Planning Business Messages: Essentials of Business Communication 9e

Chapter 2
Planning Business Messages

© 2013 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
Essentials of
Business
Communication 9e
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy

Basics of Business Writing
▪ Business writing is totally different from any other writing.

▪ Written with the purpose of informing, attracting and
persuading audience.
istockphoto.com/zsolt_nuylaszi
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 2, Slide 2
Qualities of Good Business Writing
▪ Purposeful: To solve problems and convey

information.
▪ Persuasive: Audience must believe and accept
your message.
▪ Economical: Present ideas clearly but concisely.

▪ Audience oriented: Concentrate looking at a
problem from audience point of view.
Qualities of Good Business Writing
▪ Quantity does not enhance quality.

▪ Get over the notion that longer is better.
▪ Conciseness and clarity are what count in
business.
Purpose of Business Messages
▪ Primary purpose is to inform and persuade.

▪ Secondary purpose is to promote goodwill.
The Writing Process
Approximately how much time
should be spent at each stage?
Phase 1
of the
Writing
Process
Phase 1: Analyzing
Analyze your audience and your purpose for writing.
▪ To whom are you writing?
▪ Why are you writing?
▪ What do you hope to achieve?
▪ What channel is best for delivering

your message?
Selecting the Best Channel
E-mail Telephone
Text message Voice mail
Social media Meeting
Instant message Conversation

Letter/Memo Web site
Report Blog/Wiki
Phase 1: Anticipating
Anticipate how your audience will react to your message.
▪ What is your reader or listener like?
▪ Will your audience be pleased, neutral, or displeased with
your message?
JON FEINGERSH / ICONICA / GETTY IMAGES
Profiling the Audience
Primary Audience
▪ Who is the primary reader?
▪ What are my personal and professional relationships with that
person?
▪ What does the person know about the subject?

▪ What kind of response should I expect?
Profiling the Audience
Secondary Audience
▪ Who else might see or hear this message?
▪ How are they different from the primary audience?
▪ How must I reshape the message
for the secondary audience?
Responding to the Profile
▪ Profiling helps make decision about shaping the message.
▪ Decisions about
▪ Appropriate language.
▪ Use of technical terms.
▪ Whether you should explain everything.
▪ Formal/informal tone.
Phase 1: Adapting
Create a message that will suit your task and audience.
▪ Spotlight audience benefits.
▪ Cultivate the “you” view.
▪ Sound conversational but professional.
Phase 1: Adapting
Create a message that will suit your task and audience.
▪ Express yourself positively.
▪ Choose courteous language.
▪ Adopt bias-free language.
▪ Use plain language and familiar words.
Spotlighting Audience Benefits
Focus your statements on the audience,

not the sender.
Poor: Improved:
We are adopting a new You will enjoy an

health plan that we outstandingly affordable
believe has many health plan that will meet
outstanding benefits. all your needs.
Poor: Improved:
I have 15 different You have 15 financial
financial plans to offer plans to choose from.
you.
We require that all To use the office

employees read and sign professionally and safely,
our office policy. please read and sign our
office use policy.
Poor: Improved:
We are proud to announce our Now you can be sure that all
new software virus checker that your computers will be
we think is the best on the protected with our virus checker
market! software.
Cultivating the “You” View
Emphasize second-person pronouns

(you/your) instead of first-person pronouns
(I/we, us, our).
Poor: Improved:
Before we can allow you to You may begin

purchase items on this new making purchases
account, we must wait two on your new account
weeks to complete our in two weeks.
processing.
Cultivating the “You” View
Poor: Improved:
We are now offering You can now purchase
iPhone X at 10% iPhone X at 10%
discount. discount.
We are pleased to Congratulations! You
announce that you have have been selected to
been approved to enroll enter our leadership
in our leadership training program!
training program.
Sounding Conversational but
Professional
Poor: Improved:
I need your account number Would you please provide me
before I can do anything. your account number so that I
can help you solve this problem?
Developing Skillful Writing Techniques
Being Conversational but Professional
▪ Workplace messages should not become casual so that they
sound low level and unprofessional.
▪ Instant Messaging help workers have informal conversations.
▪ Chatboxes is considered a serious workplace tool.

