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Essentials of
Business
Communication 11e
Mary Ellen Guffey Dana Loew y

Emerita Professor of Business Emerita Lecturer, Business Communication
Los Angeles Pierce College California State University, Fullerton
m.e.guffey@cox.net dloewy@fullerton.edu
Australia • Brazil • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States
Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed
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Mary Ellen Guffey WCN: 02-300
Dana Loewy Unless otherwise noted, all content is © Cengage.
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Essentials of Business Communication 11e
Dear Business Communication Student:

Chances are that you are no longer holding a textbook
in your hands but access the Eleventh Edition of Essen-
tials of Business Communication via MindTap on your
laptop, tablet, or your smartphone. MindTap is a multi-
media learning experience that makes studying business
communication and sharpening important career skills
easier and more fun.
Photographer: Barbara D’Allessandro

Our well-researched, market-leading e-text saves
you money while helping you sharpen important job
skills. Whether you access Essentials of Business
Communication, 11e on mobile devices or own a print
copy of this award-winning text, you are on your way
to developing essential communication skills that will
not only serve you well in college but will also stay
with you in your chosen career. Mary Ellen Guffey and Dana Loewy
Here are a few of the major features you can expect
from the No. 1 business communication book in this country and abroad:
▪▪ Workplace readiness. The marketplace today is challenging. One way to out-
shine the competition is by offering superior communication skills to future
employers. Your business communication course and this book are the ideal
tools for making yourself job ready.
▪▪ Communication technology and best practices. Obviously, the workplace is
relying on technology and digital media. It is social and mobile. You may be
tech savvy, but are you familiar with workplace-appropriate best practices?
Even if you know your way around mobile devices and social media, you still
need to be able to write well and make a positive impression. This book not
only covers the latest workplace technology but above all it stresses solid writ-
ing skills and good grammar.
▪▪ Latest trends in job searching. Chapter 13 presents the most current trends, tech-
nologies, and practices affecting the job search, résumés, and cover letters that will
help you stand out. You will learn how to build a personal brand, how to network,
and how to write customized résumés and create an effective LinkedIn profile.
▪▪ Hottest trends in job interviewing. Chapter 14 provides countless tips on how
to interview in today’s highly competitive job market, including one-way and
two-way video interviewing.
The many contemporary examples and model documents, along with writing plans
providing step-by-step instructions, will get you started quickly and help you stay
focused on the writing process. We wish you well in your course!
Cordially,
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy
Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey Dr. Dana Loewy

Emerita Professor of Business Emerita Lecturer, Business Communication
Los Angeles Pierce College California State University, Fullerton
m.e.guffey@cox.net dloewy@fullerton.edu
What Is MindTap?
MindTap is your personal, customized learning environment. It presents engaging

course content along with videos, activities, apps, and other interesting features
making learning fun and easy. With MindTap, you can create a unique learning
path that will help you understand key concepts in depth and fast, so that you can
produce your best work.
The following activities will help you shape and pace your own learning:
▪▪ Aplia homework assignments. Aplia™ is an online application that improves
comprehension and performance by motivating you to stay interested and
increase your effort. Aplia provides automatically graded assignments that
contain detailed explanations on every question over multiple question sets. In
short, you get results without needing your instructor’s feedback. These assign-
ments cover chapter content as well as grammar and mechanics.
▪▪ YouSeeU activities. Learning is easier with visuals. YouSeeU helps you stay on
track with videos that draw you in and reinforce what you learn in and out of
the classroom. The YouSeeU MindApp allows you to complete oral communi-
cation activities for various assignment types that include creating individual
videos, responding to question and answer tasks, viewing visual aids, and mak-
ing group presentations.
▪▪ Write Experience activities. Write Experience assignments help improve your
writing skills. They evaluate the voice, style, format, content, and originality of
what you write. Find out how you are doing without needing your instructor’s
feedback.
▪▪ How-To Videos. Understand fully how it’s done before you write a business
document. How-to videos show you expert writing techniques.
▪▪ Writing Plan Reviews. The writing plans in your textbook structure your writ-
ing assignments step by step. The writing plan reviews illustrate the popular
Essentials writing plans with before-and-after treatments.
▪▪ Writing Workshops. Helping you learn without an instructor, Writing Work-
shops bring Essentials writing assignments to life with interactive quizzing and
in-depth feedback.
▪▪ Narrated PowerPoint slides. To review important concepts and definitions, you
can watch the narrated PowerPoint slides—perfect for traditional and distance
learners.
iv What Is MindTap?
Brief Contents
Unit 1: Business Communication in the Digital Age 1

1 Succeeding in the Social and Mobile Workplace 2
Unit 2: The Writing Process in the Information Age 35

2 Planning Business Messages 36
3 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages 62
4 Revising Business Messages 87
Unit 3: Workplace Communication 113

5 Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media 114
6 Positive and Neutral Messages 150
7 Negative Messages 186
8 Persuasive Messages 219
Unit 4: Business Reports and Proposals—Best Practices 251

9 Informal Reports 252
10 Proposals and Formal Reports 285
Unit 5: Professionalism, Teamwork, Meetings, and Speaking Skills 325

11 Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Ethics, Teamwork, and Meetings 326
12 Business Presentations 362
Unit 6: Employment Communication 397

13 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Messages 398
14 Interviewing and Following Up 444
Appendixes
A Document Format Guide A-1
B Documentation Formats B-1
C Correction Symbols and Proofreading Marks C-1
D Grammar/Mechanics Handbook D-1
End Matter
Notes N-1
Index I-1
Brief Contents v
Contents
Unit 1 Business Communication
kined/Shutterstock.com
in the Digital Age
1 Succeeding in the Social and Mobile
Workplace 2
1-1 Mastering the Tools for Success in the Summary of Learning Outcomes 23
Twenty-First-Century Workplace 2 Chapter Review 25
1-2 Developing Listening Skills 10 Critical Thinking 26
1-3 Learning Nonverbal Communication Activities and Cases 26
Skills 12 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 1 31
1-4 Recognizing How Culture Influences Editing Challenge 1 32
Communication 15 Communication Workshop 33
1-5 Becoming Interculturally Proficient 20
Unit 2 T he Writing Process in
SFIO CRACHO/Shutterstock.com
the Information Age
2 Planning Business Messages 36
2-1 Examining the Communication Process 36 Critical Thinking 53

2-2 Following the 3-x-3 Writing Process 38 Writing Improvement Exercises 54
2-3 Analyzing the Purpose and Anticipating Radical Rewrites 57
the Audience 41 Activities 58
2-4 Adapting to the Audience With Expert Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 2 59
Writing Techniques 44 Editing Challenge 2 60
2-5 Improving the Tone and Clarity Communication Workshop 61
of a Message 47
Summary of Learning Outcomes 51

Chapter Review 52
3 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages 62
3-1 Drafting Workplace Messages 62 3-3 Drafting With Powerful Sentences 67

3-2 Organizing Information to Show 3-4 Mastering Four Skillful Writing
Relationships 65 Techniques 70
vi Contents
3-5 Drafting Well-Organized, Effective Writing Improvement Exercises 78
Paragraphs 74 Radical Rewrites 83
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 3 84
Summary of Learning Outcomes 76 Editing Challenge 3 85
Chapter Review 77 Communication Workshop 86
Critical Thinking 78
4 Revising Business Messages 87
4-1 Stopping to Revise: Applying Phase 3 Summary of Learning Outcomes 102

of the Writing Process 87 Chapter Review 103
4-2 Enhancing Message Clarity 92 Critical Thinking 103
4-3 Using Document Design to Improve Writing Improvement Exercises 104
Readability 95 Radical Rewrites 109
4-4 Catching Errors With Careful Proofreading 98 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 4 110
4-5 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Editing Challenge 4 111
Message 101 Communication Workshop 112
Unit 3 Workplace Communication
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
5 Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media 114
5-1 Writing Digital Age E-Mail Messages Critical Thinking 137

and Memos 114 Writing Improvement Exercises 138
5-2 Workplace Messaging and Texting 120 Radical Rewrites 140
5-3 Making Podcasts and Wikis Work for Activities and Cases 141
Business 124 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 5 147
5-4 Blogging for Business 127 Editing Challenge 5 148
5-5 Social Networking for Business 131 Communication Workshop 149

Chapter Review 136
6 Positive and Neutral Messages 150
6-1 Routine Messages: E-Mails, Memos, Critical Thinking 172

and Letters 150 Writing Improvement Exercises 173
6-2 Typical Request, Response, and Instruction Activities and Cases 177
Messages 153 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 6 183
6-3 Direct Claims and Complaints 159 Editing Challenge 6 184
6-4 Adjustment Messages 163 Communication Workshop 185
6-5 Goodwill Messages 166

Chapter Review 171
Contents vii
7 Negative Messages 186
7-1 Communicating Negative News Critical Thinking 208

Effectively 186 Writing Improvement Exercises 208
7-2 Analyzing Negative News Strategies 187 Radical Rewrites 210
7-3 Composing Effective Negative Activities and Cases 211
Messages 191 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 7 216
7-4 Refusing Typical Requests and Claims 197 Editing Challenge 7 217
7-5 Managing Bad News Within Communication Workshop 218
Organizations 201

Chapter Review 207
8 Persuasive Messages 219
8-1 Understanding Persuasion in a Social Summary of Learning Outcomes 237

and Mobile Age 219 Chapter Review 238
8-2 Planning and Writing Persuasive Critical Thinking 239
Requests 221 Writing Improvement Exercises 239
8-3 Writing Effective Persuasive Claims Radical Rewrites 240
and Complaints 222 Activities and Cases 243
8-4 Crafting Persuasive Messages in Digital Age Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 8 248
Organizations 224 Editing Challenge 8 249
8-5 Creating Effective Sales Messages in Print Communication Workshop 250
and Online 228
Unit 4 Business Reports and

GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com
Proposals—Best Practices
9 Informal Reports 252
9-1 Preparing Reports in the Digital Age 252 Critical Thinking 278
9-2 Report Formats and Heading Levels 256 Activities and Cases 278
9-3 Identifying the Problem, Defining Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 9 281
the Purpose, and Collecting Data 259 Editing Challenge 9 283
9-4 Preparing Short Informational Reports 262 Communication Workshop 284
9-5 Preparing Short Analytical Reports 268

Chapter Review 277
viii Contents
10 Proposals and Formal Reports 285
10-1 Preparing Business Proposals 285 Summary of Learning Outcomes 312

10-2 Preparing Formal Business Reports 291 Chapter Review 313
10-3 Collecting Information Through Primary and Critical Thinking 314
Secondary Research 294 Activities and Cases 315
10-4 Documenting Information 300 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 10 320
10-5 Incorporating Meaningful Visual Aids Editing Challenge 10 321
and Graphics 303 Communication Workshop 322
10-6 Understanding Formal Report
Components 308
Unit 5 Professionalism, Teamwork,
LuckyImages/Shutterstock.com
Meetings, and Speaking
Skills
11 Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Ethics,

Teamwork, and Meetings 326
11-1 Developing Professionalism and Business Summary of Learning Outcomes 350
Etiquette Skills at the Office and Online 326 Chapter Review 351
11-2 Communicating Face-to-Face on the Job 330 Critical Thinking 353
11-3 Following Professional Telephone and Voice Activities and Cases 353
Mail Etiquette 335 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 11 358
11-4 Adding Value to Professional Teams 338 Editing Challenge 11 360
11-5 Planning and Participating in Face-to-Face Communication Workshop 361
and Virtual Meetings 343
12 Business Presentations 362
12-1 Creating Effective Business Summary of Learning Outcomes 384

Presentations 362 Chapter Review 385
12-2 Organizing Content to Connect Critical Thinking 386
With Audiences 365 Activities and Cases 386
12-3 Understanding Contemporary Visual Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 12 392
Aids 371 Editing Challenge 12 394
12-4 Preparing Engaging Multimedia Communication Workshop 395
Presentations 374
12-5 Polishing Your Delivery and Following
Up 380
Contents ix
Unit 6 Employment
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

