Final Exam Study Guide

A study guide for the final exam is now available.
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~k0howard/bus3700/pdf/study-guide-fall-2010.pdf
There will be a review with example questions in class this week.
The exam will be Monday, December 13, 7:15 pm - 9:15 pm, in room 1360.

Nov 29: Writing for the Web

EDITORIAL STYLE
People read differently on the Web.
(Content attributed to Web Style Guide, 3rd edition, Lynch/Horton)

1. One reason for this is that reading text on-screen is unpleasant. Given the low resolution of the computer screen and the clumsiness of the scrolling page, many readers scan onscreen and print pages for reading.
2. Another reason is that Web reading is not a stationary activity. Users roam from page to page collecting salient bits of information from a variety of sources. They need to be able quickly to ascertain the contents of a page, get the information they are seeking, and move on.
3. Also, because Web pages may be accessed directly without preamble, they must be more independent than print pages. Too many Web pages end up as isolated fragments of information, divorced from the larger context of their parent Web sites through the lack of essential links and the simpler failure to inform the reader properly of their contents.

Hypertext links

One of the most obvious characteristics of Web writing is hypertext links. Web authors use hypertext links to create or supplement concepts: a list of related links can reinforce their content or even serve as the focus of their site. The problem posed by links has little to do with the Web but is rooted in the concept of hypertext: Can the quick juxtaposition of two separate but conceptually related pieces of information encourage a better understanding of the overall message? A collection of links cannot create or sustain an argument or deliver a collection of facts as efficiently or legibly as conventional linear prose. When there is no sustained narrative, readers are sent aimlessly wandering in their quest for information. Links also become a maintenance issue, because most Web pages are ephemeral. Broken links shake the reader's confidence in the validity and timeliness of content.

• Links should be used sparingly and as a reinforcement of, not a substitute for, content.

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Organizing your prose

• Documents written to be read online must be concise and structured for scanning.
• People tend to skim Web pages rather than read them word by word.
• Use headings, lists, and typographical emphasis for words or sections you wish to highlight; these are the elements that will grab the user's attention during a quick scan.
• Keep these elements clear and precise — use your page and section heads to describe the material.

The "inverted pyramid" style used in journalism works well on Web pages, with the conclusion appearing at the beginning of a text. Place the important facts near the top of the first paragraph where users can find them quickly.

• Concise writing is always better, but don't "dumb down" what you have to say.
• Web authors often cut so much out of their presentations that what remains would barely fill a printed pamphlet.
• You can assume that readers will print anything longer than half a page and read it offline. Simply make printing easy for your readers and you can use the Web to deliver content without cutting the heart out of what you have to say.

"Chunking" information

• Most information on the World Wide Web is gathered in short reference documents that are intended to be read nonsequentially. This is particularly true of sites whose contents are mostly technical or administrative documents.
• Long before the Web was invented, technical writers discovered that readers appreciate short "chunks" of information that can be located and scanned quickly.

This method for presenting information translates well to the Web for several reasons:

1. Few Web users spend time reading long passages of text on-screen. Most users either save long documents to disk or print them for more comfortable reading.
2. Discrete chunks of information lend themselves to Web links. The user of a Web link usually expects to find a specific unit of relevant information, not a book's worth of general content.
3. But don't overly subdivide your information or you will frustrate your readers. One to two pages (as printed) of information is about the maximum size for a discrete chunk of information on the Web.

Chunking can help organize and present information in a uniform format.

• This allows users not only to apply past experience with a site to future searches and explorations but also to predict how an unfamiliar section of a Web site will be organized.
• Concise chunks of information are better suited to the computer screen, which provides a limited view of long documents. Long Web pages tend to disorient readers; they require users to scroll long distances and to remember what is off-screen.
• The concept of a chunk of information must be flexible and consistent with common sense, logical organization, and convenience. Let the nature of the content suggest how it should be subdivided and organized.
• At times it makes sense to provide long documents as a subdivided and linked set of Web pages. Although short Web documents are usually preferable, it often makes little sense to divide a long document arbitrarily, particularly if you want users to be able to print easily or save the entire document in one step.
• Don't break up a long document arbitrarily; users will have to download each segment and will have difficulty printing or saving the entire piece.
• The key to good chunking is to divide your information into comprehensive segments. That way readers will have direct and complete access to the topics they are interested in without having to wade through irrelevant material or follow a series of links to get the whole picture.

