Business Communication: Tips

Meeting (face to face, virtual, and/or phone)

Reasons to Use
 Build rapport
 Team building
 In depth or interactive discussions
required
 Complex or sensitive topic
 Might be more reasons….

Preparation Virtual Meeting

 Determine the purpose of the meeting and
the outcomes
 Create the meeting agenda
 Send out a meeting invite so it is on all
attendees’ calendars, include how or where
to attend, the agenda and any attendee
preparation required (e.g. Maria bring the
latest sales forecast, everyone bring your
ideas how to boost sales this month).
 Prepare materials required for the meeting
(background information, handouts, etc.)
(in addition to the tips for a face to face meeting)
 Use names since you may not be able
to see each other. When you make a
comment, say this is (say your name)
and then make your comment. Or you
can address someone directly, Maria,
this is (say your name), I liked your
suggestion and …
 Speak clearly and slowly
 Keep your attention on the meeting,
don’t multi-task, avoid distraction
 Make sure you are in a quiet place with
no background noise

During Meeting
 Open the meeting with a friendly welcome, purpose/outcomes of the meeting, agenda
and any meeting etiquette or rules (e.g. encourage questions, open discussion, if
people are attending by phone, mute until they need to speak to reduce background
noise)
 Let everyone introduce themselves if there are attendees that do not know each other
 Keep conversation on track to achieve meeting outcomes
 Be open to different points of view (value everyone’s questions and point of views), be
a good listener, don’t interrupt
 Test understanding and decisions or commitments made
 Take meeting notes including all action items, decisions and/or commitments made
 Stay with the time allowed for the meeting, if you need to go overtime, ask if everyone
can continue to attend

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 Conclude the meeting as appropriate (e.g. thank attendees, summarize next steps,
etc.

After Meeting
 Distribute meeting notes
 Follow up on all actions by the deadline set in the meeting. Make sure all meeting
attendees are informed about follow up actions and the results. For example if 1
action was to investigate a topic, make sure everyone knows the results of that
investigation.
 Reflect on the meeting, what worked, what didn’t, what might you do better next time

E-mail
Reasons to Use
 Inform – provide information to the receiver
 Request action (call to action) – the person or
group receiving the message needs to perform
the required action in a timely and effective
manner
 Make decisions – resolve a disagreement, come
to an agreement or solve a problem, negotiate
 Explore or generate ideas
 Obtain/document a commitment

Format and Content:

 Use a descriptive subject line
 Keep emails short and have 1 or 3 key points
 Keep formatting simple and easy to read
 Use professional language
 Clearly state what actions are required and by what time (set a deadline)
 Check your grammar and spelling
 Include attachments as needed
 Copy secondary audience as needed
 Include an email signature that includes your name, title, contact information (email
address, phone)

Avoid:
 Using email for discussions or private messages

Telephone Conversation (one on one conversation)

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Reasons to Use
 Build rapport
 Complex or sensitive information/conversation
 Need to have an in-depth discussion

Preparation
 Define the purpose/outcomes beforehand
 Note your key messages
 Note any questions you need to ask

Phone Call
 Identify yourself when you speak
 Ask if this is a good time to speak
 Practice active listening techniques, ask clarifying questions
 Close the call as appropriate (e.g. summarize the discussions, next steps, thank the
other person for their time)

After Phone Call

 Follow up on any actions, including an email follow-up if necessary
 Reflect – what worked, what didn’t and what can you do better next time

Voicemail
 Identify yourself by giving your name and call
back information clearly (e.g. state your
phone number, when you will be available or
when you will call back)
 State the purpose
 State your key message
 Make specific requests
 Speak clearly
 Be precise and brief
 Show courtesy

Texting

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  Use only when appropriate (e.g. with co-
workers or a supervisor if they indicated
texting is appropriate)
 Know your audience and use abbreviations
appropriately
 Use when you need a quick answer

Presentations
Preparation
 Understand who your audience is, what their
needs are, what information do they want, what
do they know, are they receptive to the
information you are presenting or skeptical (if
skeptical prepare for this in your presentations
and questions/answers from the audience)
 What are the 1-3 things you want your audience
to walk away with?
 Create your presentation with your audience in
mind, are there any call to actions at the end
 Think about what questions the audience might
have and create answers
 Know how long you have to make your
presentation (keep within that timeframe)
 Use pictures, stories, data or charts to make
your messages more powerful
 Practice, practice, practice

During Presentation
 Dress professionally, be confident, have good posture
 Speak clearly and slowly
 Smile
 Start by welcoming the audience or saying you are glad to be there
 Introduce yourself and any credentials
 Tell the audience what you are going to present (topic, goal, and/or main points)
 Make eye contact, speak directly to that person, then make eye contact with
another person and speak directly to them. Continue to do this with others in the
room. This helps to engage the audience.
 Presentations are conversations so be conversational, engage the audience with
eye contact, encourage questions (if appropriate)
 Reduce filler words (uh, em)
 Use body language to reinforce your words, gesture

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  Vary your tone
 Close the presentation as appropriate (summarize, call to action, ask for questions,
thank the audience for their time and interest, etc.)

After the Presentation

 Follow up on all actions
 If you know someone in the audience, ask them to give you feedback
 Give yourself feedback, what went well, what can you do better next time

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