chap 1.

communication in a global
workplace environment
understanding culture and communication
Key elements of culture
Context → Individualism → Time orientation → Power distance → Communication style →

Context

Context is defined as the stimuli, environment, or ambience surrounding an event

Hall arranged cultures on a continuum from low to high in relation to context

 Low-contect culture
o Communication depend litle on the context and shared experience to convey
their meaning
o Messages are explicit, and listeners rely solely on written and spoken words
o Messages should be objective, professional and efficient
o Words are taken literally
o Some low-contect cultures include: US, Canada, Aus, The Netherlands,
Germany and Switzerland
 High-context cultures
o Communicators assume that listeners do not need background information
o Communicators emphasize interpersonal relationship, non-verbal expressions,
hysical setting, and social context
o Communication cues tend to be transmitted by posture, voice inflection,
gestures and facial expression
o Some high-context cultures include: Japan, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kenya,
and Russia

Individualism (Chủ nghĩa cá nhân)

 Low-context cultures tend to value individualism

 They believe that initiative (Chủ động) and self-assertion (Tự khẳng định mình) result
in personal achievement
 They uphold individual action and personal responsibility
 They expect much freedom in their personal lives
 Traits of Indivisualistic Cultures:
o Self-Sufficiency (Tự cung tự cấp)
o Uniqueness
o Independence
o Autonomy (Tự chủ)

Collectivism (Chủ nghĩa tập thể)

  High-context cultures are more collectivist
 They emphasize membership in organizations, groups and teams
 They embrace group values, duties and decisions
 They resist independence since it fosters competition and confrontation
 Business decisions are made collectively
 Traits of Collectivistic Culture
o Social rules focus on promoting selflessness (quên mình)
o Working as a group
o Doing what’s best for society
o Families and communities have a central role

Power Distance

 Power distance index measures how people in different societies cope with
inequality (the way they relate to more powerful individuals)
 In high-power distance countries, subordinates expect formal hierarchies and
embrace relatively authoritarian (độc tài), paternalistic (gia trưởng) power
relationships
 In low-power distance countries, subordinates consider themselves as equals of their
supervisors. They voice opinions and participate in decision making

Ensuring Cultural Effectiveness

Avoiding Ethnocentrism (Chủ nghĩa Vị chủng) and Stereotyping

Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group. Ethnocentrism
causes people to judge others by their own values

Stereotype is an oversimplified, rigid perception (nhận thức cứng rắn) of a behavioral

pattern or characteristic applied uncritically to groups. Stereotypes may be hurtful and cause
misunderstanding.

Tolerance and Open-mindedness

 Tolerance means learning about those who are not like us

 Be receptive to new experiences
 Tolerance leads to understanding and acceptance
 Be empathetic, trying to see the world through another’s eyes
 Be less judgemental and eager to seek common ground (e.g: small talk to find
common ground)
chap 2. planning business messages
Understanding the Business Writing
Process
Business writing is the art of transmitting written messages and ideas to individuals within
the same organization or external stakeholders and suppliers.

Three-phase writing process

Planning/ Prewriting
Analyzing, Anticipating, Adapting

 To plan any message, you need to

1. define your goal and purpose by analyzing the situation
2. identify your audience and your relationship with the audience by profilling
your audience
3. determine the need for using persuasive language by anticipating audience
reaction
 In planning the business message, you need to ensure that your business message is

o Purposeful - You will be writing to solve problems and convey information.

You will have a definite purpose to fulfill in each message
o Persuasive - You want your audience to believe and accept your message
o Economical - You will try to present ideas clearly but concisely
o Audience oriented - You will concentrate on looking at a problem from the
perspective of the audience instead of seeing it from your own

Analyzing your purpose

 Identifying Your Purpose

The primary purpose of most business messages is to inform or to persuade; the

secondary purpose is to promote goodwill and promote a stronger business
relationship

 Selecting the Best Channel

Choosing an appropriate channel depends on:

 o Importance of the message
o Amount of interactivity required
o Speed of feedback required
o Necessity of a permanent record
o Cost of the channel
o Degree of formality desired
o Confidentiality and sensitivity of the message
 Rich Media vs. Lean Media
o Media richness describes the extent to which a channel or medium recreates or
represents all the information available in the original message

→ A rich medium can convey or transmit more information than a lean medium

o Face-to-face conversation = The richest medium → Permit direct interactivity

and feedback
o A report or proposal = Leaner medium → Presents a flat, one-dimensional
message that does not provide interactivity and feedback

Impact of Telecommunication Technology

 Mobile phones, instant messaging, faxes, Web sites, and e-mail can deliver written
messages instantaneously
 Within many organizations, hard-copy memos are still written, particularly for
messages that require persuation, permanence, or formality. They are also prepared as
attachments to e-mails.
 The channel of choice for corporate communicators today is clearly e-mail. It’s fast,
inexpensive, and easy.

→ Business people are sending fewer hard-copy memos and letters.

 Web sites, e-mail, and even social media such as Twitter and Facebook now serve
many customer-service functions (eg: Many businesses communicate with customers
through live chat on the company Web site → The Internet has increased the need for
good writing skills)

Anticipating the Audience

Picturing a typical reader is important in guiding what you write

 Profilling the Audience

o Visualizing your audience is a pivotal step in the communication process
o An audience profile identifies and describes significant characteristics of the
audience

⇒ By profilling your audience before you write, you can identify the appropriate tone,
language, and channel for your message

 Responding to the Profile

 Profilling your audience helps you make decisions about shaping the message.
Accurate profilling will help you to discover the appropriate language level - whether
to use specialized technical terms, whether your tone should be formal or informal -
and whether the receiver’s response is likely to be neutral, positive, or negative

⇒ Analyzing the task and anticipating the audience will help you adapt your message
so that you can create an efficient and effective message

Adapting to the Task and Audience

Writers improve the tone of a message by emphasizing audience benefits, cultivating a ‘you’
attitude, and using a conversational tone and inclusive language