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Online style

For most Web writing you should assume that your carefully crafted prose will not be read word by word. This is not the case, of course, for texts such as journal articles or teaching materials: in many cases these more complicated texts will be printed and read offline. But most online information is best presented using short segments of texts written in a clear, concise style and with ample use of editorial landmarks.

Prose style

• Web writing should be short, concise and factual. Most Web readers are looking for information, and they find it not by reading a Web page word by word but rather by scanning the page for relevant items.

Other stylistic considerations

• Be frugal. Make sure that the text you present is worth something to the reader. Avoid empty chatter like welcome text or instructions on how to use the site. Users should be able to determine who you are by your navigation and page design, and your interface should be clear enough that it doesn't require instructions. Don't use the first paragraph of each page to tell users what information they'll find there. Instead, start with the information, written in the concise and factual prose style shown above.
• Stick to the point. Write in easily understood sentences. Steer clear of clever headings and catchy but meaningless phrases that users must think about and explore further to understand.
• Cultivate a voice. Web readers welcome a measure of individuality from their information sources. With so many competing sources, a unique voice may help distinguish your pages, but beware of going "over the top." When it comes to attitude, there is a fine line between engaging and annoying.
• Think globally. Remember that you are designing documents for the World Wide Web and that your audience may not understand conventions specific to your little corner of the world. For example, when including dates, use the international date format of day / month / year (e.g., 14 March 2001). Also, avoid metaphors and puns that may make sense only in the context of your language and culture.

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Titles and subtitles

Editorial landmarks like titles and headers are the fundamental human interface device in Web pages, just as they are in any print publication. A consistent approach to titles, headlines, and subheadings in your documents will help your readers navigate through a complex set of Web pages.

Text styles

The text styles we recommend:

Headline style: Bold, capitalize initial letters of words

• Document titles
• References to other Web sites
• Titles of documents mentioned in the text
• Proper names, product names, trade names

Down style: Bold, capitalize first word only

• Subheads
• References to other sections within the site
• Figure titles
• Lists

Page titles

Web page titles are designated in the HTML document head section with the TITLE tag. The title is crucial for several reasons. Often the title is the first thing users with slow Internet connections will see; it also becomes the text for any bookmarks the reader makes to your pages. In addition, most search engines regard the page title as the primary descriptor of page content, so a descriptive title increases the chance that a page will appear as the result of a related search query.

The page title should:

• Incorporate the name of your company, organization, or Web site
• Form a concise, plainly worded reminder of the page contents

Always consider what your page title will look like in a long list of bookmarks. Will the title remind the reader of what he or she found interesting about your pages?

Text formatting for web documents

Some points about text formatting specific to the Web:

• Excessive markup. Beware of too much markup in your paragraphs. Too many links or too many styles of typeface will destroy the homogeneous, even "type color" that characterizes good typesetting.
• Link colors. If you are including links in the body of your text, choose custom link colors that closely match your text color. Reading from the screen is hard enough without struggling with distracting link colors scattered across the page.
• Use the best tool. Write your text in a good word processing program with spell-checking and search features. Transfer your text to HTML only after it has been proofread.
• Style sheets in word processors. Don't use the word processor's style sheets to produce "All capitals" or other formatting effects. You will lose those special formats when you convert to plain ASCII text for HTML use.
• Special characters. Don't use the "smart quotes" feature. Avoid all special characters, such as bullets, ligatures, and typographer's en and em dashes, that are not supported in standard HTML text. Consult a good HTML guidebook (we recommend several in the References) for the listing of special and international characters supported through HTML's extended character formatting.
• No auto hyphens. Never use the automatic hyphenation feature of your word processor on text destined for the Web. This may add nonstandard "optional hyphen" characters that will not display properly in Web browsers.