Communication
13 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover
Messages 398
13-1 Job Searching in the Digital Age 398 Summary of Learning Outcomes 433
13-2 Developing a Job-Search Strategy Focused on Chapter Review 435
the Open Job Market 402 Critical Thinking 436
13-3 Unlocking the Hidden Job Market Radical Rewrites 436
With Networking 404 Activities and Cases 438
13-4 Customizing Your Résumé 409 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 13 441
13-5 Using Digital Tools to Enhance Your Job Editing Challenge 13 442
Search 421 Communication Workshop 443
13-6 Cover Messages—Do They Still Matter? 425
14 Interviewing and Following Up 444
14-1 Interviewing Effectively in Today’s Critical Thinking 471

Competitive Job Market 444 Radical Rewrites 472
14-2 Before the Interview 448 Activities and Cases 473
14-3 During the Interview 452 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 14 479
14-4 After the Interview 462 Editing Challenge 14 480
14-5 Preparing Additional Employment Communication Workshop 481
Documents 465

Chapter Review 470
Appendixes
Appendix A Document Format Guide A-1
Appendix B Documentation Formats B-1
Appendix C Correction Symbols and Proofreading Marks C-1
Appendix D Grammar/Mechanics Handbook D-1
End Matter
Notes N-1
Index I-1
x Contents
Are You Job-Ready?
Employers today often complain that many new graduates are simply not job-ready.
As a matter of fact, writing, communication, and other so-called soft skills consistently
rank high on recruiters’ wish lists. Most students realize this and chose this class to
develop these necessary workplace skills as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Essentials of Business Communication is the tool to make this happen.
This time-honored, tried-and-true text will guide you in developing the job-readiness
you need for the twenty-first century. Essentials highlights best practices and strate-
gies backed by leading-edge research to help you develop professionalism, expert writ-
ing techniques, workplace digital savvy, and the latest job-search and résumé-building
skills.
Yes, you must be literate in all current communication technologies. The good
news is that Essentials effectively addresses best practices for social media as well
as for mobile technology. You will learn how to build credibility online as well as
offline, and understand that writing is central to business success, regardless of the
communication channel. It is a foundational skill. Employers want good writers and
communicators. This is why Essentials continues to provide grammar exercises and
documents for editing and grammar practice that our competitors have abandoned.
You need a diversity of skills beyond tech savvy alone—now more than ever!
Guided by traditional rigor, Essentials of Business Communication addresses
both contemporary student needs as well as those of instructors.
Perfecting Professionalism “I picked this text with its excellent resources for our new Business
The Eleventh Edition emphasizes positive work- Communication class that was added as a core class in the College of
place behavior and clearly demonstrates the Business. All instructors who teach that class use this text. This is the only
course in the university that emphasizes professionalism.”
importance of professionalism. Today’s busi-
Dr. Mary Kiker, Auburn University, Montgomery
nesses desire workers who exhibit strong com-
munication skills and project positive attitudes.
Employers seek team members who can effec-
tively work together to deliver positive results that
ultimately boost profits and bolster the company’s image. Graduates who possess
these highly desirable soft skills excel in today’s challenging job market. In this edi-
tion you will discover how to perfect those traits most valued in today’s competitive,
mobile, and social workplace.
Unprofessional Professional
Uptalk, a singsong speech pattern, making
sentences sound like questions; like used as
Speech Recognizing that your credibility can be
seriously damaged by sounding uneducated,
a filler; go for said; slang; poor grammar and
profanity.
habits crude, or adolescent.
Sloppy messages with incomplete sentences, Messages with subjects, verbs, and punctuation,
misspelled words, exclamation points, IM slang, free from IM abbreviations; messages that are
and mindless chatter. E-mail addresses such as
partyanimal@gmail.com, snugglykitty@icloud.
E-mail concise and spelled correctly even when brief.
E-mail addresses that include a name or a
com, or hotmama@outlook.com. positive, businesslike expression.
Suggestive Twitter handles and user names

that point to an immature, unhealthy lifestyle. Internet, Real name Twitter handles and user names that
don’t sound cute or like chatroom nicknames.
Posts that reveal political, religious, and other
personal leanings. social media Posts in good taste, fit for public consumption.
Voice mail
An outgoing message with strident background An outgoing message that states your name or
music, weird sounds, or a joke message. phone number and provides instructions for
leaving a message.
Soap operas, thunderous music, or a TV football

game playing noisily in the background when you Telephone A quiet background when you answer the
telephone, especially if you are expecting a
answer the phone.
presence prospective employer’s call.
Using electronics during business meetings for

unrelated purposes or during conversations with Cell phones, Turning off phone and message notification,
both audible and vibrate, during meetings;
tablets
fellow employees; raising your voice (cell yell); using your smart devices only for meeting-
forcing others to overhear your calls. related purposes.
Texting
Sending and receiving text messages during Sending appropriate business text messages
meetings, allowing texting to interrupt face-to- only when necessary (perhaps when a
face conversations, or texting when driving. cell phone call would disturb others).
Are You Job-Ready? xi
Developing Expert Writing Techniques for a
Digital Workplace
Abundant before-and-after documents with descriptive callouts create
a clear road map to perfecting the writing process. These documents
failures (we are no longer using and many mix-ups in the past), Brian revised his
demonstrate how to apply expert writing messagetechniques, as wellhow
to explain constructively asreporting
high- should be handled.
light the critical significance of the revision
Whenprocess.
writing messages that deliver instructions, be careful of tone. Today’s
managers and team leaders seek employee participation and cooperation. These goals
can’t be achieved, though, if the writer sounds like a dictator. Avoid making accusa-
tions and fixing blame. Rather, explain changes, give reasons, and suggest benefits to
the reader. Assume that employees want to contribute to the success of the organiza-
tion and to their own achievement. Notice in the Figure 6.4 revision that Brian tells
readers that they will save time and reduce mix-ups if they follow the new method.
Applying Strategic Writing Plans

6.3 Direct Claims and Complaints
Original business message writing plans, initially
LEaRning
OUtCOME 3
In business, thingscreated
can and doby go author
wrong—promised shipments are late, warrantied Prepare messages that make
Mary Ellen Guffey and expanded in this goods edition, provide
fail, and service efficient
is disappointing. When consumers must lodge a complaint or direct claims and voice
complaints, including online
when they need to identify or correct a wrong, the message is called a claim. Because
step-by-step instructions that enable you to overcome
straightforward claims fear and
are those startyou expect the receiver to agree readily,
to which
posts.
writing quickly and confidently. The Eleventh

use a directEdition
approach, now
as shownoffers ten writing plan.
in the following
sets of writing plans that cover a
variety of business situations. This Direct Claims
signature feature of Essentials is
OPEning: Describe clearly the desired action.
especially important for novice BODy: Explain the claim, tell why it is justified, and provide details
writers who lack business experi- describing the desired action.
ence and composition training. CLOSing: End pleasantly with a goodwill statement, and include an end date
and action request, if appropriate.
Increasingly, consumers resort to telephone calls, they e-mail their claims, or—as
we have seen—they vent their peeves in online posts. Large companies can afford to
Emphasizing Grammar and Writing Fundamentals
employ social media specialists who monitor and respond to comments. However,
small and midsized businesses often have few options other than Google Alerts and
Throughout thelimited
their own text,forays
proven learning
into social features help you review and rebuild vital
networking.
basic grammar This is skills.
why in anIn ageevery
of digital communication,
chapter claims written as letters of Checkups system-
Grammar/Mechanics
complaint still play an important role even as they are being replaced by telephone
calls, e-mails, and social media posts. atically
Depending on review the fundamentals
the circumstances, letters more and are keyed
convincingly establish a record of what happened. Some business communicators
“I really love Essentials of Business Communication
opt for
for my students.
letters they canI’m
to an authoritative and streamlined
either attach to e-mail messages or fax. Regardless of the
Grammar/
always alarmed at how poor their grammar andchannel, skills are, andclaims use aMechanics
writingstraightforward direct approach. Handbook.
Claims that requireEditing
a per- Challenge and
suasive
skillsresponse are presented in Chapter 8.
this is one of the few books that addresses those effectively.” Radical Rewrite exercises also provide innu-
Shawnna Patterson, Chemeketa Community College, Salem Oregon
6-3a Stating a Clear Claim in merable opportunities for you to sharpen your
the Opening
When you, as a consumer, have a legitimate grammar, claim, you can punctuation,
expect a positive response spelling, capitalization,
from a company. Smart businesses want to hear from their customers. They know
that retaining a customer is far less costly andthan writing
recruiting askills new customer. by editing typical business
Open your claim with a compliment, documents.
a point of agreement, a statement of the
problem, a brief review of action you have taken to resolve the problem, or a clear
statement of the action you want. You
grammar/mechanics might
Checkup 4 expect a replacement, a refund, a new
order, credit to your account, correction of a billing error, free repairs, or cancella-
tion of an order. Whenand
Adjectives theAdverbs
remedy is obvious, state it immediately (Please correct an
erroneous double charge
Review Sections of 1.17
1.16 and $59 toGrammar/Mechanics
of the my credit card forThen
Handbook. Laplink migration
select the correct software.
form to complete each of the
following statements. Record the appropriate G/M section and letter to illustrate the principle involved. When you finish,
I accidentallycompare
clicked the Submit
your responses with those button twice).
provided at the bottom of the page. If your answers differ, study carefully the principles
shown in parentheses.
Chapter 6: Positive and Neutral Messages 159
b (1.17e)
ExamplE Surprisingly, most of the (a) twenty year old, (b) twenty-year-old equipment is
still working.
1. The newly opened restaurant offered many (a) tried and true, (b) tried-and-true menu items.
2. Although purchased twenty years ago, the equipment still looked (a) brightly, (b) bright.
3. The committee sought a (a) cost-effective, (b) cost effective solution to the continuing problem.
4. How is the Shazam app able to process a song so (a) quick, (b) quickly?
86494_ch06_hr_150-185.indd 159 9/5/17 7:51 PM
5. Of the two plans, which is (a) more, (b) most comprehensive?
6. Employees may submit only (a) work-related, (b) work related expenses to be reimbursed.
7. Amy and Marusia said that they’re planning to open (a) there, (b) their own business next year.
8. Haven’t you ever made a (a) spur of the moment, (b) spur-of-the-moment decision?
9. Not all decisions that are made on the (a) spur of the moment, (b) spur-of-the-moment turn out
badly.
10. The committee offered a (a) well-thought-out, (b) well thought out plan to revamp online
registration.
11. You must complete a (a) change of address, (b) change-of-address form when you move.
12. Employment figures may get (a) worse, (b) worst before they get better.
13. I could be more efficient if my printer were (a) more nearer, (b) nearer my computer.
14. Naturally, our team members felt (a) bad, (b) badly when our project was canceled.
15. The truck’s engine is certainly running (a) smooth, (b) smoothly after its tune-up.
13. b (1.17b) 14. a (1.17c) 15. b (1.17d)

1. b (1.17e) 2. b (1.17c) 3. a (1.17e) 4. b (1.17d) 5. a (1.16) 6. a (1.17e) 7. b (1.17g) 8. b (1.17e) 9. a (1.17e) 10. a (1.17e) 11. b (1.17e) 12. a (1.16)
xii Are You Job-Ready?
Learning Workplace Best Practices
Most students arrive in the classroom with some work Getting Started Replying Observing Etiquette Closing Effectively
experience and technology skills, but many are not aware of • Don’t write in another • Scan all e-mails, especially • Obtain approval before • End with due dates, next
channel—such as IM, those from the same forwarding. steps to be taken, or a
what businesses expect of them when they use digital tools. social media, or a phone
call—might work better.
person. Answer within 24
hours or say when you will.
• Soften the tone by including
a friendly opening and
friendly remark.
• Add your full contact
The Eleventh Edition provides comprehensive guidance in

