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Business Communication: Building Critical Skills
Kitty O. Locker, Ohio State University
Steven Kyo Kaczmarek, Columbus State Community College
Kathryn Braun, Sheridan College
Introduction to Business Communication

E-Learning Session

  1. What is business communication? Business communication differs from other school writing.
    1. Business communication and school writing differ according to
      • Purpose
      • Audience
      • Information
      • Organization
      • Style
      • Document Design
      • Visuals
        TRANSPARENCY MASTER
      • Visuals (con't)
        TRANSPARENCY MASTER
      • CONCEPT CHECK True or False: The style for student essays and business communication is similar; in many cases, it's the same.
        CONCEPT CHECK
  2. Will I really have to write? Yes. A lot.
    1. Four False Claims
      • Secretaries will do my writing for me.
        1. Downsizing has cut support staffs nationwide.
      • I'll use form letters or templates when I need to write.
        1. Form letters have to be good-many aren't.
        2. Most form letters only cover routine situations.
      • I'm being hired as an accountant, not a writer.
        1. Writing is a part of nearly all jobs.
        2. Good writers are likely to be promoted beyond the entry level.
      • I'll just pick up the phone.
        1. Important phone calls still require follow-up correspondence.
        2. Writing is an essential way to make you visible. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: I'll probably need to know how to write for the job, regardless of the type of work.
          CONCEPT CHECK
  3. What does communication accomplish? Management happens through communication.
    1. Two types of audience
      • Internal.
      • External.
        POWERPOINT SLIDE
        1. CONCEPT CHECK True or False: In general, customers are considered internal audiences because they come to your organization to purchase goods or services.
          CONCEPT CHECK
    2. Three basic purposes of organizational writing
  4. How much does correspondence cost? $80 a page-even more if it doesn't work.
    1. Document cycling adds to the cost.
    2. Bad writing wastes time by
      • Taking more time to read.
      • Requiring more time to revise and more rounds of revision.
      • Confusing ideas so that discussions and decisions are needlessly drawn out.
      • Delaying action while the reader asks for more information or tries to figure out the meaning.
    3. Good communication can yield a healthy return on investment-235% according to some CEOs.
  5. What makes a message effective? Good messages meet five criteria.
    1. Good business and administrative writing
      • Is clear.
      • Is concise.
      • Is comprehensive.
      • Is complete.
      • Is correct.
    2. Better writing helps you
      • Save time.
      • Save money.
      • Save energy.
      • Build goodwill.
          1. CONCEPT CHECK Carefully choosing words the reader will understand is one way to help make a document more clear.
            CONCEPT CHECK
  6. How should I analyze business communication situations? Try PAIBOC.
    1. Before you write or speak, consider these questions:
      • What's the point?
      • What's my purpose?
      • What's my audience?
      • Where will the communication happen?
      • When will the communication happen?
      • What's the best way?
    2. Try using PAIBOC
      POWERPOINT SLIDE
      • CONCEPT CHECK Context, one of the PAIBOC elements, refers to the negative elements of your message you must de-emphasize or overcome.
        CONCEPT CHECK
      • CONCEPT CHECK It's wise to consider possible benefits that may support your position while analyzing business communication situations.
        CONCEPT CHECK
  7. Go to the Self-Quizzes if you would like to test your understanding of this module.




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