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Links

Two basic types of links are used in Web sites:

1. navigational links connect pages within a site
2. the classic hypertext links offer parenthetical material, footnotes, digressions, or parallel themes that the author believes will enrich the main content of the page.

Although navigational links can cause problems in site design, more disruptive is the overuse or poor placement of hypertext links.

Hypertext links pose two fundamental design problems.

1. They disrupt the flow of content in your site by inviting the reader to leave your site.
2. They can also radically alter the context of information by dumping the reader into unfamiliar territory without preamble or explanation.

The primary design strategy in thoughtful hypertext is to use links to reinforce your message, not to distract readers or send them off chasing a minor footnote in some other Web site. Most links in a Web site should point to other resources within your site, pages that share the same graphic design, navigational controls, and overall content theme.

Whenever possible, integrate related visuals or text materials into your site so that readers do not have the sense that you have dumped them outside your site's framework. If you must send your reader away, make sure the material around the link makes it clear that the reader will be leaving your Web site and entering another site by following the link. Provide a description of the linked site along with the link so users understand the relevance of the linked material.

Maintain context

The key to good hypertext linking is to maintain context, so that the reader stays within the narrative flow and design environment of your site. If you place a simple link on your page, these plain links will work within a single browser window — your content will disappear and the linked page will fill the window. If you use this kind of link to point away from your site, you will probably lose your readers.

The simplest way to maintain context using links to other sites is to add the TARGET="main" argument to your link tags. This will cause the linked page to appear in a new browser window in front of the one containing your page. This feature allows your reader to access new material without losing visual contact with your site.

Placing links

Links are a distraction. It is pointless to write a paragraph and then fill it with invitations to your reader to go elsewhere. You can minimize the disruptive quality of links by managing their placement on the page.

• Put only the most salient links within the body of your text, and remember that these links should open new browser windows so that you don't supplant the original pages. But most links do not belong in the middle of the page — they won't be important enough to justify the potential distractions they pose.
• Group all minor, illustrative, parenthetic, or footnote links at the bottom of the document where they are available but not distracting.

If you do place links in the body of your text, pay close attention to your language. Never construct a sentence around a link phrase, such as "click here for more information." Write the sentence as you normally would, and place the link anchor on the word or words that best describe the additional content you are linking to.

• Poor: Click here for more information on placing links within your text.
• Better: Avoid problems with Web links by managing their placement within the context of your document.

(Content attributed to Web Style Guide, 3rd edition, Lynch/Horton)

To add a little more to our discussion about writing for the web, here are some examples from a couple of books that you might find useful. Both contain good information about user-centered design and web content.

Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works by Janice Redish

• Chapter 1 Content! Content! Content! (PDF, 1.3MB)
• Chapter 5 Writing Information, Not Documents (PDF, 2.5MB)

For more info about the book, consult the publisher's web site.

Hot Text! Web Writing that Works by Jonathan and Lisa Price

• Chapter 5 Shorten That Text! (PDF, 778KB)
• Chapter 6 Make Text Scannable (PDF, 652KB)

For more info about the book and related writing resources, consult the publisher's web site.

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Nov 22: Cross-Cultural Communication and Nonverbals

(Please note: The discussion topic for this week has changed.)
Culture

• Modern business requires dealing with other cultures
• Shapes values, priorities, and practices

Successful Intercultural Communicator

• Aware of the values, beliefs, and practices in other cultures
• Sensitive to differences among individuals within a culture
• Aware that preferred values and behaviors are influenced by cultures and are not necessarily “right.”
• Sensitive to verbal and nonverbal behavior
• Flexible and open to change

Importance of Global Business

Video clip: "A Rude Introduction" (3 min 10 sec)

High-Context and Low-Context Cultures

• Values, Beliefs & Practices
• Often unconscious
• Affect response to people and situations
• Different cultures have different views of
  - Fairness
  - Competition
  - Success
  - Social status