• Send only content you • Change the subject line if closing. information including social
would want to be the topic changes. Check • Resist humor and sarcasm. media addresses.
published. the threaded messages Absent facial expression • Edit your text for readability.
the professional use of e-mail, texting, instant messaging, • Write compelling subject
lines, possibly with
names and dates:
below yours.
• Practice down-editing;
include only the parts from
and tone of voice, humor
can be misunderstood.
• Avoid writing in all caps,
Proofread for typos or
unwanted auto-corrections.
• Double-check before hitting
blogging, and social media. You will master best practices Jake: Can You Present at
January 10 Staff Meeting?
the incoming e-mail
to which you are
which is like SHOUTING. Send.
responding.
that clearly demonstrate how to avoid damaging your • Start with the main idea.
• Use headings and lists.
career or hurting your employers’ reputation with careless

online behavior.
Developing Digital Skills

Regardless of the communication channel, writing proficiency is a
must in a workplace dominated by mobile technology and social
media. Technology and writing skills go hand in hand in today’s
professional environment of success. For this reason, Essentials
provides how-to instructions and best practices for today’s digital
workplace while also emphasizing good writing and professional-
ism. This focus is rooted in the belief that today’s communicators
and their skills are on display 24/7. Credibility takes significant
time to build but is easy to lose in an instant.
Writing a Captivating Blog Using Digital Media Like a Pro:

Dos and Don’ts
Applying the Five Journalistic Ws to Blogs
Big Idea First DON’TS

Avoid questionable Know workplace policies
Who? What? When? Why? How? content, personal
documents,
DOs and use media only for
work-related purposes
and file sharing
Key Facts
Explanations Don’t spread rumors, gossip, and negative Learn your company’s rules. Some companies require workers
• defamatory comments. Because all digital information to sign that they have read and understand Internet and digital
Evidence Fact check.
is subject to discovery in court, avoid unprofessional media use policies. Being informed is your best protection.
• Earn your readers’ trust.
Examples content and conduct, including complaints about your
• Credit your sources. Avoid sending personal e-mail, instant messages, or texts
Background employer, customers, and employees.
• Apply the inverted pyramid. from work. Even if your company allows personal use during
Details • Edit, edit, edit. Don’t download and share cartoons, video clips, lunch or after hours, keep it to a minimum. Better yet, wait to
• Proof, proof, proof. photos, and art. Businesses are liable for any recorded use your own electronic devices away from work.
digital content regardless of the medium used.
Separate work and personal data. Keep information that
Don’t open unfamiliar attachments. Attachments could embarrass you or expose you to legal liability on your
with executable files or video files may carry viruses, personal storage devices, on hard drives, or in the cloud, never
spyware, or other malware (malicious programs). on your oﬃce computer.
Don’t download free software and utilities to Be careful when blogging, tweeting, or posting on social
company machines. Employees can unwittingly networking sites. Unhappy about not receiving a tip, a Beverly
introduce viruses, phishing schemes, and other Hills waiter lost his job for tweeting disparaging remarks about
cyber bugs. an actress. Forgetting that his boss was his Facebook friend, a
British employee was fired after posting, “OMG, I HATE MY
Don’t store your music and photos on a company JOB!” and calling his supervisor names.
machine (or server) and don’t watch streaming
videos. Capturing precious company bandwidth for Keep sensitive information private. Use privacy settings, but
personal use is a sure way to be shown the door. don’t trust the “private” areas on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and
other social networks.
Don’t share files, and avoid file-sharing services.
Clarify whether you may use Google Docs and other Avoid pornography, sexually explicit jokes, or inappropriate
services that oﬀer optional file sharing. Stay away from screen savers. Anything that might poison the work
distributors or pirated files such as LimeWare. environment is a harassment risk and, therefore, prohibited.
Are You Job-Ready? xiii
Establish your credibility. Consider the reach and permanence of posts. Writing Online Reviews and Complaints
• Zero in on your objective and make your comment • Know that your review may be posted indefinitely,
as concise as possible.
• Focus only on the facts and be able to support
even if you change your mind and modify a post later.
• Be open; even anonymous comments can be tracked
Social media posts have a way of ending up in the wrong
them. down. Privacy policies do not protect writers from
subpoenas. hands, making vicious complainers seem irrational. In this
edition you learn to write well-considered private social
Check posting rules. Accept offers to help.
media messages as well as professional responses that
• Understand what’s allowed by reading the terms • Reply if a business offers to help or discuss the
and conditions on the site. problem; update your original post as necessary. increase the credibility and reputation of employers.
• Keep your complaint clean, polite, and to the point.
Provide balanced reviews. Refuse payment for favorable critiques.

• To be fair, offset criticism with positives to show • Never accept payment to change your opinion or
that you are a legitimate consumer. your account of the facts.
• Suggest improvements even in glowing reviews; • Comply with requests for a review if you are a
all-out gushing is suspicious and not helpful. satisfied customer.
Finding a Job in Today’s “I was blown away by the exceptional personal service from the author.
Challenging Job Market All of the Guffey supplementary materials are unbelievably helpful. This
is one author who works hard to make me look good in my classes.”
One of the most important chapters in the book, Staci Groeschell, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia,
Washington
Chapter 13 updates you on the latest trends,
technologies, and practices affecting today’s job
search, résumés, and cover letters. Thorough revi-
sions will prepare you for a labor market that is
more competitive, more social, more mobile, and
more dependent on technology than ever before. Mobile technologies are on the rise.
You will learn how to network, employ current Candidates use apps to apply for jobs, and recruiters use mobile devices
technologies, build your own brand, and prepare to post jobs, contact candidates, and forward résumés to colleagues.
Networking— it’s whom you know.

an effective LinkedIn profile. Many annotated Recruiters say their best job candidates come from referrals. Now, more
résumé models will guide you in creating and than ever, you need to be proactive in making professional connections.
sending customized résumés that appeal to both Communication and interpersonal skills are in high demand.
applicant tracking systems and human readers.

Sales and marketing careers are booming, and these careers demand
writing, speaking, and team skills.
Social media presence is a must.

Essentials of Business Communication, 11E helps Those who haven’t developed a social media presence may be left in
ensure that you will have the finely honed writing the dust.
It’s all digital.

and communication skills and contemporary Today candidates e-mail their résumés, post them to Internet job
digital understanding for exceptional job success. boards, or publish them on their own Web pages.
Résumés must please scanners and skimmers.
Overwhelmed with candidates, recruiters hurriedly skim résumés

preselected by scanning devices.
Conducting a Successful Job Search

Develop a Create a
Analyze Know the
Job-Search Customized
Yourself Hiring Process
Strategy Résumé
▪ Identify your interests ▪ Search the open job market. ▪ Choose a résumé style. ▪ Submit a résumé,
and goals. ▪ Pursue the hidden job market. ▪ Organize your info concisely. application, or e-portfolio.
▪ Assess your qualifications. ▪ Cultivate your online presence. ▪ Tailor your résumé to each ▪ Undergo screening and
▪ Explore career ▪ Build your personal brand. position. hiring interviews.
opportunities. ▪ Network, network, network! ▪ Optimize for digital ▪ Accept an offer or reevaluate
technology. your progress.
xiv Are You Job-Ready?
Developing Your Own Brand Using LinkedIn to Land a Job
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com;

4 Ways for Grads to Stand Out
BRA
ND
Branding You
MY
BR A
Y
John Smith Design/Shutterstock.com

ND
M
BR A
Y
ND
M
Create your
Courtesy of Linkedln
own tagline.
Briefly describe what Build a powerful
distinguishes you, such online presence.
as Talented at the Internet; Distribute a Prepare a strong LinkedIn
Working harder, smarter; business card. profile dictating what comes
Super student, super worker;
Love everything digital;
Include your name, tagline, and Prepare an up when people Google
Ready for a challenge;
an easy-to-remember e-mail elevator speech. your name. Consider adding
address. If you feel comfortable, Facebook and Twitter profile
Enthusiasm plus fresh skills. In 60 seconds, you need to be able pages. Be sure all sites promote
include a professional headshot
to describe who you are and what your brand positively.
photo. Distribute it at all
problems your skills can solve. Tweak
opportunities.
your speech for your audience, and
practice until it feels natural.
Making a Career E-Portfolio
How to make
Why create a and publish it?
career e-portfolio? ▪ Use a portfolio or blog template.
▪ Design your own website.
▪ Demonstrate your technology skills.
▪ Host at a university or private site.
▪ Support and extend your résumé.
▪ Publish its URL in your résumé
▪ Present yourself in a lively format.
▪ Make data instantly accessible.
What goes in it? and elsewhere.
▪ Target a specific job. ▪ Relevant course work

▪ Updated résumé, cover message
▪ Real work examples
▪ Recommendations
▪ Images, links, or whatever
showcases your skills
Why Are Instructors Such Great Fans of Essentials

of Business Communication?
In Their Words. . .
“As an experienced instructor teaching business communication for the
first time, I want to praise the layout and clear instructions provided for
Essentials of Business Communication. Getting to know a textbook
usually takes a lot of time, but I read the Instructor’s Manual, and it
helped me prepare quickly for my class and get me up to speed—without
having to spend valuable time learning how to present the material.
The ‘how-to’ instructions for Essentials of Business Communication gave
me a comfort level that would otherwise have taken several semesters.”
Danielle Shaker, Naugatuck Valley Community College and Post
University, Waterbury, CT
“One year I decided to try a business communication textbook from “I am astounded at the resources for the instructor. Last quarter, I had to
another publisher, but I immediately returned to the Guffey text this create the examples and documents for revision and business scenarios
year. The quality of the content and support resources for Essentials of for document creation. Thanks for allowing me to spend time on
Business Communication just can’t be matched.” planning and instruction rather than on creating quizzes, tests,
Laurie Johnson, Manhattan Area Technical College, Manhattan, worksheets, and PowerPoint presentations.”
Kansas Beverly Miller, Miller-Motte Technical College, Lynchburg, VA
Are You Job-Ready? xv
Appreciation for Support
No successful textbook reaches a No. 1 position without a great deal of help. We are exceedingly grateful to the
reviewers and other experts who contributed their pedagogic and academic expertise in shaping the many edi-
tions of Essentials of Business Communication.
We extend sincere thanks to outstanding professionals at Cengage Learning, including Erin Joyner, senior vice
president, Higher Education; Michael Schenk, vice president, Product Management; Heather Mooney, product
manager, Business Communication; John Rich, content development manager; Eric Wagner, marketing manager;
Bethany Bourgeois, senior art director; and Kim Kusnerak, senior content project manager. We are also grateful
to Crystal Bullen, DPS Associates, who ensured premier quality and excellent accuracy throughout the publishing
process. Our very special thanks go to Bethany Sexton, content developer, for her meticulous planning, project
management, and always-helpful assistance.
For their expertise in creating superior instructor and student support materials, our thanks go to Jane Flesher,
Chippewa Valley Technical College; Carol Hart, Columbus State Community College; Nicole Adams, University
of Dayton; Janet Mizrahi, University of California, Santa Barbara; Kathleen Bent, Cape Cod Community College;
Susan Schanne, Eastern Michigan University; and Thanakorn Kooptaporn, California State University, Fullerton.
Heartfelt Thanks to Recent Reviewers

We are especially grateful to the following instructors who offered significant relevant suggestions from their
hands-on classroom experience in teaching from Essentials of Business Communication:
Penny A. Braboy Westelle Florez Judy A. Reiman
Thomas More College Harris-Stowe State University Columbia College
Susan M. Campbell Laurie J. Johnson Daniel Schlittner

Arkansas Tech University Manhattan Area Technical College Phoenix Community College
Alma Cervantes Diana Macdonald Amy Weaver

Skyline College Uintah Basin Applied Technology College Potomac State College
Debbie Cook Patti McMann

Utah State University Klamath Community College
Sincere Appreciation to Previous Reviewers

We continue to celebrate and remember the following reviewers who over the years have contributed their exper-
tise in helping create a remarkably successful textbook:
Faridah Awang Karen Bounds Therese Butler
Eastern Kentucky University Boise State University Long Beach City College
Joyce M. Barnes Daniel Brown Derrick Cameron

Texas A & M University, Corpus Christi University of South Florida Vance-Granville Community College
Patricia Beagle Cheryl S. Byrne Brennan Carr

Bryant & Stratton Business Institute Washtenaw Community College Long Beach City College
Nancy C. Bell Jean Bush-Bacelis Steven V. Cates

Wayne Community College Eastern Michigan University Averett University
Ray D. Bernardi Mary Y. Bowers Irene Z. Church

