ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

MBA & MCS, B. 320

CHAPTER: 5

THE MESSAGE: STRUCTURE

BY

DR. M. AZIZULLAH KHAN WAZIR

Dated: 26-11-2020

1
 COMMUNICATION MODEL
 Communication Model has 5 Variables.
 Its study may enable you to devise Communication Strategy.

Message

Communicator Audience

Response

Social Environment
KEEPING IN VIEW THE INTERDEPENDANCE OF THESE VARIABLES, NOW ATER
DISCUSSING THE ENVIRONMENTS, WE NEED TO EXAMINE THE MESSAGE.
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 OBJECTIVES OF CHAPTER:5

 In chapter No: 3, discussed Communicator,

and in Chapter No: 4 we learned about our
Audience for becoming Audience Centered.
 Here we will concentrate on what you write or
speak to your audience and how to structure
for making it:

 Appropriate.
 Useful.
 Persuasive.
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 OUTLINES OF CHAPTER NO: 5

 THINKING VERSUS STRUCTURING

 THINKING:
Be aware of your Assumptions.
 Draw valid conclusions.
 Avoid logical defects.
STRUCTURING:
 Provide a hierarchy for your ideas
 Put your ideas in order.

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THINKING VERSUS STRUCTURE

 In business communication (BC) mostly people

Speak or Write, whatever, comes to their minds.
 But being unstructured, it may not be persuasive,
and hence structuring is essential to make your
idea clear.

 Example of Booking of Rooms at Hotel for

Speakers-Clear versus unclear Message.

 Thus the process of thinking ideas is different

from the process of Structuring the ideas.
 Therefore, the hodgepodge of Data must be
brought to order for well organized presentation.
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…THINKING VERSUS STRUCTURING
A simplified illustration of Difference between Thinking and Structuring

THINKING STRUCTURING
in ts
g Po
Analysis r ti n
po
S up
re d
de
Ideas a rly
O r

Assumptions Stress Cle

Draw valid
Conclusion Clearly Ordered Supporting Points
Conclusion Cl e
Synthesis (Main Point) arl
Data yO
rde
red
Su
pp
Facts Details ort
ing
Po
int
s

Random Ordered by Hierarchy 6

 THINKING
GUIDELINES FOR THINKING:
 Let’s discuss the example of Usage of Preston Building.

As you are thinking, then remember to:

Be Aware of Your Assumptions.

 Draw Valid Conclusions:

 Deduction.
 Induction.
Avoid Logical Defects:
 Don’t jump to conclusion too fast.
 Don’t hide behind false ideas.
 Don’t oversimplify.
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 …THINKING
BE AWARE OF YOUR ASSUMPTIONS:

Assumptions are the basis of your thinking.

You assume that Sun will rise tomorrow, so
you plan your day.
You assume that your car will start, so plan
your trip.
Now imagine, how differently you will feel if
the assumptions are changed like:
 Its your last day today.
 Your car has blown up. 8
 …THINKING
BE AWARE OF YOUR ASSUMPTIONS:

There are different Situations like:

 This program will increase our profit (you assume
profit).
 I better finish this report tonight or get fired (you
assume to work).
 To calm down an irate Customer (you assume to have
satisfied customers).
Prima-facie, the above Assumptions are Obvious and
Noncontroversial, but on analyzing the situation, the assumptions
can be changed.
There can be many other assumptions to handle the situations
properly or differently, but the main point is to Get Aware of Your
Assumptions before saying:
 Yes, it’s the Right Assumption or;
 No, its not our main concern now.
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 …THINKING
DRAW VALID CONCLUSIONS:

Assumptions and Facts are, what you Start With,

when you are Thinking.

Conclusions are what you END UP.

 You assume, then you Conclude, but the Facts later

reveal something else, and you change the plan (Going
to beach– Not going due to clouds & Storm).

 How do you Conclude:

 Deduction (Based on the Assumptions)
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 Induction (Based on the Facts).
 …THINKING
DRAW VALID CONCLUSIONS:

DEDUCTION.

 Deduction means starting with a Main Principle or

Assumption.

 Then apply to specific case.

 Then draw a Conclusion.

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 …THINKING
DRAW VALID CONCLUSIONS:

DEDUCTION GENERAL
Business Communications PRINCIPLE
is important.

APPLY TO
Writing is a part of
Business Communications.
SPECIFIC
SITUATION

DRAW

Therefore, Writing is
important. CONCLUSION

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 …THINKING
DRAW VALID CONCLUSIONS:

The only other Valid way to draw Conclusions is by

Induction.

INDUCTION.

 Induction means starting with Specified,

generalize it to Main Principle, and Conclude.

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 …THINKING
DRAW VALID CONCLUSIONS:
Observations Ide
s
INDUCTION Fact a s

SPECIFICS

GENERALIZE

APPLY TO

SPECIFIC
SITUATION

DRAW

CONCLUSION
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 …THINKING
DRAW VALID CONCLUSIONS:

We can not gather Specific without some Organizing

Principles.
Also, we can not choose relevant main principles
without some knowledge of specific problems or
issues.
 Therefore, Although deduction and induction are
different processes but must be used combined.

