use them sparingly or, ideally, not at all. Rehearsing will help you determine if you want or need notes. If you use them, rehearsing helps you choose which notes you need and allows you to become comfortable handling your notes in a nondistracting way.

Overcome Fear and Speak with Confidence Nearly everyone gets nervous and even fearful of presenting in public, especially in unpredictable and high-stakes circumstances. Many polls show that adults fear pub- lic speaking more than death. Responding to these various polls, Jerry Seinfeld once joked, “At a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.” 3 Other polls show that public speaking is among the most serious phobias among adults, with the fear of snakes the only phobia surpassing it (see Figure 15.1 ). 4

Experiencing some nervousness as you speak and present is normal. Even expe- rienced speakers get stage fright from time to time. Unexpected circumstances, for example, may cause unusual nervousness—unfamiliar or intimidating audience mem- bers, technology failure, pressure to perform with a skeptical audience, noticing the speech is being recorded, and many other reasons. 5

Feeling some nerves is not necessarily bad. It shows you care about making an effective presentation. And feeling some nerves can heighten your ability to de- liver forcefully and passionately. Nervousness is dysfunctional only when it im- pairs your ability to deliver your content. In most presentations, certain parts are the most critical—for example, a call to action (see Chapter 14)—and at the same time, they have the least-certain outcome. Sometimes, out of nervousness, present- ers do not follow through completely at these moments. If nervousness means you

FIGURE 15.1

Top Fears of American Adults Source: Geoffrey Brewer, “Snakes Top List of Americans’ Fears: Public Speaking, Heights and Being Closed in Small Spaces also Create Fear in Many Americans” (March 19,2001), retrieved from Gallup Polls online, http://www. gallup.com/poll/1891/snakes- top-list-americans-fears.aspx. Copyright © 2001 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. The content is used with permission; however, Gallup retains all rights of republication.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

The dark

Going to the doctor

Thunder and lightning

Dogs

Crowds

Flying on an airplane

Mice

Needles and getting shots

Spiders and insects

Being closed in a small space

Heights

Public speaking

Snakes

Percentage of Americans Who Say They Are Fearful

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shortchange yourself at those critical moments, use techniques to help you manage your nervousness. 6

Consider some of the following recommendations: 7

Engage in Relaxation Techniques Consider some of the following options:

● Stretching. ● Meditating. ● Going hiking or exercising (a day or so

before your presentation). ● Listening to music. ● Going to a movie.

● Watching a sunset. ● Thinking about the things in your life

you are grateful for, such as your cher- ished relationships.

● Letting your mind go blank. ● Counting backward from 100.

Become Aware of Your Breathing Taking several deep breaths is a great technique to quickly alleviate anxiety. Also, consistently taking full breaths leads to improved tone and timber of your voice as well as better, more confident posture.

Practice Visualization Envision yourself speaking with confidence and ease. Imagine making nonverbal connections with your audience. Think about how you will respond to audience questions. In your mind, play out your presentation and see your- self succeeding.

Focus on Friendly Faces Initially to Gain Composure and Confidence Inevitably, the presence of some audience members will make you more nervous than others. It may be a critical boss, a skeptical client, a person you disagree with often, or someone who intimidates you for other reasons. In the opening moments of your presentation, when you are most apt to suffer from nervousness, look at those in the audience with whom you are most friendly. This will help calm you dur- ing those ever-important first moments.

Watch Your Food and Beverage Intake Pay attention to foods and bev- erages that impact your nervousness. Some people avoid or minimize caffeine intake on speech days to avoid jitters. Others avoid dairy products, since they can coat the mouth and throat and make speaking feel less smooth. Notice how various foods and beverages affect your body and adjust accordingly.

Get Comfortable with Audience Members before Starting Your Presentation One of the best ways of relaxing immediately before your presen- tation is to speak with audience members. Greet them at the door, walk around the room, engage in small talk, and find other ways to break the ice and help you and your audience members warm up to each other.

Focus on People If you make your speech about people, your audience members are more likely to trust your commitment to them and others: People like to hear about people. Also, a strong people-focus will allow you to liven up dry facts and statistics. Try the following meth- ods of making your speech about people. 8

Make People the Subject of Your Sentences Especially when you present numerical information, using people as the subjects of your sentences human- izes your presentation. Notice how Shannon does this in Table 15.1 .

Introduce Colleagues and Refer to Them by Name during Your Presentation By naming members in your organization or other relevant people,

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TABLE 15.1

Making People the Subject of Your Sentences

Less Effective More Effective

Our internal research shows that we have achieved an 82 percent client satisfaction rate in terms of perceived quality improvement since moving operations to China.

Our quality inspectors consistently survey our clients to make sure we’re getting the right fit for them. The vast majority of our clients—82 percent—say that quality has improved since moving production to China.

This statement is compelling but dry and impersonal to some audience members.

This statement is compelling because of the people involved: the quality inspectors who conduct the surveys and the clients who are happy with quality improvements.

TABLE 15.2

Introducing Colleagues by Name

Less Effective More Effective

Our engineers have extensive experience in the Chinese manufacturing environment.

Our engineers collectively have over 80 years of experience in the Chinese manufacturing environment. For example, our lead engineer, Jack Chang, completed his master’s degree in engineering at the University of Kentucky and has spent the past 15 years in outsourced manufacturing in China. Jack knows exactly how to identify manufacturers and suppliers to meet your standards.

This statement is good but could be improved by elaborating on who these engineers are.

This statement is stronger with its focus on Jack Chang and his experience. It helps some listeners relate to and even develop a feeling of trust for the company’s engineers.

TABLE 15.3

Using Names of Audience Members

Less Effective More Effective

It’s common for small-business owners to think about manufacturing in China for years without taking any real action.

Just a few minutes ago, I was speaking to Jim here in the front row. He mentioned that he’s thought about the possibilities in China for over a decade. Five years ago, he went on a local Chamber of Commerce trip to China but ended up thinking his company simply didn’t have the time or money to explore this option any further. Jim’s experience is common. Many small-business owners have wondered about manufacturing in China but never thought it was possible for them.

This statement is good but is not personalized. It is essentially a “faceless” comment and thus may be less persuasive.

This statement makes the point in a personalized, relatable manner. It shows the presenter is connected to the experiences of the audience.

you help your audience members feel they are getting to know these important indi- viduals (see Table 15.2 ).

Use Names of Audience Members as Appropriate When you know the names of those in your audience, consider using their names from time to time to personalize your presentation (see Table 15.3 ).

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Stay Flexible Presentations rarely go as planned. Knowing your content perfectly will help you adapt to unexpected circumstances. Maintaining a flexible approach will help you think on your feet for unanticipated events. Consider the following ways of staying flexible.

Arrive Early Arriving early lets you notice if you have any surprises in terms of equipment, room layout, or people in attendance. If so, you may be able to make adjustments before the presentation begins. When presenting in a place you’ve never been before, arrive at least an hour or two early.

Focus on the Needs of Your Audience Some presentations can get off course when audience members raise questions or make comments. If you are preoc- cupied with your own agenda only, you can become flustered or disorganized if some- one poses a question. Be ready to adapt to the immediate needs of your audience so you can quickly modify your presentation based on their requests. If you spend time anticipating possible questions, you will generally be prepared to answer them at any point in your presentation and segue back into the flow.

When You Lose Your Place, Don’t Panic All presenters inevitably lose their train of thought from time to time. When this happens, you can try a few strate- gies. One is simply to pause until you regain your composure and your line of think- ing. Within a few seconds, you will often get back on target. What seems like an eternity to you will be but a short pause to audience members. Many audience mem- bers will not even notice you lost your place. Another strategy is to repeat the last statement you made (five or six words). Doing so will help you regain your thought process.

Never Tell Your Audience Things Haven’t Gone as Expected Many presenters instinctively tell the audience about problems that have disrupted the pre- sentation (i.e., technology failures, misplaced handouts). Resist the urge to mention these mishaps. To many audience members, this sounds like excuse-making and de- tracts from your key messages and/or your credibility. Most audience members will never know that anything out of the ordinary happened if you simply proceed with slightly modified plans.

Always Have a Plan B If you have electronic slides to display, be prepared for a situation where the projector does not work and you need to speak without them. If you recognize factual problems in your handouts at the last moment, be prepared to present without them. Know ahead of time how you’ll present under these situations.

Know What Your Key Messages Are You can often leave out parts of your presentations as necessary with little change in impact as long as you know your three or four key messages and accentuate them throughout your presentation.

Use the Room to Your Advantage You will inevitably present in rooms of various sizes and layouts. Generally, you con- nect with your audiences best if you position yourself close to them and establish eye contact with them. Consider the following advice.

Position Yourself Where People Can See You Easily Walk around the room before your presentation to check the vantage points that various audience members will have. After you do this, you can generally determine where you can stand to get the most eye contact with your audience. Also, think about how you can be closest to them. If your audience members have taken all the back seats and left the

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front seats empty, move closer to them to reduce the spatial barrier. Or, politely ask your audience members to move forward to the front of the room.

Move Around But Avoid Distracting the Audience During presenta- tions of more than five to ten minutes, you can keep the audience more engaged by moving around the room. This draws the focus to you and allows you to gain spatial proximity with most of your audience members at some point during your presenta- tion. However, some movements can be distracting. For example, excessive pacing may show that you’re nervous. Or, since you will likely be standing and your audience members will likely be seated, getting too close may make them feel that you are hov- ering over them.

Use Podiums and Tables Strategically Many rooms are set up with po- diums or tables, where presenters can place notes and other materials. Standing behind a podium or table can help you project authority and add to the formality of the pre- sentation. If you do use a podium to achieve these goals, make sure you stand upright. Avoid leaning on or gripping the podium, which indicates nervousness. Also, consider whether a podium, table, or other object placed between you and your audience creates a barrier to connection. If you stand in front of the podium or table, you can get closer to your audience physically. As a result, you may achieve a more friendly, accessible, and casual tone.

Communicate Nonverbally Your audience members consciously and subconsciously make a variety of judgments about your credibility and your message based on your nonverbal behavior. Gary Genard, president of Public Speaking International, had this to say about nonverbal communication:

How comfortable a speaker is in his own skin, how he stands and moves, how he looks at others in the room, his tone of voice, even the clothes he wears—together, these variables constitute a constant flow of data running underneath whatever the speaker is saying . . . leaders know how to move boldly and decisively. There is nothing tentative about their movements and gestures—instead, they literally command the space through which they move. 9

Consider the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication in your presentations: smile, open stance, forward lean, tone, eye contact, and nod. By focusing on these non- verbal behaviors, you can display confidence and strength while also showing warmth and concern. 10

Smile Use your facial expressions to connect with your audience members and show your enthusiasm for your topic. Audience members are more likely to warm up to you when you put forth positive, can-do emotion.

Open Stance Most people consider an open stance as more warm and inviting. Excessively putting your hands on your hips, folding your arms, crossing your legs, and gripping a podium or other objects closes you off from some people and implies less warmth. Keeping your arms to your sides or gesturing with palms up is more invit- ing to the audience.

Forward Lean Facing your audience directly with a slight forward lean and up- right posture shows confidence and interest. By contrast, leaning back, slouching, and lowering one’s shoulders imply timidity and lack of confidence.

Tone Use your voice to express enthusiasm or other intended emotion. To make sure everyone in the room can hear the confidence of your message, project your voice adequately. Also, speak at a reasonable pace. Rushing your presentations is often a sign

LO15.3 Apply the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication for presentations.

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of nervousness. First impressions of self-confidence and empathy often come from a slower rate of speaking with fewer gestures. 11 On the other hand, many audience mem- bers tune out when you speak too slowly and may even think you are unprepared.

Evaluating your own voice is difficult, since the voice you hear is not what your listeners hear. 12 Consider recording your voice so you can evaluate your tone and pace. Also, ask people you trust to evaluate the tone, pace, and emotion conveyed by your voice during presentations.

Eye Contact Maintaining eye contact with your audience is among the most im- portant forms of nonverbal communication. It creates an immediate sense of connec- tion when you meet audience members eye to eye. The very act of keeping eye contact forces you to think about your listeners. It helps you evaluate and adjust your presenta- tion as you observe your audience members’ reactions. Perhaps most important, eye contact facilitates trust. Many people partially judge the truthfulness of a message from eye contact. 13

Nod Use gestures that show affirmation and acceptance of your audience members. For example, nodding indicates that you agree or recognize the value of what others say. Gesture with your hands, arms, body, and head to achieve positive connections with your audience. Attempt to read your audience and get a sense for how much energy they have. Research shows that morning speakers should have medium energy and match most audiences’ lower energy levels with a conversational tone. Afternoon and evening speakers can increase their expressiveness and energy. 14

Remember to be natural. While you can improve your nonverbal communication to better connect with your audience, it takes time. Try out new forms of nonverbal communication incrementally. And be aware that people often misread body language. The more you pay attention to your audience’s reactions, the more you will be able to identify how people respond to your nonverbal communication. 15

Dress for Success Business professionals are frequently advised to dress for success, especially for im- portant events such as speeches and presentations. How you dress can make a big im- pact on how others perceive you. In a recent survey, 41 percent of employers stated that employees who dressed professionally were more likely to be promoted. This figure rises to 55 percent in certain industries, such as financial services. 16

Most attire can be placed on a continuum from formal to casual. Common cat- egories along this continuum are formal business, business casual, and casual. For- mal business dress, at one end of the continuum, is intended to project executive presence and seriousness. It is distinguished by business suits, typically dark and conservative, accompanied by collared, button-down dress shirts. For men, neckties are essential.

Business casual dress is one step down in formality along the continuum. It is intended to project a more comfortable, relaxed feel while still maintaining a high standard of professionalism. Business casual dress is interpreted broadly and varies significantly by location and company. As a result, business casual can be divided into high-level business casual and low-level business casual. In Figure 15.2 , you can see three levels of attire: formal business, high-level business casual, and low-level busi- ness casual. Business casual dress is probably the most common form of dress in the workplace today, with 43 percent of adults in a recent survey identifying that as their typical workplace attire. 17

Casual dress is the least formal option. It is rare in a business-related setting. 18 While some companies have implemented casual Fridays, nearly half of executives and managers feel that employees dress too casually on these days. 19 If your company allows casual Fridays, make sure your attire continues to project a professional image.

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Formal Business

Men Tailored business suits Dress shirts Neckties Leather shoes

Women Tailored business suit with pants or skirt Dress shirts Hosiery or socks Leather shoes

Business Casual (high-level)

Men Suit coats, sports coats, or blazers Button-down collar shirts Neckties optional Leather shoes

Women Pantsuits and tailored separates Closed-toe or closed-heel shoes

Business Casual (low-level)

Men Button-down collar shirts or polo-type shirts Khakis or chinos Leather belts and shoes Conservative footwear

Women* Dress shirt Dress pants or skirt Conservative footwear

*Standards for women vary more than for men.

FIGURE 15.2

Formality of Workplace Attire

Your attire, and the level of formality you choose, projects a range of messages (see Figure 15.3 ). Generally, formal business attire projects authority and competence, high-level business casual is associated with productivity and trustworthiness, and low-level business casual is associated with creativity and friendliness. 20

For business presentations, you should generally dress up slightly more formally than your audience. Also, consider the messages you intend to send. Younger profes- sionals may not yet have established traits such as authority and competence, whereas they are often assumed to be friendly. So, younger professionals can gain significantly by dressing more formally.

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Authoritative Competent Productive Trustworthy Creative Friendly

Characteristics That People Most Associate with Various Levels of Formality

Formal Business

Casual

Business Casual

FIGURE 15.3

Messages Sent by Formality of Workplace Attire Source: Peter W. Cardon and Ephraim A. Okoro, “Professional Characteristics Communicated by Formal versus Casual Workplace Attire,” Business Communication Quarterly 72 no. 3 (2009): 355–360.

You can powerfully supplement your presentations with visual aids and handouts. In fact, many audiences expect both. In this section, we discuss how to use these items to increase your presentation effectiveness.

Use Visuals without Losing Focus on You In Chapter 14, we discussed the design of electronic slides. Another option for presen- tations is the screencast video, described in the Technology Tips feature on page 455. Regardless of the technology you use, your goal is to keep yourself as the main focus of the presentation. Even with well-designed slides or videos, however, keeping the focus on you during the presentation can be challenging. Keep in mind the following tips as you present:

Avoid Turning Out the Lights in Most Cases Many presenters turn out the lights so that the audience can more easily view the slides. This makes the slides, rather than you, the focal point for the duration of the presentation. Some audience members may also get drowsy in low light. In some rooms, you can dim the lights next to the screen, but if you do, make sure that you are in full light to your audience.

Don’t Start Your Slides Right Away The opening moments of your presentation are too valuable to devote to slides. Use at least the opening one to two minutes to make a personal connection with your audience. Then begin your slides.

Speak to Your Audience, Not the Screen The single most important strategy is to face your audience. Presenters often spend too much time looking at their slides with their back or side to the audience.

Interpret, Don’t Read Your Slides When you simply read your slides, you reduce yourself to nothing but a narrator. Since audience members can read your slides more quickly than you can recite what they say, the slides become the primary source of information. When you explain and elaborate on the content in your slides, you draw your audience’s attention to you as the primary source of information.

Preview the Slides before Showing Them To keep the focus on you and more effectively control the timing of your message, introduce your slides before

LO15.4 Use slides and handouts to supplement your presentation effectively.

Use Visual Aids and Handouts

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you show them. When you move to a slide without any introduction, the audience au- tomatically focuses on the slide more than on you.

Use a Remote Control to Advance Slides When Possible Using a remote control to move from slide to slide allows you to move around as you talk and more effectively engage with your audience. It also allows you to maintain more eye contact, since using a keyboard requires glancing down.

Avoid Standing in Front of the Slide Projection Make sure to stand to the side of the slide projection area. Standing in front of the projection causes two problems. It makes the slide more difficult to view. But, perhaps worse, it distorts your appearance.