 Adaptation is the process of creating a message that suits your audience

 One important aspect of adaptation is tone. Conveyed largely by the words in a
message, tone affects how a receiver feels upon reading or hearing a message.
 Skilled communicators create a positive tone in their messages by using a number of
adaptive techniques, some of which are unconscious
 Among the most important adaptive writing techniques are developing audience
benefits and cultivating the ‘you’ view
 Emphasizing Audience Benefits
o Information focus: When the audience is being informed
o Action focus: When the information is directly related to the audience and can
have audience benefits ⇒ The audience benefits directly from taking specified
actions

Information Focus Action Focus

All employees are instructed herewith to fill By filling out the enclosed
out the enclosed questionaire completely and questionnaires, you can be one of the
immediately so that we can allocate our first employees to sign up for our
training resource funds to employees. training resource funds.
Your warranty begins working for
Our warranty becomes effective only when we
you as soon as we receive your
receive an owner’s registration.
owner’s registration.
Now you can better protect your
We are proud to announce our new software
computers with our newly released
virus checker that we think is the best on the
real-time virus scanning software
market!
progra,
BOTH INFORMATION +
ONLY INFORMATION
AUDIENCE BENEFITS

 Cultivating the ‘You’ View

Because receivers are most interested in themselves, emphasize the word you
whenever possible

In concentrating on receiver benefits, skilled communicators consciously develop the

“you” view. They emphasize second-person pronouns (you, your) instead of first-
 person pronouns (I/we, us, our). Whether the goal is to inform, persuade, or promote
goodwill, the catchiest words you and your can possibly enhance your message

Emphasize you but don’t eliminate all I and we statements.

Difficulty in emphasizing the “you” view and de-emphasizing we/ I is that it may
result in overuse of the passive voice → The active voice in writing is generally
preferred because it identifies who is doing the acting

Developing Skillful Writing Techniques

Skillful writers use techniques that make their messages easy to read and effective

 Being Conversational With Newer Communication Channels

o Texting, instant messages (IM), and e-mails resemble and are closer to oral
communication than business letters, memos, and reports. Therefore, they can
be most effective when they convey an informal, conversational tone
instead of a formal tone.
o Workplace messages should not become so casual that they sound low-level
and unprofessional
o What is considered approriate language varies widely among companies
 Expressing Yourself Positively

Positive language creates goodwill and gives more options to receivers

o Positive language generally conveys more information than negative language

does
o Positive messages can be uplifting and pleasant to read
 Being Courteous
o Avoid words that sound demanding or ‘preachy’ (eg: you should, you must,
you have to, etc)

→ Turn these demands into polite requests that begin with Please. Giving reasons for
a request also softens the tone.

o Remain calm and try to defuse the situation when you are irritated, frustrated,
or infuriated
 Choosing Bias-Free Language

Be cautious about expressions that might be biased in terms of

o Gender - Leaving out the words man or woman by using plural nouns and
pronouns, or by changing to a gender-free word (person or representative).
Avoid the his or her option whenever possible.
o Race
o Ethnicity
o Age - Scecify age only if it is relevant
o Disability
 Using Appropriate Language Level and Familiar Words
 o The language level should fit the background of the audience (Professional
Audience, General Audience)
o Be selective in use of Jargon - technical or specialized terms within a field
(Only use it when the audience will understand it)
 Using Precise Expressions

Using precise rather than general expressions can increase the effectiveness of the
message

Imprecise Description More Precise Description

a change in profits a 25 percent increase in profits
a 10 percent plunge in profits
to say to promise, confess, understand
to allege, assert, assume, judge
to think about to identify, diagnose, analyze
to probe, examine, inspect

 Making Revisions

As you revise a message, you will have a chance to correct any writing problems

Composing/ Writing
Researching, Organizing, Writing

Revising
Revising, Proofreading, Evaluating

Exercises
Audience Benefits and the “You” View

Your Task. Revise the following sentences to emphasize the perspective of the audience and
the “you” view.

1. To help us process your order with our new database software, we need you to go to
our Web site and fill out the customer information required.
2. Under a new policy, reimbursement of travel expenses will be restricted to those
related to work only.
3. To avoid suffering the kinds of monetary losses experienced in the past, our credit
union now prohibits the cashing of double-endorsed checks presented by our
customers.
4. We are pleased to announce an arrangement with HP that allows us to offer
discounted computers in the student bookstore.
5. We are pleased to announce that you have been approved to enroll in our management
trainee program.
 6. Our warranty goes into effect only when we have received the product’s registration
card from the purchaser.
7. Unfortunately, the computer and telephone systems will be down Thursday afternoon
for upgrades to improve both systems.
8. As part of our company effort to be friendly to the environment, we are asking all
employees to reduce paper consumption by communicating by e-mail and avoiding
printing.

Conversational, Professional Tone

Your Task. Revise the following to make the tone conversational yet professional.

1. Pertaining to your request, the above-referenced items (printer toner and supplies) are
being sent to your Central office, as per your telephone conversation of April 1.
2. Kindly inform the undersigned whether or not your representative will be making a
visitation in the near future.
3. It’s totally awesome that we still got the contract, like, after the customer amped up
his demands, but our manager pushed back.
4. BTW, dude, we’ve had some slippage in the schedule but don’t have to dump
everything and start from ground zero.
5. To facilitate ratification of this agreement, your negotiators urge that the membership
respond in the affirmative.
6. R head honcho wz like totally raggety bkuz I wz sick n stuff n mist the team meet.
Geez!

Positive and Courteous Expression

Your Task. Revise the following statements to make them more positive.

1. Customers are ineligible for the 10 percent discount unless they show their
membership cards.
2. Titan Insurance Company will not process any claim not accompanied by documented
proof from a physician showing that the injuries were treated.
3. If you fail to comply with each requirement, you will not receive your $50 rebate.
4. We must withhold remuneration until you complete the job satisfactorily.
5. Although you apparently failed to consult the mounting instructions for your Miracle
Wheatgrass Extractor, we are enclosing a set of clamps to fasten the device to a table.
A new set of instructions is enclosed.
6. Your application cannot be processed because you neglected to insert your telephone
number.