The point is not that you should either think deduction

or induction but that you must use Valid Reasoning as
you think through your ideas.
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 …THINKING
AVOID LOGICAL DEFECTS:

Watch for and get rid of those Defects in thinking, which are
sometimes called LOGICAL FALLACIES.
You can avoid these Defects by remembering Three Rules:
 Don’t jump too Fast to Conclusions. Don’t go for Hasty
Generalization or Jumping to a Conclusion based on too little
Evidences.
 Don’t Hide your ideas themselves and don’t Hide behind illogical
False ideas. Therefore, take the following steps:
 Avoid hiding Questionable assumptions.
 Avoid hiding main points by Skirting the Issue (with focus on minor).
 Avoid hiding from a False Analogy.
 Avoid hiding behind Exaggeration.
 Avoid hiding behind Irrelevant Attacks or Popular Appeals.
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 …THINKING
AVOID LOGICAL DEFECTS:

The 3rd Rule is:

 Don’t Oversimplify. Oversimplification means that you

close your doors for any additional required
information. This phenomenon proposes that:

 Avoid the Either/Or Defects (When you set up Two

alternatives, and don’t allow any other).

 Avoid to Catchall Explanation (When you isolate

one Factor, and treat it as if it was the sole cause).17
 STRUCTURING

Thinking and Structuring are two different

Processes.
Thinking is what goes in your mind.
Communicating is getting your ideas in to other
minds.
Communicating on account of Audience-basis or
You-approach is Structured Communication.
 An Effective Structure is based on:
 Providing a Hierarchy of Ideas for your
Audience.
 Choosing the Appropriate Order for these
Ideas. 18
 …STRUCTURING
 GUIDELINES FOR STRUCTURING:

 Provide a Hierarchy for your Ideas.

 Stress your Conclusion (Main or first-level points)
 Divide writing or speaking into main points (Second-level
points)
 Sub-divide into lower-level points.

 Put your Ideas in order

 For Explanatory Ideas
 Time
 Components
 Importance
 For Action Ideas
 Direct approach
 Indirect approach
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 …STRUCTURING
PROVIDE A HIERARCHY FOR YOUR IDEAS:

An effective Structure is based on your

providing a hierarchy of ideas for your audience
or to say that dividing ideas in to groups and
differentiating among the level of groups.
 Example of Organization or Family Chart.
 To provide clear hierarchy, you need to:
 Stress your Conclusion (or First level idea).
 Divide your writing or Speaking into main points
(or second level ideas).
 Sub-divide these in to Supporting points.
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 …STRUCTURING
PROVIDE A HIERARCHY FOR YOUR IDEAS:

AUDIENCE MEMORY CURVE

High

(a) Retention
(b) Interest
& Desire

Low
Time ---------------------------
 Audience Recall what you state at the Beginning and at the End.
 Never Burry your Conclusions in the Middle 21
 …STRUCTURING
PROVIDE A HIERARCHY FOR YOUR IDEAS:

The dividing of Writing or Speaking Idea is like second

line of command.
 Like VPs in the organization chart.
 You can explain that this Second level idea can be
comprised of:

 Four Procedures.
 It has got 10 advantages.
 It has warranties.
 There are many incentives attached.

 Sub-divide in to lower level ideas, like in the next

slide.
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 …STRUCTURING
PROVIDE A HIERARCHY:
IDEA CHART

Main Idea

Supporting point Supporting point Supporting point

Sub points Sub points Sub points

It is sub-division. This idea chart is like upside-down trees or Pyramids and

therefore are called as Ideas Trees or Ideas Pyramids. 23
 …STRUCTURING
PUT YOUR IDEAS IN ORDER:

Once you have sketched your idea Tree, then you need to decide
the Order, in which to present your supporting ideas.

 What should be presented first and what next.

 Put your Ideas in order will be discussed under the following

headings:

 For Explanatory Ideas:

 Time
 Components
 Importance
 For Action Ideas:
 Direct approach
 Indirect approach 24
 …STRUCTURING
PUT YOUR IDEAS IN ORDER:

For Explanatory Ideas. Once your Top level idea is placed first, it
can be ordered in 3 ways:

 You can order by Time,

 You can order by Component.
 You can order by Importance.

 For Action Ideas. Action idea is difficult, because its now Action
based. It is Trickier because its not only related to TOPIC but to
YOUR CREDIBILITY and AUDIENCE ATTITUDE is also involved.

The Strategies involved here are:

 Direct Approach. Use it when people Agree to you.
 Indirect Approach. Use it when people do not agree but are ikely to
Disagree. 25
 SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER: 5
 This chapter has dealt with how to structure your ideas
for your audience.

 Instead of presenting ideas in the disorganized way

they occur to you, think through those ideas, and then
structure them clearly.

 Obviously the steps involved in thinking and

structuring are not totally separate but you circle back
and forth between them.

 But the finished product should be Structured Clearly.

 That’s your Job as Speaker or Writer- and no doubt it’s

a HARG WORK.
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 MBA & MCS (E) ASSIGNMENT NO= 02
Date of Submission= 03-12-2020

You are working in Preston University Islamabad, and

depending upon your best Communication Skills, the
Chancellor has selected you to speak to the students
seeking admission in MBA and MCS at Iqra University,
Islamabad, convincing them to Join Preston, which is far
better a place of Learning.
Your typed speech of 2-4 pages should highlight the
distinguishing features of Preston University in
comparison to Iqra University, besides preparing half
page Advertisement that will appeal to the Primary
Audience (Students), and Secondary Audience (their
Parents) in general, to prefer admission in MBA & MCS
classes at Preston University Islamabad. 27
THANK YOU

26-11-2020 28