Use Blank Slides Strategically If you plan to speak for lengthy periods without referencing your slides, consider displaying a blank slide so that the screen does not become a distraction.

Technology Ti ps

CREATING SCREENCAST VIDEOS Business professionals—especially executives, human resource professionals, and sales and mar- keting professionals—increasingly use screencast videos to reach audiences remotely. Many soft- ware packages, such as Camtasia, Adobe Captivate, and Jing, allow you to develop presentation videos that record the activity on your computer screen and combine it with video, audio, and other files. As you develop these screencast videos, keep in mind the following tips: Plan your production and make several trial runs. A screencast video requires you to take the roles of pro- ducer, director, and actor all in one. You can choose elements to display on your screen, such as PowerPoint slides, spreadsheets, word processing documents, or other types of files. Simul- taneously, you can narrate as you display the content and can even provide video of yourself. After re- cording, you have many tools available to edit your production. Create short, concise videos. Most screencast videos are short. For ex- ample, most how-to videos created by companies and posted on YouTube or their own websites last one to five minutes. Use the right resources. You can use free screencast software and inexpensive video cameras and microphones to make screencasts; however, it’s generally worth the investment to purchase state-of-the-art screencast software and the right cameras and microphones, especially if you intend to create professional-grade screencasts.

We Want to Partner with You

Please contact us to consider your options: Phone: 803-760-5983 Email: [email protected] Web: www.sinosourcingexperts.com

Sinosourcing Experts, LLC Meeting Your Sourcing Needs in China

We Want to Partner with You

Please contact us to consider your options: Phone: 803-760-5983 Email: [email protected] Web: www.sinosourcingexperts.com

Sinosourcing Experts, LLC Meeting Your Sourcing Needs in China

Step 1 You provide product information.

• specifications • drawings/designs • material requirements

• target price • timelines • quantities

Step 2 Identification of 3 to 5

manufacturers with price quotes.

2– 5 wks

Step 3 Sample order.

1– 5 wks

Production begins.*

1– 4 wks for first batch *batch or continuous

Step 5 Shipment to you.

2–3 wks

Average time for entire process until delivery of first batch: 11 weeks.

What’s the Sinosourcing Process?

Sinosourcing Experts, LLC Meeting Your Sourcing Needs in China

Step 4

Manufacturing in China: How Your Small Business Can Do It

Shannon Browne, Sales Representative

Sinosourcing Experts, LLC Meeting Your Sourcing Needs in China

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Use Handouts Effectively Handouts generally make sense for detailed, numerical, and other information that is difficult to project adequately onto a screen. Also, you may want audience members to complete certain handouts during or after the presentation. For example, Shannon provides a handout on which seminar participants describe a manufacturing project they want to outsource.

However, handouts can distract your audience and take attention away from you. One primary advantage of presentations is that you have high control over what mes- sage your audience members hear, especially compared to written communications. As soon as you distribute handouts, you may lose this control, since some audience members will immediately begin looking through the handouts and lose their focus on you.

If you can, wait until the end of your presentation to distribute handouts. This allows you to maintain more control over the message. If you need to use handouts during the presentation, consider how you might distribute them without losing control, es- pecially during the opening one to two minutes of your presentation. Recall that audi- ence members form many of their deepest impressions during this initial part of your presentation. Many presenters have lost the opportunity to connect effectively during their openings because of rustling handouts.

Good speakers involve the audience as much as possible without getting off message and taking too much time. A few ways to interact with your audience include fielding questions during the presentation as well as mingling and following up with audience members afterward.

Field Questions Many of your presentations will involve a question-and-answer (Q&A) portion. You may ask for questions at the conclusion of your presentation or invite questions throughout. When you take questions, you show you are interested in your listeners’ real concerns and needs. You also have an opportunity to clarify points you may have misstated or omitted. Of course, fielding questions involves a number of risks: Your audience members may ask you difficult ones and may even get you off topic. The solution is to reinforce your key messages while also addressing the needs of your questioners. Practice the following strategies to make the Q&A go as smoothly and effectively as possible: 21

Pause before Answering This gives you time to reflect and quickly develop the best response. It also gives the impression that you are thoughtful. In some cases, you may feel under pressure during questioning. Pausing helps you stay calm and collected.

Be Honest During questioning, many presenters are so committed to supporting their own positions that they respond with exaggeration or with excessive confidence. This is a mistake. Admit when you do not know the answer. Explain that you would like to get an answer to the question and seek an opportunity to continue the conversa- tion later on. Notice in Table 15.4 how Shannon responds when she doesn’t have a firm answer to a question.

Show Appreciation Fielding questions allows you to develop an emotional bond with the questioner. You can do so by sincerely showing thanks, recognizing the importance of the question, and otherwise validating the questioner, as Shannon does in the more-effective example in Table 15.5 .

LO15.5 Interact effectively with your audience.

Interact with Your Audience

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Be Concise Short responses are effective for several reasons. First, the question may be of interest to just one or a few of your audience members. Second, the longer your response, the more likely you are to stray from your key messages or excessively repeat them. As a rule of thumb, keep most responses to between 20 and 45 seconds. Pay close attention to your audience members during Q&A to see if they are remain- ing interested and engaged. Notice Table 15.6 to compare Shannon’s less- and more- concise responses.

Reframe the Question to Match Your Agenda You should have fairly clear objectives for your presentation. When your listeners ask questions that could derail your agenda, find ways to tactfully reframe the conversation in favor of your objectives, as Shannon does in the examples in Table 15.7 .

Mingle and Follow Up When you complete your presentation, your work is not complete. In most cases, this is a good opportunity to work the room, further connecting with your audience. You can get additional feedback and discuss future endeavors with your listeners.

TABLE 15.4

Responding Honestly to a Question

Less Effective More Effective

Q. Recently, the Chinese yuan has been strengthening against the dollar. Won’t that mean smaller savings for your clients in the future?

A. The exchange rates move around from time to time. I don’t follow this much, but I do know that sometimes it’s actually in your favor. You really don’t have to worry about this much because the changes are relatively small and pretty much even out over time.

A. I’m not exactly sure how much the exchange rates have impacted savings for our clients in recent months. I know that we expect the Chinese yuan to continue strengthening, and this will definitely impact how much you can save. I can get a good answer to you within a few days. I’ll talk to one of our finance specialists and several of our clients. If you’ll be available, I can give you a call then.

Shannon’s response glosses over the fact that she is not informed enough to give an accurate answer. Although she attempts to put a positive spin on the issue, she may appear to dismiss some listeners’ genuine concerns.

Shannon states that she is uncertain. However, she demonstrates a willingness to get the answer from reliable sources and promises to provide that information within a few days. Overall, she gains credibility with her upfront, helpful response.

TABLE 15.5

Showing Appreciation

Less Effective More Effective

Q. Do we work completely through sales reps here in the U.S., or do we get to talk directly with your contract specialists and engineers in China? Do we get to talk directly with the manufacturers you work with?

A. We try to arrange for you to talk with anyone involved with your contract by . . .

A. That’s a good question. Most business owners are quite concerned about communicating directly with those who are responsible for manufacturing their products. We facilitate this direct and timely communication by . . .

This is a good, rational response but could be improved with additional validation of the questioner.

By briefly validating the importance of the question, Shannon demonstrates that she relates directly with this concern and that Sinosourcing is committed to facilitating this communication. The response is strong on both the rational and the emotional levels.

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TABLE 15.6

Being Concise

Less Effective More Effective

Q. Can you give me another example of a small business that’s saved more than 50 percent on manufacturing?

A. Sure. I could give you dozens of examples. Let me tell you about one of our client companies that manufactures souvenir items . . . (continues on for three to four minutes largely repeating the same key points).

A. On our website, we present case studies. You can read about 15 of our client companies and find detailed information about their performance in terms of savings, time to market, and quality control. With so many cases, you can easily find a company that manufactures a product similar to yours and get a good point of reference for your set of challenges.

By providing such a lengthy answer, Shannon may inadvertently lose audience members who have already gotten her key points.

In this brief response (20 to 30 seconds), Shannon provides new information (a section on the website with case studies) and touches on but does not belabor key takeaway points. This response has broad appeal, since it offers audience members a resource where they may locate companies facing challenges similar to their own.

TABLE 15.7

Reframing a Question to Match Your Agenda

Less Effective More Effective

Q. I’m quite skeptical that our company could save as much as you’re suggesting. Can you really guarantee that we’ll save at least 40 percent on manufacturing?

A. Well, actually, we can’t guarantee how much you’ll save. But, I can tell you that the average savings for our clients is between 40 and 60 percent.

A. The average savings for our clients is between 40 and 60 percent. Sometimes it’s slightly less, and sometimes it’s slightly more. The great part about our system is we get bids from reliable suppliers, and then you can determine what the savings will be. We guarantee enforcement of any contract you enter. In other words, you can receive bids without cost or commitment and estimate your own savings. If the savings are attractive by your estimation, then you can choose to move forward.

This question challenges the basic premise that Sinosourcing can help a company manage risk in decision making. It may raise doubts throughout the audience. While the response is true, it fails to reframe the question to explain how Sinosourcing can help companies manage risk.

This response reframes the conversation by emphasizing how Sinosourcing helps clients manage risk and take control in the decision-making process.

Similarly, in the days following the event, you can reach out to your audience mem- bers. Follow up on any promises you made about providing additional information. If possible, send a quick email note to thank people for attending. Set in motion steps that turn a onetime presentation into an ongoing professional relationship.

You will likely be an audience member more often than you are a presenter. Take this role seriously. Do all you can to support the presenter. Show interest by maintaining eye contact and sitting up straight. Avoid behaviors that may distract the presenter, such as glancing at your mobile phone or yawning. Make comments and ask questions

Be a Supportive Audience Member

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Commu nicatio

n Q&A

CONVERSATIONS WITH CURRENT BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

Pete Cardon: Do presentations generally go as expected? James Robertson: You can have many things working against you when presenting. Every- thing from the audiovisual equipment not behaving to the slide deck not working as expected, and then there’s the dynamics of the audience. Many technical problems can be corrected by spending a few minutes beforehand making sure everything works, but always be aware of the presenting “gremlins,” and always have a plan if something does trip you up. The key to overcoming these problems is to know the subject, know the audience, and practice the pre- sentation so that even if the technology fails, you still deliver on message. The hardest thing to plan for is the human factor: How will the audience react to your mes- sage? Will they agree or disagree with your point of view? and Will they speak up or keep quiet during Q&A? Be prepared by thinking about some of the questions you’d ask if you were looking at the information presented. Anticipating and planning the answers will help you get all the way to closure.

PC: What are some of the keys to connecting with your audience? JR: I’ve found that you need to set the stage with a scenario or situation that’s applicable to the subject you’re discussing. Linking this topic back to your message provides a powerful open- ing and grabs the audience attention from the start. This can be as simple as opening with something you’ve read in a magazine or a newspaper or something you’ve seen on TV or a life experience you’ve had. The key is to make sure you bridge between the experience you’re opening with and the topic you’re presenting on. During the presentation, always talk to the audience and not to the slides. Practice makes perfect. At the end of the presentation, leave them with a closing that reinforces the message. Again, it can be an experience or just a good summary of what you discussed, but with a punch that they remember. I try and leave my audience with no more than three points they can take away with them, but those three points should encapsulate the essence of the message.

PC: For young professionals, what concluding advice would you give about developing skills to give great presentations? JR: Much of real success in business is being able to “tell your story” well. Whether present- ing a project to gain financial funding or rolling out goals to staff, it’s critical that you are confident and persuasive. People will follow a leader they believe in, so it’s important to cultivate your credibility. Being able to connect to any audience is a critical skill, so look for any opportunity to present and hone your presentation skills. It will become one of your most important skill sets.

that help the presenter stay on message. Publicly express appreciation for the merits of the presentation. Privately offer advice for making the presentation more useful.

Being a supportive audience member has many advantages. In most cases, you share professional interests with the presenter. As a result, the success of the presentation is a team effort. Furthermore, your reputation for being a supportive audience member may be reciprocated when you take the role of presenter. For further insights on delivering presentations, read the Communication Q&A with James Robertson.

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Chapter Takeaway for Delivering Presentations LO 15.1. Describe how presentation delivery impacts your credibility. ( pp. 445–446 ) Delivering presentations demonstrates your personal credibility.

It shows competence when you know and provide valuable content.

It shows caring when you are responsive to the expectations of your audience.

It shows character when you display complete openness and honesty.

LO 15.2. Deliver presentations with authenticity, confidence, and influence. ( pp. 446–451 )

Principles for Establishing Presence

● Establish credibility.

● Maintain authenticity.

● Know your material.

● Speak with confidence.

● Focus on people.

● Start and finish strong.

● Stay flexible.

● Use the room to your advantage.

● Communicate nonverbally.

● Dress for success.

Principles for Focusing on People

● Make people the subject of your sentences.

● Introduce colleagues by name.

● Use names of audience members.

See examples of focusing on people in Tables 15.1, 15.2, and 15.3.

Principles for Staying Flexible

● Arrive early.

● Focus on the needs of the audience.

● When you lose your place, don’t panic.

● Never tell your audience things haven’t gone as expected.

● Always have a plan B.

● Know what your key messages are.

LO 15.3. Apply the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication for presentations. ( pp. 451–454 )

Principles of the SOFTEN Model

● Smile

● Open stance

● Forward lean

● Tone

● Eye contact

● Nod

LO 15.4. Use slides and handouts to supplement your presentation effectively. ( pp. 454–456 )

Principles for Using Slides

● Avoid turning out the lights in most cases.

● Don’t start the slides right away.

● Speak to your audience, not the screen.

● Interpret, don’t read your slides.

● Preview the slides before showing them.

● Use remotes to advance slides.

● Avoid standing in front of the slide projection.

● Use blank slides strategically.

LO 15.5. Interact effectively with your audience. ( pp. 456–459 )

Principles for Fielding Questions

● Pause before answering.

● Be honest.

● Show appreciation.

● Be concise.

● Reframe the question to match your agenda.

See examples of fielding questions in Tables 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, and 15.7.

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Delivering Presentations Chapter Fifteen 461

business casual dress (p. 452) casual dress (p. 452)

formal business dress (p. 452) SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication (p. 451)

Key Terms

15.1 Chapter Review Questions (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

For each of the following items, respond with one or two paragraphs.

A. Discuss how you can establish and build credibility before, during, and after your presentations.

B. Describe the importance of authenticity for presentations. Discuss how you can plan and rehearse for presentations and also maintain authenticity.

C. Discuss some strategies for overcoming nervousness and fear before and during presentations. Describe the three strategies you believe are most effective for you.

D. Describe strategies for making people the focus of your presentations.

E. Explain the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication.

F. Describe strategies for using slides and handouts without dis- tracting the audience from what you have to say.

G. Describe strategies for effectively fielding questions during or after your presentation.

15.2 Communication Q&A Discussion Questions (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

Read the comments from James Robertson. Respond to the follow- ing questions:

A. What is Robertson’s advice for when things go awry with technology?

B. What tips does he give for connecting with your audience? C. What does he say is the hardest thing to prepare for and why? D. What does he explain about how to start and end a

presentation?

Discussion Exercises

15.3 Evaluating an Effective Presentation (LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4)

Think about a recent presentation you attended that you found effective. In three to five paragraphs, describe why it was effec- tive. Include the following aspects in your analysis, referring to Chapter 14 if necessary for a refresher on preview-view-review:

A. Description of the presentation. B. Key points. C. Preview. D. View. E. Review. F. Electronic slides or other visual aids. G. Nonverbal behavior.

15.4 Evaluating a Corporate Presentation (LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4)

Go online and find a business presentation that interests you. You can generally find presentations easily on company websites (usually in the Media, Newsroom, or Investors sections), YouTube, or business websites (e.g., CNBC). Evaluate the presentation and include the following in your analysis, referring to Chapter 14 if necessary for a refresher on preview-view-review:

A. Description of the presentation. B. Key points. C. Preview.

D. View. E. Review. F. Electronic slides or other visual aids. G. Nonverbal behavior.

15.5 Assessing One of Your Recent Presentations (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

Think about a presentation you delivered recently. In three to five paragraphs, address the following issues, referring to Chapter 14 if necessary for a refresher on preview-view-review:

A. Description of the presentation. B. Key points. C. Preview. D. View. E. Review. F. Electronic slides or other visual aids. G. Nonverbal behavior. H. Three improvements you would make if you did the presenta-

tion again.

15.6 Video Recording Your Presentation (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

Record one of your presentations and then do the following:

A. Immediately following your presentation, draft your basic impressions of your performance.

Evaluation Exercises

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462 Part Five Reports and Presentations

B. Watch the video recording three times as follows: ● On the first viewing, observe the overall impact of

your presentation. ● On the second viewing, turn the volume off and ob-

serve your nonverbal behaviors. ● On the third viewing, close your eyes and listen. Pay

attention to the speed, volume, pitch, variety, and en- thusiasm in your voice.

After completing steps A and B above, answer the following questions about your presentation:

A. How effective was your opening? B. How effective was your nonverbal communication (e.g., voice

quality, eye contact with audience)?

C. How effective was the content of your presentation (e.g., rel- evance to audience, logical order, impact)?

D. How persuasive was your presentation? E. How well did you connect with your audience? F. Overall, name two major strengths and two major weaknesses

of your oral presentation. G. If you were going to deliver this same presentation again,

what three adjustments would you make? H. What are the two presentation skills you believe you most

need to improve? Explain.

to persuade them to join Better Horizons Credit Union. You could base part of the presentation on Figure 9.6.

15.9 Presentation Asking for Participation in the Hope Walkathon (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

Assume the role of Haniz Zogby (see Chapter 9). Based on the information in Chapter 9, create a presentation to encourage credit union members to participate in the Hope Walkathon. You could base part of the presentation on Figure 9.8.

15.10 Presentation about Changes at Marble Home Makeovers (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

Assume the role of Juan Hernandez (see Chapter 10). Based on the information in Chapter 10, create a presentation to employees about temporary changes in work shifts. You could base the presen- tation on Figure 10.4.

