Lecture 2 - Direct Requests

Technical Report Writing
& Communication Skills

Planning & Organizing before Communications,
Direct Requests, Persuasive Requests,
Favorable/Unfavorable Replies, Special Messages
PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

Engr. M. Farhan Sabir Sciences 1
Course Outline

Engr. M. Farhan Sabir Sciences 2
The Process Of
Preparing Effective
Business Messages
3 Sciences Engr. M. Farhan Sabir
Overview – THE CBO Approach
 Five Planning Steps
 Identify your purpose
 Analyze your audience
 Choose your ideas
 Collect your data
 Organize your message
 Basic Organizational Plans
 Direct (Deductive) Approach
 Indirect (Inductive) Approach
 Beginnings and Endings
 Opening and Closing Paragraphs
 Composing the message
4 Drafting/ Revising/ Editing

Sciences Engr. M. Farhan Sabir
Five Planning Steps
 Identify your purpose
 Analyze your audience
 Choose your ideas
 Collect your data
 Organize your message

Identify Your Purpose
 The objective of your message is twofold; the
purpose of your message and to create the goodwill
 Your message can be informational, persuasive or
negotiation

Analyze Your Audience
 See your message from receivers point of view
 Be very careful while communicating with
foreigners, for they have different culture
 Have some pre-knowledge of the receiver
 Be very specific about the salutation, names,
initials, their basic cultural rules
 Try to see the person as a member of a group
like a business person or a professional, a new
or long time customer etc

Choose Your Ideas
 With your purpose and receiver in mind, choose
your ideas for message
 Ideas depend on the type of message, situation,
cultural context
 If you are answering to someone's letter
highlight all queries and write them in short
form and reply them
 If message is complex do some brain storming
and write all ideas
 Then select ideas appropriate for your message

Collect Your Data
 Collect the data to support your ideas
 Be sure you are aware of your company's
policies and procedures if your meassage
requires them
 Be careful about the facts, figures, dates, time,
names, titles, addresses etc.
 Check for the precision of your data

Organize your message
 Before writing your first draft outline your
organization of message orally or write it
roughly.
 Organization may be direct or indirect

Basic Organizational Plans

Basic Organizational Plans
 The choice of organizational plan depends on
your receiver, his/her knowledge of topic and
situation, his/her cultural conventions etc.
 Generally for letters & memos there are four
basic organizational plans:
 Direct-Request
 Good News / Favorable Replies
 Bad News / Unfavorable Replies
 Persuasive-Request
 All these are flexible guides and not hard &
fast rules
Direct (Deductive) Approach
 Used when audience is receptive
 Begin with main idea or good news
 Include good news and direct request plans
 Three parts:
 Main idea
 Explanation
 Courteous close

Indirect (Inductive) Approach
 When resistance to message is expected
 Includes bad news and persuasive messages
 Main idea not presented first
 Buffer: a relevant pleasant, neutral or receiver
benefit statement
 In this message a buffer is introduced

Beginnings and Endings

Beginnings and Endings
 Two most important positions in a business
messages are opening and closing
 As said:
“First impression is the last impression”
And
“We remember best what we read last”
 Whenever possible put the main idea in
beginning and endings

Opening Paragraphs
 Choose opening appropriate for message
purpose and reader
 Main idea first(request, good news,
announcements)
 Buffer first (refusal or bad news)
 Attention getting statements first (persuasive)
 Make the opening considerate, courteous,
Concise, Clear
 Check for Completeness

Closing Paragraphs
 Make action request clear and complete with
the Five Ws and the H
 What and who?
 How and where?
 When and why?
 End on a positive courteous thought
 Include any apologies before last paragraphs(if
applicable)
 Be friendly
 Show appreciation
 Occasionally add a personal note
 Keep Last Paragraph Concise and Correct
Composing The Message

Drafting Your Message
 Your first draft is always raw
 You prepare first draft according to your
organizational plan either circular or linear
 Now you have to refine it by revision and
proofreading

Revising Your Message
 Means adding necessary data and deleting
unnecessary material
 Make sure points are adequately supported
 Check your organizational support
 Review your language

