MANAGERIAL

C O M M U N I C AT I O N
CHAPTER 2: PLANNING BUSINESS MESSAGES

Saptarshi Dhar
saptarshi@juniv.edu
 BASICS OF BUSINESS
WRITING
• Business writing is totally different from any other writing.
• Written with the purpose of informing, attracting and persuading audience.

istockphoto.com/zsolt_nuylaszi

Chapter 2, Slide 2
 QUALITIES OF GOOD
BUSINESS WRITING

▪ Purposeful: To solve problems and convey information.

▪ Persuasive: Audience must believe and accept your
message.
▪ Economical: Present ideas clearly but concisely.
▪ Audience oriented: Concentrate looking at a problem
from audience point of view.

Chapter 2, Slide 6
 QUALITIES OF GOOD
BUSINESS WRITING

▪ Quantity does not enhance quality.

▪ Get over the notion that longer is better.
▪ Conciseness and clarity are what count in business.

Chapter 2, Slide 8
 PURPOSE OF BUSINESS
MESSAGES

▪ Primary purpose is to inform and persuade.

▪ Secondary purpose is to promote goodwill.

Chapter 2, Slide 9
THE WRITING PROCESS

Chapter 2, Slide 10
A P P R O X I M AT E LY H O W M U C H
T I M E S H O U L D B E S P E N T AT
E AC H S TAG E ?

25% 25% 50%

Chapter 2, Slide 11
Phase 1
of the
Writing
Process

Chapter 2, Slide 12
 P H A S E 1 : A N A LY Z I N G
Analyze your audience and your purpose for writing.
▪ To whom are you writing?
▪ Why are you writing?
▪ What do you hope to achieve?
▪ What channel is best for delivering
your message?

Chapter 2, Slide 13
 SELECTING THE BEST
CHANNEL

E-mail Telephone
Text message Voice mail
Social media Meeting
Instant message Conversation
Letter/Memo Web site
Report Blog/Wiki
Video Conferencing
Apps
Chapter 2, Slide 14
 P H A S E 1 : A N T I C I PAT I N G
Anticipate how your audience will react to your message.
▪ What is your reader or listener like?
▪ Will your audience be pleased, neutral, or displeased with
your message?

JON FEINGERSH / ICONICA / GETTY IMAGES

Chapter 2, Slide 15
 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 16
 PROFILING THE AUDIENCE
Secondary Audience
▪ Who else might see or hear this message?
▪ How are they different from the primary audience?
▪ How must I reshape the message
for the secondary audience?

Chapter 2, Slide 17
 RESPONDING TO THE
PROFILE

• Profiling helps make decision about shaping the message.

• Decisions about
• Appropriate language.

• Use of technical terms.

• Whether you should explain everything.

• Formal/informal tone.

Chapter 2, Slide 18
 PHASE 1: ADAPTING

Create a message that will suit your task and audience.

▪ Spotlight audience benefits.
▪ Cultivate the “you” view.
▪ Sound conversational but professional.

Chapter 2, Slide 19
 PHASE 1: ADAPTING

Create a message that will suit your task and audience.

▪ Express yourself positively.
▪ Choose courteous language.
▪ Adopt bias-free language.
▪ Use plain language and familiar words.

Chapter 2, Slide 25
SPOTLIGHTING AUDIENCE
BENEFITS: “ YOU VIEW ”
Focus your statements on the audience,
not the sender.
Poor: Improved:
We are adopting a new You will enjoy an
health plan that we outstandingly affordable
believe has many health plan that will meet
outstanding benefits. all your needs.

Chapter 2, Slide 26
SPOTLIGHTING AUDIENCE
BENEFITS
Poor: Improved:
I have 15 different You have 15 financial
financial plans to offer plans to choose from.
you.

We require that all To use the office

employees read and sign professionally and safely,
our office policy. please read and sign our
office use policy.

Chapter 2, Slide 27
 SPOTLIGHTING AUDIENCE
BENEFITS
Poor: Improved:
We are proud to announce our Now you can be sure that all
new software virus checker that your computers will be
we think is the best on the protected with our virus checker
market! software.

Chapter 2, Slide 28
 C U LT I V AT I N G T H E “ Y O U ”
VIEW
Emphasize second-person pronouns
(you/your) instead of first-person pronouns
(I/we, us, our).
Poor: Improved:
Before we can allow you to You may begin
purchase items on this new making purchases
account, we must wait two on your new account
weeks to complete our in two weeks.
processing.
Chapter 2, Slide 29
C U LT I V AT I N G T H E “ Y O U ”
VIEW

Poor: Improved:
We are now offering You can now purchase
iPhone X at 10% iPhone X at 10%
discount. discount.
We are pleased to Congratulations! You
announce that you have have been selected to
been approved to enroll enter our leadership
in our leadership training program!
training program.

Chapter 2, Slide 30
 S O U N D I N G C O N V E R S AT I O N A L
BUT PROFESSIONAL

Poor: Improved:
I need your account number Would you please provide me
before I can do anything. your account number so that I
can help you solve this problem?

Chapter 2, Slide 31
 DEVELOPING SKILLFUL WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Being Conversational but Professional
▪ Workplace messages should not become casual so that they
sound low level and unprofessional.
▪ Instant Messaging help workers have informal conversations.
▪ Chatboxes is considered a serious workplace tool.
▪ To project a professional image, you must sound educated
and mature.
▪ Do not use “totally awesome”, “you know”, “like”, “BTW”, “LOL”.
▪ These uses make you sound like a teenager.
Chapter 2, Slide 32
 DEVELOPING SKILLFUL WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Being Conversational but Professional
▪ Your goal is a warm, friendly tone that sounds professional.
▪ Use I, we and you.