Endnotes 1. Barbara De Angelis, “Communicating with Authenticity,” Toast- master online (June 2007), available at www.toastmasters.org/ ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2007/June/Authenticity.aspx.

2. Found in Nick Morgan, “How to Put Together a Great Speech When You’re Under the Gun ,” Harvard Management Communication Letter (September 2003): 3. He was citing Phillip Khan-Pami, Blank Page to First Draft in 15 Minutes: The Most Effective Shortcut to Pre- paring a Speech or Presentation (Miami, FL: How To Books, 2002).

3. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994670-1,00.html.

4. Geoffrey Brewer, “Snakes Top List of Americans’ Fears: Public Speaking, Heights and Being Closed in Small Spaces Also Create Fear in Many Americans,” (March 19, 2001), retrieved August 22, 2010,

from Gallup online: http://www.gallup.com/poll/1891/Snakes-Top -List-Americans-Fears.aspx.

5. Karen L. Twichell, “Stage Fright—Why Now?” Toastmaster online (January 2010), available at www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ ToastmasterArchive/2010/January/Stage-Fright.aspx.

6. Thomas Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presen- tations, 3rd ed. (New York: American Management Association, 2004).

7. Twichell, “Stage Fright—Why Now?”; Judi Bailey, “Beauty and the Beast: Changing Your Fear from Fiend to Friend,” Toastmaster online (December 2007), available at www.toastmasters.org/ ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2007/December/ BeautyandtheBeast.aspx; Gabrielle B. Dahms, “Good Posture = Good

For exercises 15.7 through 15.10, prepare five- to ten-minute pre- sentations. Make sure you first identify your key messages and analyze your audience based on information in the textbook. Create a clear and compelling preview, view, and review (see Chapter 14). If directed by your instructor, create electronic slide presentations.

15.7 Presentation to the Board about Changing Direction at Better Horizons Credit Union (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

Assume the role of Christine Russo (see Chapter 9). Based on the in- formation in Chapter 9, create a presentation to the board about build- ing marketing strategies and product offerings for younger members. You could base a large part of the presentation on Figure 9.4.

15.8 Presentation to College Students about Joining Better Horizons Credit Union (LO 15.1, LO 15.2, LO 15.3, LO 15.4, LO 15.5)

Assume the role of Haniz Zogby (see Chapter 9). Based on the in- formation in Chapter 9, create a presentation to university students

Application Exercises

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Delivering Presentations Chapter Fifteen 463

Breathing,” Toastmaster online (June 2008), available at www .toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2008/ June/Departments/HowToPDF.aspx; Harry Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell (New York: AMACOM, 2007).

8. Kevin Johnson and Tennille-Lynn Millo, “Put Your Audience in Your Speech,” Toastmaster online (August 2007), available at www .toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2007/ August/Audience.aspx.

9. Gary Genard, “Leveraging the Power of Nonverbal Communication,” Harvard Business Management Communication Letter (2004): 3–4.

10. Mills, Power Points! How to Design and Deliver Presentations That Sizzle and Sell.

11. Dave Zielinski, “Body Language Myths,” Toastmaster online (September 2007), available at www.toastmasters.org/ ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2007/September/Myths.aspx.

12. Nancy Sebastion Meyer, “That’s Not My Voice—Is It?” Toast- master online (February 2009), available at www.toastmasters.org/ ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2009/February/ Departments/Manner-of-Speaking.aspx.

13. Mike Landrum, “Speaking Eye to Eye: A Meeting of the Eyes Denotes a Meeting of the Minds,” Toastmaster online (December 2009), available at www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ ToastmasterArchive/2009/December/Articles/Speaking-Eye-to-Eye.aspx.

14. Zielinski, “Body Language Myths.”

15. Ibid.

16. R. Haefner, “How to Dress for Success for Work,” retrieved January 27, 2009, from www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/07/30/ cb.dress.for.success/index.html (July 30, 2008).

17. Joseph Carroll, “Business Casual Most Common Work Attire,” Gallup Poll (October 4, 2007).

18. Thomas Kiddie, “Recent Trends in Business Casual Attire and Their Effects on Student Job Seekers,” Business Communication Quar- terly (September 2009): 350–354; Beverly Langford, The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success (New York: American Management Association, 2005).

19. Accountemps, “Survey Shows Relaxed Attire May Be Too Re- laxed at Many Firms,” May 25, 2000, http://www.accountemps.com/ PressRoom?id=151 (accessed January 10, 2010).

20. Based on studies from the following sources: Peter W. Cardon and Ephraim A. Okoro, “Professional Characteristics Communicated by Formal versus Casual Workplace Attire,” Business Communication Quarterly 72, no. 3 (2009): 355–360; J. V. Peluchette and K. Karl, “The Impact of Workplace Attire on Employee Self-Perceptions,” Human Resource Development Quarterly 18, no. 3 (2007): 345–360; J. V. Peluchette and K. Karl, “Dressing to Impress: Beliefs and Attitudes regarding Workplace Attire,” Journal of Business and Psychology 21, no. 1 (2006): 45–63.

21. Granville N. Toogood, The New Articulate Executive: Look, Act, and Sound Like a Leader (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010).

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C h

a p

t er

S ix

t ee

n After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

LO16.1 Identify your key selling points for the job application process.

LO16.2 Evaluate the primary needs of employers for positions of interest.

LO16.3 Set up the message structure for résumés and cover letters.

LO16.4 Highlight your qualifications with effective tone, style, and design.

LO16.5 Create chronological and functional résumés to highlight your key selling points.

LO16.6 Develop a list of references that will improve your employment prospects.

LO16.7 Compose effective cover letters that highlight your key selling points.

LO16.8 Review your job application documents for effectiveness and fairness.

LO16.9 Develop strategies for responding to common job interview questions.

LO16.10 Explain etiquette for following up after job interviews.

LO16.11 Explain etiquette for leaving an organization with grace and foresight.

Learning Objectives

Employment Communications

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Why Does T his Matter?

Searching for jobs can be exhilarating. It involves hopes for new beginnings and pos- sibilities! Many job applicants also find the process stressful, intimidating, and scary. In recent years due to the recession, one reality is that the number of applicants ex- ceeds the number of positions. However, with determination, patience, and planning, you can land a job that will help you move forward in your career. In this chapter, you will focus on developing a job application package that allows you to identify and highlight your key selling points in a way that meets the needs of employers. Quickly read the following case that is the basis for examples you will see throughout the chapter.

? Chapter Case: Haniz Applies for Jobs

The Situation

Haniz Zogby will graduate soon. She has worked for Better Horizons Credit Union for five years and feels a high level of job security. At Better Horizons, she has been given many opportunities to assist and, in some cases, direct promotional campaigns. However, she typically spends less than half of her time involved in marketing. Haniz wants a job where she has more responsibility, spends more of her time on innovative marketing campaigns, and makes more money.

Who’s Involved

Haniz Zogby Marketing specialist and loan officer at Better Horizons Credit Union Florida State University, Class of 2013 Major: Finance; Minor: Event Management

Task 1 Haniz wants to write a résumé that effectively

portrays her selling points.

Task 3 Haniz wants to interview effectively and show she’s

ready for the job.

Task 2 Haniz wants to write

cover letters that introduce her to employers and

explain her value to them.

Applying the AIM Planning Process to Résumés and Cover Letters Preparing for the job application process is similar to preparing for other forms of business communication: It involves analyzing your audience (meeting the needs of your employers), developing your ideas (identifying your key selling points), and setting up the message structure. Your end products—cover letters and résumés— are persuasive messages that show how you meet the needs of your prospective employers.

Hear Pete Cardon explain why this

matters.

bit.ly.com/CardonWhy16

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466 Part Five Reports and Presentations

Identify Your Key Selling Points To create résumés and cover letters that serve your long-term career interests, your first step should be to carefully evaluate your career ambitions and qualifications. In this process, you clarify your professional goals for the short term (one to two years) and long term (five to ten years), identify the skills you have developed at school and work, and sort out the attributes that define who you are as a professional. As with other business communications, you attempt to identify your most important and strongest features so you can develop a concise and compelling message about the value you will bring to your prospective employers.

To help you identify your interests, abilities, and attributes, you might consider completing a self-inventory (see Figure 16.1 with an example of Haniz’s self- inventory). Start by writing your career goals. Even if you don’t yet have clear ones in mind, do your best to imagine the type of work you would like to be doing in five and ten years. Allow yourself enough time to do some soul-searching and research about careers as you develop your goals.

Identifying your career goals helps you accomplish several things in the job search process. First, it helps you frame your résumé and cover letter to project your career hopes. Second, it helps you evaluate how well your abilities and attributes prepare you for your desired career. This process allows you to address those areas where you most need improvement. Finally, it shows employers that you are serious, as well-defined career goals imply seriousness in your approach to work.

Once you have written down your career goals, identify your abilities and attri- butes. 1 Abilities are skills and knowledge that can be applied to accomplishing work tasks. Attributes are personal traits or characteristics. In the job application process, employers are often looking for more than your abilities. They’re trying to figure out the kind of person you are. These judgments often come in the form of adjectives, such as reliable, analytical, or people-oriented. These attributes are difficult to mea- sure precisely, but they indicate how well you’ll fit into the company culture, how much effort and commitment you’ll put into your work, and how you’ll impact the work of others.

LO16.1 Identify your key selling points for the job application process.

Haniz Zogby April 1, 2013

My Career Goals 1. To act in a leadership role to develop and market financial services for credit unions 2. In five to ten years, to hold an influential marketing position within a credit union group

My Strongest Professional Abilities 1. Developing strong professional relationships with clients and vendors 2. Attracting new members to credit unions through referrals, seminars, mailings, and online social networking 3. Organizing members to participate in credit-union-sponsored financial workshops and community events

My Strongest Professional Attributes 1. Trusted and reliable on important campaigns 2. Innovative and creative in approach to marketing and promotions 3. Passionate about the credit union industry

Areas Where I Need to Improve 1. Conducting customer surveys, statistical analysis, and survey reporting 2. Earning a reputation for excellence outside of my local community

FIGURE 16.1

Self-Inventory of Career Interests and Job-Related Abilities and Attributes

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Employment Communications Chapter Sixteen 467

Employers consider your mix of attributes as they try to determine if you have the right chemistry— an intangible that human resource professionals say they weigh heavily in the decision to hire. Fifteen percent of HR professionals say it accounts for 75 percent or more of the decision. Nearly four in ten (39 percent) say it accounts for about 50 percent of the decision. 2

One useful way of analyzing your abilities and attributes is in terms of credibility. To do so, consider the features of competence (ability to accomplish work tasks), car- ing (ability to maintain effective workplace relationships), and character (ability to uphold corporate norms and standards). Competence focuses on the technical skills to achieve work tasks. In Table 16.1 , you can see examples of abilities and attributes associated with competence, caring, and character.

Understand the Needs of Your Potential Employers When hiring you, employers are making a huge investment. They will only make this investment when you demonstrate that you meet their needs. You can learn how well you fit the needs of employers by conducting a thorough job search and carefully analyzing those positions that are most compatible with your abilities and attributes.

Completing a Thorough Job Search Process Looking for jobs takes a lot of time. It’s not uncommon for the process—from finding a position announcement to application to offer—to take three to six months (or even longer in some industries). Your thorough search for the best potential positions at the initial stages can save you a lot of time and increase the likelihood you’ll get a position that is in your long-term interests.

Use all the resources available to learn about your options and ensure that you apply for the jobs that are good fits for you. You likely have a career center located in your college or university. Spend some time talking to experts there and make a plan for ex- haustively searching for jobs that match your interests and qualifications. Where pos- sible, contact and get involved with professional organizations and visit organizational

LO16.2 Evaluate the primary needs of employers for positions of interest.

TABLE 16.1

Abilities and Attributes That Establish Credibility in the Job Application Process

Abilities (Skills and/or Knowledge)

Attributes (Enduring Approaches to Work)

Competence (Task)

Function-specific (e.g., marketing, finance) Company/Industry Technology Analysis/Research

Achievement-oriented Ambitious Analytical Assertive Creative Can-do attitude Curious

Decisive Detail-oriented Entrepreneurial Independent Inquisitive Passionate

Problem solver Resourceful Results-oriented Seeks challenges Takes initiative Visionary

Caring (Relationships)

Communication/Interpersonal Teamwork Emotional intelligence Leadership Intercultural

Customer-oriented Diplomatic Empathetic Flexible Generous

Inspiring Loyal Motivational People-oriented Persuasive

Responsive Sensitive Supportive Team-oriented Tolerant

Character (Values)

Familiarity with corporate culture and values Dedication to the success of the company Knowledge of business ethics

Accountable Committed Constant Dedicated Dependable

Fair Hardworking Honest Open-minded Optimistic

Reliable Responsible Straightforward Trustworthy Unbiased

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468 Part Five Reports and Presentations

websites to learn about options. Go to job fairs on and off campus to see what opportu- nities are open and to practice networking in a competitive environment.

Certainly you’re aware of the many job websites to search for positions (e.g., monster .com, careerbuilder.com). Your college or university may even recommend particular websites. Use all the available online options, but also make sure you are networking in the traditional sense as well—talking to friends, relatives, and colleagues. Even in the Social Age, the most common forms of networking for employment opportunities remain people you know well (see Table 16.2 ). 3

Analyze the Needs of Potential Employers One of the best ways to understand an employer’s needs is to carefully read and analyze the job position an- nouncement. Then, group the requests in the announcement in terms of abilities and attributes (for an example, see Figure 16.2 , where Haniz did this for a job announce- ment). Once you’ve done this, you’re in a good position to decide whether you match these criteria and, if so, to frame your résumé and cover letter to highlight these abili- ties and attributes.

In addition to analyzing the job position announcements, consider other strategies to gain insight about what the company is seeking. Some job announcements include contact information for a company representative. You might call this person, express your interest, and find out more. By doing this, you connect with an influential com- pany representative and gain insight not provided in the job announcement.

Also, learn all you can about the company. Spend time researching its strategic goals. Find out about its unique challenges, and think about how you might fit into the company’s plans to face these challenges.

TABLE 16.2

Most Common Sources of Professional Networking

Skills Percentage

1. Friends/relatives 67

2. Colleagues 56

3. Supervisors or managers 26

4. Conferences, trade shows, conventions 26

5. Clients 25

6. Business meetings 24

7. Professional societies/trade associations 22

8. Job search and career websites 19

9. Professional social networking websites (e.g., LinkedIn) 19

10. Social networking websites (e.g., Facebook) 16

11. Mentors and coaches 12

12. Job fairs 8

13. Alumni associations 6

14. Professors 5

Note: Percentage of employees that use these forms of professional networking for employment. Source: From Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Poll: Networking Professionally: Employee Perspective,” January 2009. Reprinted with permission via Copyright Clearance Center.

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Employment Communications Chapter Sixteen 469

FIGURE 16.2

Analyzing a Job Posting for Key Needs

Job Summary

Location 84341

Job Type Full Time

Reference Code 831481809

Position Requirements:

Position Attributes:

Credit Union Field Marketing Specialist

Organization: Anchor Federal Credit Union Network Education Required: College Degree Experience Required: 1–3 Years Position Description: Works with managers throughout the Anchor Federal Credit Union network to develop local marketing events to promote Credit Union membership. Coordinates all activities for each event, including supply distribution, prizes, and duration of campaign, budget, marketing support, and staffing. Responsible for tracking results and providing recommendations for future events. Also is responsible for collecting and maintaining data related to market conditions of each proposed site. Performs various other marketing and support functions when not traveling including general promotional development, membership surveys, collateral production and tracking, retiree package mailings, and other projects as assigned by the VP of Marketing.

Develops individual marketing activities to support branch growth and/or agency events. Travels to various locations throughout the country to organize events. Analyzes market conditions to ensure that the marketing activity is in line with the demographics of that particular region. Provides annual profile of demographics for each region. Oversees budget for each activity. Is responsible for reporting variances on a monthly basis. Works with outside vendors to solicit participation in marketing activities. Actively promotes the participation of both staff and monetary contributions from these outside sources. Works with VP and AVPs of branches to set priorities and establish goals for each event. Tracks results of each event and analyzes the success/shortfall of each. Distributes reports for review. Tracks marketing collateral inventory for branches and DMs. Ensures timely distribution and proper inventory controls. Develops mailings for account generation and retention. Develops ongoing mail programs to DMs and BCO managers for relationship development throughout the agency side of the business. Makes routine phone calls to HR managers, DMs, and BCO managers to establish event schedules, coordinate Financial Finesse seminars, and maintain relationships throughout the organization. Performs other duties as assigned.

*Candidate must be able to travel 25–30% domestically. *A minimum of 2 years of field marketing and sales experience. *Candidate must have presentation skills and experience.

Abilities wanted

Attributes wanted

Marketing: local marketing events, market analysis, marketing reports (written and oral), sales letters and other mailings to generate membership, seminars. Relationship management: work with branch managers to organize local events and set marketing strategies; staffing for events; maintain intra‐organizational relationships and relationships with outside vendors. Communication: distribute event schedules, disseminate marketing reports, encourage participation, make sales presentations.

Ambitious: must be able to take initiative on organizing many events and meet deadlines. Creative: must develop attractive and compelling marketing events and campaigns. Organized: must be able to manage many simultaneous projects, events, and relationships.

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470 Part Five Reports and Presentations

Set Up the Message Structure for Résumés and Cover Letters Your résumé should tell a story of the value you can provide to a company. Like other persuasive messages, it is stronger if you have a central sales theme. By choosing two or three abilities and attributes to highlight, you can craft a compelling document that shows how you meet the needs of employers.

A mistake that many job applicants make is trying to display everything they do well. This approach often ends up sending a scattered message and diluting a central sales theme about your key abilities and attributes.

Generally, employers prefer single-page résumés, although it is increasingly accept- able to create two-page résumés. 4 As a university student, however, aim for a single page. If you find yourself using more than one page, you are likely weakening the mes- sage about your key selling points. Condensing all your experience may be painful, but keep in mind that executives are more than three times as likely to complain about résumés that contain too much information than they are about résumés that contain too little. 5 Typically, résumés contain the following major sections: name block, career summary or objective, education, and experience.

