bcom4_chp_4

© 2009 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 1

Planning Written and Spoken Messages

Chapter 4Lecture Slides

© 2009 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved 2

Learning Objective 1

Identify the purposes and type of message

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Planning Written and Spoken Messages

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7Deter-mine the purpose and select the channel

Envision the audience

Consider the context

Choose a channel and the medium

Adapt the message to audience

needs and concerns

Organize the message

Prepare the first draft


The Purpose of the Message

• To Inform

• To Persuade

• To Convey Goodwill• To Establish Credibility

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Determine the Type of Message

• Good news messages: positive news, messages of appreciation or thank-you notes

• Neutral messages: routine messages, requests and claims, customer orders and credit, procedures

• Bad news messages: refusals of requests and claims, denials of credit, and problems with customer orders

• Persuasive messages: sales messages and persuasive requests

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6 © 2009 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.© 2009 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Communicate Ethically & Responsibly

• State information as truthfully and fairly as possible

• Do not exaggerate facts

• Express ideas understandably

• Support viewpoint with facts

• State ideas with consideration that preserves receiver’s self-worth

• Design honest graphics

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Develop clear perceptions of the audience to enhance the impact of the communication and human relations.

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Envision the Audience

• Age

• Economic level

• Education and work background

• Needs and concerns

• Culture

• Rapport

• Expectations

What should you learn about your audience?

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Types of Workplace Audiences

1. Managerial: look for the “big picture” and tend to ignore details

2. Non-expert: know little about a subject and need more details

3. Expert: know as much about the topic as you do

4. International/multicultural: may not speak English as a first language and may have differing cultural interpretations of symbols and behaviors

5. Mixed: all of the above22


Audience Perceptions

• Previous experiences

• Attitude toward sender and ourselves

• Attitude toward subject

• Experience with channel, especially in electronic communication

Audience perception is colored by:Audience perception is colored by:

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Consider the context of the message and any environmental influences that may affect its delivery.

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Step 3: Consider the Context

CONTEXTUAL DIMENSIONS

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•Physical Context

•Social Context

•Chronological Context

•Cultural Context


Physical Context

How would these settings would change an interaction?

Office

Hallway

Company Picnic

Mall

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Setting can influence the content and quality of interactions


Social Context

How would these types of relationships would change an interaction:

Friendly

Cordial

Contentious

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The nature of the relationship between communicators


Chronological Context

The ways time influences interactions

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Cultural Context

• Includes the organizational culture as well as the cultural backgrounds of individual members.

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Remember This!

Organizational Culture: a system of shared meanings and practices held by members that distinguish the organization from other organizations.

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Determine the appropriate channel and media for communicating the message.

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Things to Consider When Considering Channel and Media

Richness vs. leanness

Need for interpretation (ambiguity)

Speed of establishing contact

Time required for feedback

Cost

Amount of information conveyed

Permanent record

Control over the message

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Two-Way, Face-To-Face

IN PERSON

Communicate an unpleasant or highly emotional message that

may be subject to misinterpretation, a persuasive

message, follow-up to a complex written message, or a personal

message.44



TRADITIONAL GROUP MEETING

Provides an optimal communication environment for

discussing and reaching consensus on critical issues.

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VIDEO OR TELECONFERENCE

Provide an optimal communication environment for

discussing and reaching a consensus on critical issues

when members are geographically dispersed.

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Two-Way, Not Face-To-Face

TELEPHONE CALL

Deliver or obtain pleasant or routine information instantly.

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VOICE MAIL MESSAGE

Leave message the receiver can reply to when convenient, eliminating telephone tag.

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ELECTRONIC MAIL / INSTANT MESSAGING

Deliver the same message to a large, dispersed audience; inappropriate for personal, confidential, or highly sensitive messages because of privacy issues.

Contact colleagues while on the telephone or provide or seek general information.

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One Way, Not Face-To-FaceLetter ormemorandum

Report or proposal

Web page or blog

Textmessaging

• Deliver written record of information internally or externally.

• Provide written record of procedures or policy.• Communicate complex or lengthy

information.• Engage in a free-flowing dialog that ensures

timely distribution and capture of knowledge about a topic of interest.

• Give immediate access to short, important messages that can be retrieved discreetly between events or detailed information that can be sent more accurately and easily than by voice mail.

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Apply techniques for adapting messages to the audience.

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Focus on Receiver’s View Point

“Me” Attitude “You” Attitude

I want to congratulate you on your award.

Congratulations! You are the Employee of the Year.

I am interested in ordering . . .

Please send me . . .(You is the understood subject.)

I give you permission to take an extra day of vacation.

You earned an extra day of vacation because of your performance.

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When Compliments Go “Bad”

Compliments can do more harm than good if paid at the wrong time, in the wrong setting, in the presence of the wrong people, or for the wrong reasons.

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Recognize the importance of organizing a message before writing the first draft and select the appropriate message outline (deductive or inductive) for developing messages to achieve the desired response.

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Sender Benefits from Outlining

• Encourages ________ and _______

• Permits _____________ on one phase at a time

• Saves time in ___________ ideas

• Provides a ______________ lift

• Facilitates appropriate _________ of ideas

accuracy brevity

concentration

structuring

psychological

emphasis

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Receiver Benefits from Outlining

• Makes messages more concise and accurate

• Makes relationships between ideas easier to distinguish and remember

• Promotes a positive reaction to the message and the sender

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Select an Outline for Written and Spoken Messages

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Prepare the first draft.

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Get Ready, Set, Write!

1. Brainstorm

2. Write rapidly

3. Intend to write and rewrite

4. Revise until document is perfect

5. Consider using technological

help

6. Create purposeful, effective,

logical final draft

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Get Ready to Write

Message type and purpose

Logical Sequence

Begin composing message

Channel and

medium

Context of message

Audience needs &

perspectiveInductive or deductive

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bcom4_chp_4

Documents

sales messages

notesneutral messages

messages of appreciation

routine messages

proceduresbad news messages

spoken messages chapter

personal message

emotional message