Editing and Proof Reading
 Make sure your documents have no mistakes in
grammar, spellings, punctuations or word
choice
 See for typographical errors
 Read aloud
 Specially for foreign language

Summary Plan a Message
Identify the Objective
Visualize the Audience
Gather Supporting Information
Organize the Information
Compose a Draft
Choose Words
Construct Sentences
Assemble Paragraphs
Choose Paragraph Locations Complete a Message
Proofread
Edit
Revise
Finalize
• Placing orders
• Requesting information
• Requesting claims and adjustments
• Making credit requests
• Inquiring about people
• Issuing invitations

An order letter is the one that is written by a
company or the person concerned who are supposed
to place the request of purchase from another
company. The letter is written after doing careful
research about the desired product or service.
Another term you need to know in the order letters is

the term, "Order" which is an expense for the person
placing the order and an income for the one getting
it. But this is not everything the company needs to
know, in fact there are lot of commitments that has
to be ensured to satisfy the customer who can be an
individual or another company.
The order letter comprises of the order, the quality of

the delivery and after sale service.
Placing Order – Sample Letter
Below is an example for an order letter which will explain you
about how to write these letters.
Date: MM/DD/YYYY
The recipient's address:

Dear Mr. / Mrs. ZZZZ
This letter is a formal confirmation about the verbal order that
we had discussed earlier on (insert the date). I just wanted you
to confirm the acceptance that was communicated to you on the
said date. As you note, there is an enclosed copy of the
purchased order including the terms and all other included
conditions of the deal.
We shall expect the delivery of the merchandise on or before the
expected date. Unless if there is an objection within the (period
of grace) of your receipt of the order.
Thank you, Sincerely, (Your name)

1) A formal message requesting something
that is submitted to an authority
2) The verbal act of requesting
3) Express the need or desire for; ask for; "He
requested an extra bed in her room"; "She
called for room service"
4) Ask (a person) to do something; "She asked
him to be here at noon"; "I requested that
he type the entire manuscript"
5) Inquire for (information); "I requested
information from the secretary"
A letter which carries a favorable response
against any reasonable request or claim is
known as adjustment letter. It is an
acknowledgment to the claimant informing
him that his claim is under due consideration.

Date: MM/DD/YYYY
The recipient's address:

Dear Mr. / Mrs. ZZZZ
I once again want to apologize for the mistake we made in shipping you
the wrong bicycle. We take order fulfillment very seriously, and are
investigating the cause of this incident.
In the mean time, we wish to send you the bicycle you ordered, along with
a prepaid voucher to send back the incorrect bike. As a token of our
appreciation, we also want to include a $100 gift voucher that can be used
at any product in our store.
Again, we hope you accept our apologies and the corrections to the above
mistake!
Thanks, YYY Bikes

Persuasive Messages
Slide 31 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Section 1: The Persuasive Strategy
Persuasive Messages
Nonroutine Requests
Donate time, money, or knowledge
Support an activity or a cause
Cooperate to resolve an issue or to pay a bill
Sales

The AIDA Strategy
Effective persuasive messages apply the persuasive

strategy called AIDA.
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

Persuade Ethically
Use clear, straightforward words.

Provide information that can be verified.
Give quality information.
Be enthusiastic and sincere.
Be objective.

Develop the Appeal
Emotional appeals relate to ego, status, and self-

satisfaction and arouse feelings.
Rational appeals relate to logic and intellect and

provide tangible information.

Build Images
Positive descriptive words create interest and a

desire to hear your message.
Negative descriptive words emphasize the

seriousness of the situation and hasten action.

Plan a Message Compose a Draft
Identify the objective. Attract Attention.
Visualize the audience. Build Interest.
Gather supporting Stimulate Desire.

information.
Call for Action.
Organize the information.

Apply the AIDA Strategy
Gains favorable attention by drawing the receiver into the

A “conversation” of the message with a topic-relevant opening.
Encourages further reading or listening.
Introduces information to create and maintain receiver

I interest using an emotional, logical, or combination appeal.
Offers details focusing on receiver benefits to stimulate the

D desire to respond favorably.
Motivates receiver action by providing an easy, dated

A response or some other incentive.