Name Block Most résumés begin with your name and contact information. This section allows recruiters to easily find your contact information (i.e., address, phone, email). This section should not contain any distracting information, such as an unpro- fessional email address.

Career Summary or Objective (Optional) The second component ex- presses your career goals or your interest in a specific position or line of work. It is typically no more than one sentence long. Increasingly, objective statements are con- sidered optional. Some hiring managers believe they are becoming obsolete.

In place of objective statements, many job seekers now provide short profiles. These profiles, often called career summary or summary of qualifications, present your quali- fications in 100 words or less. Career summaries are inherently focused on the needs of others (employers), whereas objective statements tend to focus on the needs of self (the job seeker). You can see an example of a summary of qualifications in Figure 16.6 on page 480.

Education This section summarizes your experiences in higher education and professional training. Most university students place the education section before the work experience section, since it generally highlights studies in a discipline directly related to the jobs they are seeking.

Consider providing some information that distinguishes or explains the uniqueness and value of your education. For example, a short list of related coursework helps em- ployers understand the content of your program. You might also include class projects, practicum, service learning projects, or other educational experiences that highlight your key abilities and attributes.

Include your GPA if it is high (3.5 or higher) or required. Also, if you have achieved any academic credentials or awards, mention them. For example, being on the dean’s list or graduating summa cum laude are well-recognized honors. If you received schol- arships or other academic awards that employers may not recognize, include a short note that explains why the awards are significant.

Generally, do not include information about your high school education. Employ- ers are not interested. However, during your high school years, you may have been involved in work or other relevant activities that emphasize your key abilities and attributes. This type of information may be appropriate for the work experience or “additional information” sections of your résumé.

Work Experience In this section, also called employment history or experience, list your accomplishments and responsibilities from prior jobs in chronological order beginning with your current or most recent one.

LO16.3 Set up the message structure for résumés and cover letters.

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Some students wonder if they should include unpaid internships in this section. Typ- ically, you should, since they are relevant and legitimate professional experiences. In fact, the abilities and attributes students gain from internships are often more relevant and transferable to sought-after positions than those from their previous paid positions.

If you have little or no work experience, you shouldn’t panic. You can highlight your abilities and attributes by listing achievements and experiences in school and community activities. In the online resources, you can find several sample résumés of individuals who do not have much work experience. Of course, you should make a priority of establish- ing a job history right away to bolster your credibility in the eyes of potential employers.

Additional Information Education and work experience often account for the majority of your résumé content. You can provide a variety of other information, however, to accentuate your key abilities and attributes. In fact, some of the additional information may be critical to showing who you are as a person—your attributes. You have a great deal of flexibility with other information you display. You might consider including some of the following sections:

● Technology Skills ● Professional Associations ● School Clubs ● Honors and Awards ● Certifications and Licensure

● Community Activities ● Volunteer Work ● Training ● Language Abilities

As you think about additional information to provide, the standard is simple: Does providing this information carry on a narrative of your key abilities and attributes? Keep in mind that many employers are particularly looking for job candidates with strong technology and interpersonal skills. 6 You can highlight these skills when you showcase your community and volunteer work, professional and student affiliations, and computer skills. Do not include such personal information as marital status, age, religion, or sexual orientation, as none of this is relevant.

Getting the Tone, Style, and Design Right for Résumés and Cover Letters Once you’ve analyzed your key abilities and attributes and gathered information to place in your résumé, you’re ready to present the information in a compelling manner. The tone, style, and design must be perfect. Employers often skim your résumé on the first pass. Unless you can present your main credentials within 15 to 30 seconds, you may be eliminated from the job pool. Even if potential employers reward your well- designed résumé with a second look, they are unlikely to spend a lot of time. In one survey of hiring managers, 24 percent said they spent less than two minutes reviewing a résumé, 32 percent spent three to five minutes, 23 percent spent six to ten minutes, and just 16 percent spent more than ten minutes. 7

This section is about developing your résumé so that you can make the most of the small window you have with potential employers. What can you do to show your distinc- tive combination of abilities and attributes? What can you do to make your experience stand out? What can you do to persuade prospective employers that you will be a good investment for them? In short, how can you make sure that potential employers rapidly understand your story: the unique abilities and attributes that will deliver value to them?

Emphasize Accomplishments with Action Verbs As you describe your accomplishments and experiences, begin your statements with action verbs (see Table 16.3 for a list). By doing so, you highlight your abilities and attributes in a way that emphasizes action and results.

LO16.4 Highlight your qualifications with effective tone, style, and design.

Principles of Effective Résumés

• Emphasize accomplishments with action verbs.

• Quantify accomplishments where possible.

• Position your most important contributions first.

• Group and label information to increase ease of reading.

• Remove irrelevant details.

• Avoid buzzwords and jargon.

• Be exact and avoid any errors.

• Group and label information to improve ease of reading.

• Format to distinguish pieces of information.

• Select a simple yet visually appealing layout.

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TABLE 16.3

Action Verbs for Résumés

Management/ Supervision Assigned Evaluated Executed Facilitated Hired Managed Mentored Monitored Motivated Organized Oversaw Planned Scheduled Screened Selected Strengthened Supervised Trained

Leadership Authorized Decided Delegated Directed Enabled Encouraged Enlisted Executed Formed Guided Implemented Influenced Initiated Instituted Led Set goals

Marketing/Sales Accumulated Advertised Attained Boosted Broadened

Contracted Demonstrated Developed Exceeded Excelled Gained Generated Improved Increased Launched Marketed Proposed Raised Secured Sold

Finance/Accounting Allotted Appraised Assessed Audited Averted Balanced Budgeted Controlled Corrected Cut Earned Estimated Evaluated Forecasted Interpreted Prepared Preserved Projected Reconciled Reduced

Teamwork/ Communication Coached Collaborated Coordinated Described Encouraged

Explained Informed Mediated Negotiated Persuaded Presented Promoted Publicized Reported Specified Summarized Supported Teamed with

Analysis/Research Analyzed Compiled Conducted Detected Diagnosed Explored Gathered Identified Inspected Interpreted Operated Performed Proved Quantified Researched Reviewed Solved Studied Surveyed Tested

Administration Administered Arranged Edited Installed Maintained Processed Purchased Recorded

Reorganized Reviewed Screened Streamlined Systematized Updated

Customer Service Assisted Clarified Confronted Delivered Greeted Handled Maximized Met Minimized Performed Provided Resolved Responded Served Settled Treated Worked with

Innovation/Creativity Built Completed Conceptualized Created Defined Designed Developed Devised Formulated Innovated Invented Modernized Ranked Received Recognized Revolutionized

Select your action words strategically. Without exaggerating, choose verbs that make your key abilities and attributes jump off the page. For example, if you want to show that you are a leader, a series of statements beginning with action verbs such as guided, initiated, and led paint a more vivid picture than the statement I am a good leader.

By the same token, avoid verbs that undersell your abilities and attributes. Many university students use weak verbs when describing their significant customer service and administrative experiences. Phrases such as answered calls, entered information in the computer, and waited tables do not emphasize transferable abilities and attributes.

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Rather, they focus on menial duties and do not focus on professional outcomes. Read through some of the less-effective and more-effective statements in Table 16.4 and notice how action verbs can bolster your credibility.

Quantify Accomplishments Where Possible Your potential employers want to know how valuable your contributions have been in your prior jobs. So, where possible, describe key contributions and how they impacted the bottom line. Often, even when you can’t say for certain how much you impacted financial results, you can provide numbers that show the significance of your work. Notice the contrasts between less-effective and more-effective examples in Table 16.5 and how quantification strengthens the more-effective statements.

Position Your Most Important Contributions First The order in which you place your accomplishments and other supporting details shows how you prioritize them. The supporting details you place first or second under

TABLE 16.4

Using Action Words to Emphasize Accomplishments

Less Effective More Effective

Responsible for marketing efforts for younger members. Developed and ran marketing campaigns targeting young professionals and university students that resulted in approximately 55 new members in the past year.

Without an action word, this statement sounds unnecessarily weak and passive.

By starting with strong action words, this statement illustrates a sense of goal setting and achievement.

Answered phones. Greeted clients and scheduled appointments in person and by phone.

Although this statement starts with an action word, it emphasizes a menial, nonskilled effort.

This action word immediately draws attention to Haniz’s focus on her customer orientation and value for a business.

Kept track of tanning products. Took inventory of all items sold in the store.

This statement emphasizes a duty without any reference to the business importance of the task.

This statement illustrates a sense of purpose in accomplishing an important business task.

TABLE 16.5

Quantifying Accomplishments

Less Effective More Effective

Supervised other tellers in the teller department. Supervised six tellers—responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of unit.

Without a quantity, potential employers might assume a rather inconsequential set of supervision duties.

With a number of tellers noted, potential employers see that the applicant has supervised a team.

In charge of effort to support local breast cancer awareness event.

Organized a group of 83 members to participate in a local breast cancer walkathon.

Without quantification and an action word to begin this statement, this phrase emphasizes responsibilities rather than accomplishments.

By quantifying the performance (recruiting 83 members), this accomplishment stands out as exceptional.

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each heading in your résumé form the deepest impressions about your abilities and attributes. Furthermore, because most potential employers skim, they may only see the first one or two supporting details for each heading. So, strategically arrange this information to highlight your best features (see Table 16.6 ).

Remove Irrelevant Details Writing résumés and cover letters requires the discipline to tell a story of how your key abilities and attributes will provide value to an employer. You should generally avoid details about your personal life, especially those that some people may find objection- able or unprofessional (e.g., politics or religion). Other information—although tech- nically OK on a résumé—should be provided only if it helps develop your narrative. Generally, avoid listing personal interests and hobbies unless this information takes up little space and accentuates your key abilities and attributes (see Table 16.7 ).

Avoid Clichés, Buzzwords, and Jargon As you craft your job application, show enthusiasm for potential positions without resorting to clichés. Many clichés, such as dream job or track record of success, fail to highlight your abilities and attributes for a few reasons. First, they do not communicate

TABLE 16.6

Positioning Most Important Contributions First

Less Effective More Effective

• Greeted clients and scheduled appointments in person and by phone

• Assisted with purchasing of medical supplies and processing of client orders

• Managed financial bookkeeping for the company using QuickBooks

• Assisted with purchasing of medical supplies and processing of client orders

• Greeted clients and scheduled appointments in person and by phone

This list emphasizes customer skills and de-emphasizes financial bookkeeping skills. If the goal is to display financial abilities, then the list is not effective.

This list emphasizes financial abilities with less emphasis on purchasing and customer service.

TABLE 16.7

Removing Unnecessary Details

Less Effective More Effective

Community Activities and Accomplishments Volunteer, VITA, Columbia, SC (giving up my Saturdays in support of a good cause) Church Choir (my church choir contains professional-level talent and tours internationally) Member of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions Volunteer Gymnastics Coach, Columbia, SC Varsity Basketball Overall MVP (2005–2006), Team Captain (2005–2006)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Member, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Arlington, VA, 2010 to present Volunteer Tax Consultant, Volunteer Tax Assistance Program (VITA), Columbia, SC, 2008 to present Volunteer Coach, Elite Gymnastics Summer Camp, Columbia, SC, 2003 to 2007 (summers)

This list contains several unnecessary pieces of information. The references to the church choir and high school sports are interesting; however, in limited space, they do little to highlight Haniz’s key abilities and attributes.

This condensed list better frames the activities in a professional light and in terms of Haniz’s key abilities and attributes. She retains one sports item (gymnastics coach) to show her leadership abilities and commitment to the community.

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your specific accomplishments. Second, many potential employers perceive these statements as showing unrealistic or naïve expectations about a job or inflated beliefs about abilities (see Table 16.8 ).

Be Exact and Avoid Errors Potential employers examine your résumé with intense scrutiny. On the first pass, many discard it immediately if it contains typos or other careless errors. In one recent survey, roughly three out of four financial executives (76 percent) said they would eliminate job applicants with just one or two typos on their résumés (see Figure 16.3 ). 8 In other words, the standard is high, and few potential employers are forgiving. For an example of poor proofreading, see Table 16.9 .

Throughout the job application process, potential employers will apply exacting at- tention to all of the information in your documents and interviews. Any inconsistency or questionable information may damage or disqualify your chances. Often, potential employers judge your character when they see seemingly contradictory information. So be accurate and precise in setting out dates of employment, job responsibilities and accomplishments, educational background, and all other aspects of the résumé and cover letter.

Group and Label Information to Improve Ease of Reading When you have long lists of items, consider grouping the information to help recruiters quickly grasp your abilities (see Table 16.10 ). If you don’t group lists of four or more items, recruiters will often skip or gloss over them. Furthermore, by grouping items on your résumé, you show your understanding of related skill sets.

TABLE 16.8

Avoiding Clichés

Less Effective More Effective

The Credit Union Marketing Specialist position you posted is my dream job.

My successes in attracting new credit union members would translate well into the requirements of your Credit Union Marketing Specialist position. I am eager to speak with you by phone or in person to learn more about the position and explain how I can contribute.

This statement is inherently me-centered and naïve. This statement projects credibility and shows an interest in dialogue about the position.

FIGURE 16.3

How Many Typos in a Résumé Does It Take for You to Decide Not to Consider a Job Candidate for a Position in Your Company? Source: Accountemps, “Have a Keen Eye for Derail,” July 14, 2009, http://www.accountemps .com/PressRoom?id=2491 (accessed November 20, 2010). Reprinted with permission of Robert Half International.

40% 36%

14%

One Typo Two Typos Three Typos

Four or More Typos

P er

ce nt

ag e

o f

R es

p o

nd en

Responses from Senior Financial Executives

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Format to Distinguish Pieces of Information As you format your résumé, focus on ease of processing and consistency. Imagine re- cruiters who are reviewing dozens if not hundreds of résumés in a day. They are likely skimming on the first pass to see if your résumé deserves more attention. So make sure they can gather the most pertinent information quickly. By formatting your document effectively with bold, italics, spacing, and other features, you can help recruiters under- stand your primary abilities and attributes within 20 to 30 seconds (see Table 16.11 ).

Select a Simple Yet Visually Appealing Layout The last step in the résumé process is choosing a layout. Many job candidates instinc- tively worry about the appearance in the early stages of résumé writing, especially when they are working from model documents or templates. Resist this natural urge and focus on planning your message first and fine-tuning its tone and style. Then, se- lect an appealing layout.

You can choose from dozens of layout options and even design your own. Generally, seek layouts with a lot of white space so that your résumé does not appear cluttered. Also, choose designs that contain a clear scheme for headings and formatting. Make sure that the content is balanced across the page rather than clustered on one side.

TABLE 16.9

Proofreading for Typos and Misspellings

Less Effective More Effective

Increased the moral of the unit and gained incite into managing frontline employees.

Increased the morale of the unit and gained insight into managing frontline employees.

These spelling errors (moral, incite) would not be detected with spell-check software.

The spelling is correct in this case.

TABLE 16.10

Grouping and Labeling to Highlight the Employment Narrative

Less Effective More Effective

Computer Skills: MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS PowerPoint, Prezi, MS Publisher, MS Project, QuickBase, MS Outlook, QuickBooks, Powerscan Loan Display, WebEx

Project Management/Scheduling: QuickBase, MS Project, MS Outlook Finance/Accounting: QuickBooks, Powerscan Loan Display Spreadsheets and Databases: MS Excel, MS Access Presentations/Publishing: WebEx, MS PowerPoint, Prezi, MS Publisher, MS Word

Since the list contains 12 items, recruiters are unlikely to read through it. Furthermore, they are unlikely to distinguish the various types of software skills.

Once the list is grouped, recruiters can quickly (within three or four seconds) recognize the types of software skills involved.

Major coursework: ECON 2013, 2023; ACG 2021, 2071, 3171, 3331; FIN 3244, 4424, 4324, 4329, 4453; MAN 3240, 4720.

Primary coursework: bank administration, investments, marketing of financial services, event management.

This list of major courses provides little meaningful information and does not feed into an employment narrative.

Because these courses are grouped into three or four areas that feed into an employment narrative, potential employers understand the gist of the academic program rapidly and see its place in Haniz’s set of abilities and attributes.

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TABLE 16.11

Formatting to Distinguish Key Pieces of Information

Less Effective More Effective

Work Experience Better Horizons Credit Union, Pescaloosa, FL Marketing Specialist/Loan Officer Jan 2011 to present

WORK EXPERIENCE BETTER HORIZONS CREDIT UNION, Pescaloosa, FL Marketing Specialist/Loan Officer Jan 2011 to present

With formatting the same for company, position, and dates, this information is difficult to pick out quickly. This problem is amplified over an entire document.

With unique formatting applied to section headings (centered, capitalized, bolded), company (capitalized, left aligned), position (bolded, left aligned), and dates (bolded, right aligned), employers can pick out key pieces of information rapidly and within seconds gain a good sense of employment and education histories.

Creating Chronological and Functional Résumés One of your first choices as you assemble your résumé is the format. The two major options are chronological résumés, which present the information grouped by work and education over time, and functional résumés, which present the information in terms of key skills. The most common and generally preferred format, especially for young professionals, is the chronological résumé. One recent survey showed that 75 percent of hiring managers preferred them, whereas 17 percent preferred functional résumés, and 8 percent had no preference. 9

Functional résumés draw special attention to your key skills. They are most often used by professionals with extensive (more than 15 years) experience and individu- als with little or no work experience. Experienced professionals use them as a way to streamline a lengthy list of jobs, many of which involved similar accomplishments and experiences. Inexperienced individuals often use them to emphasize key skills developed through a combination of school, community, volunteer, and other types of activities while de-emphasizing a lack of work experience.