Bias-Free Language

Your Task. Revise the following sentences to eliminate terms that are considered sexist or
that suggest stereotypes.

1. Any applicant for the position of fireman must submit a medical report signed by his
physician.
2. Every employee is entitled to see his personnel file.
3. All waiters and waitresses are covered under our new benefits package.
 4. A salesman would have to use all his skills to sell those condos.
5. Executives and their wives are invited to the banquet.

Plain Language and Familiar Words

Your Task. Revise the following sentences to use plain language and familiar words.

1. We are offering a pay package that is commensurate with other managers’

remuneration.
2. The seller tried to obfuscate the issue by mentioning closing and other costs.
3. Even after officers interrogated the suspect, solid evidence failed to materialize.
4. In dialoguing with the owner, I learned that you plan to terminate our contract.

Precise, Vigorous Words

Your Task. From the choices in parentheses, select the most precise, vigorous words.

1. Management is predicting a (change, difference, drop) in earnings after the first of the
year.
2. Experts (predict, hypothesize, state) that the economy will (change, moderate,
stabilize) by next year.
3. We plan to (acknowledge, announce, applaud) the work of outstanding employees.
4. After (reading, looking at, studying) the report, I realized that the data were (bad,
inadequate, inaccurate).
chap 3. Composing Business Messages
Composing Messages on the Job

Collecting the needed information for the message is the first step in the writing/ composing
process. We call this collection process researching, a rather formal-sounding term.
Researching is necessary before beginning to write because the information you collect
determines the content and helps shape the message.

 For simple documents, though, the process can be quite informal. It may simply
involve recalling information from your memory.
 For complex documents, a formal research process is required.

Collect information that answers these questions:

 What does the receiver need to know about this topic?

 What is the receiver to do?
 How is the receiver to do it and when?
 What will happen if the receiver doesn’t do it?

Formal Research Methods

Formal research may include searching libraries and electronic databases or investigating
primary sources (interviews, surveys, and experiments)

 Complex business problems and long reports generally require the use of formal
research methods to address these problems
o Search manually. Generally speaking, you will find helpful background and
supplementary information through manual searching of resources in public
and college libraries (Traditional sources: newspaper, magazine, journal
articles, encyclopedias, reference books, handbooks, dictionaries, business
directories)
o Access electronically. Much of the printed material is available from the
Internet, databases, CDs, or DVDs. College and public libraries subcribe to
retrieval services that permit access to most periodic literature. Extraordinary
amounts of information on Web.
 Good sources of primary information are interviews, surveys, questionaires, and focus
groups
o Go to the source. Collecting data by conducting interviews or surveys, by
putting together questionaires, or by organizing focus groups.

→ Formal research includes structured sampling and controls that enable

investigators to make accurate judgments and valid predictions.
 o Conduct scientific experiments. Scientific researchers present choices with
controlled variables

→ The results of experimentation would provide valuable data for managerial

decision making.

Informal Research and Idea Generation

Most rountine tasks require data that can be collected informally.

 Examine company records and files. If you are responding to an inquiry, you often
can find the answer to the inquiry by investigating company records and files.
 Talk with your boss. Get information from the individual making the assignments.
 Interview the target audience. Consider talking with individuals at whom the
message is aimed. They may be able to provide clarifying information that tells you
what they want to know and how you should shape your remarks.
 Conduct an informal survey. Gather unscientific but helpful information by using
questionnaires. E.g. Circulating a questionnaire asking for employee reactions.
 Brainstorm for ideas. Generating a list of ideas without judging them and then
selecting workable ideas from this list. Work with other interested and knowledgeable
individuals to discuss ideas afterwards.

Organizing Data to Show Relationships

Writers of well-organized messages group similar ideas together so that readers can see
relationships and follow arguments

Organizing includes two processes:

 Grouping
 Strategizing

Scratching List and Outlining

 Scratch list

In developing simple messages, some writers make a quick scratch list of the topics
they wish to cover

→ Then compost a message at their computers directly from the scratch list

 Outline

Most writers, though, need to organize their ideas—especially if the project is

complex—into a hierarchy, such as an outline

→ Organize one’s thinking before choosing word and sentence structure

Direct and Indirect Strategies

Business messages typically follow either (1) the direct strategy - with the main idea first; (2)
the indirect strategy - with the main idea following an explaination and evidence

 **The Direct Strategy. **Explanations, background, and details should follow the
main idea in a direct opening.
o Saves the reader’s time: Eliminate unnecessary background material.
Messages that take too long to get to the issues at hand may lose the attention
of their readers.
o Set a proper frame of mind. Learning the purpose up front helps the reader
put the subsequent details and explanations in perspective
o Prevent frustraton. Readers forced to struggle through excessive verbiage
before reaching the main idea become frustrated → Negative impression
towards the writer

This frontloading works best with audiences who are familiar with background
information and when the subject is not sensitive or might upset the reader

 The Indirect Strategy. This strategy doesn’t reveal the main idea until after an
explaination and evidence are offered

The indirect strategy works well with three kinds of messages:

1. bad news,
2. ideas that require persuations, and
3. sensitive news, especially when being transmitted to superiors

Advantages:

o Respects the feelings of the audience. The audience can be prepared to

receive the bad news
o Encourages a fair hearing. A connection with the audience can possibly be
established before delivering the bad news
o Minimizes a negative reaction. If the bad news is delivered gently, the
overall reaction is generally improved

Construcing Effective Sentences

Using a variety of sentence types avoids boring, monotonous writing

Using Four Sentence Types to Achieve Variety

To avoid monotomy and to add spark to your writing, use a variety of sentence types

 Simple sentence
 Contains one complete thought (an independent clause) with a subject and predicate
verb

e.g. Coca-Cola saw an opportunity

 Compound sentence
o Contains two complete but related thoughts
o The two thoughts (independent clauses) may be joined
1. by a conjunction such as and, but, or or
2. by a semicolon ;
3. by a conjuctive adverb such as however, consequently, and therefore

e.g.

