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Business Business Communications: Communications:

Week 1Week 1

• About YOUYOU• About MEME• Review The Syllabus:

•Charging Boldly Ahead!Charging Boldly Ahead!

Today’s Agenda

About ME

BA in Comms (MBA Mktg) 20 Years In Corp. America Started Career as Recruiter Marketing/Sales BackgroundLaunched The Chazin Group ‘04

Contact me:Tel: (201) 683-3399Email: Ethan@TheChazinGroup.com

What I DoWhat I Do Job Search Strategies Interviewing & Networking Career Coaching Life / Work Balance Business Owner Coaching Human Capital Development Professional Development Salary Negotiations

Our Textbooks

How Do YOU DefineBusiness Business Writing?

"Throughout the globe, the "Throughout the globe, the written word, in both paper and written word, in both paper and electronic forms, is seen less as electronic forms, is seen less as strictly a way of archiving the strictly a way of archiving the

business already completed and business already completed and more as more as a vital, creative means of a vital, creative means of

problem solving, collaborating, problem solving, collaborating, and actually doing businessand actually doing business."."

(SOURCE: R. Inkster and J. M. Kilborn, The Writing of Business, Allyn and Bacon, 1999)

How U.S. Business People Communicate

The U.S. is the MOST The U.S. is the MOST Overworked Overworked

Developed Nation in Developed Nation in THE WORLD…THE WORLD…

The Chazin Group The Chazin GroupThe Research PROVES It

• The White-Collar Sweatshop by Jill Andresky Fraser

• The Overworked American by Juliet Schor• The Working Life by Joanne B. Ciulla

The Chazin Group The Chazin GroupA Field of Study Emerges

Overworked=More Stress=Overworked=More Stress= FatigueFatigue High Blood PressureHigh Blood Pressure Heart DiseaseHeart Disease OvereatingOvereating Substance AbuseSubstance Abuse Lost Time With Loved Ones Lost Time With Loved Ones Spousal/Child AbuseSpousal/Child Abuse Anger Management/Road RageAnger Management/Road Rage Early DeathEarly Death SuicideSuicide

K.K.II.S..S.SS

A New Era

Energy to the World

Chemistry That Matters

““In a global marketplace, In a global marketplace, it is absolutely critical that it is absolutely critical that

we communicate we communicate effectively, to achieve our effectively, to achieve our

organizational goals."organizational goals."

(SOURCE: me, 2012)

What’s the PURPOSEPURPOSE of Business Business Writing?

• Explain or justify actions already taken.• To convey information.• To influence the reader to take action.• Deliver good/bad news.• Direct action.

http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/businesswritingterm.htm

It’s PURPOSEPURPOSE

““Writing isWriting ismakingmaking

sense of life."sense of life."

(SOURCE: Nadine Gordimer)

Poor Writing…Poor Results!

• Net Future Institute Research study revealed online communication issue isn’t ENOUGH email but inability to GET THE POINT ACROSS.

• One in 3 U.S. workers in top companies write poorly.

• Poorly written business communications wastes time, drains resources, and causes errors. (HR magazine June ‘06)

• 85% of survey respondents said poor communications wastes time, 70% cited lost productivity (HR magazine April ‘06)

Result of POOR Communication

BEFOREBEFORE YouStart Writing…

• What’s the situation/problem/issue that is prompting me to write this?

• Why are you writing this document?• Who is going to read it?• What do your readers need to know?• What action do you want your readers to take?

Ask Yourself…

Good business writing DEMANDS you know what you are doing.

Have a 60-second60-second conversation with

YOURSELF.

Developing an OutlineVersusVersus

Free writing

OutliningOutlining

Free WritingFree Writing

The Communication STRATEGY

• Strategic communication is based on 5 variables:– Communicator (Writer) Strategy– Audience Strategy– Message Strategy– Channel Choice Strategy– Culture Strategy

Communication Strategy

• GENERALGENERAL: The broad overall goal.• ACTIONACTION: A series of action outcomes – specific,

measurable, time-sensitive steps required, to accomplish general objective(s.)

• COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION: The result you hope to achieve from a specific communication effort (a report, email, presentation, memo.)

Define Your Objectives

Your Communication

“STYLETYLE””

• Join/Consult ApproachJoin/Consult Approach: Learn from the audience. The “inquiry” style. Consult is collaborative, and Join is even more collaborative (like brain-storming.)

• Tell/Sell ApproachTell/Sell Approach: When you want your audience to learn from you. In tell you inform or explain. In SELL, you persuade/advocate for.

(SOURCE: Tannenbaum & Schmidt study of Leadership)

Communication STYLE

Establish Your Credibility

• Remember how I started this first session…?• What is your audience’s perception of your

initial credibility? What do they think of you?• Factors that determine credibility:

– Rank– Goodwill– Expertise– Image– Common ground

Subject Matter Expertise

Audience Strategy

• Who are they?• What do they know and expect?• What do they feel?• What will persuade them?

Audience Strategy

Message Strategy

• Key points• Key questions• Steps in a process• Alternatives to compare

Organize

Channel Choice Strategy

Audience, Purpose, Scope, Organization

and Channel

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Business Business Communications: Communications:

Week 2Week 2

Organization Strategies

Letter Versus Memo

EXERCISEEXERCISE #1#1

RESOURCESRESOURCES

Resources

Resources