Consider creating both a chronological and a functional résumé to determine which format is more effective at selling your key abilities and attributes. The process of cre- ating both types may even give you insight about how to present your selling points. So, even if you don’t think you’ll use a functional résumé, writing one will likely give you ideas to improve and refine your chronological résumé (or vice versa). Notice the ineffective chronological résumé in Figure 16.4 and the effective chronological and functional examples in Figures 16.5 and 16.6.

You will also need to develop an online résumé, a professional profile, and per- haps even an online portfolio. Creating an online presence for your job search often provides you with more flexibility because you can use keywords, hyperlinks, and examples of your finest work. Figure 16.7 features Haniz’s approach to developing an online presence with a LinkedIn page, an online résumé on a personal webpage, and an online profile on the monster.com website.

For some positions, you may be asked to provide text or scannable résumés (ex- amples of these are provided in the online resources for the textbook). Generally, these formats allow employers to upload data into a database and search a set of résumés electronically. A few strategies can increase the effectiveness of these types of résu- més. For example, when you convert your standard résumé into a scannable one, adjust the content to gain success with the robot. Typically, you can do this by using nouns instead of verbs for job duties and accomplishments, and packing keywords early in your résumé. 10

Generally, employers prefer to receive résumés in standard format through electronic channels. In a recent survey of employers, 71 percent stated a preference for standard

LO16.5 Create chronological and functional résumés to highlight your key selling points.

Components of Chronological Résumés

• Name block • Summary of

qualifications or Career objective (optional)

• Education • Work experience • Additional

information

Components of Functional Résumés

• Name block • Summary of

qualifications or Career summary

• Skills • Additional

information

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FIGURE 16.4

An Ineffective Chronological Résumé

Haniz Zogby 164 Founders Ridge Court, Havana, FL 32333 Phone: 850‐784‐7391; email: [email protected]

Education Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, Graduation: May 2013, BS in Finance, Minor in Event Management GPA: 3.714 (Magna Cum Laude) Major coursework: ECON 2013, 2023; ACG 2021, 2071, 3171, 3331; FIN 3244, 4424, 4324, 4329, 4453; MAN 3240, 4720 3.924 GPA at Woodbridge High School (7th in Class), Palmetto Scholarship

Work Experience Better Horizons Credit Union, Irmo, SC Marketing Specialist/Loan Officer, Oct 2011 to present • Extend business and personal loans to credit union members • Assist with promotional programs • Responsible for marketing efforts for younger members • In charge of effort to support local breast cancer awareness event Teller Supervisor, Oct 2010 to Oct 2011 • Responsible for all cash reserves at the credit union • Helped with referral and sales programs • Balanced monthly general ledgers • Supervised other tellers in the teller department • In charge of the entire unit and its activities Teller, July 2008‐Oct 2010 • Managed banking transactions for members in a helpful and efficient manner • Recognized as the top referral getter among the tellers Palmetto Home Medical, Columbia, SC Receptionist/Billing Assistant, May 2005 ‐ May 2008 (summers) • Answered phones • Data entry into the computer Ultra Tan, Blythewood, SC Salon Attendant, September 2007 to May 2008 • Cleaned the salon • Answered questions that customers had • Kept track of tanning products Computer Skills MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS PowerPoint, Prezi, MS Publisher, MS Project, QuickBase, MS Outlook, QuickBooks, Powerscan Loan Display, WebEx

Community Activities and Accomplishments Volunteer, VITA, Columbia, SC (giving up my Saturdays in support of a good cause) Church Choir Member of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions Volunteer Gymnastics Coach, Columbia, SC Varsity Basketball Overall MVP (2005‐2006), Team Captain (2005‐2006)

Study Abroad Cass Business School, Dubai, United Arab Emirates • Took business classes in a multicultural environment • Observed one of the most dynamic business environments in the world • Took Arabic language courses

The excessively plain appearance of this résumé does not create a positive initial impression.

Recruiters will have a challenging time identifying key attributes and abilities.

Text appears cluttered because it is mostly on the left‐hand side of the page without space in between.

The lack of bold, italics, or other formatting features makes it difficult to rapidly identify key pieces of information.

The focus on responsibilities as opposed to accomplishments fails to sufficiently highlight abilities.

Weak verbs do not emphasize high-order thinking and transferable skills for business.

Sections with additional information do not effectively highlight key attributes and abilities.

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Haniz Zogby 164 Founders Ridge Court, Havana, FL 32333 • 850-784-7391 • [email protected]

LinkedIn : linkedin.com/in/hanizzogby • Online Portfolio : sites.google.com/site/hanizzogby

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, Tallahassee, Florida Bachelors of Science in Finance, Minor in Event Management Graduation: May 2013 • Primary coursework: bank administration, investments, marketing of financial services, event management • Study abroad: one semester at Cass Business School in Dubai focusing on international finance and marketing • GPA: 3.7; Awards: Magna Cum Laude

EDUCATION

BETTER HORIZONS CREDIT UNION, Pescaloosa, FL Marketing Specialist/Loan Officer Jan 2011 to present • Developed and ran marketing campaigns targeting young professionals and university students that resulted in approximately 55 new members in the past year • Established a reward points program that was adopted by nearly 30 percent of members • Organized a group of 83 members to participate in a local breast cancer walkathon • Extend business and personal loans to credit union members

WORK EXPERIENCE

Teller Supervisor Dec 2009 to Jan 2011 • Implemented and tracked referral and sales programs in the teller department • Balanced monthly general ledgers, including branch and teller over/short • Managed all cash reserves at the credit union • Supervised six tellers; responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of unit

Teller July 2008 to Dec 2009 • Handled banking transactions for members in a helpful and efficient manner • Obtained the most referrals in the teller unit during the entire year (2009)

PALMETTO HOME MEDICAL, Columbia, SC Receptionist/Billing Assistant May 2005 to July 2008 (summers) • Managed financial bookkeeping for the company using QuickBooks • Assisted with purchasing of medical supplies and processing of client orders • Greeted clients and scheduled appointments in person and by phone

ULTRA TAN, Blythewood, SC Salon Attendant Sept 2007 to May 2008 • Sold tanning packages and tanning lotions • Took inventory of all items sold in the store • Resolved customer concerns related to products, billing, and scheduling

Project Management/Scheduling: QuickBase, MS Project, MS Outlook Presentations/Publishing/Word Processing: WebEx, MS PowerPoint, Prezi, MS Publisher, MS Word Finance/Accounting: QuickBooks, Powerscan Loan Display; Spreadsheets and Databases: MS Excel, MS Access

COMPUTER SKILLS

Member, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Arlington, VA, 2010 to present Volunteer Tax Consultant, Volunteer Tax Assistance Program (VITA), Pescaloosa, FL, 2008 to present Volunteer Coach, Elite Gymnastics Summer Camp, Columbia, SC, 2003 to 2007 (summers)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

This simple but nicely formatted résumé allows recruiters to rapidly identify key abilities and attributes.

Distinctive and consistent formatting for headings (Centered BOLD CAPS), organizations (CAPS), position (Bold), and dates (right-aligned bold) make information easy to identify.

Specific accomplishments enhance credibility of claims.

Strong action verbs emphasize transferable management and marketing abilities.

Grouping helps rapidly display key computer skills.

Selective display of associations and community activities highlights key abilities and attributes.

FIGURE 16.5

An Effective Chronological Résumé

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Haniz Zogby

164 Founders Ridge Court, Havana, FL 32333 • 850‐784‐7391 • [email protected] LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/hanizzogby • Online Résumé : https://sites.google.com/site/hanizzogby

Qualifications Summary Ambitious credit union professional with record of successful marketing through local events, seminars, mailings, online social networking, and referrals. Knowledgeable of best practices in marketing for credit unions and innovative financial services for credit unions. Committed to leading marketing efforts to increase credit union membership and empower those who use local credit unions.

Skills

Marketing for Credit Unions

• Developed and ran marketing campaigns targeting young professionals and university students that resulted in approximately 55 new members in the past year • Established a reward points program that nearly 30 percent of members adopted • Implemented and tracked referral and sales programs in the teller department

Event Management

• Organized a group of 83 members to participate in a local breast cancer walkathon • Set up regular seminars about retirement plans, investing, and business loans for credit union members • Minored in Event Management and completed team projects for a charity fund-raiser (organized a music concert), a sports event (set up a kids’ night), and a wedding

Leadership • Participated in all major decisions for Better Horizons Credit Union during the past year as assistant manager • Supervised six tellers; responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of entire teller unit • Involved in leadership roles at work, school, and community for the past ten years

• Excel at using software to facilitate project management and scheduling (QuickBase, MS Project, MS Outlook) • Comfortable with a variety of online and face‐to‐face presentation software platforms (WebEx, MS PowerPoint, Prezi) • Advanced-level use of a variety of finance, accounting, spreadsheet, and database software (QuickBooks, Powerscan Loan Display, MS Excel, MS Access) • Expert at word processing and publishing software (MS Publisher, MS Word)

Technology

05/2005–07/2008 (summers) PALMETTO HOME MEDICAL, Columbia, SC, Receptionist/ Billing Assistant ULTRA TAN, Blythewood, SC, Salon Attendant

Employment History 07/2008–present BETTER HORIZONS CREDIT UNION, Pescaloosa, FL

Marketing Specialist/Loan Officer (01/2011–praesent), Teller Supervisor (12/2009–01/2011), Teller (07/2008–12/2009)

09/2007–05/2008

Education

Bachelors of Science in Finance, Minor in Event Management, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, Tuscaloosa, FL, Graduation: 05/2013.

Study Abroad, one semester of business classes at CASS BUSINESS SCHOOL, Dubai, UAE

Community Involvement

Volunteer Tax Consultant, VOLUNTEER TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (VITA), Columbia, SC, 2008–present.

Volunteer Coach, ELITE GYMNASTICS SUMMER CAMP, Columbia, SC, 2003–2007 (summers).

This cleanly formatted résumé sends signals of professionalism and orderliness.

The qualifications summary contains a concise statement that highlights key abilities and attributes.

By grouping skills, Haniz demonstrates what she has to offer in a matter of seconds.

The education and community involvement sections contain only a few strategically selected items that focus on her key messages.

A brief employment history section helps recruiters judge the depth and consistency of her experience.

FIGURE 16.6

An Effective Functional Résumé

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FIGURE 16.7

Online Profiles on Social Networking and Job Websites

The variety of forms for these online résumés and profiles on job websites allow Haniz to present herself in a personable, social, and complete manner.

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482 Part Five Reports and Presentations

résumés, 21 percent for standard résumés in text format, 3 percent for scannable résu- més, and 5 percent expressed no preference. In terms of delivery, 46 percent preferred receiving the résumé as an attachment to an email, 38 percent preferred receiving it via the company website, 7 percent preferred receiving paper copies by mail, and 9 percent had other preferences. Some preferred résumés pasted within the email rather than sent as attachments due to security concerns. Most employers who use application websites expect résumés to be uploaded in their entirety, whereas some employers have set up their websites so applicants can submit particular sections of résumés. 11

You will need to provide a list of personal references as part of most job applications. Some job applicants put off this task until the last minute, often underestimating its significance. In fact, your references may be among the most important factors in gain- ing a new position.

One recent study showed that for professional positions, 62 percent of employers call three or more references from applicants’ lists of references, 18 percent call two references, 3 percent call just one reference, 8 percent call more than three references, and just 9 percent do not contact any references. 12 As you construct your list of refer- ences, consider these tips:

Develop Relationships with Potential References over Time Well before you need to apply for a position, compile a list of people who can provide credible accounts of your qualifications. Consider people who work in fields and in- dustries that interest you. Also consider professors with whom you have established a relationship over several semesters, ideally in classes directly related to your sought- after positions. 13

Contact Your References Ahead of Time Before you place any names on your list, reach out to those individuals and, as a cour- tesy, ask permission to use their names. A short email may be enough to accomplish this request, but consider meeting in person or calling to explain the positions you are applying for and recent experiences you’ve had. These short conversations allow your references to speak about you with enthusiasm and up-to-date information. Also, these conversations give you a chance to seek advice about how to handle the job application process. Generally, also send these individuals your most updated résumé so they are aware of the information that potential employers have.

Some of your references will be former supervisors. Forward-thinking job appli- cants stay in touch with past supervisors from time to time to keep them updated with their career developments. Even small but sincere gestures such as sending yearly holiday cards can lead to favorable comments when these former supervisors speak with your potential employers. 14

Think about whether you should include your current supervisor as a reference. In some cases, she or he will understand and even encourage your efforts to seek new positions and will serve as an excellent reference. In other cases, however, your supervisors may be un- happy that you want to leave your current position. For example, if your supervisor thinks your job search indicates a lack of dedication to your current job, you may find your pro- fessional opportunities diminishing. If you’re uncomfortable telling your supervisor that you’re searching for a new position, you likely should not provide him/her as a reference.

Thank Your References Your references will undoubtedly wonder how your job search fares. Stay in touch with them about progress you’ve made. When your job search is over, thank them for

LO16.6 Develop a list of references that will improve your employment prospects.

Developing a Reference List

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their participation in the process. These shows of goodwill may come in handy over the years as you ask these same individuals for assistance in future job searches.

Complete a Consistently Formatted, Well-Detailed Reference List When you construct the list of references, check the job announcement to see how many references are required. If it does not provide a number, list three to five in- dividuals. Make sure you provide current contact information. In addition, consider providing a brief (one or two sentences) description of your professional or school relationship to each reference. Finally, format the list of references to be compatible with your résumé (see Figure 16.8 ).

Constructing Cover Letters Cover letters describe your interest in and qualifications for a position. Whereas you may have one, two, or at most three versions of your résumé for various positions, you must uniquely tailor each cover letter to a particular position. No two cover letters should be the same.

LO16.7 Compose effective cover letters that highlight your key selling points.

Consistent formatting allows recruiters to quickly gather key information.

Formatting that matches the résumé formatting shows attention to detail and a touch of class.

A brief statement about relationships with references demonstrates professionalism and helps recruiters make judgments about the value of each one.

Haniz Zogby

REFERENCE LIST

Christine Russo

CEO and President

BETTER HORIZONS CREDIT UNION

Address: 1488 Altura Dr.

Pescaloosa, FL 32315

Phone: 850-971-0234

Email: [email protected]

Jamie McPherson, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Finance

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Address: 719-C Thurmond Tower

Tallahassee, FL 32302

Phone: 850-777-1848

Email: [email protected]

Jim Harrill, CPA

Owner

HARRILL TAX ASSOCIATES

Address: 3419 Main Street

Havana, FL 32333

Phone: 850-972-3188

Email: [email protected]

Jack Gerardi

Owner and President

PALMETTO HOME MEDICAL

Address: 18 Foxborough Lane

Columbia, SC 29201

Phone: 803-798-1312

Email: [email protected]

164 Founders Ridge Court, Havana, FL 32333 • 850-784-7391 • [email protected] LinkedIn : linkedin.com/in/hanizzogby • Online Résumé : sites.google.com/site/hanizzogby

Relationship: Mr. Harrill trained me and supervised my work as a volunteer tax consultant for the VITA program. He is familiar with my work ethic and commitment to the community.

Relationship: Mr. Gerardi supervised my work as a receptionist and billing assistant for 3-1/2 summers.

Relationship: Ms. Russo has been my supervisor for the past five years. She is intimately familiar with my work in the following positions: marketing specialist, loan officer, teller supervisor, and teller.

Relationship: Dr. McPherson taught two of my courses and served as an advisor for my honors thesis about emerging financial services in credit unions.

FIGURE 16.8

References List

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484 Part Five Reports and Presentations

The role of cover letters has changed in recent years. Some hiring managers no lon- ger read them. One recent survey showed that just over half (56 percent) of employers request them. 15 Yet, even with this slightly declining interest, you should write perfect cover letters because a majority of hiring managers still read them, and when they do, cover letters likely send your first impression.

Your primary goal for cover letters is to sell your key abilities and attributes in a way that matches the needs of the employer for a particular position. As you do with sales letters, you build excitement and optimism that you can excel in the posted position. Unlike mass sales letters, however, cover letters deliver the message that you are writ- ing to one particular employer, and only that employer.

Keep in mind the following advice: 16

The Cover Letter Often Forms the First Impression Since many potential employers read your cover letter (or a condensed version of it as an email) first, it forms the first impression of you. Therefore, it must be perfect. As an error-free message, the cover letter can immediately place you in the upper echelons. A New York tutoring company, Inspirica, recently sought out writing tutors. In 93 percent of the 220 cover letters, HR specialists found writing errors. 17

Clearly Identify the Position You Are Applying For Your potential employer is likely reviewing applications for many—sometimes hun- dreds or thousands—of positions at the same time. Many employers use electronic application systems to clearly identify the positions that applicants are seeking. In any case, clearly and prominently identify the position you are applying for in your cover letter. The subject line is often a good location for this information.

Be Focused and Concise In recent years, potential employers have come to expect shorter, more concise cover letters. This is in part due to larger application pools for each position. Thus, you should generally aim for three to five targeted paragraphs.

In such limited space, focus on your main selling points—your key abilities and attributes—and how these selling points match the needs of your employer. By taking this focused approach, you create a prism from which the employer will interpret your résumé, thus strengthening the story you are telling of your qualifications.

Show a Confident and Enthusiastic Tone without Exaggerating or Displaying Arrogance One of the most challenging aspects of the cover letter is getting the tone right. Em- ployers are looking for employees who can contribute, so you should mention how your unique abilities can help the company. Yet, hiring managers may view excessive self-praise as arrogance.

Also, you should show your interest in the position and the company, as hiring managers will be trying to gauge your enthusiasm and commitment levels. At the same time, you will want to avoid flowery language, which hiring managers may find off- putting and not businesslike.

Tailor Your Cover Letter to the Job Posting and Needs of the Employer By carefully reading the job announcement, you can prioritize your selling points so they are tailored to the position of interest. This approach not only accentuates your ability to do the job, it also shows that you have researched the position and are respon- sive to the needs of the company. The Internet provides many avenues for job seekers to learn about companies. Read the Technology Tips feature on page 488 to learn about one approach.