International Business Communication

• Beyond a set of rules
• International business practices are constantly evolving/changing
• Seek out and talk to people from other backgrounds
• Enhance understanding of multiple perspectives

Writing to International Audiences

• Write in English unless fluent in audience’s language
• Buffer negative messages; make requests indirect
• Re-think audience benefits
• Allow extra response time

Nonverbal Communication

• Communication without words
• Signals such as smiles and gestures
• Can be misinterpreted as easily as words
• Important to be conscious of signals sent and received

Time

Monochronic culture

• Highly scheduled cultures,
• People focus on clock,
• Plan their time; avoid wasting it
• Time communicates importance,
• Lots of importance placed on punctuality
• Poor schedule adherence is interpreted as arrogance or incompetence
• If you live in the United States, Canada, or Northern Europe, you live in a monochronic culture.

Polychronic culture

• People focus on relationships
• Disregard clocks and planners
• Schedule and agendas are viewed as goals, not binding
• Promptness is not as important as completing a human interaction
• As a result, interruptions will delay appointments
• Forcing someone to wait is not intended as an insult
• If you live in Latin America, the Arab part of the Middle East, or sub-Sahara Africa, you live in a polychronic culture.

Voice Qualities: Stress and Volume

• Stress—emphasis given to one or more words
  I’ll give you a raise.
  “…another supervisor wouldn’t”
• I’ll give you a raise.
  “…yes, but I really don’t agree”
• I’ll give you a raise.
  “…nobody else gets one”
• I’ll give you a raise.
  “…but just one”
• I’ll give you a raise.
  “…but nothing else you want”
• I’ll give you a raise.
  “…you deserve it”
• I’ll give you a raise.
  “…the raise will please both of us”

Personal space - distance one likes between self and others

• Lots:
  North Americans - North Europeans - Asians
• Little:
  Arabs - Latin Americans - French - Italians
• Some people more comfortable with touch than others

The middle finger in west may mean another thing in the east. A clip of the best and fascinating gestures from around the world, taken from BBC documentary the human animal- language of the body.

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Portions attributed to Locker, Kitty O. and Donna Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication, 8/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2008.

Individual Presentations: Dates, Running Order, etc.

Presentation Dates and Running Order

November 8:

1. Tom F
2. Alex R
3. Brandon P
4. Megan F
5. Jon Z
6. Chad C
7. Carolyn S
8. Jim M
9. Lindsay H
10. Greg E
11. Westin B
12. Mohammed A

November 15:

1. Meghan L
2. Adam W
3. Ted C
4. Jawaher A
5. Devin W
6. Dan H
7. Kevin M
8. Luke R
9. Pat L
10. Andrew H
11. Ahmed A
12. Dan R

(You must attend class, even if you are not presenting. There will be NO opportunity for makeup presentations)

Individual Oral Presentation Assignment

For your oral presentation, you must present technical information to a general audience. Your topic must somehow be related to business in general, and may be about a subject you’re already familiar with, or if you wish, you may research and report on a new topic. However, your report must focus on a business process (such as a policy change, a marketing campaign, etc.). DO NOT simply describe the business (e.g. its history) or what they make, do, or sell, etc. In other words, describe how something works, don’t simply describe what they do. Inform and educate your audience.

Parameters

• Your talk should be between 4-6 minutes in length (too long and too short are equally bad)
• Your talk must include some form of visual reinforcement, but choose the medium carefully (PowerPoint, Web pages, handouts, etc.). Remember, a great PowerPoint presentation can (and should) enhance the program (not be the program). A poor (or over done) one can ruin it.
• If you read your presentation (from your notes, or worse, straight from your PowerPoint slides) the grade can be no higher than a B.
• A laptop (WinXP with Internet access, MS Office, etc.) and projector will be provided. You may also use your own laptop if you prefer.
• You do not need to dress up, but please remove caps, sunglasses, etc.