Morehead State University Northern Arizona University Muskegon Community College
xvi Appreciation for Support
Lise H. Diez-Arguelles Susan E. Hall Karen Kendrick
Florida State University University of West Georgia Nashville State Community College
Dee Anne Dill April Halliday Lydia Keuser

Dekalb Technical Institute Georgia Piedmont Technical College San Jose City College
Dawn Dittman Tracey M. Harrison Linda Kissler

Dakota State University Mississippi College Westmoreland County Community College
Elizabeth Donnelly-Johnson Debra Hawhee Deborah Kitchin

Muskegon Community College University of Illinois City College of San Francisco
Jeanette Dostourian L. P. Helstrom Frances Kranz

Cypress College Rochester Community College Oakland University
Nancy J. Dubino Jack Hensen Keith Kroll

Greenfield Community College Morehead State University Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Donna N. Dunn Rovena L. Hillsman Rose Marie Kuceyeski

Beaufort County Community College California State University, Sacramento Owens Community College
Cecile Earle Karen A. Holtkamp Richard B. Larsen

Heald College Xavier University Francis Marion University
Valerie Evans Michael Hricik Mary E. Leslie

Cuesta College Westmoreland County Community College Grossmont College
Bartlett J. Finney Jodi Hoyt Ruth E. Levy

Park University Southeast Technical Institute Westchester Community College
Pat Fountain Sandie Idziak Gary R. Lewis

Coastal Carolina Community College University of Texas, Arlington Southwest Florida College
Marlene Friederich Karin Jacobson Maryann Egan Longhi

New Mexico State University, Carlsbad University of Montana Dutchess Community College
Christine Foster Bonnie Jeffers Nedra Lowe

Grand Rapids Community College Mt. San Antonio College Marshall University
JoAnn Foth Edna Jellesed Elaine Lux

Milwaukee Area Technical College Lane Community College Nyack College
Gail Garton Jane Johansen Elizabeth MacDonald

Ozarks Technical Community College University of Southern Indiana Arizona State University
Nanette Clinch Gilson Pamela R. Johnson Margarita Maestas-Flores

San Jose State University California State University, Chico Evergreen Valley College
Robert Goldberg Edwina Jordan Jane Mangrum

Prince George’s Community College Illinois Central College Miami-Dade Community College
Margaret E. Gorman Sheryl E. C. Joshua Maria Manninen

Cayuga Community College University of North Carolina, Greensboro Delta College
Judith Graham Diana K. Kanoy Tim March

Holyoke Community College Central Florida Community College Kaskaskia College
Lauren Gregory Ron Kapper Paula Marchese

South Plains College College of DuPage State University of New York, Brockport
Bruce E. Guttman Jan Kehm Tish Matuszek

Katharine Gibbs School, Melville, New York Spartanburg Community College Troy University Montgomery
Appreciation for Support xvii
Kenneth R. Mayer Susan Peterson Nicholas Spina
Cleveland State University Scottsdale Community College Central Connecticut State University
Victoria McCrady Kay D. Powell Marilyn St. Clair

University of Texas at Dallas Abraham Baldwin College Weatherford College
Karen McFarland Jeanette Purdy Judy Sunayama

Salt Lake Community College Mercer County College Los Medanos College
Pat McGee Carolyn A. Quantrille Dana H. Swensen

Southeast Technical Institute Spokane Falls Community College Utah State University
Bonnie Miller Susan Randles James A. Swindling

Los Medanos College Vatterott College Eastfield College
Mary C. Miller Diana Reep David A. Tajerstein

Ashland University University of Akron SYRIT College
Willie Minor Ruth D. Richardson Marilyn Theissman

University of North Alabama
Phoenix College Rochester Community College
Carlita Robertson
Nancy Moody Zorica Wacker
Northern Oklahoma College
Sinclair Community College Bellevue College
Vilera Rood
Suman Mudunuri Concordia College
Lois A. Wagner
Long Beach City College Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
Rich Rudolph
Nancy Mulder Drexel University Linda Weavil
Grand Rapids Junior College Elan College
Rachel Rutledge
Paul W. Murphey Carteret Community College William Wells
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Lima Technical College
Joanne Salas
Nan Nelson Olympic College Gerard Weykamp
University of Arkansas Phillips Community Grand Rapids Community College
College Rose Ann Scala
Data Institute School of Business Beverly Wickersham
Lisa Nieman Central Texas College
Indiana Wesleyan University Joseph Schaffner
SUNY College of Technology, Alfred Leopold Wilkins
Jackie Ohlson Anson Community College
University of Alaska, Anchorage James Calvert Scott
Utah State University Anna Williams
Richard D. Parker College of Central Florida, Ocala
Western Kentucky University Laurie Shapero
Miami-Dade Community College Charlotte Williams
Martha Payne Jones County Junior College
Grayson County College Lance Shaw
Blake Business School Donald Williams
Catherine Peck Feather River College
Chippewa Valley Technical College Cinda Skelton
Central Texas College Janice Willis
Carol Pemberton College of San Mateo
Normandale Community College Estelle Slootmaker
Aquinas College Almeda Wilmarth
Carl Perrin State University of New York, Delhi
Margaret Smallwood
Casco Bay College
The University of Texas at Dallas Barbara Young
Jan Peterson Skyline College
Clara Smith
Anoka-Hennepin Technical College
North Seattle Community College
xviii Appreciation for Support
About the Authors
Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey Dr. Dana Loewy
A dedicated professional, Dana Loewy taught
Mary Ellen Guffey has business communica-
taught business com- tion at California State
munication and busi- University, Fullerton for
ness English topics for nineteen years. Previ-
over thirty-five years. ously, she also worked as
She received a bachelor’s a composition instructor
degree, summa cum at various Los Angeles
Dana Loewy
laude, from Bowling area community colleges,
MaryEllen
Green State University; a thus reaching a solid

master’s degree from the quarter century of com-
University of Illinois, and bined experience teaching writing. Dr. Loewy has
a doctorate in business and economic education from also lectured abroad, for example, at Fachhochschule
the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She Nürtingen, Germany. Having earned a PhD from the
has taught at the University of Illinois, Santa Monica University of Southern California in English with a
College, and Los Angeles Pierce College. focus on translation, she is a well-published free-
Now recognized as the world’s leading business lance translator, interpreter, and textbook author.
communication textbook author, Dr. Guffey cor- Dr. Loewy has collaborated with Dr. Guffey on
responds with instructors around the globe who are recent editions of Business Communication: Pro-
using her books. She is the founding author of the cess & Product as well as on Essentials of Business
award-winning Business Communication: Process Communication.
and Product, the leading business communication text- Fluent in several languages, among them German
book in this country. She also wrote Business English, and Czech, her two native languages, Dr. Loewy has
which serves more students than any other book in its authored critical articles in many areas of interest—
field; Essentials of College English; and Essentials of literary criticism, translation, business communica-
Business Communication, the leading text/workbook tion, and business ethics. Active in the Association for
in its market. Dr. Guffey is active professionally, serv- Business Communication, Dr. Loewy is now focus-
ing on the review boards of the Business and Profes- ing on her consulting practice. Most recently she has
sional Communication Quarterly and the Journal of advised a German bank and a California-based non-
Business Communication, publications of the Associa- profit organization on communication strategy and
tion for Business Communication. She participates in effective writing techniques. Dana is also a business
national meetings, sponsors business communication etiquette consultant certified by The Protocol School
awards, and is committed to promoting excellence in of Washington.
business communication pedagogy and the develop-
ment of student writing skills.
About the Authors xix
1
Business
Communication
in the Digital Age
Chapter 1
Succeeding in the
Social and Mobile
Workplace
kined/Shutterstock.com
Pla2na/Shutterstock.com
Succeeding in the Social
and Mobile Workplace
Chapter
1
Learning Outcomes
After studying this chapter,
you should be able to do
the following:
1 Describe how strong

communication skills will
improve your career out-
look, strengthen your credi-
bility, and help you succeed
in today’s competitive digi-
tal age marketplace.
2 Confront barriers to
effective listening, and start
building your listening skills.
3 Explain the features of
Robert Churchill/Getty Images

nonverbal communication,
and recognize the impor-
tance of improving your non-
verbal communication skills.
4 Name five common

dimensions of culture, and
understand how culture influ-
ences communication and
the use of social media and 1-1 Mastering the Tools for Success in the
communication technology.
Twenty-First-Century Workplace
5 Discuss strategies that
help communicators over- What kind of workplace will you enter when you graduate, and which skills will you
come negative cultural need to be successful in it? Expect a fast-paced, competitive, and highly connected
attitudes and prevent digital environment. Communication technology provides unmatched mobility and
miscommunication in
today’s diverse, mobile,
connects individuals anytime and anywhere in the world. Today’s communicators
social-media-driven interact using multiple mobile electronic devices and access information stored
workplace. in remote locations, in the cloud. This mobility and instant access explain why
2 Chapter 1: Succeeding in the Social
Chapter
and Mobile
XX: Lorem
Workplace
Ipsum
increasing numbers of workers must be available practically around the clock and
must respond quickly. Your communication skills will always be on display and will
determine your credibility.
Learning
Outcome
Describe how strong
1
This first chapter presents an overview of communication in business today. It communication skills will
addresses the contemporary workplace, listening skills, nonverbal communication, improve your career outlook,
strengthen your credibility,
the cultural dimensions of communication, and intercultural job skills. The remain-
and help you succeed in
der of the book is devoted to developing specific writing and speaking skills. today’s competitive digital
age marketplace.
1-1a Strong Communication Skills: Your Key to Success
Effective writing skills can be a stepping-stone to great job opportunities; poorly
developed writing skills, on the other hand, will derail a career. When competition is
fierce, superior communication skills will give you an edge over other job applicants.
In survey after survey, recruiters place communication high on their wish lists.1 In
one recent study, employers ranked writing and oral communication among the
five top attributes in job seekers, after teamwork and problem-solving skills.2 Your
ability to communicate is a powerful “career sifter.”3 Strong communication skills
will make you marketable even in a challenging economic climate.
Perhaps you are already working or will soon apply for your first job. How do your
skills measure up? The good news is that you can learn effective communication. This
textbook and this course can immediately improve your communication skills. Because
the skills you are learning will make a huge difference in your ability to find a job and “Communicating
to be promoted, this will be one of the most important courses you will ever take. clearly and effectively
has NEVER been more
1-1b The Digital Revolution: Why Communication Skills important than it is
Matter More Than Ever today. Whether it’s fair
or not, life-changing
Since information technology, mobile devices, and social media have transformed critical judgments
the workplace, people in today’s workforce communicate more, not less. Thanks to about you are being
technology, messages travel instantly to distant locations, reaching potentially huge made based solely on
audiences. Work team members can collaborate across vast distances. Moreover, your writing ability.”4
social media are playing an increasingly prominent role in business. In such a hyper-
Victor Urbach,
connected world, writing matters more than ever. Digital media require “much more management consultant
than the traditional literacy of yesterday,” and workers’ skills are always on display.5
As a result, employers seek employees with a broader range of skills and higher
levels of knowledge in their field than in the past; hiring standards are increas-
ing.6 Educators are discussing “essential fluencies”—twenty-first-century skills that Note: Small superscript
include analytical thinking, teamwork, and multimedia-savvy communication.7 Pew numbers in the text announce
Research found that 90 percent of the Americans polled consider communication the information sources. Full
No. 1 skill for a successful life.8 Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson concurs, citations are near the end
of the book. This edition
calling communication “the most important skill any leader can possess.”9 Further-
uses a modified American
more, jobs relying heavily on people skills such as communication are less likely to Psychological Association
be killed by automation and will offer the most opportunities in the future.10 (APA) reference format.
Skills Gap. Unfortunately, a great number of workers can’t deliver. More than half
of the respondents in an employer survey criticized applicants for their lack of com-
munication, interpersonal, and writing skills. Staffing company Adecco reported
that 44 percent of its respondents cited a similar skills gap.11 Recruiters agree that
regardless of the workplace media used, “the ability to communicate an idea, with
force and clarity” and with a unique voice is sorely needed.12 In a PayScale study,
44 percent of bosses felt new graduates lacked writing skills as well as critical-
thinking and problem-solving skills (60 percent).13
Communication and Employability. Not surprisingly, many job listings require
excellent oral and written communication skills. An analysis of 2.3 million LinkedIn
profiles revealed that oral and written communication skills were by a large margin
the top skill set sought, followed by organization, teamwork, and punctuality.14 In
Chapter 1: Succeeding in the Social and Mobile Workplace 3
addition, as you will learn in later chapters, recruiters will closely examine your
online persona to learn about your communication skills and professionalism. Natu-
rally, they will not hire candidates who write poorly or post inappropriate content.15
Your reputation and personal credibility are vital assets you must guard.
Techies Write Too. Even in technical fields such as accounting and information
technology, you will need strong communication skills. A researcher suggests that
“The days of being able to plug away in isolation on a quantitative problem and
be paid well for it are increasingly over.”16 In an economy relying on innovation,
generating ideas isn’t enough; they must be communicated clearly, often in writing.17
A recruiter in the high-tech industry explains, “Communication is KEY. You can
have all the financial tools, but if you can’t communicate your point clearly, none
of it will matter.”18 A poll of nearly 600 employers showed that they are looking
for “communicators with a capital C,” people who offer superb speaking, writing,
listening, presentation, persuasion, and negotiation skills.19
Writing Is in Your Future. Regardless of career choice, you will probably be send-
ing many digital messages, such as the e-mail shown in Figure 1.1. Because electronic
mail and other digital media have become important channels of communication
Figure 1.1 Businesslike, Professional E-Mail Message
Send Options... HTML
To: Customer Service Improvement Team Uses precise sub-