Components of Cover Letters

• Interest in position. • Match with

position. • Call to action.

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Adapting for Unsolicited Letters Most people gain their positions through formal job announcements—that is, jobs so- licited by companies. When applying for these jobs, you will write a solicited cover letter, since it is for an open position that a company advertises (see Figures 16.9 and 16.10 for examples of ineffective and effective solicited cover letters). In some cases, however, you may seek employment with a company that does not even have an open position. In these cases, you will submit an unsolicited cover letter, since the com- pany has not requested job applications.

When writing unsolicited cover letters, you make several modifications. You must first find out as much as possible about the employer so that you can explain how you fit the employer’s needs. Also, you should open immediately with a proposition about how you can add value, and summarize your key abilities and attributes quickly, often

This letter contains too much text and long paragraphs. The body has 405 words and two long paragraphs of 138 and 143 words. Many busy recruiters will not read it carefully.

Because of excessive personal information and emotion, this cover letter lacks a professional and serious tone.

The use of clichés, such as “the sky’s the limit” and “dream job,” shows naiveté.

The closing does mention future contact but is vague.

164 Founders Ridge Court, Havana, FL 32333 850-784-7391 [email protected]

May 15, 2013

Human Resources Department Anchor Federal Credit Union Network 158 Anchor Loop Raleigh, NC 27601

Hello Hiring Committee:

Please consider my application for the Credit Union Marketing Specialist position. I think you will find that I possess the skills that you are looking for.

My mother always has said, “The sky’s the limit.” I have always admired her sense of optimism. One reason I admire the credit union model is because of my mom. My mother was a teller for nearly 20 years, and I followed in her footsteps. She always felt that she was doing good for the community by working in a credit union, and I have gained this deep sense of commitment to the community through credit unions as well. In my current workplace, I have been promoted more quickly than any other employees. You will find that I am ambitious, organized, and I am passionate about marketing credit unions. My passion has driven me to success at Better Horizons Credit Union and will propel me to success at Anchor Federal Credit Unions if you give me a chance.

I want to illustrate to you the kind of abilities I can bring to Anchor Federal Credit Union Network by describing a recent marketing campaign that I ran. About one year ago, our CEO, Christine Russo, determined that we needed to gain younger members. She has relied on me often to help come up with ideas for important marketing campaigns, and she turned to me in this instance as well. After thoroughly examining best practices throughout the industry, we came up with a set of financial services and advertising ideas that resulted in approximately 55 new members. Our branch manager recognized this campaign as the most effective marketing effort during her 15 years at the credit union. I’m proud of this kind of effort and I can deliver this level of result at Anchor Federal Credit Union if you give me the chance.

The job you posted is my dream job. It combines my love of credit unions with my skills and interests in event management. You will notice on my résumé that not only do I have training in event management, but I also have experience using events as marketing tools for Better Horizons Credit Union. I thrive in these environments where I need to bring people together for fun and exciting events. Thank you for your attention to this letter. I hope that we can meet to further our discussions.

Sincerely,

Haniz Zogby

FIGURE 16.9

An Ineffective Solicited Cover Letter

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486 Part Five Reports and Presentations

This cover letter is brief but focused, stating key abilities and attributes in a professional and confident manner. The body contains 257 words. The longest paragraph is 75 words. Recruiters are far more likely to read this letter.

The letter demonstrates awareness of the needs of the employer and how her skills match those needs.

This letter conveys a professional and confident tone.

The closing statement is assertive and specific in requesting contact. Yet, it is not overbearing or pushy.

164 Founders Ridge Court, Havana, FL 32333 850‐784‐7391 [email protected]

May 15, 2013

Mr. Jacob Garcia, Director of Human Resources Anchor Federal Credit Union Network 158 Anchor Loop Raleigh, NC 27601

RE: Credit Union Marketing Specialist Position (Job Posting #831481809)

Dear Mr. Garcia:

My successes in attracting new credit union members would translate well into meeting the requirements of your Credit Union Marketing Specialist position. I am eager to speak with you by phone or in person to learn more about the position and explain how I can contribute.

During nearly five years at Better Horizons Credit Union, I have excelled at many of the responsibilities you are seeking, including marketing to increase membership, tracking the success of marketing activities, coordinating marketing events and efforts, and delivering presentations to partners and potential clients. I have helped gain new credit union members by developing marketing campaigns with many of the techniques you are seeking, including event marketing, mailings, referral programs, seminars, and online social networking.

One of my most successful marketing campaigns occurred last year when I was given the responsibility of increasing membership among young professionals and university students. I developed mailings, an online social networking campaign, and seminars that resulted in approximately 55 new members. Our branch manager, Ms. Christine Russo, recognized this campaign as the most effective marketing effort during her 15 years at the credit union.

During my time working at Better Horizons Credit Union, I have been rapidly promoted and given critical marketing responsibilities due to my leadership, initiative, creativity, and performance. I can make these same contributions to the Anchor Credit Union Network.

Please call me at your convenience to arrange an interview. You can reach me at my mobile phone (850‐784‐7391) between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily.

Sincerely,

FIGURE 16.10

An Effective Solicited Cover Letter

in bulleted form (see Figure 16.11 for an example of an unsolicited cover letter in email form). 18

Your job application must be perfect. Recruiters rarely have any tolerance for inaccu- racies in a résumé. Furthermore, they won’t hire you unless you present your selling points effectively.

On the most basic level, you should make sure every element of your job applica- tion correctly portrays your abilities and attributes, so you must avoid any urge to

LO16.8 Review your job application documents for effectiveness and fairness.

Reviewing Your Résumés and Cover Letters

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exaggerate. You should also review your documents over and over to ensure they em- phasize your selling points in a compelling manner. Consider getting the opinion of many people about your résumé. You might start with some individuals in the career center and a few of your professors.

Also, try to get the opinions of some people in positions that match your career interests. Since business professionals interpret résumés quite differently, you may get some conflicting advice. This is normal. Even all hiring managers won’t agree about what makes the best résumé. However, by getting many opinions, you’ll be able to make decisions about strategies that enhance your likelihood of success in the job search process.

FIGURE 16.11

An Unsolicited Referral Cover Letter

TTB I U F TT 1 — 2 — 3 —

____________ _________

_________ _________

____________ _________

_________ _________

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________

<<Plain Text

Dear Ms. Sharapova:

After reading about your credit union network’s expansion plans in the Credit Union Leadership Journal, I am eager to join your marketing team. My skills in attracting new credit union members through event marketing, mailings, referral programs, seminars, and online social networking could help you achieve your ambitious growth plans.

I am an experienced credit union professional with extensive marketing experience and financial background. My marketing successes include the following:

• Attracting 55 new members within one year in a marketing campaign targeting young professionals and university students • Developing a reward points program that was adopted by nearly 30 percent of our members • Establishing referral and sales programs in our teller department that significantly increased membership and member use of financial services

You can learn more about my qualifications by reading my attached résumé. Also, please see my online résumé and LinkedIn profile. My online résumé contains actual samples from marketing campaigns I have led. It contains mailings, content from the Better Horizons website, and video of two marketing seminars that I organized and presented.

I am seeking an entry-level marketing position in a credit union network with potential for advancement based on performance. As far as location, I am flexible and willing to relocate anywhere. I am seeking an opening salary range of $50,000 to $60,000.

Please give me a call at your convenience to arrange an interview. You can reach me on my mobile phone (850-784-7391) between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Also, I plan to give you a call within the next two weeks to learn more about potential job openings and explore the possibility of a job interview.

Best regards,

Haniz Zogby

Mobile Phone: 850-784-7391 Email: [email protected] Online Résumé: linkedin.com/in/hanizzogby LinkedIn Profile: sites.google.com/site/hanizzogby

Lucy Sharapova <[email protected]>

Expansion Plans for the Eastern Credit Union Network

Zogby_Haniz_Resume.docx (48.00

To:

Subject:

The message is concise. The body has just 276 words. Further, the short paragraphs and bulleted items allow the recruiter to get the gist within 15 to 30 seconds.

As an unsolicited request for a job interview, this message is more up-front about issues such as salary and promotional opportunities.

The subject line focuses on the needs and ambitions of the employer.

The tone is confident and assertive without being demanding.

Links to her online résumé and LinkedIn profile allow the recruiter to learn more if she is interested.

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488 Part Five Reports and Presentations

Technology Ti ps

GETTING AN INSIDER’S VIEW OF POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS Most job seekers use Internet job postings and advertise- ments to find and apply for jobs. Most also have used LinkedIn and other profes- sional networking websites to find opportunities. However, few job seekers get an inside look at the companies that in- terest them. A variety of websites can help you get insiders’ per- spectives about companies. One example of this type of website is Glassdoor.com, where you can find reviews about any company of inter- est from its current and former employees. You can learn how satisfied employees are with the company, what the company culture is like, what advancement opportunities there are, and even salary ranges for various positions. By getting as much in- side information about a company as possible, you can determine if the company culture and job opportunities match your expectations before you ever apply. Furthermore, this inside information can help you prepare for the job application and interview process. It may even help you in the salary negotiations once you have a job offer.

Your cover letter, résumé, list of references, and other pieces in your job application package set the stage for the most consequential part of the process—the interview. When you have secured an interview, you have made the initial cut and are likely deemed a good candidate. You are now competing against the best candidates for the position.

Many job applicants spend little time preparing for the interview, essentially wing- ing it. At this crucial stage—where hiring managers are making their decisions—prep- aration often sets apart those who receive offers and those who do not. In this section, we focus on a few parts of the job interview: dressing appropriately, using appropriate etiquette, responding to interview questions, and following up.

Dress for the Interview and Pay Attention to Etiquette One of the first signals of professionalism you give at a job interview relates to your clothing choices (notice, for example, the items related to dress in Figure 16.12 ). 19 As much as possible, gain a sense ahead of time about the dress standards at the company

Acing the Job Interview

Source: Courtesy of Glassdoor.

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where you are interviewing. Generally, you should dress up, even when the company has a fairly casual environment. Typically, err on the side of conservative dress—that is, wear well-pressed, clean, and nicely fitted clothes. Avoid over-accessorizing with too much jewelry, flashy glasses, or other items. Consider a dress rehearsal at home to feel at ease in your chosen outfit. 20

During your visit to the company—before, during, and after the formal interview— pay attention to appropriate etiquette. Most hiring managers expect you to maintain a certain level of formality. Greet those you meet with handshakes and enthusiasm.

Respond Effectively to Interview Questions The moment of truth for hiring managers generally occurs during the job interview. Many make fairly quick judgments about your abilities and attributes. In a recent survey of 498 human resource professionals, one-third (33 percent) made not-to- hire decisions within 5 minutes, and another third (30 percent) made that decision within 15 minutes. 21 Your window may be brief to make the case that you are a good fit for the company. To prepare for the questions you may be asked, consider the following tips:

Respond to Questions Strategically, Confidently, and Concisely As you crafted your cover letter and résumé, you identified those professional abilities and attributes that meet the needs of your employer. These are your selling points, and you should find ways throughout the interview to emphasize them. You are strategic to the degree that you find ways to bring up these selling points.

LO16.9 Develop strategies for responding to common job interview questions.

FIGURE 16.12

Most Serious Problems in the Job Application/Interview Process Nationwide Survey of Hiring Managers

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

A major problem/a deal breaker Somewhat of a problem

Is dressed too provocatively

Has typos or grammatical errors in cover letter and/or résumé

Is late for the interview

Talks negatively about a previous supervisor/boss

Talks negatively about a previous job/internship

The applicant’s cell phone rings during the interview

Brings food or drink to the interview

Is dressed too casually

Includes a photo of self in the résumé and/or cover letter

Is overly casual/familiar (i.e., as if talking to friends)

Asks about vacation time or sick time prematurely

Asks about work hours prematurely

Has unprofessional email address (e.g., [email protected])

Doesn’t send a thank-you note after the interview

Drops names in cover letter, résumé, and/or during the interview

Arrives more than 10 minutes early for the interview

15%

18%

20%

27%

31%

40%

42%

49%

58%

67%

14%

54%

31%

48%

35%

54%

65%

44%

68%

48%

51%

53%

46%

39%

41%

28%

Source: From Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Poll: Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts for Job Seekers,” September 15, 2009. Reprinted with permission via Copyright Clearance Center .

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TABLE 16.12

Common Job Interview Questions for Entry-Level Business Positions

Type of Interview Question Examples

Introduction questions • Tell me about yourself. • How was your flight here? Did you find this office easily? • How was your flight here? How do you like living in ?

Education and training • Why did you choose your school? • Why did you choose your major? • What was your favorite part of your program? Least favorite?

Knowledge of company and industry

• What do you know about our company? • What do you think are some of our main business challenges? How can you help? • What trends do you see in this industry?

Work experience • How did you get your last job? • Why did you leave your last job? Have you ever been fired? • What did you like least about your last job?

Approaches to work, goals, and successes

• Why did you apply for this job? • What are you looking for in a job? • How will you be successful in this position? • What were some tough decisions you had to make at your last job? • What are your biggest accomplishments? • Tell me about a project you worked on in your most recent job. How did you

contribute to its success? • What do you wish you had accomplished but were unable to? • Can you tell me about a difficult situation you encountered at work? How did you

respond? How did you get your team to work effectively? • Can you tell me about a situation where you had to work under pressure and deal

with deadlines?

Personal attributes • What are your strengths? Weaknesses? • What would your current boss say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? • Are you creative? Hardworking? Ambitious? • What have you learned from your past jobs?

Interpersonal, team, management, and leadership skills

• What types of people do you like to work with? • What types of people do you think are most difficult to work with? • What is your leadership/management style? • Do you have top management potential? • How well do you work in teams? • What is your communication style when working with others? • Have you had to make an unpopular decision or announcement? How did you do it?

Also, show confidence. While you should avoid bragging, you need to emphasize your abilities and attributes. Some job applicants are uncomfortable doing this. Claim credit for work you have accomplished. Say “I” instead of “we” during the job inter- view more often than you would otherwise as you talk about accomplishments at work. Yet, at the same time, maintain a balance between taking credit for your individual accomplishments and demonstrating your team orientation. 22

Finally, give concise answers. Most responses should be between 30 seconds and two minutes. Briefer answers are generally too abrupt, and longer answers are often unfocused. Also, longer answers disrupt the conversational nature of the job interview.

In Table 16.12 , you’ll find many common types of interview questions. Be prepared to respond to any of them strategically, confidently, and concisely. In Table 16.13 ,

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TABLE 16.13

Responses to Common Job Interview Questions

Less Effective More Effective

Q. Tell me about yourself. Q. Tell me about yourself.

A. Well, I’m a recent graduate with a degree in finance. I also minored in event management. I have worked for a credit union for the past five years. I started out as a teller and moved up from there. Prior to working at the credit union, I worked at a medical supplies company and a tanning salon. Outside of that, I’ve been heavily involved in sports my whole life. And, that brings me right up until now, ready to move into a new position.

A. About five years ago, I took a position as a teller at a credit union. I found that I really loved the credit union approach to providing financial services. Within months, I realized that this was a career direction for me. I was fairly quickly promoted into other positions—first as a teller supervisor and then as loan officer and marketing specialist. While working at the credit union, I also went to Florida State University, where I majored in finance and minored in event management. I focused all of my studies on my deep interest in marketing financial services for credit unions. One reason I’m so intrigued by the position is that it combines several of my key interests.

This response is factual but does not directly lead into a coherent, inspiring account of Haniz’s selling points.

This statement captures Haniz’s background, naturally describes several of her selling points, and ties her selling points to the needs of the position. At 115 words, this statement would take roughly 45 seconds to one minute to state.

Q. It looks like you just graduated. Tell me about your university experience.

A. I had a great time in school. I had great professors all the way through my program in finance. I made great friends. One of the most exciting parts of my schooling was studying in Dubai for a semester, which really opened my eyes to the world. The only part I didn’t like about school was the pressures of working full-time for most of my four years and also studying on the side. But, I think I grew a lot from the experience.

A. Going to Florida State University was a great experience and helped me improve my skills in marketing financial services. Early on in my finance program, I took a variety of classes about banking and investments that helped me think about financial services we could offer at Better Horizons. Also, I used a lot of what I learned in my event management minor to think about events we could run at the credit union. I think my favorite semester was when I went abroad to Dubai. I was fascinated to see that the businesses in that country are using so many creative and innovative approaches to event marketing. I’ve tried to use some of those techniques I saw in Dubai at Better Horizons.

This response provides a general overview of Haniz’s experience but fails to provide a sense that she was pursuing a set of goals. The response does not contain selling points.

This response ties Haniz’s university experiences into her professional goals and accomplishments. It highlights her key selling points and shows her goal-directed approach to work.

Q. Why do you want to leave your current job? Q. Why do you want to leave your current job?

A. My job at Better Horizons Credit Union has given me many opportunities, but I am often frustrated with the conservative approach that our Board has taken to developing new services. My immediate supervisor usually agrees with my ideas, but she understands that the Board will not approve our most ambitious ideas. So, she falls in line. Better Horizons has been a great learning experience, but I’m simply ready to move on to a more ambitious work environment.

A. Leaving Better Horizons Credit Union will not be easy for me. I’ve enjoyed working closely with so many of my colleagues, and getting to know the community has been wonderful. Last year, when I helped run our campaign that brought in so many younger members, I realized that I wanted to be part of a larger credit union network in a position where I could spend more of my time developing marketing events and facilitating coordination between branches. I think this is where my strengths lie, and as far as I can tell, a good match for your position.

By stating her displeasure with the Board and the less than ambitious work culture, Haniz makes a risky statement. Some hiring managers will worry that Haniz does not work well with others.

By focusing on the satisfying aspects of the position she intends to leave, Haniz is more likely to give the impression that she is a committed, team-oriented employee. She segues her response into the needs of the current position.

(Continued )

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TABLE 16.13

(Continued )

Less Effective More Effective

Q. How well do you work in teams? Q. How well do you work in teams?

A. I take a win-win mentality into all team projects. I really believe that one plus one can make three if you work together as a team. I think if you ask anyone who I’ve worked with, they’ll tell you that I facilitate a productive work environment where we’re feeding off one another’s ideas and where the end result is a creative and effective solution.

