Basics of Business

Communication
OWAIS RIAZ
Basics of business communication
 Business messages are different from college essays, term
papers, and messages to friends.
 Conciseness and clarity count.

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ZSOLT NUYLASZI
The best business communication is

 Purposeful
 Persuasive
 Economical
 Audience oriented

Following a process can make you a better writer or

speaker.
Analyzing Your Purpose
and Channel

Identify your purpose.

 Why are you writing or speaking?
 What do you hope to achieve?

JON FEINGERSH / ICONICA / GETTY IMAGES

 Select the best channel.

E-mail Telephone
Fax
Voice mail
Letter
Memo Meeting
Report Conversation
Web site
Select the best channel.
 How important is the message?
 How fast do you need feedback?
 Is a permanent record essential?
 What is the cost of the channel?
 How much formality do you desire?
 How confidential or sensitive is the message?
Profiling the Audience

Primary Audience
 Who is the primary reader or listener?
 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?
 Are they different from the primary audience?
 How must I reshape the message for the secondary
audience?
 Spotlight
Spotlight
Audience
Audience
Benefits
Benefits

Create
Createaa
Message
MessageThat
That
Suits
SuitsYour
Your
Audience
Audience

Adapting to Task and Audience

Spotlight Audience Benefits
Focus your statements on the audience,
not the sender.

Instead of this: Try this:

We are promoting a You will enjoy total peace
new hospitalization of mind with our
plan that we believe affordable hospitalization
has many outstanding plan that meets all your
benefits. needs.
Adapting Spotlight
Spotlight
Audience
Audience
to Task Benefits
Benefits

and
Audience Create
Createaa
Message
MessageThat
That
Suits
SuitsYour
Your
Audience
Audience

Cultivate
Cultivate
AA“You”
“You”
View
View
Develop a “You” View
Emphasize second-person pronouns
(you/your) instead of first-person pronouns
(I/we, us, our)
Instead of this: Try this:
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 verify your credit. in two weeks.
Develop a “You” View

Revise these sentences: These are better:

We are now offering Quick

You can now purchase
HP computers at HP computers at
discounted prices. Check
discounted prices.
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.
 Spotlight
Spotlight
Audience
Audience
Benefits
Benefits

Create
Createaa
Employ
Employ Cultivate
Cultivate
Message
MessageThat
That
Positive
Positive AA“You”
“You”
Suits
SuitsYour
Your
Language
Language View
View
Audience
Audience

Sound
Sound
Conversational
Conversational
Positive Language

Instead of this: Try this:

Employees may not use Employees may use the
the First Street entrance Market Street entrance
during remodeling. during 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.
State Ideas Positively

Revise these sentences: These are better:

We must withhold Quick
You will be paid
payment until you promptly once the job is
complete the job Check
completed satisfactorily.
satisfactorily.
If you fail to follow each By following each
requirement, you will not requirement, you will
receive your Rs.5000 receive your Rs.5000
rebate.
rebate.
Levels of Language Use
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Found in
Some comic strips Business Scientific writing,
and songs, some messages, novels, legal documents,
commercials, some most newspapers, scholarly books,
conversations, and most formal essays,
some IM and e-mail magazines proclamations
messages
Levels of Language Use
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Characterized by
Incorrect grammar, Correct grammar Correct grammar,
unpredictable and punctuation, serious tone,
sentence structure, conversational complex sentence
inappropriate tone, simple structure,
punctuation, slang, sentence structure, polysyllabic words
vulgarisms familiar words
Levels of Language Use
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Examples
wasted ruined annihilated
nab catch apprehend
bad-mouth criticize disparage
dough, bread money currency
stewed, plastered intoxicated, drunk inebriated
I ain’t I’m not I am not
humongous enormous prodigious
tight frugal penurious
Hidden Messages

Some words and phrases convey a negative and

unpleasant tone. They may imply a hidden message
that the writer does not intend. Think twice before
using the following negative expressions.
Negative Language Hidden Meaning
You overlooked You are careless
You state that But I don’t believe you
You failed to You are careless
You claim that It’s probably untrue
You are wrong I am right
You do not understand You are not smart
Your delay You are at fault
You forgot to You are inefficient, stupid
and careless
 Spotlight
Spotlight
Audience
Audience
Benefits
Benefits

Use
Use Cultivate
Cultivate
Inclusive
Inclusive AA“You”
“You”
Create
Createaa
Language
Language View
View
Message
MessageThat
That
Suits
SuitsYour
Your
Audience
Audience

Employ
Employ Sound
Sound
Positive
Positive Conversational
Conversational
Language
Language
Inclusive Language

Instead of this: Try this:

Have you called a Have you called a
salesman? salesperson?
Every executive  All executives have their own
has his own office. offices.
 Every executive has an office.
This alternative is
 All executives have offices.
wordy and calls  Every executive has his or
attention to itself
her own office.
Positive and Inclusive Language
Revise these sentences: These are better:
No tenant may move in Tenants may move in
until May 1. Quick
on May 1.
Because you failed to Check
As soon as we receive
include your credit your credit information,
information, we cannot we can ship your order.
ship your order.
Marcello Luna is the new Marcello Luna is the
Mexican accountant. new accountant.
 Spotlight
Spotlight
Audience
Audience
Draw Benefits
Benefits Cultivate
Drawonon Cultivate
Familiar
Familiar AA“You”
“You”
Words
Words View
View
Create
Createaa
Message
MessageThat
That
Adopt
Adopt Suits
SuitsYour
Your Sound
Sound
Plain
Plain Audience
Audience Conversational
Conversational
Language
Language

Use
Use Use
UsePositive
Positive
Inclusive
Inclusive Language
Language
Language
Language
Familiar Words
Avoid long, difficult, and unfamiliar
words. Use short, simple, and common
words whenever possible.
Less familiar words Simple alternatives
encounter meet
extrapolate project
obligatory required
terminate end
 Spotlight
Spotlight
Choose
Choose Audience
Audience
Courteous
Courteous Benefits
Benefits Cultivate
Cultivate
Language
Language AA“You”
“You”
View
View

Draw
Drawonon Create
Createaa
Familiar
Familiar Message
MessageThat
That
Words
Words Suits
SuitsYour
Your Sound
Sound
Audience
Audience Conversational
Conversational
Adopt
Adopt
Plain
Plain
Language
Language Use
Use Use
Inclusive UsePositive
Positive
Inclusive Language
Language
Language
Language
Courteous Language
Avoid sounding demanding, preachy, or rude.
Instead of this: Try this:
You must complete this Will you please complete
research by June 1. this research by June 1.

I am sick and tired of Let me show you how to

being the only one who remove jammed paper
removes jammed paper so that you can
from the copier! complete your copying.
Revise the following using
simple language

You may encounter You may have difficulty

contract.
Quick
difficulty in terminating the ending the contract.
OR: It may be difficult
Check to end the contract.
As stipulated, we As required, we
extrapolated the budget projected the budget
figures for two years. figures for two years.
Revise the following using
simple language

Will you utilize workbooks Will you use workbooks

during the obligatory during the required
training period? training period?

We anticipate that a We expect that most of

majority of the alternative the choices will be
will be sufficiently sufficiently basic to
fundamental to meet our meet our needs.
requirements.