Our team project was difficult but we were happy with the results.

Our team project was difficult; we were happy with the results.

Our team project was difficult; however, we were happy with the results.

 Complex sentence
o Contains an independent clause (a complete thought) and a dependent clause
(a thought that cannot stand by itself, and has to depend for its meaning on an
independent clause)
o Dependent clauses are often introduced by words such as although, since,
because, when, and if. When dependent clauses precede independent clauses,
they always are followed by a comma.

e.g. When we finished our team project, we held a team party.

 Compound-complex sentence
o Contains at least two independent clauses and one dependent clause. Because
these sentences are usually long, use them sparingly

e.g. Although this team project is completed, soon we will begin work on another;
however, it will be less challenging.

Controlling Sentence Length

Sentences of 20 or fewer words have the most impact

Reader comprehension drops off markedly as sentences become longer:

Sentence Length Comprehension Rate

8 words 100%
15 words 90%
19 words 80%
28 words 50%
Avoiding three common sentence faults

 Fragments

Fragments are broken-off parts of sentences and should not be punctuated as

sentences

Fragment Revision
Because most transactions require a Because most transactions require a
permanent record. Good writing skills are permanent record, good writing skills are
critical. critical.
The recruiter requested a writing sample. The recruiter requested a writing sample
Even though the candidate seemed to even though the candidate seemed to
communicate well. communicate well.

 Run-on (fused) sentences

A sentence with two independent clauses must be joined by a coordinating

conjunction (and, or, nor, but) or by a semicolon. Without a conjunction or a
semicolon, a run-on sentence results.

Run-On Revision
Most job seekers present a printed résumé Most job seekers present a printed résumé.
some are also using Web sites as Some are also using Web sites as
electronic portfolios. electronic portfolios.
One candidate sent an e-mail résumé One candidate sent an e-mail résumé;
another sent a traditional résumé. another sent a traditional résumé.

 Comma-splice sentences

A comma splice results when a writer joins (splices together) two independent clauses
with a comma.

<aside> 🌻 Clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions require only a comma.

Clauses joined by a coordinating adverb require a semicolon.

</aside>

Comma Splice Possible Revisions

Some employees responded by e-mail, Some employees responded by e-mail, and
others picked up the telephone. others picked up the telephone.
Some employees responded by e-mail;
however, others picked up the telephone.
Some employees responded by e-mail;
others picked up the telephone.

Improving Writing Techniques

Developing Emphasis

 Achieving Emphasis Visually/ Mechanically. To emphasize an idea, a writer may

use any of the following devices
o Underlining - Draw the eye to a word
o Italics and boldface - Special meaning
o Font changes - Draw interest
o ALL CAPS - Like shouting the words
o Dashes - Used sparingly
o Tabulation - Listing items vertically emphasizes the listed iems
 Achieving Emphasis Through Style. The writer chooses words carefully and
constructs sentences skillfully to emphasize main ideas and de-emphasize minor or
negative ideas
o Use specific statements (Vivid words)

Specific statements/ Vivid words are more empathetic because the reader can
relate to them more directly (picture ideas clearly) them general statements.

Eg: The way we seek jobs has changed → Technology has dramatically
changed how job hunters search for positions

Someone will contact you asap → Ms. Revira will call you before 5 p.m. tmr
May 4

o Label the main idea. If an idea is significant, tell the reader

Unlabeled Labeled
Consider looking for a job online, Consider looking for a job online; but,
but also focus on networking. most important, focus on networking.
We like the customer service, but the
We shop here because of the
primary reason for shopping here is low
customer service and low prices.
prices.

o Place the important idea first or last in the sentence. Ideas have less
competition from surrounding words when they appear first or last on a
sentence.

Main Idea Lost Main Idea Emphasized

Profit-sharing plans are more effective Productivity is more likely to be
in increasing productivity when they increased when profit-sharing plans
are linked to individual performance are linked to individual performance
rather than to group performance. rather than to group performance.

o Place the important idea in simple sentence or in an independent clause.

Don’t dilute the effect of the idea by making it share the spotlight with other
words and clauses

Main Idea Lost Main Idea Clear

Although you are the first management trainee You are the first
 Main Idea Lost Main Idea Clear
we have hired for this program, we had many
management trainee we
candidates and expect to expand the program in
have hired for this program.
the future. (Main idea is lost in a dependent
(Simple sentence)
clause)

 De-Emphasizing When Necessary (Harsh Statement, Bad News)

o Use general words

Eg: Our records indicate that you were recently fired. → Our records indicate
that your employment status has recently changed.

o Subordinate the bad news: Place the bad news in a dependent clause
connected to an independent clause that contains something positive

Emphasizes Bad News De-emphasize Bad News

We cannot issue you credit at this time, Although credit cannot be issued at
but we have a special plan that will allow this time, you can fill your
you to fill your immediate needs on a immediate needs on a cash basiswith
cash basis. out special plan.

Using the Active and Passive Voice Effectively

Writers prefer active-voice sentences because they are direct, clear, and concise; however,
passive voice has distinct uses.

 Passive voice is useful in certain instances

o To emphasize an action or the recipient of the action. An investigation was
launched.
o To de-emphasize negative news. Cash refunds cannot be made.
o To conceal the doer of an action. An error was made in our sales figures.

Creating Parallelism

Balance wording helps the reader anticipate and comprehend your meaning

 Parallelism is a writing technique where the same form is used for a series of items
 To achieve parallel constructions, use similar structures to express similar ideas

Lacks Parallelism Illustrates Parallelism

A conference organizer must arrange for the A conference organizer must arrange for the
venue, the hospitality, and a person to give venue, the hospitality, and a keynote speaker.
the keynote speech (Matches nouns)
Our primary goals are to increase Our primary goals are to increase productivity,
productivity, reduce costs, and the reduce costs, and improve product quality.
improvement of product quality. (Matches verbs)

Avoiding Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers

Modifiers must be close to the words they describe or limit

 A modifier dangles when the word or phrase it describes is missing from its sentence.

e.g. After working overtime, the report was finally finished.

