5.1 to accompany excellence in business communication, 5e, thill and bovée © 2002 prentice-hall...
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5.1
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Chapter 5
Writing Business Messages
5.2
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Chapter 5 Objectives
Explain why organization is important to both audience and communicator.
Summarize the process for organizing business messages effectively.
Discuss ways of achieving a clear, concise, and businesslike tone.
Describe how to select words that are not only correct but also effective.
Explain four guidelines that help you achieve clarity and efficiency in sentences.
List five ways to develop a paragraph.
5.3
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Common Problems in Organizing Messages
Taking too long to get to the point
Make the subject and purpose clear Including irrelevant material
Include only information that is related to the purpose.
Getting ideas mixed up
Group ideas in a logical, linear way. Leaving out necessary information
Include all the necessary information.
5.4
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Why Good Organization Is
Important Misinterpreted messages lead to
wasted time, poor decision-making, and damaged relationships.
Benefits of well-organized messages: Saves your audience’s time Helps audience understand
your message Helps your audience accept
the message
5.5
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Organization:Define the Main Idea
The main idea is the central point that sums up everything.
Your topic is the broad subject of your message.
Your main idea makes a statement about your topic.
5.6
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Organization:Limit the Scope
The scope must match your main idea. Test idea against time, space, and
length restrictions. The context will determine length. Stick to three or four major points. Amount of detail will depend on length
of message.
5.7
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Organization: Group Your Points
Group details in the most logical way. Visualize how all points fit together. Construct an outline. Start with the main idea. State the major points. Illustrate with evidence.
5.8
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Two CommonOutline Forms
Alphanumeric
I. First major point
A. First subpoint
B. Second subpoint
1. Evidence
2. Evidence
II. Second major point
A. First subpoint
B. Second subpoint
Decimal
1.0First major point
1.1First subpoint
1.2Second subpoint
1.2.1Evidence
1.2.2Evidence
2.0Second major point
2.1First subpoint
2.2Second subpoint
5.9
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Outlines
In any format, outlines move from the abstract to the concrete, from the general to the specific.
The lowest level contains facts and figures to tie generalizations to the real world.
The higher levels contain the concepts that reveal why those facts are significant.
5.10
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Organizing:Direct or Indirect Approach
Direct approach The main idea comes first. (Deductive) Use it when your audience will accept, feel
neutral about, or be pleased with your message.
Indirect approach Inductive approach is when evidence
comes first and main idea comes later. Use it when your audience will be
displeased or will not be likely to accept your message.
5.11
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Direct or Indirect?
Your choice of direct or indirect approach depends on:
Audience reaction (direct is best when audience members will be receptive; indirect may be better when audience members are likely to resist)
Message length (direct is best for short memos and letters; indirect may be better for longer reports, proposals, and presentations)
Message type (direct is best for routine, good-news, and goodwill messages; indirect may be better for bad-news and persuasive messages)
5.12
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Routine, Good-News, and Goodwill Messages
Opening – States main idea directly Body – Provides necessary details Close – Uses a cordial tone that
emphasizes good news or states a desired action
5.13
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Bad-News Messages
Use the indirect approach to soften a blow.
Take a little extra care with wording, tone, timing, and style.
Open with a neutral point or explanation.
Put negative information after the explanation.
Close on a positive note.
5.14
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Persuasive Messages
Indirect approach is used when your audience resists the message.
You must capture your audience’s attention before you can persuade them.
The opening tells the reader of possible benefits.
The body builds interest in the subject, creates a desire to comply, and introduces the main idea.
The cordial closing requests action.
5.15
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Style and Tone
Style refers to the way you use words to create a certain tone in your messages.
Use vocabulary, sentence structure, and a personal or impersonal approach to affect the style of a message.
Tone refers to the overall impression your message makes on the audience.
Use the “you” attitude, positive emphasis, politeness, and formality to affect the tone of a message.
5.16
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Achieving a Conversational Tone
Avoid obsolete, pompous language
Avoid intimacy
Avoid humor
Avoid preaching and bragging
5.17
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Achieving a Conversational Tone
Use plain English
Select the best words
Use functional and content words correctly
Know when and how to use connotative and denotative words and phrases
Know when and how to use abstract and concrete words and phrases
5.18
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Thinking Like a Wordsmith
Choose strong words. Choose familiar words. Avoid clichés. Use jargon carefully.
5.19
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Creating Effective Sentences
Use the four types of sentences (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex).
Choose active or passive voice. Emphasize key thoughts. Vary sentence length. Use bullets and lists.
5.20
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Active & Passive Voice
Even though active voice yields shorter, stronger sentences, passive voice is best in some cases: When you need to be diplomatic When you want to avoid taking or
attributing the credit or the blame When you want to avoid personal
pronouns to create an objective tone
5.21
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Bulleted or Numbered Lists
By using bulleted or numbered lists, you can Show the sequence of your ideas Heighten the impact of list items Ease the skimming process for busy
readers Simplify complex subjects Highlight the main point Visually break up the page Give the readers a breather
5.22
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Developing Paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of sentences all related to the same general topic.
A paragraph is made up of: A topic sentence that introduces the
topic. Related sentences that explain the
topic. Transitional elements that show the
relationship among sentences and between paragraphs.
5.23
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Transitional Elements
You can establish coherence by using transitions in the following ways: Use connecting words such as and, but,
or, nor, for, so, nevertheless, and however. Restate a word or phrase from a
previous sentence or paragraph to cue the reader to the transition.
Use pronouns that refer to previously used nouns.
Use words that are frequently paired.
5.24
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Developing Paragraphs
Develop a paragraph in one of five ways: Comparison Contrast Cause and effect Classification Problem and solution
5.25
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Paragraph Readability
To increase readability, consider these elements:
Length (8 or fewer printed lines) Effective headings Occasional questions
5.26
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
E-mail Messages
How formal you make your e-mail messages depends on your audience and purpose.
To grab your audience’s attention in an e-mail message, try to Make your subject line informative Personalize your e-mail message Make your e-mail easy to follow
5.27
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Web Content
Create effective web content by Cutting for-print text by 50% Adding headings and highlighting
for scannability Using hyperlinks to chunk
information
5.28
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
What are the four steps in the process for organizing messages?
How does the denotative meaning of a a word differ from its connotative meaning?
What three elements do you consider when choosing between a direct and an indirect approach?
Let’s Discuss
Test Your Knowledge
5.29
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
How does the audience benefit from a well-organized message?
What is style, and how do you decide on the appropriate style for a message?
How does an abstract word differ from a concrete word?
In what three situations is passive voice appropriate?
Let’s Discuss
Test Your Knowledge continued
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