2010 Thomson South-Western

Instructor Only Version

CHAPTER 2
Planning
Business
Messages
Chapter 2, Slide 2 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Basics of business writing
Business messages are different from
college essays, term papers, and
messages to friends.
Conciseness and clarity count.
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ZSOLT NUYLASZI
Chapter 2, Slide 3 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e

Purposeful
Persuasive
Economical
Audience oriented
The best business writing is The best business writing is
Following a process can make you
a better writer or speaker.
Chapter 2, Slide 4 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
The Writing Process The Writing Process
Chapter 1, Slide 5
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 5 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Approximately how much time
should be spent at each stage?
Chapter 2, Slide 6 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Analyzing Your Purpose
and Channel
Identify your purpose.
Why are you writing?
What do you hope to achieve?
JON FEINGERSH / ICONICA / GETTY IMAGES
Chapter 2, Slide 7 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Select the best channel. Select the best channel.
E-mail
Fax
Letter
Memo
Report

Telephone
Voice mail
Meeting
Conversation
Web site
Chapter 2, Slide 8 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
How important is the message?
How fast do you need feedback?
Is a permanent record essential?
What is the cost of the channel?
How much formality do you desire?
How confidential or sensitive is the
message?
Select the best channel. Select the best channel.
Chapter 2, Slide 9 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Profiling the Audience
Primary Audience
Who is the primary reader?
What are my personal and professional
relationships with that person?
What does the person know about the
subject?
What kind of response should I expect?
Chapter 2, Slide 10 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Profiling the Audience
Secondary Audience
Who else might see or hear this
message?
Are they different from the primary
audience?
How must I reshape the message for
the secondary audience?
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 11
Brain teaser
A rooster lays an egg at the very top of
a slanted roof. Which side is the egg
going to roll off on?
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 12
Brain teaser
Two women apply for a job. They are
identical and have the same mother,
father and birthday. The interviewer
asks, "Are you twins?" to which they
honestly reply, "No".

Chapter 1, Slide 13
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 13 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Adapting to Task and Audience
Chapter 2, Slide 14 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Spotlight Audience Benefits Spotlight Audience Benefits
Focus your statements on the audience,
not the sender.
We are promoting a
new hospitalization
plan that we believe
has many outstanding
benefits.
You will enjoy total peace
of mind with our
affordable hospitalization
plan that meets all your
needs.
Try this:


Instead of this:
Chapter 1, Slide 15
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 15 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Cultivate
A You
View
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Adapting
to Task
and
Audience
Chapter 2, Slide 16 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Develop a You View Develop a You View
Emphasize second-person pronouns
(you/your) instead of first-person pronouns
(I/we, us, our)
Before we can allow you to
purchase items on this new
account, we must wait two
weeks to verify your credit.
You may begin
making purchases
on your new account
in two weeks.

Try this:


Instead of this:


Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 17
Avoid using you when:

1. it sounds dictatorial.
Ex. You mustYou are requested.
2. it makes someone else feel guilty.
Ex. You should have submitted the
form earlier to us.

Chapter 1, Slide 18
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 18 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Sound
Conversational
Cultivate
A You
View
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Adapting to Task and Audience
Chapter 2, Slide 19 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Conversational Language Conversational Language
You are hereby requested. . . You may. . .

Try this:


Instead of this:
It may be of some concern to
you to learn that your check
has been received and your
account has been credited
for $250.
Weve credited your
account for $250.

Chapter 2, Slide 20 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e
Conversational Language
Enclosed please
find
Heres the
information
As you were also
informed
In addition
Chapter 2, Slide 21 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Found in
Some comic strips
and songs, some
commercials, some
conversations,
some IM and e-mail
messages
Business
messages, novels,
most newspapers,
and most
magazines
Scientific writing,
legal documents,
scholarly books,
formal essays,
proclamations
Levels of Language Use
Chapter 2, Slide 22 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Characterized by
Incorrect grammar,
unpredictable
sentence structure,
inappropriate
punctuation, slang,
vulgarisms
Correct grammar
and punctuation,
conversational
tone, simple
sentence structure,
familiar words
Correct grammar,
serious tone,
complex sentence
structure,
polysyllabic words
Levels of Language Use
Chapter 1, Slide 23
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 23 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Employ
Positive
Language
Sound
Conversational
Cultivate
A You
View
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Chapter 2, Slide 24 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Positive Language Positive Language
Employees may not use
the First Street entrance
during remodeling.