A. I enjoy working in teams to meet marketing objectives. Last year’s marketing campaign that resulted in 55 new members was the result of a five-member team at Better Horizons. I was asked to head up the team and focused on events and social media, while the other team members worked on their specialty areas, such as market research, print advertising, and radio spots. Even though we each had our specialties, we had to work together extensively to make sure we created a unified marketing message. We also pushed one another to come up with better ideas. I don’t think we could have achieved such a successful campaign without one another.

This clichéd, vague response does little to convey Haniz’s real ability to work in teams.

This response shows Haniz’s ability to work in teams through a concrete example. It inspires confidence that Haniz is a team player and genuinely understands the economic value of working in teams.

Q. Do you have management experience? What is your approach to managing others?

A. Yes. As a teller supervisor, I supervised a unit of six tellers. I was responsible for coordinating, scheduling, and the overall performance of the group. I think the most important part of managing is being open. The tellers always knew where I was coming from and vice versa.

A. Yes. At Better Horizons, I’ve managed the teller department and led a variety of marketing campaigns that required bringing together the ideas and resources of credit union employees and members. I have been most successful when I’ve followed several principles. First, I think it’s important to set a vision and articulate the big goals. Second, I think it’s critical to get everyone’s ideas about how to achieve the goals. Finally, I think you have to find ways to gain buy-in and create incentives for others to engage in the goals. Here’s how I did this with our mailing campaign to attract more members . . .

This response is too short. While the response is positive, it fails to lead into Haniz’s selling points of developing marketing campaigns.

This response answers the question and also transitions to Haniz’s selling points.

Q. What are your weaknesses? Q. What are your weaknesses?

A. I can’t really think of any weaknesses off the top of my head. Well, I guess one thing is that I never settle for anything less than excellence. Some people who accept mediocrity sometimes say I’m a control freak, but I get the job done. So, in one way you could view this as a weakness, but from the business viewpoint, it’s a net plus.

A. One of the things I noticed in the job posting is that you are looking for someone with the ability to conduct member surveys. I wish I could say that I had experience doing surveys in my current job. I think it is critical to include surveys as part of market analysis. I took several courses about conducting surveys and statistical analysis, yet I haven’t applied this knowledge to real business problems. I look forward to developing my abilities in this regard and would welcome any training or mentoring.

This question is common in job interviews. Many job candidates view it as a trick question and evade it or state a weakness that could really be viewed as a strength. This response does not show that Haniz is self- aware enough to improve quickly on the job.

This response shows that Haniz is self-aware. It also reveals her ambitious, goal-setting nature and recognition of what she needs to do to provide value for her potential employer.

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you’ll see some sample responses from Haniz. As you read these questions, think about how the hiring manager is likely responding.

Be Perceptive about What Hiring Managers Are Evaluating Hir- ing managers ask most questions with specific goals in mind. They are trying to evalu- ate how well your abilities and attributes match the needs of the position and fit into the corporate culture. Thus, they will ask a variety of questions about your education, work experience, and knowledge of their company. In most questions, you can fairly easily discern what they are trying to find out about you.

Other interview questions, however, may be more difficult to “read.” With such questions, think about what kinds of judgments the interviewer might make. For exam- ple, when hiring managers ask you to introduce yourself, they want to know how you see yourself; it gives them a glimpse into your sense of your life and career direction, your priorities, and your work values. When they ask you what your weaknesses are, they are generally less concerned about what you can’t do now but rather what you can do later. They are trying to see how self-aware you are and if you are likely to improve over time. Even questions in small talk—such as how your flight was, how your hotel room is, or how your football team is doing—are asked by hiring managers to make judgments about your emotional intelligence.

Tell Success Stories Throughout this book, we’ve discussed the importance of stories. During job interviews, telling stories about your successes can create a positive connection between you and your potential employers. By telling suc- cess stories, you provide specific and concrete examples as evidence of your abili- ties and attributes. Also, these stories often offer a glimpse into who you are as a person. 23

One approach to telling success stories is the STAR method (Situation – Tasks – Actions – Results). Table 16.14 shows how Haniz uses the STAR method to briefly but convincingly respond to the question How well do you work with deadlines? Read through this example and compare its specificity to an abstract, nonspecific response,

TABLE 16.14

The STAR Approach to Responding to Interview Questions

Example Statements

SITUATION where you created a positive outcome

TASKS you were assigned as part of a process

ACTIONS you took that led to outcome

RESULTS that occurred

Q. How well do you work with deadlines? A. I’m quite used to meeting deadlines, and actually, I’ve done some of my best work when I had to hit a deadline. One example occurred recently in organizing a group of credit union employees and members to participate in a local walkathon to support breast cancer. For over a decade, our credit union has been a prominent supporter of the event, but our participation has decreased almost every year. Last year, our group was comprised of just 15 people, most of whom were employees. Altogether, we only raised around $600. Two weeks before the deadline for signing up, our president approached me and asked me if I could head up a promotional effort to get a larger group from the credit union. She suggested that I aim for at least 30 people and focus on getting more of our members on the walkathon team, especially newer members. Within a few days, another marketing specialist and I had set up some incentives for members to participate, such as a free T-shirt and a water bottle. We developed promotional messages that we sent out by email and via our Facebook page and our website. I think what made the most difference is that we asked tellers to distribute flyers each time a member came in for a transaction. Ultimately, we recruited 83 walkers and raised nearly $10,000 for our local breast cancer center. We also were able to get a variety of new members to join our walkathon team and connect on a deeper level with our credit union community.

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such as “I work well under pressure and deadlines. In fact, I thrive under these condi- tions and often produce my best results.”

As you tell success stories, make sure that they respond directly to interview ques- tions and reveal your best selling points. Also, make sure your stories stay relatively brief. Generally, responses that are longer than one to two minutes are too long. You might consider writing out five or six success stories you could use in a job interview.

Avoid Criticizing Your Former Organizations, Supervisors, and Colleagues If you glance back at Figure 16.12 , you will notice that among the worst offenses in job interviews is speaking negatively of your current or past employ- ers. If you express negativity, hiring managers may wonder how well you get along with others and what attitude you bring to work. When you are asked questions such as Why do you want to leave your current job or What is your least favorite part of your job, be prepared with an honest response that is constructive, forward-looking, and complimentary if possible.

Ask Questions Generally, your interviewer will ask you what questions you have. Come prepared with some. When interviewees do not ask questions, hiring man- agers often view them as uninterested or inexperienced. In Table 16.15 , you will notice several questions that are not effective and others that are generally effective. 24

Typically, if you ask about salary, compensation, and other perks on the first inter- view, you may inadvertently send the meta message “this is all about me.” One survey showed that less than one-third of hiring managers thought it was OK for interviewees to bring up salary on the first interview. 25 Of course, these are considered appropriate topics on second or third interviews when a potential employer is showing strong inter- est in you.

Follow Up after the Job Interview Sending a note of appreciation following an interview is a good strategy. In a poll of 150 senior executives, 88 percent stated that sending a thank-you note could in- crease chances of employment. When asked how many job applicants actually did send thank-you notes, executives estimated that just 51 percent of candidates do so. 26

Within a few hours to one day after your interview, send a thank-you note. Your primary goal should be to express goodwill and confirm your interest in the position (see Figure 16.13 ). The note should be brief and genuine. Some job applicants wonder whether they should send a thank-you email or a thank-you card. In a recent survey, 50 percent of HR professionals said that sending a thank-you email is the best way of expressing thanks. Nearly one-third (28 percent) said it’s best to send a thank-you

LO16.10 Explain etiquette for following up after job interviews.

TABLE 16.15

Questions by Job Candidates in First Interviews

Less Effective More Effective

• What kind of salary are you offering for this position?

• How often can I work from home? • Is there a strong benefits package?

• Can you tell me about the company culture? • If there were any one thing you could change about the company

culture, what would it be? • What are you looking for in the person who takes this position? • How do you evaluate employees’ performance? • What are the next steps in the process? • Who would I report to in this position? What management style does

this person have? • Do you have any concerns about my ability to succeed in this position?

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To:

Subject:

B I U F TT T 1 —2 — 3 —

________________ __________ _______________ __________ _______________ __________

________________ __________

_______________ __________

________________ __________

_______________ __________

Jacob Garcia

Thank You for the Interview

Dear Mr. Garcia:

Thank you for the opportunity to interview today. I enjoyed speaking with you this afternoon about the Credit Union Marketing Specialist position. I also enjoyed meeting so many team members at the Anchor Federal Credit Union Network.

Please let me know if I can provide any additional information. I look forward to speaking with you again.

Best wishes,

Haniz Zogby

Mobile Phone: 850-784-7391 Email: [email protected] Online Résumé: linkedin.com/in/hanizzogby LinkedIn Profile: sites.google.com/site/hanizzogby

Zogby_Haniz_Resume.docx (48.00 K)

Short, professional thank-you note shows professionalism, appreciation, and interest.

Attached résumé, LinkedIn profile address, and informative online résumé provide recruiters with additional information if they choose to look at it.

<<Plain Text

FIGURE 16.13

Thank-You Note Following an Interview

note by regular mail. Also, some HR professionals (17 percent) recommend sending a thank-you email right away and sending a thank-you note by regular mail. 27 Clearly, the only “right” answer is that you should send one.

Unless the interviewers tell you that you should wait until they contact you, feel free to follow up with their progress in making a selection. Many job applicants feel hesitant to follow up, assuming that they may annoy or nag hiring managers. Generally, however, your polite follow-ups show that you want the position and that you are persistent. As shown in Figure 16.14 , most hiring managers expect you to follow up, with nearly half (43 percent) stating you should check back at least once per week.

FIGURE 16.14

How Often Should You Check Back after Being Interviewed? Nationwide Survey of Human Resource Professionals Source: From Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Poll: Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts for Job Seekers,” September 15, 2009. Reprinted with permission via Copyright Clearance Center.

11%

43%

33%

0% 25% 50%

Other

Never

As instructed

Every few days

Once a week

Once

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This concise letter provides all needed components: a resignation date and an expression of goodwill.

Expression of goodwill and gratitude is professional, warm, and sincere.

May 14, 2013

Christine Russo, President and CEO Better Horizons Loop, Pescaloosa, FL 91214

RE: Notice of Resignation

Dear Christine:

I am writing to inform you of my resignation from Better Horizons Credit Union effective May 31, 2013.

Leaving BHCU is an extremely difficult decision. Please accept my deep gratitude for the many professional opportunities you have provided me.

Most of all, I will miss the people of BHCU. When we say the “Better Horizons family,” we are not exaggerating.

Best wishes to you and the credit union for continued growth and success!

Sincerely,

Haniz Zogby Better Horizons Credit Union

BETTER HORIZONS CREDIT UNION Est. 1937

FIGURE 16.15

Resignation Letter

When you accept a new position, you can extend several courtesies to your current employer and ensure that you leave on good terms so that your supervisors can provide a positive recommendation in the future if you need it. In the first place, you should inform your supervisor that you are leaving immediately, preferably in person. Show graciousness and appreciation for the professional opportunities you have been given. Be careful about bragging or boasting about your new posi- tion, which will imply to some of your colleagues that you do not appreciate the sacrifices that many of your supervisors and colleagues likely made for you. 28 In addition to telling your supervisor in person that you are leaving, you may be re- quired to write a formal resignation. Write a brief, warm, and appreciative letter (see Figure 16.15 ).

LO16.11 Explain etiquette for leaving an organization with grace and foresight.

Leaving an Organization

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Commu nicatio

n Q&A

Nancy Vaccaro is an HR manager at NBCUniversal. She has held HR management positions for over 15 years at The Walt Disney Company, Mattel, and Easton-Bell Sports.

CONVERSATIONS WITH CURRENT BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

Peter Cardon: What do you think are some ways students can make themselves stand out in the job application process? Nancy Vaccaro: The application process is your opportunity to promote your unique attributes and emphasize what sets you apart from other applicants. Think about how best to communi- cate what relevant skills you can bring to an organization. Employers are looking for applicants who are motivated for success, so be sure to highlight work that you’ve done in and out of the classroom setting such as internships, volunteer jobs, or class projects. While it may sound basic, you should always be thorough, neat, and pay attention to detail on the application. Avoid using overarching, generic comments such as “open to any position.” As you start your job search, take a focused approach and target your application to a specific job or position.

PC: What do you think are some keys to developing an effective résumé? What are some of the most common mistakes you see? NV: Employers typically spend just a few seconds reviewing a résumé. This means you have a very small window of opportunity to catch and hold the attention of a recruiter and, ultimately, a hiring manager. Be mindful of typos and grammatical errors. Provide as much detail as pos- sible without being too wordy. Generally, one to two pages for your résumé is acceptable. Always provide current contact information, and stay clear of listing an email address that runs the risk of reading and sounding inappropriate or unprofessional. Make your résumé visually appealing by steering clear of fonts that clutter the page. Take a thoughtful approach and speak not only to what you’ve accomplished, but how you did it. As a hiring manager, I look for candidates who are motivated, forward-thinkers, and not just “doers.” As you tailor your résumé, use keywords and terminology that are directly related to the job for which you’re applying. It’s not uncommon for organizations to use talent management or recruiting tools that parse résumés and search for keywords electronically. But do this with care! If you’re unable to demonstrate the correlation between the keywords and your own work experience and skill set, employers will know very quickly that you are not a fit for their needs or their organizations. With all this said, it’s just as important to add some personality to your résumé and make it interesting so it doesn’t read too much like a job description. Consider your résumé as a marketing tool or an advertisement of your skills, accomplishments, and achieve- ments. What sets YOU apart from all other candidates? Highlight your unique tangible and intangible qualities and transferable skills. How would you apply them? How can they add value to an organization? You’re branding yourself as the type of employee that employers want on their team and in their organization.

PC: What do you think are some keys to an effective job interview? What are some of the most common mistakes you see? NV: Prepare for the interview in advance by researching and familiarizing yourself with the company and the job description. I’ve often interviewed candidates who weren’t able to tell me what they knew about the company and couldn’t articulate their understanding of the job. In the eyes of pro- spective employers, this is a sign that you don’t care and you aren’t taking your job search seriously. You should come prepared with a list of questions to ask at the end of the interview as well as ques- tions you anticipate will be asked of you. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked to provide real examples of items that you’ve listed as accomplishments on your résumé. Stay engaged, pay attention in the interview, and take notes, as some of your prepared questions will inevitably be answered in the course of the interview, and others will arise. Lastly, always demonstrate your level of professionalism and interest in the job by sending a thank you note or email to all those you’ve interviewed with.

PC: What is the most important piece of advice for business students in gaining an entry- level business position? NV: Network! Network! Network! Build your network through social media tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Understand your career goals, stay positive, and have confidence in your abilities! Good luck!

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Chapter Takeaway for Employment Communications LO 16.1. Identify your key selling points for the job application process. ( pp. 466–467 ) Effective résumés, cover letters, and interviews enhance your personal credibility.

It shows competence when you demonstrate skills and/or knowledge to complete work tasks.

It shows caring when you demonstrate the ability to manage effective workplace relationships.

It shows character when you demonstrate that you uphold high professional norms and standards.

See skills and attributes that reflect competence, caring, and character in Table 16.1.

See an example of a self-inventory in Figure 16.1.

LO 16.2. Evaluate the primary needs of employers for positions of interest. ( pp. 467–469 )

See an example of analyzing a job posting for key needs in Figure 16.2.

LO 16.3. Set up the message structure for résumés and cover letters. ( pp. 470–471 )

Components of Chronological Résumés Components of Functional Résumés

● Name block

● Summary of qualifcations or Career objective (optional)

● Education

● Work experience

● Additional information

● Name block

● Summary of qualifications or Career summary

● Skills

● Additional information

LO 16.4. Highlight your qualifications with effective tone, style, and design. ( pp. 471–477 )

Principles of Effective Résumés

● Emphasize accomplishments with action verbs.

● Quantify accomplishments where possible.

● Position your most important contributions first.

● Group and label information to increase ease of reading.

● Remove irrelevant details.

● Avoid buzzwords and jargon.

● Be exact and avoid any errors.

● Group and label information to improve ease of reading.

● Format to distinguish pieces of information.

● Select a simple yet visually appealing layout.

See examples of action words in Tables 16.3 and 16.4; quantifying accomplishments in Table 16.5; positioning contributions in Table 16.6; removing unnecessary details in Table 16.7; avoiding clichés in Table 16.8; proofreading for typos and misspellings in Table 16.9; grouping and labeling in Table 16.10; and formatting to distinguish key pieces of information in Table 16.11.

AIM Planning Process Audience Analysis: Identify the abilities and attributes that add value to employers. Idea Development: Identify your career interests and job‐related abilities and attributes. Message Structuring: Match your abilities and attributes to the needs of employers.

Audience Analysis

Idea Development

Message Structuring

Tone, Style, and Design Tone: Tell the story of your abilities and attributes with tempered enthusiasm and confidence. Avoid a me‐first mentality. Style: Display an action orientation and ensure a consistency of facts throughout your employment application. Design: Make sure that employers can pick out key pieces of information to understand your story quickly.

Tone

Style Design

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LO 16.5. Create chronological and functional résumés to highlight your key selling points. ( pp. 477–482 )

See examples of ineffective and effective chronological résumés in Figures 16.4 and 16.5.

See an example of a functional résumé in Figure 16.6.

See examples of online profiles on social networking and job websites in Figure 16.7.

LO 16.6. Develop a list of references that will improve your employment prospects. ( pp. 482–483 )

See an example of a reference list in Figure 16.8.

LO 16.7. Compose effective cover letters that highlight your key selling points. ( pp. 483–487 )

Components of Cover Letters

● Interest in position

● Match with position

● Call to action

See examples of ineffective and effective solicited cover letters in Figures 16.9 and 16.10.

See an example of an unsolicited referral cover letter in Figure 16.11.