Finalize
Proofread, edit, and revise.
Use the checklist.
Revise until satisfied.

Section 2: Persuasive Applications
Types of Persuasive Messages
Nonroutine requests ask people to do something out

of the ordinary.
Request support with donations or actions.
Request cooperation in claims and collections.
Sales messages persuade receivers to buy a product

or service.

Nonroutine
Requests for Support
Requests for support ask the receiver to act on an

important situation or to donate time, money, or
knowledge to an important cause.
Begin with an attention-getting statement.

Choose an appropriate appeal.
Present details that lead to the request.
Close with a call for action.

Nonroutine
Requests for Cooperation
Claim messages ask for an adjustment resulting
from dissatisfaction with a product or service.
Provide chronological details calmly and precisely.
Gather supporting information and documents.
Appeal to the receiver’s sense of fairness.
Make a reasonable request.
Include a response deadline.
Pay attention to the details.
Nonroutine
Requests for Cooperation
Collection messages have two goals: to collect

money that is owed and to preserve goodwill.
Follow federal and state collection regulations.

Send messages at regular intervals: initial stage,
middle stage, and final stage.
Use an appropriate organizational pattern and
message strategy for each collection stage.

Nonroutine
Collection Messages
An initial-stage collection message is a routine

reminder written in the direct pattern.
Assume that the receiver intends to pay.

Send a reminder immediately after the payment
deadline.
Send one or two friendly reminders.
Call the customer to determine the problem.

Nonroutine
Collection Messages
A middle-stage collection message is a persuasive

message written in the indirect pattern.
Open with a positive or neutral statement.

Explain objectively without accusation.
Point out the benefits of complying.
Make a courteous request for action.

Nonroutine
Collection Messages
A final-stage collection message is an ultimatum

prepared in the direct pattern.
Open with your course of action.

Restate the details of the money owed and the
collection attempts made.
Close with an assertive request for payment.

Sales
Draft a Sales Message
Sales messages persuade receivers to buy a
product or service.
Grab the receiver’s attention in the opening.

Appeal to your target audience.
Create mental images.
De-emphasize the price.
Motivate the receiver to act favorably and quickly.

Sales
Tips for E-mail Sales Messages
Write a short one-topic message to be skimmed.
Incorporate the six Cs.
Personalize the message.
Create a “must open” subject line.
Begin with a headline to keep receivers reading.
Get to the important information quickly and concisely.
Incorporate eye-catching graphics.

Sales
Tips for E-mail (continued)
Use headings and indents to aid message scanning.
Offer something special to online users only.
Provide a link or toll-free number to obtain more
detailed information.
Add a contact name to personalize the message.
Give the receiver an option to be removed from the
mailing list.
Respond to customers within 24 hours.

Lecture 2 - Direct Requests

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Technical Report Writing

& Communication Skills

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

Another term you need to know in the order letters is

The order letter comprises of the order, the quality of

The recipient's address:

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary

The recipient's address:

Thanks, YYY Bikes

Slide 31 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Slide 32 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Effective persuasive messages apply the persuasive

Slide 33 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Use clear, straightforward words.

Slide 34 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Emotional appeals relate to ego, status, and self-

Rational appeals relate to logic and intellect and

Slide 35 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Positive descriptive words create interest and a

Negative descriptive words emphasize the

Slide 36 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Visualize the audience. Build Interest.

Gather supporting Stimulate Desire.

Slide 37 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Gains favorable attention by drawing the receiver into the

Introduces information to create and maintain receiver

Offers details focusing on receiver benefits to stimulate the

Motivates receiver action by providing an easy, dated

Slide 38 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Use the checklist.

Revise until satisfied.

Slide 39 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Nonroutine requests ask people to do something out

Sales messages persuade receivers to buy a product

Slide 40 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Requests for support ask the receiver to act on an

Begin with an attention-getting statement.

Slide 41 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

Collection messages have two goals: to collect

Follow federal and state collection regulations.

Slide 43 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences

An initial-stage collection message is a routine

Assume that the receiver intends to pay.

Slide 44 PICS - Punjab Insitute of Contemporary Sciences