→ After working overtime, we finally finished the report.

 A modifier is misplaced when the word or phrase it describes is not close enough to
be clear.

e.g. Firefighters rescued a dog from a burning car that had a broken leg. →
Firefighters rescued a dog with a broken leg from a burning car.

Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers Clear Modification

Skilled at 3D printing, the manga character was Skilled at 3D printing, Blake easily copied
easily copied by Blake the manga character

Drafting Powerful Paragraghs

A paragraph is a group of sentences organized around a central topic. Paragraphs are most
effective when they contain:

1. a topic sentence
2. support senteces that expand, explain, and elaborate on the topic
3. techniques to build coherence

Crafting Topic Sentences

Topic sentences explain the main idea of a paragraph and often appear first

A topic sentence tells readers what to expect and helps them understand the paragraph’s
central thought immediately.

Developing Support Sentences

Support sentences illustrate, explain, and strengthen the topic sentence

All support sentences in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence. Other topics should
be treated separately and put in different paragraphs.

Building Paragraph Coherence

Paragraphs are coherent when ideas are linked - that is, when one idea leads logically to the
next.

 Repeat a key idea by using the same expression or a similar one: Employees treat
guests as VIPs. These VIPs are never told what they can or cannot do.
  Use pronouns to refer to previous nouns: All new employees receive a two-week
orientation. They learn that every staffer has a vital role.
 Show connections with transitional expressions: however, as a result,
consequently, meanwhile

Controlling Paragraph Length

The most readable paragraphs contain eight or fewer printed lines

 Although no rule regulates the length of paragraphs, business writers recognize the
value of short paragraphs.
 If a topic can’t be covered in eight or fewer printed lines (not sentences), consider
breaking it into smaller segments.

Composing the First Draft

Creating a quiet place in which to write. Experts recommend freewriting for first draft.

chap 5. Electronic messages and digital

media
Written Messages at Work
Paper-based (Printed) messages

 Business letters
 Interoffice memos
 Reports
 Proposals
 Mannuals
 Brochures

Electronic messages

 E-mail
 Instant messaging
 Text messaging
 Podcasts
 Blogs
 Wikis
 Social Media

Advantages
Written Messages

 Carry more weight

 Taken more seriously in certain situations
 Can be more attratively formatted

Electronic Messages

 Delivers instantaneously
 Promote faster feedback
 Considered the standard form of communication within organizations

Useful for
Written Messages
 Creating a permanent record
 Projecting formality
 Displaying confidentiality and sensitivity

Electronic Messages

 Sending short informal messages

 Reaching multiple receivers
 Saving and archiving messages

Communicating in the Digital age with E-mails and

Memos
Some facts about Emails

 First email was sent 50yrs ago

 Email traffic grow by 4% annually worldwide
 Office workers receive 120 messages a day
 Emails have replaced paper memos insides organizations and some letters to external
audiences

Common Complaints about Emails

 Email Overload

Workers report they spend about 5 hours a day reading and writing e-mails

Emails increase stress level

Emails eliminate the distinction between work and life

  Scary permanence of digital messages

Emails files still leave trails on servers within and outside organizations after deletion!

Staff’s personal e-mail accounts might be legally monitored on the company’s

network

If employees set up their company’s e-mail on their smartphones, they have given the
employer the right to remotely delete all personal data on the mobile device

When and how to use e-mail efficiently and safely

 E-mail is approriate for longer, more involved, and well-organized messages that may
provide request information and respond to inquiries
 E-mail is effective for messages to multiple receivers and those that must be achieved
 E-mail is appropriate as a cover document when sending longer attachments

In which situation is email not appropriate?

 When you want to convey enthusiasm or warmth, explain a complex situation, present
a persuasive argument, or smooth over disagreements (Rich linear: Face-to-face
communication, Telephone calls)
 When it ‘requires a human moment’ that is those that are emotional, require
negotiation and relate to personnel

Components of E-Mail Messages and Memos

A professional e-mail has

 A compelling subject line

 Appropriate greeting
 Well-organized bodies
 Complete closing information

Drafting a compelling (thu hút) but concise (cô đọng) Subject Line

 Summarize the main idea

 Avoid meaningless one-word subject lines such as Help or Urgent
 Make receiver want to open the message
 Try to include a verb
 Type in upper- and lowercase letters - never in all upper- or lowercase
 NEVER leave the subject line blank
 Example

Urgent! → Expense Form Due by Friday at 5 p.m.

We will meet this week → Task Force Meeting Thursday, May 28

 Poor Subject Lines Improved SL
Budget Report Need you to Prepare a Budget Report
Important! Please Schedule Your OHSA Safety Training
Parking Permits New Employee Parking Permits Available From HR

Include a Greeting/ Salutation

 Greeting sets the tone for the message and reflects your audience analysis
 For friends or colleagues, try friendly greetings: Hi, Lara; Good morning, Lara.
 For outsiders, use more formal messages: Dear Ms. Ingram; Dear Robin Gray (if
gender is not known)

Organize the Body for Readability and Tone

 Start directly
 Group similar topics together
 Present some information in bullets or numbered lists
 Add headings if the message contains more than a few paragraghs
 Condense phrases and sentences if possible
 Get rid of wordliness BUT DO NOT sacrifice CLARITY
 Keep a longer sentence if it is necessary for comprehension

Close Effectively

 Include an action statement with due dates and request

 You might include a friendly closing such as ‘Many thanks’ or ‘Warm reagrds’
though complimentary…
 Exercise

If you are a job candidate interviewing for a job, you should follow a few basic
guidelines:

o Before the interview: Research the target company, prepare success stories,
and clean up any digital dirt.
o During the interview: Sound enthusiastic, answer questions clearly but
concisely, and ask your own questions.
o After the interview: Send a thank-you note to the interviewer,…

Writing office memos

When should memos be sent?