▪ To project a professional image, you must sound educated
and mature.
▪ Do not use “totally awesome”, “you know”, “like”, “BTW”,
“LOL”.
▪ These uses make you sound like a teenager.
Being Conversational but Professional
▪ Your goal is a warm, friendly tone that sounds professional.
▪ Use I, we and you.
Poor: Improved:
BTW, ur presentation Your presentation
2day was Gr8! today was great.
Expressing Yourself Positively
▪ Use positive rather than negative language.
▪ Positive language conveys more information.
▪ Positive messages are uplifting and pleasant to read.
▪ Positive wording tells what is and what can be done rather

than what isn’t and what can’t be done.
▪ For example, Your order cannot be shipped by January 10
is not nearly as informative as Your order will be shipped
January 20.
Expressing Yourself Positively
Poor: Improved:
Employees may not use Employees must use the
the main entrance back entrance during
during remodeling. remodeling.
We cannot fill your order We can fill your order

until we receive an exact once we receive an
model number. exact model number.
Being Courteous
▪ Maintaining a courteous tone involves not just guarding
against rudeness but also avoiding words that sound
demanding or preachy.
▪ Turn demands into polite requests that begin with Please.
▪ In dealing with customers in telephone conversations, use

polite phrases such as It was a pleasure speaking with you,
I would be happy to assist you with that, and Thank you for
being so patient.
Choosing Courteous Language
Avoid sounding demanding, preachy, or rude.
Poor: Improved:
You must complete this Please complete this
research by June 1. research by June 1.
I am sick and tired of Let’s develop a schedule

being the only one who so that we all share the
cleans out the break duty of cleaning the
room refrigerator! break room refrigerator.
Choosing Bias Free Language
▪ Be sure your language is sensitive and biasfree.
▪ Be cautious about expressions that might be biased in
terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age, and disability.
▪ Avoid gender-biased language by leaving out the words

man or woman, by using plural nouns and pronouns, or by
changing to a gender-free word (person or representative).
▪ Avoid the his or her option whenever possible.
Adopting Bias-Free Language
Poor: Improved:
Have you called a Have you called a
salesman? salesperson?
▪ All executives have their own
Every executive
has his own office. offices.
▪ Every executive has an office.
▪ All executives have offices.
Poor: Improved:
Many businessmen take Many businesspeople
the train to work. take the train to work.
Each teacher cast her All teachers cast their
vote. votes.
Marcello Luna is the new Marcello Luna is the
Latino accountant. new accountant.
We offer discounts to old We offer discounts to
people. seniors.
END
Essentials of
Business
Communication 9e
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy


Planning Business Messages: Essentials of Business Communication 9e

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Planning Business Messages: Essentials of Business Communication 9e

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 2

Planning Business Messages

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy

▪ Business writing is totally different from any other writing.

▪ Purposeful: To solve problems and convey

▪ Economical: Present ideas clearly but concisely.

▪ Quantity does not enhance quality.

▪ Primary purpose is to inform and persuade.

▪ Secondary purpose is to promote goodwill.

▪ What channel is best for delivering

Instant message Conversation

JON FEINGERSH / ICONICA / GETTY IMAGES

▪ What does the person know about the subject?

for the secondary audience?

▪ Profiling helps make decision about shaping the message.

▪ Use of technical terms.

▪ Whether you should explain everything.

▪ Use plain language and familiar words.

Focus your statements on the audience,

We are adopting a new You will enjoy an

We require that all To use the office

Emphasize second-person pronouns

Before we can allow you to You may begin

can help you solve this problem?

▪ Chatboxes is considered a serious workplace tool.

▪ Positive wording tells what is and what can be done rather

We cannot fill your order We can fill your order

▪ In dealing with customers in telephone conversations, use

I am sick and tired of Let’s develop a schedule

▪ Avoid gender-biased language by leaving out the words

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy

You might also like