ject line to convey
From: Samuel D. Hidalgo <sam.hidalgo@tekmagik–services.com> key information
Subject: Social Media Strategy Meeting: Wednesday, February 7 quickly
Starts with casual To:
greeting to express
From:
friendliness Hi, Team,
Date:
Subject:
As recommended at our last meeting, I have scheduled an e-marketing and social Announces most
media specialist to speak to us about improving our social media responses. Social important idea first
media consultant Alexis Johnston, founder of Apexx Marketing Solutions, has agreed with minimal back-
to discuss ways to turn our social media presence into a competitive advantage. ground information
Mark your calendars for the following:
Sets off meeting Social Media Strategy Meeting

information for easy Wednesday, February 7, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
recognition and Conference Room
retrieval
In previous meetings our team acknowledged that customers are increasingly turning
to our website, blogs, and Facebook pages to locate information, seek support, and
connect with us. However, we are experiencing problems in responding quickly
and effectively. Ms. Johnston promises to address these concerns. She will also tell
us whether we need to establish a presence in additional social media networks.
Ms. Johnston will help us decide whether we should hire an in-house social media
manager or pay for an external service. To make this meeting most productive, she Provides details
asks that each team member submit at least three questions or problem areas for about meeting with
discussion. transition to action
Bullets action requests
requests and places Action Requests:
them near message
end where readers • Please send three discussion questions to Alan (alan.wong@tekmagik-services Closes by telling
expect to find them .com) by February 2 at 5 p.m. so that he can relay them to Ms. Johnston. where to find addi-
tional information;
• Because we will be ordering box lunches for this meeting, please make your also expresses
Because this doc- selection on the intranet before February 2. appreciation
ument shows an
internal e-mail, a full If you have any questions, drop by my office or send a note. Thanks for your continued
signature block is efforts to improve our customer service!
not necessary. Co-
workers tend to be Sam
connected on the
same e-mail system Samuel D. Hidalgo
and can easily find Director, Customer Service
one another. E-mails
to external audiences
require a signature
block with full
contact information.
4 Chapter 1: Succeeding in the Social and Mobile Workplace
in today’s workplace, all digital business messages must be clear, concise, and pro-
fessional. Notice that the message in Figure 1.1 is more businesslike and more pro-
fessional than the quick text or e-mail you might send socially. Learning to write
professional digital messages will be an important part of this course.
1-1c What Employers Want: Professionalism

Your future employer will expect you to show professionalism and possess what
are often referred to as soft skills in addition to your technical knowledge. Soft
skills are essential career attributes that include the ability to communicate clearly,
get along with coworkers, solve problems, and take initiative.20 A PayScale study
found that employers considered writing proficiency an indispensable hard skill.21
In a Wall Street Journal survey of nearly 900 executives, 92 percent said that soft “In a survey conducted
skills are equally important or more important than technical skills. As a tech sector by PwC, CEOs cited
recruiter put it, “Communications, teamwork, and interpersonal skills are critical— ‘curiosity’ and ‘open-
mindedness’ as traits
everything we do involves working with other people.”22
that are becoming
Not every job seeker is aware of the employer’s expectations. Some new-hires
increasingly critical.
have no idea that excessive absenteeism or tardiness is grounds for termination. Oth-
Today’s star employees
ers are surprised to learn that they are expected to devote their full attention to their
need the full package:
duties when on the job. One frustrated Washington, D.C., restaurateur advertised for
hard or technical skills
workers with “common sense.” She said “I can teach somebody how to cook soup.
backed up with soft skills
But it’s hard to teach someone normal manners, or what you consider work ethic.”23
and emotional intel-
Projecting and maintaining a professional image can make a real difference in ligence. It isn’t enough
helping you obtain the job of your dreams. Once you get that job, you are more likely to say you’re good with
to be taken seriously and promoted if you look and sound professional. Don’t send people, a resume catch-
the wrong message and risk losing your credibility with unwitting and unprofes- phrase that’s become
sional behavior. Figure 1.2 reviews areas you will want to check to be sure you are empty jargon.”24
projecting professionalism. You will learn more about soft skills and professionalism
Dennis Yang, chief executive
in Chapter 11. The Communication Workshop at the end of this chapter will help officer of Udemy
you explore your future career and the need for soft skills.
1-1d How Your Education May Determine Your Income

As college tuition rises steeply and student debt mounts, you may wonder whether
going to college is worthwhile. Yet the effort and money you invest in earning your
college degree will most likely pay off. College graduates earn more, suffer less
unemployment, and can choose from a wider variety of career options than workers
without a college education. Moreover, college graduates have access to the highest-
paying and fastest-growing careers, many of which require a degree.25 As Figure 1.3
shows, graduates with bachelor’s degrees earn nearly three times as much as high
school dropouts and are almost four times less likely to be unemployed.26
Writing is one aspect of education that is particularly well rewarded. One corpo-
rate president explained that many people climbing the corporate ladder are good.
When he faced a hard choice between candidates, he used writing ability as the
deciding factor. He said that sometimes writing is the only skill that separates a
candidate from the competition. A survey of employers confirms that soft skills
such as communication ability can tip the scales in favor of one job applicant over
another.27 Your ticket to winning in a competitive job market and launching a suc-
cessful career is good communication skills.
1-1e Confronting the Challenges of the Information

Age Workplace
The workplace is changing profoundly and rapidly. As a businessperson and as a
business communicator, you will be affected by many trends, including communica-
tion technologies such as social media, expectations of around-the-clock availability,
and team projects. Other trends include flattened management hierarchies, global
Figure 1.2 Projecting Professionalism When You Communicate
Unprofessional Professional
Uptalk, a singsong speech pattern, making
sentences sound like questions; like used as
Speech Recognizing that your credibility can be
seriously damaged by sounding uneducated,
a filler; go for said; slang; poor grammar and
profanity.
habits crude, or adolescent.
Sloppy messages with incomplete sentences, Messages with subjects, verbs, and punctuation,
misspelled words, exclamation points, IM slang, free from IM abbreviations; messages that are
and mindless chatter. E-mail addresses such as
partyanimal@gmail.com, snugglykitty@icloud.
E-mail concise and spelled correctly even when brief.
E-mail addresses that include a name or a
com, or hotmama@outlook.com. positive, businesslike expression.
Suggestive Twitter handles and user names

that point to an immature, unhealthy lifestyle. Internet, Real name Twitter handles and user names that
don’t sound cute or like chatroom nicknames.
Posts that reveal political, religious, and other
personal leanings. social media Posts in good taste, fit for public consumption.
Voice mail
An outgoing message with strident background An outgoing message that states your name or
music, weird sounds, or a joke message. phone number and provides instructions for
leaving a message.
Soap operas, thunderous music, or a TV football

game playing noisily in the background when you Telephone A quiet background when you answer the
telephone, especially if you are expecting a
answer the phone.
presence prospective employer’s call.
Using electronics during business meetings for

unrelated purposes or during conversations with Cell phones, Turning off phone and message notification,
both audible and vibrate, during meetings;
tablets
fellow employees; raising your voice (cell yell); using your smart devices only for meeting-
forcing others to overhear your calls. related purposes.
Texting
Sending and receiving text messages during Sending appropriate business text messages
meetings, allowing texting to interrupt face-to- only when necessary (perhaps when a
face conversations, or texting when driving. cell phone call would disturb others).
competition, and a renewed emphasis on ethics. The following overview reveals

how communication skills are closely tied to your success in a constantly evolving
networked workplace.
▪▪ Social media and changing communication technologies. New communica-
tion technology is dramatically affecting the way workers interact. In our
always-connected world, businesses exchange information by e-mail, instant
messaging, text messaging, voice mail, powerful laptop computers, netbooks,
and smartphones as well as other mobile devices. Satellite communications,
wireless networking, teleconferencing, and videoconferencing help workers
conduct meetings with associates around the world. Social media sites such as
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube as well as blogs, wikis, forums,
and peer-to-peer tools help businesspeople collect information, serve customers,
Figure 1.3 The Education Bonus: Higher Income, Lower Unemployment
Education Median Weekly Earnings Unemployment Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics. (2016, February 5). Employment Projections:
Earnings and unemployment rates by educational
High school dropout $ 493 8.0%
High school diploma 678 5.4%
attainment. Current population survey.

Some college, no degree 738 5.0%
Associate’s degree 798 3.8%
Bachelor’s degree or higher 1,458 2.1%