Memos are necessary for important internal messages that are

 Too long for e-mail

 Requiring a permanent record - without a long thread of confusing replies or without
changing the origination date when a file is accessed like in an e-mail
 Demanding formality
  Informing employees who may not have work e-mail such as those in manufacturing
or construction

Compare Memos and Emails

 Similarity
o Components: Both have subject line, datelines, identification of sender and
receiver, using headings, bullet lists, and enumerated items whenever possible
to enhance readability
o Content: Both carry non-sensitive information and generally close with:
 Action information, dates, or deadlines (E.g: Please create a slideshows
featuring abc before <date>)
 A summary of the message
 A closing though (E.g: I’m glad to answer your questions; This sounds
like a worthwhile project)
 Differences
o In e-mails to customers and clients, you need to close messages with goodwill
statements
o In memos sent to coworkers, you need NOT close messages with goodwill
statements; however, some closing thought is often necessary to avoid
souding abrupt

Example of closing thought:

I sincerely appreciate your help.

What are your ideas on this proposal?

How would you like to proceed?

Please let me know if I may be of further assistance. (What mistake? ⇒ Overused

expression ⇒ Mechanical and insincere!)

chap 9. business proposals

Understanding Business Proposals
Businesspeople write business proposals in order to obtain approval for their projects.
Proposals can be submitted internally to specified individuals within an organization or
externally to potential investors, banks, or financial institutions.

Business proposals can originate in two different situations

 In a solicited situation, the proposal is prepared in response to a call to bid on a

designated project. Government agencies and private businesses prepare and post an
 RFP (Request For Proposals) that specifies the requirements of the project. Firms
prepare and submit proposals in response to the RFPs
 In an unsolicited situation, the proposal is written to describe a project that is
developed, and then presented to potential funding agencies

Business proposals submitted to funding agencies consist of the following major sections:
executive summary; business description; market potential; competition; market plan;
resource requirements; management team; implementation plan; risk assessment; financial
plan; and environmental and social impact

Executive Summary

 The executive summary highlights key points and is the miniature of the full business
proposal
 It should be a clear and concise summary of the content that follows the same
structure as the full version of the document
 A good executive summary should not only inspire investors and loan officers but
also motivate them to read more
 Executive summary is recommended to be written as the last step in the process of
writing a business proposal

Business Description

 You need to provide enough detail so that the reader can understand the unique
advantages of your business, product, service, or project, but not so much detail as to
overwhelm the reader
 The business description is divided into 4 major parts:
o Introduction: Sets the stage and helps the readers to understand how the
business plan will fit together to form a unified whole
o Vision statement: Provides the underlying rationale for the business
o Business model: Shows how the vision statement is to be achieved (including
Product, Testing Process, Service, Revenue Model)
o Goals: Highlight the specific and measurable goals and objectives that are set
for short-term, medium-term and long-term time frames

Analysis of the Market Potential and Competition

 Information on market potential and competition helps to determine a company’s

market position
 In analyzing market potential, you need to identify the uniqueness of your proposed
product or service, the target customers, market segments, and total market size -
where your proposed business will be?, who will be your target customers?
 The analysis of Market Competition outlines the competition and the barriers to enter
the market: Comparison of the competitiveness of the new product with the existing
ones, The strengths and weaknesses of the existing products, etc

Marketing Plan
  A marketing plan will show how to present your product in a chosen market; that is,
how to price it and what sales channels to use
 In formulating a market plan, businesspeople adopt the 4-Ps strategy; namely, price,
product, place and promotion
 Businesspeople also need to decide between push and pull strategies

Resource Requirements

 It is essential for a start-up business to demonstrate that the company has sufficient
resources in order to start and develop its business activities
 The resource requirement lists the necessary investments required in starting the
business

Management Team

 You have to sum up the background of the key managers (especially the senior
management), draw up the organizational chart which shows the relationship of
different departments, and draw up a HR plan including cost, training activities,
recruitment activities, and the employment plan
 This is the section of the proposal that could be strengthened by providing profiles of
the co-founders

Implementation Plan (Operational Plan)

 The implementation plan details the sequence of activities required to achieve

business goals
 It explains the integration of marketing, production, and financial functions

Risk Assessments

 By listing risk factors and providing strategies to successfully deal with and manage
the risks, business owners show they have made a realistic assessment of the
environmental challenges they will face
 The risks are divided into nonfinancial, financial, and operating categories

Financial Plan

 A financial plan translates the future activities into a quantitative format.

 It addresses issues such as revenue and cost projections, capital and cash flow needed
to sustain present operations and promote future growth, and budgets for operational
units.

Environmental and Social Impact

 Including a section assessing the environmental and social impact of the business can
establish the business as a socially responsible and ethical firm
chap 10. informal reports
Report Functions
Informational → Present data without analysis or recommendations

Analytical → Present data or finding, analyses, conclusions, and recommendations

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES
The Direct Strategy

 If readers are informed

 If readers are supportive
 If readers are eager to have results first

Informational Report Analytical Report

- Introduction/ Background _ Introduction/ Problem
- Facts/ Findings - Conclusions/ Recommendations
- Summary - Facts/ Findings
- Discussion/ Analysis

The Indirect Strategy

 If readers need to be educated

 If readers need to be persuaded
 If readers may be disappointed or hostile

Analytical Report
_ Introduction/ Problem
- Facts/ Findings
- Discussion/ Analysis
- Conclusions/ Recommendations

Typical Report Format

 Letter. For informal reports sent to outsiders
 Memo/ E-mail. For informal reports sent within organizations
 Manuscript. For longer, more formal reports
 Preprinted forms. For routine activities, such as expense reports
 Digital. Useful for collaboration and for posting online

Developing Informal Reports

 Determine problem and purpose

o Statement of purpose defines the focus of a report
 o Use the action verbs to tell what you intend to do: analyze, choose,
investigate, justify, evaluate, explain, establish, determine

Example: To recommend a plan that provides sales reps with cars to be used in their
calls. The report will compare cost for three plans: outright ownership, leasing, and
compensation for employee…

 Gather data

Primary data come from first hand experience and observation.

