Writing Business Messages

Business communications

The BasicsWriting Business Messages

Planning

Composing

Revising

Planning

Identifying Your Purpose

Why am I sending this message?Inform Request informationGive responsesConfirm decisionsProvide directionsTextbook: 35-43: Understand each step of planning

Planning: Objective

What do you want to achieve?

Inform

Persuade

Promote Goodwill

Planning: Choose a Channel• Blog• E-mail• Face-to-face

conversation• Face-to-face

group meeting• Fax• Instant message

(chat)

• Letter• Memo• Phone call• Report or proposal• Voice mail message• Videoconference• wikiTextbook: page 36 chart

Planning: Analyze the AudiencePrimary Audience

Who is it?Relationship?Position?Knowledge?Expected Response?

Planning: Analyze the AudienceSecondary Audience

Who else is it?Difference to primary audience?More background information? Reshape message?

Adapting to the Task and Audience

Be careful of the tone Tone- how the receiver feels upon getting a

message

Provide Audience Benefits

Use empathy

Use “You” Language

Composing

example

Audience BenefitsSender Focus Audience Focus

The human resources Department requires that the enclosed questionnaire be completed immediately so that we can allocate our training resource funds to employees.

Our warranty becomes effective only when we receive an owner’s registration.

We are proud to announce our new software virus checker that we think is the best on the market.

Audience BenefitsSender Focus Audience Focus

The Human Resources Department requires that the enclosed questionnaire be completed immediately so that we can allocate funds to employees.

By filling out the enclosed questionnaires, you can be one of the first employees to sign up for our training resource fund.

Our warranty becomes effective only when we receive an owner’s registration.

Your warranty begins working for you as soon as you return your owner’s registration.

We are proud to announce our new software virus checker that we think is the best on the market.

Now you can be sure that all your computers will be protected with our real-time virus scanning.

Audience Benefits“I/We” View “You” View

I’m asking all employees to respond to the attached survey about working conditions.

I have granted you permission to attend the communication seminar.

We have shipped your order by UPS, and we are sure it will arrive in time for your sales promotion December 1.

Because your ideas count, please complete the attached survey about working conditions.

You may attend the seminar to improve your communication skills.

Your order will be delivered by UPS in time for your sales promotion December 1.

Organizing and Formatting the E-mail or MemoTo Line: enter receiver’s e-mail addressFrom Line: Your address. Cc and Bcc

Cc- carbon copy- sends a copy of the message to another person

Bcc- blind carbon copy- hides names and addresses of all receivers

Subject: A short but descriptive summary of the topic

Organizing and Formatting the E-mail or MemoSubject line

Must be informativeSummarize central ideaAbbreviateMake your subject line talk (verb)Capitalize initial letter of principal words (not “a, the,

to, etc”)

Query: Request: Invitation: Submission:

Organizing and Formatting the E-mail or MemoWhat are 3 formatting areas that e-mails and Memos have in common?

1. To:2. From:3. Subject:

Organizing and Formatting the E-mail or Memo

Organizing and Formatting the E-mailSalutation:Start with a greeting:

Dear + Mr./Ms/ (Mrs./Miss) + Surname (formal)

Hello + Name (more informal and personal)Group of people ex: Dear students, managers,

etcJanet,

Organizing and Formatting the E-mailOpening Line

Restate the purposeFont:

Serif: more formal and professional Times New Roman Tahoma

Sans serif: more informal Arial Calibri

Organizing the e-mailExplaining in the Body

Cover only one areaKeep the e-mail less than 100 wordsUse white space

Double space between paragraphsUse bullets if possible

Listing Giving instructions

ClosingInclude cordial expressions

All the bestWarm regardsBest wishes

Include your nameInclude a signature block

5 or fewer lines