(average)
and sell products and services. Figure 1.4 illustrates many technologies you will
encounter in today’s workplace.
▪▪ Anytime, anywhere availability and nonterritorial offices. High-speed and wire-
less Internet access has freed millions of workers from nine-to-five jobs in brick-
and-mortar offices. Flexible working arrangements allow them to work at home
or on the road. Meet the work shifter, a telecommuter or teleworker who largely
remains outside the territorial office. The anytime, anywhere office the work
shifter needs requires only a smart mobile device and a wireless connection.28 If
the self-employed are factored in, teleworkers now represent almost 30 percent of
the U.S. working adult population.29 To save on office real estate, some industries
provide “nonterritorial” workspaces, or “hot desks.” The first to arrive gets the
best desk and the corner window.30 At the same time, 24/7 availability has blurred
the line between work and leisure, so that some workers are always on duty.
▪▪ Self-directed work groups and virtual teams. Teamwork has become a reality
in business. Many companies have created cross-functional teams to empower
employees and boost their involvement in decision making. You can expect to
collaborate with a team in gathering information, finding and sharing solu-
tions, implementing decisions, and managing conflict. You may even become
part of a virtual team whose members are in remote locations. Increasingly,
organizations are also forming ad hoc teams to solve particular problems. Such
project-based teams disband once they have accomplished their objectives.31
Moreover, parts of our future economy may rely on “free agents” who will be
hired on a project basis in what has been dubbed the gig economy, a far cry
from today’s full-time and relatively steady jobs.
▪▪ Flattened management hierarchies. To better compete and to reduce
expenses, businesses have for years been trimming layers of management.
This means that as a frontline employee, you will have fewer managers. You
will be making decisions and communicating them to customers, to fellow
employees, and to executives.
▪▪ Heightened global competition. Because many American companies continue
to move beyond domestic markets, you may be interacting with people from
many cultures. To be a successful business communicator, you will need to
learn about other cultures. You will also need to develop intercultural skills
including sensitivity, flexibility, patience, and tolerance.
▪▪ Renewed emphasis on ethics. Ethics is once again a hot topic in business. The
Great Recession of 2007–2009 was caused largely, some say, by greed and ethi-
cal lapses. With the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the U.S. government
Figure 1.4 Communication and Collaborative Technologies
Communication
alphaspirit/Shutterstock.com
Technologies
Cloud Computing: © vinzstudio/Shutterstock.com; Telephony: VoIP: © Magics/ZUMA Press/Newscom; Voice Recognition: © iStockphoto.com/ichaka Voice Conferencing: © Aspireimages Royalty-Free/Inmagine; Open Offices: © Inmagine
Communication Technologies at Work
Cloud Computing, Web 2.0, and Beyond Becoming familiar with modern communication
Increasingly, applications and data are stored in remote locations technology can help you succeed on the job. Today’s
online, in the cloud. This ability to store and access data on remote
servers is called cloud computing. Cloud computing means that busi- digital workplace is shaped by mobile devices, mobile
nesses and individuals no longer need to maintain costly hardware apps, social media networks, superfast broadband
and software in-house; instead, they can centralize data on their
own remote servers or pay for digital storage space and software and wireless access, and other technologies that
applications offered by providers online. Photo- and video-sharing allow workers to share information, work from
sites such as Instagram, Flickr, and YouTube keep users’ media in the
cloud. Similarly, Dropbox, a popular file-synchronization service, remote locations, and be more productive in or away
and online backup provider Carbonite allow customers to edit and from the office. With today’s tools you can exchange
sync files online independent of the device used to access them.
Websites and Web applications have shifted from one-way, read-only ideas, solve problems,
communication to multidirectional, social, read-write communica- develop products, fore-
tion. This profound change, dubbed Web 2.0, has allowed workers to
participate, collaborate, and network in unprecedented ways. More cast performance, and
changes on the horizon include the Internet of things, the storing and complete team projects
making sense of big data, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars.
Continuous automation will make many current jobs obsolete. any time of the day or
night anywhere in the
Telephony: VoIP world.
Paul Bradbury/Getty Images
iStock.com/ichaka
Savvy businesses are Denys Prykhodov/Shutterstock.com
switching from traditional
phone service to voice over Speech
Internet protocol (VoIP). This Recognition
technology allows callers to
communicate using a broad- Computers equipped with
band Internet connection, speech-recognition software
thus eliminating long-distance and local telephone charges. Higher-end enable users to dictate up
VoIP systems now support unified voice mail, e-mail, click-to-call capabili- to 160 words a minute with
ties, and softphones (Web applications or mobile apps, such as Google accurate transcription. Speech
Voice, for calling and messaging). Free or low-cost Internet telephony recognition is particularly Wearable
sites, such as the popular Skype and FaceTime, are also increasingly used helpful to disabled workers
and to professionals with
Devices
by businesses, although their sound and image quality is often uneven.
heavy dictation loads, such The most recent trend in
Open Offices as physicians and attorneys. mobile computing is wear-
Users can create documents, able devices. Fitbit, Google
The widespread use of laptop enter data, compose and send Glass, Apple Watch, and
Exactostock / SuperStock
computers, tablets, and other smart e-mails, browse the Web, similar accessories do more
devices, wireless technology, and and control their notebooks, than track fitness activities.
VoIP have led to more fluid, flex- laptops, and desktops—all They are powerful mobile
ible, and open workspaces. Smaller by voice. Smart devices can devices in their own right that
computers and flat-screen monitors also execute tasks with voice can sync with other smart
enable designers to save space with command apps—for example, electronics.
boomerang-shaped workstations and to dial a call, find a route, or
cockpit-style work surfaces rather than space-hogging corner work areas. transcribe voice mail.
Smaller breakout areas for impromptu meetings are taking over some
cubicle space, and digital databases are replacing file cabinets. Mobile
technology allows workers to be fully connected and productive on the go.
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"There must be swimming somewhere," said Elizabeth, prying round.
Soon shouts and splashing told the story of her success. She and Helen
came back, gay and dishevelled, their wet swimming suits under their arms,
pulled up Beresford, who had been soberly showing Edward and David
how to make whistles from the pliant twigs of the trees, and gayly the
family sat down to a meal which had been spread with the usual elegance.
They lingered a long time over the coffee, while the men smoked pipes and
outdid each other with the stories they told.
"Well, I'm going to sleep," said Mrs. Ferris, finally. "You had better
show Nancy her temple, Ronald, before it's too late."
"Will you come and see it?" the man asked.
Something in the eagerness of his voice made her hesitate, but after a
long pause she said yes. He got up silently and she followed, while the rest
sat watching, with no word to say, for they were wondering in their hearts
what the issue would be.
The afternoon was hot and oppressive; a haze was veiling the sun. The
pines stood like trees of an enchanted wood. Not a branch moved. The
silver trunks glistened in the heat. Nancy was dumb and uneasy as though
the sultry weather were laying its spell upon her as it veiled the sun. She
knew this was no ordinary chance, this walk, and waited fearfully for
Ronald to speak, to break the quiet which lay so heavy upon her breast.
"We are pilgrims, Nancy," he said. "I wish I knew what is to be the end
of our pilgrimage."
But he left off talking riddles. A look in the girl's face warned him that
the time was not ripe. It was easier to relieve the tense atmosphere with
light-hearted mention of that day a year ago when he and Beresford had
been walking this selfsame path without thought of the adventure they were
to meet. He pointed out the place where Edward had run into them, pictured
the monks stopping foolishly a few paces away. He was almost as amusing
as Beresford in his way of telling the story, but he had seen more deeply
than his friend the tragedy they foiled, so that his words never quite lost the
graver tones of a scene which he remembered almost as much with pain as
with joy.
"Well, here's your temple," he said at last.
Nancy looked with a slight shock of panic, but the red walls were
harmless enough, almost pitiful and desolate, under a sky that was growing
gray.
They stopped for a moment before entering. Inside, the temple seemed
dark and musty. The monks were asleep. Ronald had to shout before one of
them appeared, startled by visitors he had not expected. Nancy recognized
him,—he was the younger of the two priests who had welcomed Edward
and herself,—but, to her surprise, he gave her only a blank stare. Her
Western dress was effectual disguise. Quickly he brought tea and, pulling
off the lid of a round black box, gave them handfuls of melon seeds, dried
jujubes, cakes of powdered rice. The tea was too hot; Ronald was restless.
He got up and studied the musty gods and turned to Nancy, who had too
many evil memories of the place to trust her friend out of sight.
"Shall we look at your prison?" he asked.
"No!" protested the girl.
"It is a worse prison you are going to," he commented dryly, "far worse.
Why don't you show the same fear for the future that you show for the
harmless memory of the past? I saved you from one. Ah, Nancy, why won't
you let me save you from the other?"
She looked past him at the gods on their lotus blossoms, and made no
answer. Ronald watched her, noted the masses of dark hair piled low round
her forehead, the tranced stare of her eyes, the slow curve of her throat,
arms half bare, hands far too smooth and supple for the rough-grained table
on which they were stretched.
"You were not meant for prison, Nancy," he said gently.

But the appeal of his words was frustrated by the entrance of the monk.
Every moment the girl expected his yellow-toothed confederate to appear.
"I can't talk here," she said. "This place hurts me. It chokes me."
The man, however, was unwilling to leave the cobwebbed hall. An

unbelievable superstition held him here because this had been the place they
had named for their pilgrimage. He felt the influence of the dusky temple
fighting his battle in Nancy's heart.
"Don't you see?" he cried in a low voice. "Doesn't this place show you
what I mean? Nancy, Nancy, you say it hurts you, chokes you. What chokes
you? Just the memory of a danger long ago. What is that compared with the
marriage you are facing? A laugh and a smile. If you can't bear to think in
this mouldy, decaying place because the walls stifle you with torturing
thoughts, what are you going to do when you have no friend, no protection,
when life really begins to choke and to hurt—when they lock you into a red
chair and send you away to be the slave of strangers?"
"I will stop doing. I will stop thinking," answered Nancy simply, as
though deed and thought could be laid away like garments too rich for the
everyday wear of life.
"No, Nancy," Ronald demurred, shaking his head, "you will never be
able to stop thinking and, worse yet, to stop feeling."
The priest, finding his company unwanted, had withdrawn softly to the
next hall and was watching his guests curiously through a crack in the door.
"You can never stop feeling," Ronald persisted.
"You are a Westerner," said Nancy bravely; "you don't understand our
customs."
"I understand this much, Nancy, that you don't want to be married in
this cruel way any more than you want to die."
In fact he thought she would rather die, but he did not like to say this
openly, lest he put the thought into her head.
"One has to marry," the girl remarked calmly.
"Yes, but there are two ways of marrying. You have chosen the wrong
one."
"Chosen!" she said indignantly. "I haven't chosen anything. I can't stop
the winter from coming, can I? How can I stop being married? When it's
time to be married, I'm married."
"You're only arguing to hide your own fear. You know as well as I do
that this whole business is ghastly and wrong."
"What should I do?" she asked, vexed by the truth of his words.
"You should break the engagement, tell your father you won't consider
it."
"And bring shame to my father."
"Better shame for him than for you. After all, it would only be an
artificial shame for him, a short-lived one at that; for you it would be all too
real—and lifelong."
Nancy stood up, tired of hearing things she knew too well.
"You are kind," she said, "and it's very simple according to your ways,
but these are things that can't be mended by talk."
"Wait," commanded the man, "I haven't even begun to say what I
intended. I am not trying to mend a bad matter by talk. There is a better
way. I know your father wanted you to marry me, else why should he have
offered me the engagement? It was only annoyance, pride, injured vanity,
whatever you choose to call it, that made him arrange this other hapless
engagement. He has gained nothing by it, not even the terms he tried to
exact from me. He has managed to keep you only one of the four years he
stipulated. Do you think he is happy over this business into which he has
drifted so helplessly? He is no happier than you or I. Ah, Nancy, why can't
you see it, why can't you see that worry is killing him—worry over what is
to become of you? If you wish to save his life, you must disobey him; you
must not go back; you must stay and marry me."
By now Nancy had grown used to this habit of frank speech. Ronald's
pregnant ending was outweighed by his accusation that she was killing her
father.
"I must go," she said. "I can't think of these things here."
She wanted swift motion to keep time with the wheeling circles of her
brain.
"But you cannot go now," cried her lover, suddenly conscious that he
had been stamping out his words to the rumbling accompaniment of
thunder. There was a bright flash, an ear-shattering explosion; the two stood
speechless, stunned, certain the temple had been struck. Then Ronald
laughed nervously; he could hear the rain sweeping toward them through
the trees; nearer and nearer it came, like the menacing roar of a great wind,
till it hissed through the branches and burst upon the tiles of the temple roof
with an awful noise, more deafening than the clatter of stones. Lightning
seethed round the temple, illuminating the darkest corner with incessant
brilliance as bolt after bolt flared down the sides of the mountains; thunder
and rain were mixed in an inseparable welter of sound.
"You can't go now," Ronald shouted; "we must wait until the storm has
passed on."
He went back and stirred up the frightened monk to bring them more
tea. Nancy was sitting with her arms stretched across the table, her hands
clenched, her eyes intent upon ghosts she could not see, ghosts of herself
and Ronald and her father. Ronald's speech was so terribly plausible, it
matched her father's unforgettable couplet—the sun and the moon; the
words came back to torment the one paltry bit of peace she had cherished,
the peace of obeying her father. She tried to put Ronald out of the debate, to
exclude the charm which had been working silent mischief in her heart. She
wanted to think entirely of her father, to please him, to save him; the failure
of her labored attempts for his safety, the battle she had done against Kuei-
lien's schemes, made her look carefully, gravely, at the bewildering
implications of Ronald's undreamed-of project, that by defying her father
she could make him happy.
The tumult of the storm relieved her of speech. She sat and stared, and
let her tea grow cold. The lightning flashed less frequently, but the rain held
and the temple was steeped in unnatural darkness, a perilous gloom which
oppressed her with hatred of the place. Again, a second time, it had become
her prison. Surely there was nothing but mischief in store for the pilgrims
who paid their vows here.
"The rain is stopping," Ronald reminded. "Have you any answer to