Secondary data come from reading whtat others have experienced, observed and
recorded.

o Company records
o Printed materials (books, newspapers, and periodicals)
o Electronic resources (Web, electronic databases, online resources)
o Observation
o Surveys, questionnaires
o Interviews
 Organize data
 Write first draft
 Edit and revise

Typical Informal Reports

Informational reports

 Collect and organize information

 Provide findings without analysis or persuasion
 How to write?
o Explain why you are writing
o Describe credibility of data methods and sources
o Provide background
o Organize facts in a logical sequence
o Group similar topics together
o Summarize findings or highlight main points

Progress reports

 Explain the progress of continuing projects

 It may be internal or external
 How to write?
o Describe the purpose and nature of the project
o Providing background information is necessary
o Summarize work already completed
o Explain work currently in progress, including personnel, activities, methods,
and locations
o Anticipate problems and possible remedies
 o Discuss future activities and provide the expected completion date

Justification/ recommendation reports

 Justify or recommend something (buying equipment, changing a procedure, hiring an

employee, etc)
 Reader Response Determines Structure

If readers are likely to agree with recommendations, use direct pattern

o Problem
o Recommendations
o Facts
o Discussion

If readers oppose recommendations, use in

direct pattern

o Problem
o Facts
o Discussion
o Recommendations

Feasibility reports

 Examine the practicality and advisability of a course of action

 How to write?
o Announce your decision immediately
o Describe the background and problem necessitating the proposal
o Discuss the benefits of the proposal
o Describe any problems that may result
o Calculate the costs associated with the proposal, if appropriate
o Show the time frame necessary for implementation of the proposal

Minutes of meetings

 Summarize the proceedings of meetings

 Provide record of action items and exact wording of motions (đề xuất đưa ra bằng
cách bỏ phiếu)
 How to write?
o Include name of group, date, time, place, name of the meeting
o List names of atendees and absentees
o State whether the previous minutes were approved or revised
o Record old business, new business, annoucements, and reports
o Include the precise wording of motion
o Record the vote and action taken
o Conclude with the name and signature of the individual recording of the
minutes
Summaries

 Compress the main points from books, articles, Web sites, meetings,…
 How to write?
o Present the goal or purpose of the document being summarized
o Highlight the research methods (if appropriate), findings, conclusions, and
recommendations
o Omit illustrations, examples, and references
o Organize for readability by including headings and bulleted or enumerated
lists
o Include your reactions or an overall evaluation of the document if asked to do
so

Informal Report Writing Styles

Uses

 Short
 routine reports aimed at familiar audiences
 Noncontroversial reports
 Most reports to company insiders

Effect

Feeling of warmth, personal involment, closeness

Characteristics

 Use the first-person pronouns (I, We, Us)

 Use the contractions (can’t, don’t, I’ll)
 Emphasis on active-voice verbs (I conducted the study)
 Shorter sentences, familiar words
 Occasional use of humor, metaphors
 Acceptance of author’s opinions, ideas

Formal Report Writing Style

Use

 Theses
 Research studies
 Controversial and complex reports, especially to outsiders

Effect
  Impression of objectivity, accuracy, professionalism, fairness
 Distance created between writer and reader

Characteristics

 Absence of first-person pronouns; use the third person (the researcher, the writer)
 Absence of contractions (cannot, do not)
 Use the passive-voice verbs (the study was conducted)
 Complex sentences, long words
 Absence of humor, colorful adjectives, adverbs
 Elimination of author’s “editorializing”

Being Objective in Writing Reports

 Present both sides of an issue
 Separate fact from opinion
 Be sensitive and moderate in language
 Cite sources carefully

Report Headings
Benefits

 Serves as an outline of the report

 Highlight major ideas and categories
 Act as guides for locating information
 Provide resting points for the mind and the eye
 Organize data into meaningful blocks
 Functional headings describe functions or general topics

Background, Findings, Benefits, Costs

 Talking headings describe content and provide more information

Benefits of Offering a Wellness Program

 Combination headings

Effective Report Headings

 Use appropriate heading levels

 Strive for parallel construction within levels
 Use first- and second-level headings for short reports
 Capitalize and underline carefully
 Keep headings short but clear
 Include at least one heading per report page
Revision on informal reports (Chap 10)
How would you determine whether to use the direct strategy or the indirect
strategy for your report?

 Direct strategy can apply to both informational and analytical reports as long as the
audiences are supportive and familiar with the topic
 Indirect strategy is more appropriate for analytical reports that aim to persuade
audiences or convey bad news

What is the chief difference between primary and secondary data?

Primary data result from first-hand experience and observation

Secondary data come from reading what others have experienced or observed and written
down

Why would you want to start your research with secondary data rather than
gathering primary data right away?

Secondary data are easier and cheaper to gather rather than primary data, which might
involve interviewing large groups or sending out questionnaires

Business researchers should exlpoit typical sources of factual information for informal
reports such as company records, printed material, and electronic resources

Only when no relevant data are available should writers consider gathering primary data

Why is it useful yo have a statement of purpose before you write a report?

The first step in writing a report is understanding the problem or assignment clearly. The
question is ask is: Am I writing this report to inform, to analyze, to solve a problem, ot to
persuade?

The answer to this question should be clear, accurate statement identifying your purpose

What is the purposes of headings, and what are the two heading types
discussed in this chapter?

Effective headings are helpful to both the report reader and the report writer:

 They outline the text, highlighting major ideas and categories

 They also act as guides for locating facts and pointing the way through the text
 They provide cues allowing readers to pause and reflect on the content of the
message
chap 11. formal reports
Understanding Business report
Definition

Business Report

 Product of thorough investigation and analysis

 Presents vital information to decision makers in business, industry, government and
education

Report Writing Process

1. Prepare to write
2. Research secondary data
3. Generate primary data
4. Document data
5. Organize, outline, and discuss data
6. Illustrate data
7. Present final report

Preparing to Write

Define the purpose of the project

Limit the scope of the report

 What constraints influence the range of your project?

