Business Communication

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Victor Blankenship
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1 Business Communication SESSION 4, CHAPTER 5

2 THE IMPORTANCE OF A POSITIVE EFFECT

3 The Importance of a Positive effect People content as important as informational content Helps build goodwill with business associates and customers Think about a bitter experience Courteous, pleasant behaviour is part of being professional

4 Not Colloquial. But avoid stiff, impersonal writing. USING A CONVERSATIONAL STYLE

5 Choosing the Right Level of Formality Businesses have loosened up, many promote a relaxed culture Too formal impersonal Too informal not taking reader seriously/unprofessional More formal when Communicating with someone you don t know Communicating with someone that is at a higher level than you Using Formal genre letter, report, proposal Writing Ceremonial message inspirational announcement Giving out extremely serious message Example: Page 97

6 Cutting out Rubber Stamps Rubber Stamps are expression used by habit every time a certain type of situation occurs They are used without thought and are not adapted

7 USING THE YOU-VIEWPOINT

8 Using the You-viewpoint Focusing on the reader s interests, no matter what type of message you are preparing Sometimes it involves being friendly Sometimes it means managing people s responses with carefully chosen words in a carefully designed order

9 Sample Uses of the You-viewpoint We are pleased to have your new account Your new charge account is open for your convenience Examples: Page 99, 100 Ethical Use of the You-viewpoint Critics: manipulative Advocates: friendly and courteous

10 ACCENTUATING THE POSITIVE

11 Use Positive Words Positive words best for achieving message goals However, negative words are powerful and very useful at times Positive words puts the reader in the right frame of mind Negative words do the opposite Negative words: mistake, problem, error, damage, loss, failure, no, do not, refuse, stop

12 Focus on What You Can Do Focus should be on not using negative words i.e. things that cannot be done Instead, mention and highlight things that can be done Example: Page 101,102

13 Apart from please, thank you, we re sorry BEING COURTEOUS

14 Avoid Blaming the Reader No one likes being accused of negligence, wrongdoing or faulty thinking Example: Page 103

15 Refrain from Preaching Avoid tone of a lecture or sermon People like to treated as equals A new employee, for instance Avoid mentioning obvious facts Avoid phrases such as you need, you should, you must

16 Do More Than is Expected For a rejection, no is enough But a few extra words go a long way Hi Wasik. Yes, I also went to Sussex! I live in Hove on & off but at the moment we're living in Nelson. I am really sorry but we have long term tenants moving into the house later this month, so regret that I can't accept your booking. I do hope that you find another nice place to stay & that you enjoy your trip to New Zealand. Once again, I'm sorry. Esther

17 Be Sincere Don t overdo goodwill techniques Don t exaggerate Exaggerated Word: greatest, finest, strongest Perfection, incredible, sensational

18 MANAGING EMPHASIS FOR A POSITIVE EFFECT

19 Emphasis by Position Important points at beginnings and endings Avoid putting negative points at those positions

20 Sentence Structure and Emphasis Place most positive information in short, simple sentences Put less important information in dependant clauses and modifying phrases While your plan is not feasible at this time, we encourage you to submit it again next year when we are likely to have more resources for implementing it

21 Space and Emphasis De-emphasize negative content by spending as little space as possible Takes longer to say no than to say yes Example: Page 108

22 THE ETHICS OF POSITIVE EMPHASIS

23 The Ethics of Positive Emphasis Can lead to fake and manipulative messages Questionable when intention is for the reader to overlook a message Do not be dishonest and insincere Use it with the right intentions Glass half full perspective is better

24 End of Chapter

WELCOMING THE STRANGER A Membership Exercise for TYG Boards

WELCOMING THE STRANGER A Membership Exercise for TYG Boards Goals: Participants will learn the art of welcoming new members and new potential members Participants will learn that every aspect of how they