Employees may use the
Market Street entrance
during remodeling.

Try this:


Instead of this:


We cannot fill your order
until we receive an exact
model number.

We can fill your order
once we receive an
exact model number.
Chapter 2, Slide 25 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Hidden Messages Hidden Messages
Some words and phrases convey a
negative and unpleasant tone. They
may imply a hidden message that the
writer does not intend. Think twice
before using the following negative
expressions.
Chapter 1, Slide 26
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 26 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Hidden Meaning
You are careless
But I dont believe you
You are careless
Its probably untrue
I am right
You are not smart
You are at fault
You are inefficient, stupid
and careless
Negative Language
You overlooked
You state that
You failed to
You claim that
You are wrong
You do not understand
Your delay
You forgot to
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 27
Downplaying Negative Words/Messages
Using Euphemism
cheap merchandise
fake
failing
fault
Youre fired!
crippled
squatter

economy merchandise
imitation
underperforming
omission
career change
opportunity
physically challenge
informal settler
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 28
and the passive voice.

Instead of
You lost the
shipment.
You are wrong in
answering the form.
You should have
brought with you your
credit card.

Write this
The shipment was
lost.
The form was
incorrectly filled out.
Credit card should
have been presented
to us.
Chapter 1, Slide 29
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 29 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Use
Inclusive
Language
Employ
Positive
Language
Sound
Conversational
Cultivate
A You
View
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Chapter 2, Slide 30 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Inclusive Language Inclusive Language
Have you called a
salesman?
Have you called a
salesperson?
Try this: Instead of this:
Every executive
has his own office.
All executives have their own
offices.
Every executive has an office.
All executives have offices.
Every executive has his or
her own office.
This alternative is
wordy and calls
attention to itself
Chapter 2, Slide 31 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Bias-Free Language
on Gender
Fireman
Businessman
Manpower
Freshman
Waiter/waitress
Policeman
Chairman
Universal he, his

Firefighter
Businessperson
Workforce
First year
Food attendant
Police officer
Chairperson

Chapter 1, Slide 32
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 32 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Draw on
Familiar
Words
Adopt
Plain
Language
Use
Inclusive
Language
Use Positive
Language
Sound
Conversational
Cultivate
A You
View
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Chapter 2, Slide 33 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Plain Language Plain Language
Avoid federalese, bureaucratese, and inflated
language.
Federalese: Each person to whom the request is herein
addressed is henceforth solicited to submit, or to have his or
her department representative submit, to the Department of
Labor official described above, a comment on whether the
proposed plan, in his or her considered view, meets the
requirements of the 2003 law.

Simple Translation: You may wish to comment on whether
the proposed plan meets the requirements of the 2003 law.
Chapter 2, Slide 34 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Familiar Words Familiar Words
encounter meet
extrapolate project
obligatory required
terminate end
Avoid long, difficult, and unfamiliar
words. Use short, simple, and common
words whenever possible.
Less familiar words Simple alternatives
Chapter 1, Slide 35
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 2, Slide 35 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Choose
Courteous
Language
Use
Inclusive
Language
Use Positive
Language
Sound
Conversational
Cultivate
A You
View
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Draw on
Familiar
Words
Adopt
Plain
Language
Chapter 2, Slide 36 Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Try this:
Will you please complete
this research by June 1.
You must complete this
research by June 1.
Instead of this:
I am sick and tired of
being the only one who
removes jammed paper
from the copier!
Let me show you how to
remove jammed paper
so that you can
complete your copying.
Courteous Language Courteous Language
Avoid sounding demanding, preachy, or rude.
2010 Thomson South-Western
Instructor Only Version
END