make?"
"I have no answer," Nancy replied.
"Are you going to put all my words aside without a thought?" asked the
man in despair.
"I have thought—I have thought many times; but I must go back. My
father let me come here; he trusted me. If I did not go back, it would be
shame and evil to him. How can I dare to break his promise?"
"Don't you understand, don't you see, Nancy? Must I go over it all
again! He doesn't want this marriage. It is only his stubbornness, his
obstinacy that makes him cling to it. I showed you his own words, the
scrolls he wrote for me; he told me that these were the truth and that the
best part of my life would come when I found out the meaning for myself.
If they were the truth, then your marriage is false and your father is false to
himself, false to his own heart's desire in allowing it. It will kill him;
remember that—it will kill him."
Ronald saw that his earnestness had made a deep impression; he hurried
to strengthen his advantage.
"And now, Nancy," he went on, "I have read his words, his scrolls, read
them for myself, and I know that he was right, that the best part of my life
will come not only from understanding them but from realizing their
meaning in actual life. You don't belong to the East, Nancy, you belong to
the West whence you came; it is my happiness to take you back to the West
of your birth. That is my lot and my destiny because I know in my heart I
love you. I have been learning this through all the troubled months of the
past year. I love you, Nancy; my claim upon you is greater than your
father's; it is the claim to which he appointed me. His claim is passing, his
life is nearly run. He will die, but we must live."
The girl listened to him in breathless quiet. Tumult, agitation, had

frozen her muscles so that her face in the dim light showed neither anger
nor joy, merely a ghostly whiteness, an unblinking passivity like the gilded
immobile calm of the gods.
"I don't understand," said the girl after a long silence. "You should tell
these things to my father, not to me."
"No," protested the man, "it is time to tell them to you, to make you
understand. You are not blind, Nancy, you have been with us, you know
something of the life I wish to offer you. No hiding away in an ignorant
village, no father-in-law and mother-in-law and a whole courtyard of mangy
relations tyrannizing over you, but your own home, friends to visit and be
visited, and a husband who will love and reverence your slightest wish. Ah,
Nancy, how can I tell you these things, how can I make you know that I
love you, that life won't be life for me if I cannot have you?"
"These things should not be said to me," said Nancy, her voice burdened
with pain. "You are late, late! Why do you say such things when you know
it is useless, when you know my father has promised and I have promised? I
have no power. I cannot call back spoken words, my spoken words."
"Then you do not love me," said Ronald, in a low, discouraged voice.
"I don't know," faltered the girl, unable to say the one phrase which
would have quelled his importunity, unable to accept him, unable to give
him up. "I don't understand this—this love."
"You are fighting against your own heart," said Ronald. "You are
making the mistake which has tortured your father for years. Give me an
answer, Nancy. This is no time for holding to foolish promises; it is no time
for dainty, meticulous points of honor. Your father's life rests in your hands.
You will hurt him if you don't go back; you will kill him if you do. I don't
mind your sacrificing me,—I do mind, of course, but we'll not stop to argue
over it,—but will you sacrifice your father? Will you sacrifice yourself?"
Nancy's composure was shaken. She was exhausted by the strain of

arguing against everything she desired. Ronald was trying to persuade her
to things whereof she longed only too ardently to be persuaded. She was
worn out by the thankless irony of defending her own worst interests. She
could not deny that she loved Ronald; she could not confess that she did;
her heart was in a fever of eagerness to put into his masterful hands the
knotted strings of her life, but her will, even when half convinced, balked at
an act which, however surely it might lead to her father's ultimate welfare,
would be desertion and disloyalty to his trust.
The rain had stopped. There was only the sound of water dripping from
the trees to remind her that they must join the others, discover how they had
fared in the deluge.
"I cannot say yes, Ronald," she announced in unthinkably clear tones,
"and I cannot say no. I don't know what to say. You called this a pilgrimage.
Then I am a pilgrim and I shall get my answer as the pilgrims do."
She stood up, pushed back her stool with a clatter which brought the
listening monk to the door.
"Get me some incense," she commanded.
One by one she took out the frail sticks from the packet he brought, and
round the temple she went, lighting a stick before each god and thrusting it
deep into the ashes of the porcelain burner before she did obeisance with
clasped hands held stiff in front of her. The eighteen Lo-han she worshiped,
Kuan-yin and the gods of the four mountains, at the back, and then returned
to the main hall to kneel prostrate before the three lotus-throned Buddhas.
Ronald looked on with amazement and dismay at the outrageously
incongruous picture of this foreign girl in Western clothes performing an act
so unnatural to her appearance. The sight did violence to his imagination,
this vision of Nancy with knees pressed upon a dirty prayer-mat of straw,
the lace edges of her skirts draggled in the mire, her hair tumbling over her
shoulders as she bowed before these pitiless, imperturbable gods. Yet he
was too much fascinated by the weirdness of the scene to think of
intervening.
The priest had been surprised, too; he had recognized the girl at the first
sound of her vigorous Chinese speech. This time Nancy had the upper hand;
she gave her commands quickly and clearly so that he was only too prompt
to obey. He stood by the bell while she chanted her appeal to the gods, a
strange petition that they should tell her whether she ought to obey or
disobey her father. Three times she bowed, three times he struck deep full-
toned reverberations from his bell. With the last note Nancy seized a round
bamboo box from the table in front of her; she shook it and threw the
bamboo counters to the floor. The gods must tell her which was right, to go
back to her father or not to go back, to yield to the scarlet chair and to Chou
Ming-te for her husband or to remain and marry Ronald.
The bamboo counters fell with curved sides uppermost. "No," the gods
told her, "you are not to go back."
But the girl could not break her trust even for the gods.
"This is an evil place," she said, turning calmly to Ronald. "I know now
that I cannot do what you wish. I must go back as I promised."
Ronald followed her dumbly through the dripping trees. Inwardly he

cursed the superstition that could pin a great choice upon the chance fall of
two bamboo counters. He was too bitter to speak, bitter over this childish,
futile end to their pilgrimage. He was almost ready to despise Nancy.
He never guessed that the gods had been on his side—that the girl had
thrown over their advice, thrown over his, thrown over her own.
CHAPTER XXIV
They found the rest of the family where they had left them. A cave to
which the storm had driven them had saved the picnickers from the worst of
the downpour although the swift rise of the stream had threatened for a few
anxious minutes to engulf them. Ronald saw by their faces, however, that
their concern had not been over their own plight, but over his; he read their
unspoken queries about the outcome of his suit. He had never confided in
them and could not confide now.
"We were delayed in the temple till the rain passed over," he explained.
The words were enough to show that he had failed. Nancy had a look of
proud reserve with which none of them dared meddle.
The picnic ended with drooping spirits; that this was the last hung heavy
on the minds of all, the last and too late. Dinner was no merrier. The
unspoken failure of the afternoon hushed the usually careless talk. Only
Edward and David, who were not imaginative, chattered on in their heroic
style, enlarging their remarks to fit the silence which was offered them.
"Ronald, you are a bungler," scolded Elizabeth, when she had a chance
of catching her uncle alone.
"A bungler?" echoed the man.
"Yes, a bungler! Don't you suppose we know your secret? We had

counted on you, for the honor of the family, to save Nancy."
Ronald gave a wan smile.
"Since you know so much," he said, "how would you save Nancy?"
"Marry her, stupid! Haven't we all been doing everything we could to

help you? Why on earth do you suppose we let you go chasing off to that
temple by yourselves? Just think of all the trouble we had, reining in David
and that impetuous young brother of hers. I am ashamed of you, thoroughly
ashamed of you."
Ronald was used to the stormings of his niece,
"It's not nearly so simple as you think, my dear Betty," he laughed,

"even with your all-powerful help. Nancy is already engaged and if she
thinks two engagements are a complication, what am I to do?"
"What are you to do? What does any man with any pluck do? What
does her engagement amount to—you know what it is—to a Chinese! Are
you going to sit idle-handed and see her thrown away like that?"
"I haven't sat idle-handed, but when Nancy proves a peculiarly stubborn
young lady,—like some other persons I know but won't mention,—that's the
end of it. I could hardly follow the precedent of our friends, the monks, and
kidnap her."
"Well, kidnapping would be better than letting her go back to that

horrible marriage."
"Ah, Betty, I wish the man luck who tries to kidnap you!"
"I suppose I shall have to propose for you," said Elizabeth with a sigh.
"Propose by all means; but don't imagine I have lost Nancy for lack of
proposing."
"I can fancy the way you would propose. Drew it up as a brief, no
doubt, with preamble, articles one, two, three, and four, and half a dozen
'whereases.' If it had only been Beresford instead of you we might have had
some hope of success."
"Unfortunately it wasn't Beresford," said Ronald, and walked away.
Elizabeth had no mind to acquiesce in Ronald's surrender, and

throughout a dreary evening, in which the spirit had left the forms of their
amusements vacant, her brain was busy with arguments for beating down
Nancy's obstinacy.
"This can't really be your last night here," she said, when bedtime had
come and she and Helen and Nancy were in the privacy of their own room.
"We won't allow it."
"I must go back to my father first," Nancy answered in a firm voice. "I
must ask him if I can stay longer."
"Oh yes, I know what that means. It means you won't come back.
Honestly, Nancy, doesn't it?"
"Perhaps it does," the other girl admitted.
"And it means you will have to marry that Chinese."
Nancy was startled. The fact of her engagement had always lurked
between them, but had never been mentioned. She had hoped this last night
might pass without its being mentioned. But the fiery Elizabeth was tired of
evasions.
"Doesn't it?" she challenged.
"Yes," Nancy confessed.
"Why?" asked her relentless questioner.
"Because it has been arranged."
"Did you arrange it?"
"No, my father arranged it; that's our custom."
"And are you going to let yourself be handed over to an ugly Chinaman
you have never seen just because of your father's whim?"
Helen thought the question a little harshly put and opened her mouth to
repeat her sister's words more gently, but Elizabeth frowned her into
silence. Nancy's face was white, but the girl was still sufficiently mistress of
her lips to answer with an even-toned composure:—
"It is our custom, you see—"
"It is not our custom, and you are one of us, Nancy. It is an unthinkable,
disgraceful thing! It is bad enough that you should have had all the best
years of your life stolen from you because of your father's selfishness in
bringing you up like a Chinese, but to be handed over to a greasy mandarin
or coolie or whatever he is, that is more than you have any business to
allow. You've got to do something to bring the man to his senses."
"My father is my father," said Nancy, a little stiffly.
"You're going too far, Betty," protested Helen, and then turned to Nancy.
"Don't be offended," she begged. "That's just Betty's way of expressing

herself. She's not trying to be insulting. I've known her since she was born,
so you must believe me. We are not criticizing your father; he has his ideas
and we have ours, but he is old and you are young, and he has lived by
himself so long that he probably doesn't know quite what is fair to you. You
see you aren't truly Chinese, Nancy; anybody could know that by looking at
you. But he has been living so long with his Chinese books and all that,"—
gracefully she included the concubines in the "all that,"—"as to have
forgotten that you aren't Chinese."
Nancy was mollified, but Elizabeth, once aroused, did not like apologies
being made for her own frankness.
"He might at least have tried to find an English husband for you," she
declared.
"He did try," said Nancy, enjoying the sensation of her statement.
"He did try? When?" both sisters cried in unison.
"Last year, but—" Nancy added, with a faint spice of malice, "I was—
rejected."
A light burst suddenly upon Elizabeth's eyes.
"Do you mean to say he asked Ronald?" she demanded.

"Yes."
This Western game of frankness had its triumphs even in defeat, Nancy
was able to observe during the pause which ensued.
"Well, I am—yes, I am damned!" exclaimed Elizabeth. "There's no

other word for it. I see it now, and that's why we have had to put up with his
hangdog looks all these months. I suppose he submitted a whole code of
regulations and provisos, didn't he, and your father was not willing to
accept? That's just what he would do."
"I don't know what he did do," said Nancy, shifting to the defense of her
lover. "Perhaps my father had his own code of regulations and provisos, if
that's what you call them."
"And he never said a word to us," Elizabeth continued. "Oh, why are
men so stupid?"
"He is not stupid," said Nancy; "he didn't understand our customs."
"Did he tell you about this?"
"Yes."
"And now, as usual, he's a year too late. He'll be a year too late for his
funeral. Look here, Nancy," she asked, with a disconcerting change of
tactics, "do you love Ronald?"
A whisper of warning came from Helen.
"Yes, I know it's a beastly question, but you do love him, don't you,
Nancy? Of course you can't expect us to reverence our own uncle. We shall
have to be foolish over someone else's uncle. We will spare you the mention
of all Ronald's endearing little faults if you'll just say you love him."
Her pleasantries saved Nancy the embarrassment of an immediate reply.