Grading Criteria

The eight Aspects of Business Communication will form the basis of your evaluation. “Self-expression” covers traditional oral presentation skills, and “Visual impression” includes how well your visuals are designed AND how well they are integrated into your talk. “Language use” includes how well you use “conversational” language. Introductions and conclusions are important (“Organization”), as is remembering a brief oral outline/frame.

Cautions:

• Analyze, don’t describe. Make sure you answer “why” and “how” instead of “what,” etc.
• Beware of trying to do too much, but look closely – don’t be superficial.
• Do not assume that presentations that precede yours are models for you to copy.
• Pay close attention to the organization and pacing of your talk. Remember, “timing is everything.”

Nov 1: Team Report Project

Teams:

1. Pat L., Alex R., Devin W., Jon Z.
2. Westin B., Ted C., Megan F., Andrew H.
3. Mohammed A., Kevin M., Dan R., Carolyn S.
4. Ahmed A., Lindsay H., Jim M., Brandon P.
5. Jawaher A., Greg E., Meghan L., Adam W.
6. Chad C., Tom F., Dan H., Luke R.

Steps in Report Writing

Proposals and reports depend on research. The research may be as simple as pulling up data with a computer program or as complicated as calling many different people, conducting focus groups and surveys, or even planning and conducting experiments. Care in planning, proposing, and researching reports is needed to produce reliable data.

In writing any report, use these five steps.

1. Define the problem
2. Gather necessary data
3. Analyze the data
4. Organize the information
5. Write the report

Academic vs. Business Writing (Academic Center and the University of Houston-Victoria)

Formal reports contain formal elements such as a title page, a transmittal, a table of contents, and a list of illustrations. Informal reports may be letters and memos or even computer printouts of production or sales figures. But all reports, whatever their length or degree of formality, provide the information that people in organizations need to make plans and solve problems.

• Writing at work focuses on problem solving.
• Work-related writing targets multiple audiences with different perspectives.
• Writing at work may be read by unknown readers.
• Writing produced at work can be used indefinitely and can be used in legal proceedings.
• The format for work documents varies greatly from the format for academic documents

Team reports: Task

Write a short to medium length formal report to the director of marketing explaining whether Martha’s Kitchen should develop an Internet presence, and if so, to what extent
(i.e. should they offer online sales, promote existing products or offer expanded services, etc.) You will need some solid figures about the demographics of Internet users, their surfing habits, the types of products they purchase online, and growth trends in online commerce.

Report Components

Generally, a report will include the following sections:

• Title Page
• Exeutive Summary / Abstract
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Body
  - Purpose
  - Scope
  - Background
• Recommedations
• References
• Appendices

Reports can be called information reports if they collect data for the reader such as sales and quarterly reports. Analytical reports interpret data but do not recommend action. They include annual, audit, and make-good or pay-back reports. Recommendation reports recommend action or a solution and can include feasibility, justification, and problem-solving reports.

Title page

• Introduction
• Background
• Discussion of the Problem
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Works Cited

Cover page

Title

Table of Contents

Introduction

• prepares readers for the discussion that follows

Most introductions contain three parts:

1. Purpose

• What did your research discover or prove?
• What kind of problem did you work on?
• Why did you work on this problem?
• Why are you writing this report?
• What should the reader know or understand?

2. Scope

• How did you work on the research problem?
• Why did you work on the problem the way you did?
• Were there other obvious approaches you could have taken to this problem? What were the limitations you faced that prevented your trying other approaches?
• What factors contributed to the way you worked on this problem? What factor was most important in deciding how to approach the problem?

3. Background Information

• What facts does the reader need to know in order to understand the discussion that follows?
• Why was the project authorized or assigned?
• Who has done previous work on this problem?
• What theory or model informed your project?
• What facts are already known that support or don’t fit the theory?
• What will the reader know about the subject already and what will you need to tell them so they can understand the significance of your work?

