business communication project

Best Practices:Business Writing & CommunicationDALE LE BAR

CSU GLOBAL

Effective and ethical business communication

Communication is simply the exchange of knowledgeOrallyWritten

K.I.S.S.Keep it short & simple

Next: How to K.I.S.S.


Use direct speechNot: probably, usually, often, soonGuffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 13-14

Ensure conversations end with feedbackShows you’re listening and engaged

Next: Communication Ethics


Gossip: There’s no time for it

Eliminate rumors about others

Dispel ones about yourself

Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 24

Build your team with positive communication

Next: Team Player

Professionalism in the workplace

Being a team player is crucial to maintaining professionalism

Teams provide Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 41

Better Decisions

Faster Responses

Greater Buy-in

Improved Morale Reduced Risk Increased

Productivity Next: Enhance being a team player


Listen!

Be active: Identify facts, ask clarifying questions

But don’t interrupt!

Next: Non-verbal Communication


Master non-verbal communication

Eye contact

Facial Expression

Posture

Gestures

TimeNext: The melting pot

Intercultural Business Communication

Technological advancements have globalized nearly all business

This forms a “melting pot” of cultures

They all must be treated equally

Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 81Next: Verbal Communication


Adjusting verbal communication is key

Learn simple foreign phrases

Strive for concise clarity


Above all, be patient

English is difficult to master Next: Ethics


Intercultural relations require proper ethics

Broaden your view of other cultures to prevent reflex judgments


Embrace transparency and avoid shady decisions

If you question the legality, stay away!Next: Concise writing

Writing tips for the business professional

Brevity is glorious

Make your point and move on

Keep it simple

Don’t dumb down the content

Just present it with common language

Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 124 Next: Active verbs

Engage the reader, use passive verbs

Bad: The meeting was led by Dale

Good: Dale led the meeting

This maintains reader attention and allows for quicker reading



Next: Sentence Structure

Control your sentence structure

Weed out run-ons and fragments



Sentence Length Comprehension Rate

8 Words 100%

15 Words 90%

19 Words 80%

28 Words 50%Next: Email

Electronic messages and digital media

E-mail messages are commonplace at work

Take time to format them correctly

Present data cleanly

Bullets, columns, headings!


Bullets read easie

r

Than paragraphs!

Next: Texting

Don’t text your boss like your friends

Spelling and grammar matter

Watch what you say

Your company is liable for your texts and their contents



Next: Social Media

Refer to your companies policies on social media

Facebook is likely not allowed

Maintain focus on communication, not selling

Utilize social media to build your brand and trust



Next: Positive and negative messages

Positive and negative messages

Whether happy or sad, keep the message clear and concise

Format appropriately for the news’ context

Business letter, memo, direct claim, response to request

Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 225 Next: Positive Focus


Clarify the reason for good news (project completion, promotion) within the first paragraph

Don’t gush when expressing the newsIt gets off-putting quickly!

Next: Negative Focus


Decide on direct vs. indirect strategy

Indirect is most common, direct is used in small events or when firmness is needed

Close negative messages with a positive action item

Next: Rule of 3

Business presentations

Enhance comprehension and retention with this plan:

Tell your audience what you’re going to say

Say it

Tell them what you’ve just said

Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 458 Next: Bullets under control


Limit the number of bullets per slide

Keep each bullet concise

Keep formatting consistent throughout

Ensure strong color contrast between text and background

Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 473Next: Tips while presenting


Relax and maintain eye contact

Not with one person, with the whole room

Slow down

Nervousness naturally speeds up speech

Don’t digress

Stick with your presentation, not top of the head thoughts

Guffey & Loewy, 2011, p. 475Next: Reports

Business reports, plans, and proposals

Keep reports concise and on point

Omit behind the scenes research

Write quickly and revise later

This encourages fluency and creativity


Next: Plans


Complete your research before writing a business plan

Do NOT fudge any numbers in your finances

They will be found and you will pay

Next: Proposals


Proposals, formal and informal, have six basic sections

Intro

Back-ground

Pro-posal

Staffing

Budget

Autho-rization

Copy of RFP

Letter of Trans-mittal

Abstract

Title Page

Table of Contents

List of Figures

Appendix

Detailed proposals may have additional sections


business communication project

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