Her eyes, the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks, might have seemed to
give her answer, but the girl's tongue took refuge in the same answer it had
given Ronald himself.
"I don't understand this love."
"That's nonsense," vowed Elizabeth; "you know if you love him—and

you do love him. It's no use denying it. You daren't look me in the eyes and
say you don't."
Nancy evaded the challenge. She did not speak.
"Yes, you do love Ronald," cried her accuser in triumph. "Don't try to
hide your face, Nancy dear; I know the symptoms. Now you can't go back."
She spoke as if the matter had been decided and nothing remained
except to give Nancy to her lover. But Nancy was not so easily beaten
down. She looked quite calmly into the eyes of the friend whom a minute
ago she had been afraid to face.
"I love my father," she said, "and I must go back."
Elizabeth gave a gesture of vexation at the stupid way people insisted

upon tangling their own happiness. For a moment she was speechless,
leaving argument to her less overbearing sister.
"But it isn't as if you were going back to your father," insisted Helen,
"not for more than a few weeks. You are going to a husband whom you
don't love, whom you have never seen. That is not right, Nancy, not right
for you, not right for Ronald, because you do love him and you know it.
You are going back just to please an old man, and not to please him for
long."
"I am going back to please my father. I want to please him. I don't care
how long it is."
"But if he has made a mistake—"
"My father doesn't make mistakes."
"Oh, doesn't he?" snorted Elizabeth, unable to keep out of the debate
longer. "What has he been doing all these years but make mistakes? And
now he is too selfish, he isn't man enough, to save his daughter from the
mess he has made. He has ruined his own life and isn't happy till he has
ruined yours."
Nancy's eyes flashed with anger.
"I am going now," she said. "I won't stay in your house and hear such
words. My father is right. Everything he does is right. I am not a foreigner. I
hate your ways, I hate your ugly clothes, all your talk about love! My father
is not selfish, he is not selfish! I won't listen to you. I am going home."
She clutched wildly at her dress. In her passion she was ready to tear off
the despised garments. Then suddenly the sense of her own helplessness
overwhelmed her and she knew that she had insulted these, almost her only
friends in the world. The experiences of the day had been too great for her
sorely tried nerves. She had fought against all she desired until there was no
strength for battle left in her veins. She was standing, unable to move,
wondering where she could go, how she could carry out her frantic threats
of flight, when the instantly contrite Elizabeth threw her arms across the
shoulders of the distracted girl.
"I was a beast, Nancy," she confessed; "do forgive me, do forget
everything I said. I didn't mean to spoil your last evening here, but you
seem to belong so much to us that I couldn't bear not to say what I could."
Helen too was plying her with penitent words.
Nancy's anger dissolved under their kindness. Their love touched her
heart to the quick. She could not control herself longer; her pride, her anger,
her remorse, were swept away in tears. She tried to struggle through a few
incoherent phrases, but the tide of weeping drowned speech, drowned
thoughts, drowned everything except a devastating pity which convulsed
her breast with great heaving sobs and set her weeping again and again after
the wells of her eyes had seemed eternally drained of tears.
There was no more the girls could say. They could only let her weep
away the bitterness of her heart.
When she got up at the first glimmer of dawn and put on again her
Chinese clothes, they did not stop her, for they knew quite well she had not
slept and must find her bed wearisome after the vigil of the night. She
would be better breathing the cool air of the morning. They let her go alone
to purge her brain in the dew and the sunshine of the hills.
"I will be back," Nancy told them, "but I want to walk. I shall feel
better; then I can sleep in the chair all the way home."
She hurried round the upper paths of the settlement, passing houses
which were heavy with slumber. The morning was still; the sun had not
come up over the plains to waken the dragon flies into humming life. Nancy
was trying to walk herself out of the desperate mood in which nothing she
did seemed worth any pain. She had gained some satisfaction, when she
was angry, from the heroism of returning to her father, which of course was
only another way of saying to the marriage he had ordained. But now she
was not angry, only sad. Her heroism was only like a memory of last night's
acting lingering in the stale air, amid the litter and refuse of a stage, the
morning after a great tragedy. The actors have gone, the theatre is given up
to charwomen. So Nancy's heart was given up to dustpans and brooms. The
anguish upon which she had wracked her spirit lay strewn across the floor
of her soul like crumpled flowers. It was bad enough to be sacrificing so
much that she loved to the demands of duty, but it was worse not to believe
in the sacrifice.
In this mood Ronald overtook her.
"I am going back to my father," she announced, as though he had been

following the debate in her mind and might try to prolong fruitless
argument and score many profitless points.
"I don't doubt it," said Ronald, smiling gravely. "I don't doubt that you
are going back. I didn't come to plague you with my efforts at persuasion. I
wanted just one last walk with you, Nancy, to be at peace and happy
because you are with me. I am wiser than I was yesterday, and I know you
would have agreed if you could. So we'll let it rest at that, shall we?"
They walked quietly, enjoying the little things that caught their eyes, the
brilliant touches of an early summer morning, "my namesake, the sun,"—as
Ronald grimly remarked,—which came up from a saffron bed of clouds, far
across the plains beyond Peking. Nancy was glad Ronald had found her.
There was an unforced merriment to his talk which cheered her vexed mind.
Her doubts vanished like the mist. He was well named "the sun," for his
steadfast courtesy in defeat shed light on the misty passes of her will and
helped her to see the rightness of the instinct which was taking her back to
her father. The mountains had lost their vagueness of surface; the sun was
etching the deep shadows of each ravine.
"Well, it is time we went back," said Ronald, after they had walked a
long way and seen the sun leap high above the plains. "I am glad we had
this walk, Nancy, because I didn't trust myself to say good-bye to you down
there. I haven't given you up, you know; I will never do that, for I hope
against hope that your father's prediction may yet come true."
He stopped for a moment.
"Ah, Nancy," he said, turning to the girl, "it's so hard, even now, to say
good-bye to you."
She looked at him, frightened by the thought of never seeing him again,
afraid of his never knowing that she did love him. Impossible wishes were
in her heart, impossible words on her tongue, for it seemed so wrong that
she should be offering herself only next month to a stranger and parting
without a word of endearment for the friend, the lover, who filled the vivid
horizon of this morning walk. This Western life and Western speech had
been playing havoc with all Nancy's conventions. She was on the point of
confessing her love for Ronald, a disastrous confession which could only
complicate the unhappiness of their friendship, for she had not changed and
would not change her intention of going back to her father as she had said.
"Well, we might as well be done with it," exclaimed Ronald. "It's no

time for making speeches, is it? You know how I feel, Nancy. I am not good
at disguising my feelings, but I do hope that, whatever comes of all this
mixup, you will be happy. That, after all, is the important thing."
Nancy looked away as though her eyes were intent upon the sunlit
boldness of the slope. She was too well schooled to betray emotion in the
ordinary ways, by nervous play of the hands, by shifting of the feet, but the
tense posture of her body suggested to observant eyes the strain she was
meeting; Ronald's eyes were too observant to be at ease in watching her.
The man turned away. The steadily mounting splendor of the sun gave him
courage.
"A priceless pair of fools we are," he said, suddenly, "a priceless pair of
fools, mooning like this on such a splendid morning. They'll be wondering
if we're never coming to breakfast. Good-bye, Nancy."
He took her hand and held it a moment. The girl thanked him with a
grateful look for this brusque loyalty. For the last most difficult time she
was able, by his help, to subdue the protesting voices of her blood.
"Good-bye, Ronald," she said quietly.
And so their parting was accomplished.
CHAPTER XXV
Nancy and Edward made a very different return from their homecoming
of a year before. The girl would not hear of her friends walking with her;
farewells were so painful that she wished to be finished with them,
whatever the cost to her feelings, and get what peace she could from the
dull melancholy of the journey in her chair. There was not much peace in
the slow procession over the hills. Her eyes burned from weariness, her
mind scanned discontentedly every word she had spoken in the three crises
of the past twenty-four hours, yet suggested no better words in their place.
Almost to her surprise, her father looked better and stronger than he had
seemed for months. He greeted his returned children with his old hearty
affection. Nancy had feared to find him again in bondage to Kuei-lien; if
she had found the fogs of that evil spell clouding the household, the
daughter might well have turned her chair round, given up the fight for her
father, gone back to Ronald.
But the great joy of her father in welcoming his children made Nancy
ashamed of these treacherous thoughts. She read in his face his own
sacrifice, the self-control which had kept him from forgetting his loneliness
of a fortnight by exploiting his passion for the concubine. His restraint had
been more than human. Only his love for his daughter, the wish not to mar
her last days by any shadow of unhappiness, had held the man back from
the delectable oblivion in Kuei-lien's beauty. He had spent many hours in
his study, had written characters and read dry books and taken Li-an for
long prattling walks, all the time wondering what Nancy was doing, hoping
that she would not return, that she would yield to the persuasions he had
foreseen, yet counting off one by one the days of her visit and dreading the
one first act of disloyalty which might keep her with the friends and lover
from the West.
When the chairs were announced he did not know which was
uppermost, sorrow or joy, as he hastened to greet the wanderers. It was not
his fault that Nancy had come back. The chance had been hers to escape. It
was not his fault that they must fulfill the bond they had made. It was fate.
One cannot fight against the ordinances of fate. He could only make the
most of Nancy's last days at home.
But Kuei-lien and Li-an saved the return from being desolate. They
were so full of questions that they awoke echoes of laughter in the
household. They embarked Edward upon long tales and they set even the
woebegone amah bragging till she forgot the dreariness of being back again
in recounting the glories of the Ferris establishment, glories, she let her
hearers distinctly understand, such as she had been bred to appreciate.
When she descanted upon the cleanliness of the Ferris family, the
unashamed use of soap and water, the delicacy which did not tolerate dust
and cobwebs even in corners where they could not be seen, the splendor of
the dinner table set with linen and silver and shining glasses, the manners
and dress of the children, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, the kitchen, the

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MindTap is your personal, customized learning environment. It presents engaging

Unit 1: Business ­Communication in the Digital Age 1

Unit 2: The Writing Process in the Information Age 35

Unit 3: Workplace Communication 113

Unit 4: Business Reports and Proposals—Best Practices 251

Unit 5: Professionalism, Teamwork, Meetings, and Speaking Skills 325

Unit 6: Employment Communication 397

Unit 1 Business ­Communication

Unit 2 T he Writing Process in

2-1 Examining the Communication Process 36 Critical Thinking 53

Summary of Learning Outcomes 51

3 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages 62

3-1 Drafting Workplace Messages 62 3-3 Drafting With Powerful Sentences 67

4 Revising Business Messages 87

4-1 Stopping to Revise: Applying Phase 3 Summary of Learning Outcomes 102

Unit 3 Workplace Communication

5-1 Writing Digital Age E-Mail Messages Critical Thinking 137

Summary of Learning Outcomes 134

6 Positive and Neutral Messages 150

6-1 Routine Messages: E-Mails, Memos, Critical Thinking 172

Summary of Learning Outcomes 170

7-1 Communicating Negative News Critical Thinking 208

Summary of Learning Outcomes 206

8 Persuasive Messages 219

8-1 Understanding Persuasion in a Social Summary of Learning Outcomes 237

Unit 4 Business Reports and

Summary of Learning Outcomes 276

10-1 Preparing Business Proposals 285 Summary of Learning Outcomes 312

Unit 5 Professionalism, Teamwork,

11 Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Ethics,

12 Business Presentations 362

12-1 Creating Effective Business Summary of Learning Outcomes 384

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14 Interviewing and Following Up 444

14-1 Interviewing Effectively in Today’s Critical Thinking 471

Summary of Learning Outcomes 468

Suggestive Twitter handles and user names

Unit 1: Business Communication in the Digital Age 1

Unit 1 Business Communication

Unit 2 T he Writing Process in

4-1 Stopping to Revise: Applying Phase 3 Summary of Learning Outcomes 102

5-1 Writing Digital Age E-Mail Messages Critical Thinking 137

Unit 4 Business Reports and

Unit 5 Professionalism, Teamwork,