LO 16.8. Review your job application documents for effectiveness and fairness. ( pp. 486–489 )

LO 16.9. Develop strategies for responding to common job interview questions. ( pp. 489–494 )

Components of STAR Stories

See common interview questions in Table 16.12.

See ineffective and effective responses to interview questions in Table 16.13.

● Situation

● Tasks

● Actions

● Results

See an example of a STAR story in Table 16.14.

See examples of ineffective and effective questions by job candidates in Table 16.15.

LO 16.10. Explain etiquette for following up after job interviews. ( pp. 494–495 )

See an example of a thank-you note following an interview in Figure 16.13.

LO 16.11. Explain etiquette for leaving an organization with grace and foresight. ( p. 496 )

See an example of a resignation letter in Figure 16.15.

Reviewing Process FAIR Test: Make sure every element of your job application package is factual and accurate. Proofreading: Review your documents many times to avoid any errors or inconsistencies. Feedback: Get feedback from fix or six trusted individuals about the effectiveness of your documents.

FAIR Test

Proofreading Feedback

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16.1 Chapter Review Questions (LO 16.1 to LO 16.11)

A. How can identifying your job interests, abilities, and attri- butes help you develop an effective résumé?

B. In what ways can you categorize your key abilities and attri- butes to project credibility?

C. What are some ways of identifying the key abilities and attri- butes employers are seeking for unfilled positions?

D. What are the benefits and drawbacks of chronological and functional résumés?

E. What strategies can you use to project competence and confidence but not arrogance in your job application messages?

F. What is the underlying purpose of grouping and labeling data on your résumé?

G. What strategies can you use to develop a reliable reference list for your job searches?

H. What are the key factors in appropriate etiquette for your job interview?

I. Explain how the STAR approach to answering interview questions can help you display your key abilities and attributes.

J. What are some principles to abide by when leaving a position?

16.2 Using All Communication Channels in the Job Search Process (LO 16.2)

Recently, Terry J. Lundgren, CEO and president of Macy’s, was asked, “[Do you have] any job-seeking advice for college grads?” Here’s what he had to say:

Use whatever contact you have to try to get your résumé read. That’s the most important thing—just to get it in front of people. Because we’re all flooded with, of course, thousands and thousands of résumés in a company of our size, and getting your résumé read is not an automatic. And so do what you can do to get it in front of the people who matter who will read it. It’s not the CEO typically, by the way; it’s the HR person or the head of recruiting or head of training or whatever. Third, don’t stop there. Don’t just do it online, because it’s easy to do it online. Do it online and then put it in an envelope and send it to the top company that you’re interested in pursuing. And then follow up with a phone call, and talk to the assistant and say: “I just want to make sure that my résumé’s getting read. I’m very interested in your company, and it’s really important to me. And I just want to know—can you give me advice?—is there anything that I can do to get my résumé in front of your boss?” Whatever you have to say, just to show the most important thing—that you’re hungry. And to convince them, maybe you use a little of your acting skills. And I’ll probably relate it to

college dating—you know, use a little, “I’m really interested in you”— to say: “This is the company I want to work for. Yours is the company that I want to work for.” And then once you get, hopefully, more than one op- portunity, you’re back in charge to say, “Where do I want to go and where do I want to work.” 29

Based on Lundgren’s comments and your own perspectives, re- spond to the following questions:

A. Explain what Lundgren means by showing “you’re hungry” for a position. Describe ways in which you can show hunger in a positive way.

B. What does he suggest about the effectiveness of relying exclusively on electronic means to submit job applications? What combination of communication channels do you con- sider optimal for gaining a job of interest?

C. He suggests that you should view the process like dating. In what ways does this analogy make sense to you? Explain.

16.3 Identifying What Employers Are Seeking (LO 16.2)

Recently, Anne Berkowitch, co-founder and chief executive of SelectMinds, discussed how her approach to hiring new employees has evolved:

I started out recruiting for skills that I knew I didn’t have and I didn’t understand intuitively. I was putting way too much emphasis on skills and background and what I could see on paper. I wasn’t trusting myself to evaluate whether these were the right people. I’d say I went through a spate where I made the wrong hires. Then I said, “I have to do this differently, and I’m just going to trust my instinct about the right kind of person to bring onto this team.” I had to hire people who had skills and experience I needed, but who they were as a person played a much bigger role in what I looked for. The people I want to hire share a number of characteristics. They’re smart. They’re problem solvers. They’re good at what they do. They are honest with themselves, which to me is extremely important. If you’re not honest with yourself, then too much of your energy goes toward managing what you’re saying to everybody else, rather than what you should be doing. They are curious and they want to do things outside their comfort zone. They’re passionate—it doesn’t matter about what. It could be about theater. It could be about your kids. The other quality is they’re people who want to be part of a group to build something. They’re not look- ing for title. They’re really motivated by coming on board. At this point, I feel like I could talk to somebody for five minutes and have a good sense of whether they have those qualities, and I’ll be right 85 percent of the time. 30

A. Explain what you think Berkowitch means when she says she started prioritizing hiring employees for “who they were as a person” more so than by their skills and experience?

B. What attributes does she look for in particular when hiring new employees? Are these attributes that you can demonstrate on paper? Explain.

Discussion Exercises

abilities (p. 466) attributes (p. 466) chronological résumé (p. 477)

functional résumé (p. 477) solicited cover letter (p. 485)

STAR method (p. 493) unsolicited cover letter (p. 485)

Key Terms

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C. She says she can judge whether a person fits her company within five minutes. Do you believe that hiring managers can do this reliably? Assuming that you have only five minutes to demonstrate your value to a hiring manager, what would you want to stand out about yourself?

16.4 Showing Passion for a Company (LO 16.2)

Maigread Eichten, CEO and president at The FRS Company, re- cently described the importance of knowing about and having pas- sion for a company:

I interview a ton of people and I get really frustrated with interviews, to be honest, because I find that people come in a lot of times and they don’t even know that much about the company, which I find just really odd. I went to business school, and I decided I wanted a PepsiCo internship. They were only taking one intern, so my shot at getting this Pepsi internship was slim to none, because I had no experience. But I decided I wanted this internship and what I did was—I think about this all the time when I interview people, sort of, why don’t they do this to me?— I researched all the people coming to campus to interview. I knew everything about them. I knew everything about Pepsi-Cola and the PepsiCo company. I knew everybody in the UCLA recruiting office and I wrote the story of myself as a brand and I came up

with a whole talk about why Pepsi should hire me, and the assets I could bring. I had called up the two or three people who had been Pepsi interns from other campuses, and I found out every single thing that they had done as interns. So I had done all that work before I took this interview. I was one of the four people they took back to New York for an interview, and I got this internship. I was probably also incredibly annoying, but I certainly was super qualified. And what I would say to my kids is, to get the job you need two things. You need the functional skills, but then you also have to be super prepared, and you have to have incredible passion. You have to make that person want to hire you. They have to have a reason to hire you. There’s no excuse why you can’t have that. I’m just really surprised by some of the people I interview. A few people, when I say “FRS,” they say, “I haven’t tried the product.” If they say that, the interview is over. 31

A. Eichten explains that job candidates should have “incredible passion.” What do you think are some ways you can appro- priately show passion for a company during the job search process?

B. She stated that she was likely viewed as “annoying” during the hiring process because of her persistence. How much should a job candidate follow up? How much should a job candidate contact a potential employer?

16.5 Interviewing with a Hiring Manager about Job Application Best Practices (LO 16.1, LO 16.2)

Contact a hiring manager (consider any person you know who is involved in the hiring process) and arrange a time to interview that person for 30 minutes to one hour. Ask the hiring manager about the following related to hiring new employees:

A. Most common mistakes on résumés and cover letters. B. Aspects in résumés and cover letters that make successful job

candidates stand out. C. Keys to successful interviews. D. Common mistakes at job interviews. E. Appropriate ways to follow up after interviews.

After the interview, write a two-page report detailing best practices for successfully navigating the job application process and getting a job. Tailor your report to undergraduate students who are seeking entry-level professional positions.

16.6 Getting Feedback on Your Résumé and Cover Letter (LO 16.3, LO 16.4, LO 16.5, LO 16.7, LO 16.8)

To determine how well you are promoting your selling points (your two or three key abilities and two or three key attributes), do the following in this order:

A. Write down your key selling points. B. Create your résumé and cover letter to highlight these key

selling points. C. Without providing what you believe are your key selling

points, ask a trusted classmate/colleague/professor to review your résumé and cover letter. Specifically, ask your peer to answer the following questions: 1) Based on these documents, what do you think my key sell-

ing points are? Ask your peer to mention abilities or skills and attributes or traits.

2) Do my key selling points stand out clearly? Do you think my résumé and cover letter provide a consistent message about my selling points?

3) What suggestions do you have for me to improve these documents?

After getting responses from your peer, answer the following questions:

A. What did your peer say were your key selling points? What did your peer say about how well your selling points stood out?

B. How closely aligned were your peer’s observations with what you intended to be your key selling points?

C. Based on your peer’s observations, what modifications should you make to your résumé and cover letter to better highlight your selling points?

16.7 Getting Feedback on Your Résumé from a Professional in Your Desired Discipline/Industry (LO 16.3, LO 16.4, LO 16.5, LO 16.8)

Find a professional in the discipline and/or industry that interests you. Ask this person to review your résumé and give you feedback about the following: (a) strength of your résumé in gaining the position you seek; (b) advice for improving the résumé; (c) areas of your résumé that may appear less credible or perhaps even exag- gerated; and (d) advice for increasing career opportunities. Turn in the following:

A. Revised résumé. B. Document detailing what you learned from the business profes-

sional and what changes you made to your résumé as a result.

16.8 Getting Feedback on Your Résumé from Classmates (LO 16.3, LO 16.4, LO 16.5, LO 16.8)

Form a group of three to four classmates. Read one another’s résu- més, spending three to five minutes per résumé. As you read, focus

Evaluation Exercises ll

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16.9 Evaluate Your Key Selling Points (LO 16.1)

Using Table 16.1 and Figure 16.1 as guides, do the following:

A. State your career goals. B. Describe the three or four abilities and three or four attributes

that you want to stand out most prominently in your job appli- cation package. Why do you want these skills and attributes to stand out?

C. Name the two or three abilities and attributes you most want to develop.

16.10 Analyze a Job Announcement of Interest to You (LO 16.2)

Find a job announcement for a position of interest to you. Using Figure 16.2 as a guide, do the following:

A. Group and categorize the key abilities and attributes that are being sought.

B. Describe your fit with these abilities and attributes. C. Explain how you can compensate for abilities or attributes

that you have not yet fully developed.

16.11 Using Action Words (LO 16.4)

Using Tables 16.3, 16.4, and 16.5 as guides, do the following:

A. Choose ten of the action words and create statements that you could use on your résumé with your accomplishments.

B. Make five statements of accomplishments that you could place on your résumé that include quantification (e.g., in- creased sales by 12 percent).

16.12 Creating a Résumé (LO 16.3, LO 16.4, LO 16.5)

Create a perfectly polished résumé.

16.13 Creating Functional and Chronological Résumés (LO 16.3, LO 16.4, LO 16.5)

Create two versions of your résumé—a chronological and a func- tional résumé. In addition to these two documents, create a separate

Application Exercises document that describes the advantages and disadvantages of using each type.

16.14 Creating a Reference List (LO 16.6)

Create a reference list with five individuals whom you could trust to provide good professional endorsements of your abilities. Pro- vide all contact information and a brief statement about how each person knows you.

16.15 Creating a Cover Letter (LO 16.7)

Choose a job announcement that interests you. Write a cover let- ter that is addressed to the contact person/organization in this announcement.

16.16 Telling Stories with the STAR Method (LO 16.9)

Write down how you would answer one of the following inter- view questions using the STAR method: (a) Can you tell me about a challenge you overcame at work? (b) Can you give me an example of how you showed leadership at work? or (c) Can you tell me about one of your recent successes at work? You can substitute school experiences for work experiences if you’d like.

16.17 Writing a Thank-You Note (LO 16.10)

Choose a job position that interests you. Assume you have just completed the job interview. Write a thank-you message that you think appropriately expresses gratitude and improves your chances in the hiring process.

16.18 Writing a Resignation Letter (LO 16.11)

Assume that you will be resigning from a job (you can use a current/past position). Write a message that states when you will leave, shows your appreciation, and ensures goodwill with the employer in the future.

Endnotes 1. KSA (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities) approach for federal jobs.

2. Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Poll: Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts for Job Seekers,” (September 15, 2009), retrieved from Society for Human Resource Management website http://www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/ InterviewingDosandDonts.aspx.

3. Society for Human Resource Management, “Networking Professionally: Employee Perspective” (January 12, 2009), retrieved from Society of Human Resource Management website http://www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Documents/ OEnetworking.pdf.

on how well the person communicates key abilities and attributes. Debrief by explaining the following:

A. Key abilities and attributes communicated by the résumé. B. Two or three areas in which the résumé could be improved.

C. Any areas in the résumé that seem less substantiated than others.

Individually, write two to three paragraphs about the comments and advice you received from the other members in your group.

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4. Accountemps, “Survey Shows Longer Resumes Now More Acceptable,” March 20, 2007, http://www.accountemps.com/ PressRoom?id=1840 (accessed January 10, 2010).

5. Accountemps, “The Devil Is in the ‘Resume’ Details: Typos or Grammatical Errors Most Common Resume Mistake, Survey Shows,” March 31, 2005, http://accountemps.rhi.mediaroom.com/index .php?s=189&item=250 (accessed January 10, 2010).

6. Accountemps, “Most Wanted: ‘People’ People: Survey Shows Interpersonal Skills Can Trump Technical Knowledge in Job Search,” October 29, 2009, http://accountemps.rhi.mediaroom.com/index. php?s=189&item=863 (accessed January 10, 2010).

7. Accountemps, “More Than Half of Executives Surveyed Spend Five Minutes or Less Screening a Resume,” January 17, 2001, http:// accountemps.rhi.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=189&item=328 (ac- cessed January 10, 2010).

8. Accountemps, “Have a Keen Eye for Derail,” July 14, 2009, http:// www.accountemps.com/PressRoom?id=2491 (accessed November 20, 2010).

9. Accountemps, “Form over Function: Three-Quarters of Executives Surveyed Prefer Chronological Resumes from Job Seekers,” http://www .accountemps.com/PressRoom?id=2527 (accessed January 10, 2010).

10. Nicole Amare and Alan Manning, “Writing for the Robot: How Employer Search Tools Have Influenced Résumé Rhetoric and Ethics,” Business Communication Quarterly 72, no. 1 (2009): 35–60.

11. Nancy Schullery, Linda M. Ickes, and Stephen E. Schullery, “Em- ployer Preferences for Résumés and Cover Letters,” Business Commu- nication Quarterly 72, no. 2 (2009): 163–176.

12. Accountemps, “Put In a Good Word for Me,” August 13, 2003, http:// www.accountemps.com/PressRoom?id=367 (accessed January 10, 2010).

13. Kim Isaacs, “Get Your References Together for Your Job Search,” retrieved October 6, 2011, from http://career-advice.monster.com/job -search/getting-started/prepare-your-references/article.aspx.

14. Therese Droste, “Help Your References Help You,” retrieved October 6, 2011, from http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/ getting-started/Help-Your-References-Help-You/article.aspx.

15. Schullery et al., “Employer Preferences for Résumés and Cover Letters.”

16. Kim Isaacs, “Cover Letters to Recruiters,” Monster.com Advice blog, retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://career-advice.monster .com/resumes-cover-letters/cover-letter-tips/cover-letters-to-recruiters/ article.aspx.

17. JoAnn S. Lublin, “The Keys to Unlocking Your Most Successful Career,” The Wall Street Journal Career Journal [online] (July 6, 2010).

18. Kim Isaacs, “Cold Cover Letters,” Monster.com Advice blog, retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://career-advice.monster.com/ resumes-cover-letters/Cover-Letter-Tips/Cold-Cover-Letters/article.aspx.

19. Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Poll: Inter- viewing Do’s and Don’ts for Job Seekers.”

20. Kathy Gurchiek, “Dress to Impress, Not Stress, the Hiring Man- ager,” Society for Human Resource Management HR News [online] (November 1, 2010).

21. Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Poll: Inter- viewing Do’s and Don’ts for Job Seekers.”

22. Eve Tahmincioglu, “Avoid ‘the Seven Deadly Sins of Interview- ing’” (August, 29, 2010), MSNBC Careers blog, retrieved January 10, 2011, from www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38882416/ns/business-careers.

23. Harrison Barnes, “Use Personal Stories to Connect with an Employer and Get a Job,” Harrison Barnes blog, retrieved January 10, 2011, from www.aharrisonbarnes.com/use-stories-to-get-a-job-and -connect-with-an-employer/.

24. Tory Johnson, “Land That Job: What Interviewers Really Want You to Ask Them” (April 19, 2010), retrieved October 7, 2011, from http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JobClub/questions-job-interview/ story?id=10409243.

25. Accountemps, “Most Executives OK with Applicants Asking about Compensation by Second Interview” (March 18, 2009), http://accountemps.rhi.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=189&item=165 (accessed January 10, 2010).

26. Accountemps, “Thanks, But No Thanks: Survey Shows Thank- You Notes Influence Hiring Decisions, but Only Half of Candidates Send Them” (August 9, 2007), http://accountemps.rhi.mediaroom .com/index.php?s=189&item=203 (accessed January 10, 2010).

27. Society for Human Resource Management, “SHRM Poll: Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts for Job Seekers.”

28. Beverly Langford, The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success (New York: American Management Association, 2005).

29. New York Times Corner Office Blog, “Career Advice,” retrieved June 15, 2010, from http://projects.nytimes.com/corner-office/ Communication.

30. Adam Bryant, “Learn to Lead from the Back of the Boat,” New York Times Corner Office Blog (September 4, 2010), retrieved September 6, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/ business/05corner.html?ref=business.

31. New York Times Corner Office Blog, “Career Advice.”

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