Poor: Improved:
BTW, ur presentation Your presentation
2day was Gr8! today was great.

Chapter 2, Slide 33
 DEVELOPING SKILLFUL WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Expressing Yourself Positively
▪ Use positive rather than negative language.
▪ Positive language conveys more information.
▪ Positive messages are uplifting and pleasant to read.
▪ Positive wording tells what is and what can be done rather
than what isn’t and what can’t be done.
▪ For example, Your order cannot be shipped by January 10
is not nearly as informative as Your order will be shipped
January 20.

Chapter 2, Slide 34
EXPRESSING YOURSELF
P O S I T I V E LY

Poor: Improved:
Employees may not use Employees must use the
the main entrance back entrance during
during remodeling. remodeling.

We cannot fill your order We can fill your order

until we receive an exact once we receive an
model number. exact model number.

Chapter 2, Slide 35
EXPRESSING YOURSELF
P O S I T I V E LY
Poor: Improved:
We must withhold You will be paid
payment until you promptly once the job is
complete the job completed satisfactorily.
satisfactorily.
If you fail to follow each By following each
requirement, you will not requirement, you will
receive your $50 rebate. receive your $50 rebate.

Chapter 2, Slide 36
E X P R E S S I N G Y O U R S E L F P O S I T I V E LY

Chapter 2, Slide 37
USING PLAIN LANGUAGE AND
FA M I L I A R WO R D S
▪ Use plain language and familiar words that you think audience
members will recognize.
▪ Don’t avoid a big word that conveys your idea efficiently and is
appropriate for the audience.
▪ Your goal is to shun pompous and pretentious language.
▪ If you mean begin, don’t say commence or initiate.
▪ If you mean pay, don’t write compensate.
▪ Be selective in your use of jargon. Jargon describes technical or
specialized terms within a field.
Chapter 2, Slide 38
USING PLAIN LANGUAGE
Poor: Improved:
You may encounter You may have difficulty
difficulty in terminating the ending the contract.
contract. OR: It may be difficult
to end the contract.
As stipulated, we As required, we
extrapolated the budget projected the budget
figures for two years. figures for two years.

Chapter 2, Slide 39
 U S I N G FA M I L I A R WO R D S
Avoid long, difficult, and unfamiliar words. Use short, simple, and
common words whenever possible.

Unfamiliar words Familiar

encounter meet
extrapolate project
obligatory required
terminate end
interrogate question

Chapter 2, Slide 40
 DEVELOPING SKILLFUL WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Being Courteous
▪ Maintaining a courteous tone involves not just guarding
against rudeness but also avoiding words that sound
demanding or preachy.
▪ Turn demands into polite requests that begin with Please.
▪ In dealing with customers in telephone conversations, use
polite phrases such as It was a pleasure speaking with you, I
would be happy to assist you with that, and Thank you for
being so patient.

Chapter 2, Slide 41
CHOOSING COURTEOUS
LANGUAGE
Avoid sounding demanding, preachy, or rude.

Poor: Improved:
You must complete this Please complete this
research by June 1. research by June 1.

I am sick and tired of Let’s develop a schedule

being the only one who so that we all share the
cleans out the break duty of cleaning the
room refrigerator! break room refrigerator.

Chapter 2, Slide 42
 CHOOSING COURTEOUS
LANGUAGE

Poor: Improved:
I must have your Please submit your
expense report by Friday expense report by
morning. Friday morning.

Your idea for revising our Your idea for revising

return process is insane. our return process will
probably not work.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 2, Slide 43
 DEVELOPING SKILLFUL WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Choosing Bias Free Language
▪ Be sure your language is sensitive and biasfree.
▪ Be cautious about expressions that might be biased in
terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age, and disability.
▪ Avoid gender-biased language by leaving out the words
man or woman, by using plural nouns and pronouns, or by
changing to a gender-free word (person or representative).
▪ Avoid the his or her option whenever possible.

Chapter 2, Slide 44
DEVELOPING SKILLFUL WRITING
TECHNIQUES
Choosing Bias Free Language
▪ Specify age only if it is relevant, and avoid expressions that
are demeaning or subjective.
▪ Do not refer to an individual’s disability unless it is relevant.
▪ Key to bias-free communication, lies in your awareness and
commitment.
▪ Be on the lookout to be sure that your messages do not
exclude, stereotype, or offend people.

Chapter 2, Slide 45
ADOPTING BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE
ADOPTING BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE
ADOPTING BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE
ADOPTING BIAS-FREE
LANGUAGE

Poor: Improved:
Have you called a Have you called a
salesman? salesperson?
Every executive ▪ All executives have their own
has his own office. offices.
▪ Every executive has an office.
▪ All executives have offices.

Chapter 2, Slide 49
ADOPTING BIAS-FREE
LANGUAGE
Poor: Improved:
Many businessmen take Many businesspeople
the train to work. take the train to work.
Each teacher cast her All teachers cast their
vote. votes.
Marcello Luna is the new Marcello Luna is the
Latino accountant. new accountant.
We offer discounts to old We offer discounts to
people. seniors.
Chapter 2, Slide 50
ADOPTING BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE
EXERCISE
1. Customers are ineligible for the 10 percent discount unless they
show their membership cards.

2. If you fail to comply with each requirement, you will not receive
your $50 rebate.

3. A salesman would have to use all his skills to sell those condos.

4. Executives and their wives are invited to the banquet.

5. Every employee is entitled to see his personnel file.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 2, Slide 52
END