 How will you achieve your purpose?
 How much time and space do you have?
 How accessible is your data?
 How thorough should the research be?

Write a statement of purpose to describe the following:

 Goal
 Significance
 Limitations

Use action verbs

Primary vs Secondary Data

  Primary Data: come from firsthand experience and observation

Generating Primary Data

o Surveying

Advantages:

 Economical and efficient way to gather data

 Ability to reach large audiences
 Data collected tend to be accurate

Disadvantages:

 Response rate it generally low

 Responders may not represent general population
 Some reponses are not truthful
o Interviewing
 Locate an expert
 Prepare for the interview
 Maintain a professional attitude
 Ask objective, friendly questions
 Watch the time
 End graciously
o Experimenting
 Develop rigorous research design
 Pay attention to matching experimental and control groups
o Observing
 Plan ahead
 Get necessary permissions
 Be objective
 Quantify observations
o Focus Group Discussing
 Is commonly used in the early stage of lauching a new product
 Involves a small group of respondents (8 to 12) who provide their
opinions on a topic (e.g., opinions towards a new product or service)
 Is conducted by a trained moderator or facilitator
 Secondary Data: come from reading what others have experienced or observed and
written down

Generating Secondary Data

Documenting Data

 What to document?
o Another person’s ideas, opinions, examples, or theory
o Any facts, statistics, and graphics that are not common knowledge
o Quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words
o Paraphrases of another person’s spoken or written words
 How to paraphrase?
 o Read original material until you comprehend its full meaning
o Write your own version without looking at the original
o Avoid using grammatical structure of the original
o Reread to make sure you have covered all main points
 Using Citation Formats
o Modern Language Association (MLA)
o American Psychological Association (APA)

Six Steps of Preparing the Reports

 Identifying Purpose

Defined in terms of what you want you reader to do or think after reading it

Example:

o This study was designed to analyze the direct and indirect economic impact of
XYZ Park on the City of Boston
o The study examines the impact of the English-language competence and
intercultural communication competence on the Chinese expatriates’
adjustment to their overseas assignments
 Identifying Audience

1. Indentify primary and secondary audience of the report

Example: When reporting on an employee’s violation to the company policy

to the HR director, the primary receiver would be the HR director and the
secondary receivers would include other staff in the HR department and
perhaps the employee himself

2. Give enough information to overcome possible objections in the receiver’s

mind
3. Write an objective and unambiguous report. Avoid emotional and abstract
terms.
 Identifying Context

Includes the physical and psychological environment of the communication exchange

 Identifying Content

o Include all information the receiver requires to fulfill your purpose

o Include details that motivate the receiver to act
o Exclude unnecessary details that may obstruct understanding
 Selecting Medium

1. Lengel and Daft classify media as “rich” or “lean” on the basis of three
criteria:
 ability to transmit multiple cues,
 ability to facilitate rapid feedback, and
  ability to provide a personal focus
2. The richest medium: face-to-face communication, it can accommodate the full
range of vocal and visual cues
3. The leanest medium: impersonal items such as flyers or bullet-board
announcements. They can accommodate few cues, allow for delayed feedback
only, an have no personal focus
 Choosing Report Structure

o Direct strategy (main ideas first)

o Indirect strategy (facts and discussion first)

Outlining Report Data

The main points used to outline a report often become the main headings of the written report

 Major headings. centered and typed in bold font or in capital

 Second-level headings. start at the left margin and capitalize the first letter of each…
 Third-level headings

Illustrating Report Data

Why use visual aids?

 To clarify data
 To create visual
 …

Most common types of visual aids

 Table. To show exact feaures and values

 Line Chart. To demonstrate changes in quantitative data over time
 Pie Chart. To visualize a whole unit and the proportions of its components
 Flow Chart
 Organization Chart. To define a hierachy of elements or a set of relationships

Matching Visuals With Objectives

 Photograph, Map, Illustration. To achieve authenticity, to spotkight a location,…

Incorporating Graphics in Reports

 Evaluate the audience

 Use restraint
 Be honest and ethical
 Introduce a graphic meaningfully
 Choose an appropriate caption or title style
 Give credit to source

Parts of Formal Reports

  Cover
 Title page
 Letter of transmittal
 Table of contents
 List of figures
 Executive summary
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion
 Recommendation
 Appendix
 ?

Understanding business proposals

Definition

A proposal is a persuasive document designed to motivate the reader to spend, make, or save
money

Types of proposal

 Internal - May take the form of justification/ recommendation report

 External
 …

Solicited Proposals
1. Are prepared at request of clients
2. Used when firms know exactly what they want
3. Meet specifications spelled out in request for prososal (RFP)
4. Involve in direct competition with other vendors

Use a standard organization:

 Purpose of proposal
 Scope of work
 Background of problem
 Limitations
 Methods
 Schedule
 Facilities & equipment
 Personnel
 Budget

Unsolicited proposals
1. Are initiated by seller without invitation from client
 2. Face no direct competition from other sellers
3. Succeed only if clients is convinced of need for action
4. One important type of unsolicited proposal, the business plan, is used to get funding
from outside investors or lenders

Essentials of Business Plans

1. Executive Summary
2. Business Description
3. Analysis of the Market Potennial and Competition
4. Marketing Plan
5. Resource Requirements
6. Management Team
7. Implementation Plan or Operational Plan
8. Risk Assessments
9. Financial Plan
10. Environmental and Social Impact

Review: Informal Report

Informal report
 An informal report is a short document that is shared within an organization
 The reports are usually short and simple, but thay can also be complex
 They do not contain an abstract, executive summary, or other elements found in a
formal report

Typical report formats

 Letter. For informal reports sent to outsiders
 Memo/ E-Mail. For informal reports sent within organizations
 Manuscript. For longer, more formal reports
 Preprinted forms. For routine activities, such as expense reports
 Digital. Useful for collaboration and for posting online