Body

Discussion of the Problem
Conclusions
Recommendations

• Part One: “Theories, Models”
• Part Two: “Materials, Methods”
• Part Three: “Presenting Data”
• Part Four: “Interpreting Data”

Conclusion

• A very short section that introduces no new ideas.
• Important because it is your last chance to convey the significance and meaning of your research
• It is also a place to raise questions that remain unanswered and to discuss ambiguous data.
• The conclusions you draw are opinions, based on the evidence presented in the body of your report,
• …but because they are opinions you should not tell the reader what to do or what action they should take.
• Save discussion of future action for your section on recommendations.

Appendices & Index

Using & Documenting Sources

Works Cited

• Citation—attributing an idea or fact to its source in report body
• Documentation—listing bibliographic information readers would need to locate original sources

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Content in part attributed to Locker, Kitty O. and Donna Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication, 8/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2008, and The Owl at Purdue University.

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Oct 25 (Ch 10): Oral Presentation Basics

Oral Presentations

Your presentation will have these main parts:

1. Opener
2. Introduction w/ Overview
3. 3-4 Key Points (Signposts)
4. Summary
5. Conclusion

1. Plan A Strong Opening & Closing

• Points of emphasis
• Interest audience and emphasize key points
• Talk from notes
• Write out opener and closer

Four Strong Openers

1. Startling statement
2. Narration or anecdote
3. Question
4. Quotation

2. Introduction w/ Overview

Don’t forget to introduce yourself…
Give an overview of the presentation…

• Tell what you’ll cover first, second, and third
• Helps audience know what to expect
• Prepares audience for tracking and remembering your points
• Offers clear signpost as you end each point

3. Signposts

Give your presentation using clear signposts:

Match what you told your audience in your introduction (remember above: "Tell what you’ll cover first, second, and third")

• Key point #1
  - Supporting information
  - Supporting information
• Key point #2
  - Supporting information
  - Supporting information
• Key point #3
  - Supporting information
  - Supporting information

4. Summary

Summarize your presentation… give a fast review of what you just talked about (repeat what you told above: "Tell what you’ll cover first, second, and third")

• Key point #1
• Key point #2
• Key point #3

5. Conclusion

• Thank your audience for their participation
• Offer to answer any questions they might have

Overcoming Fear

• MOST IMPORTANT!! Be prepared
• Use only normal amount of caffeine
• Avoid alcoholic beverages
• Re-label your nerves

Effective Delivery: Notes

• Put notes on cards or sturdy paper
• Jot down details, examples you’ll use
• Indicate where you’ll refer to visual
• Look at notes rarely
• Hold notes high

PowerPoint Design Tips*

• The goal is improved learning
• Be conservative – keep it simple
• Use lots of white space
• Use contrast (dark-on-light or light-on-dark)
• Design from top left to bottom right
• People see graphics first, then text
• Use large font size – min 18 or 24 pts
• Limit use of boldface, italics, and underlining
• Don’t write in all upper case letters
• Use common fonts (Verdana, Arial, etc,)
• No more than two fonts on a screen
• Be concise with text
• One concept per slide
• Plan on spending about 2 minutes per slide
• Limit use of special effects
• Use background patterns wisely
• Use high quality original media
• Edit files to a meaningful length

*Teaching Well with PowerPoint, University of Notre Dame, 2/6/2004, http://www.nd.edu/~learning/powerpoint/designtips.pdf

Things to work on…

• Speak clearly… articulate
• Don’t rush… slow down…
• Speak up…

More things to work on…

• Don’t lean on the podium…
• Don’t read off the slides or cards…
• Present TO your audience (not the screen)

A few more things to work on…

• Maintain eye contact…
• PowerPoint must be readable…
• Be confident…

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Presentation Basics**

1. Informative presentations inform or teach the audience.
2. Persuasive presentations motivate the audience to act or to believe.
3. Goodwill presentations entertain and validate the audience.
4. Most oral presentations have more than one purpose.

A written message makes it easier to present extensive or complex information and to minimize undesirable emotions.

• Oral messages make it easier to…
  - use emotion,
  - to focus the audience's attention,
  - to answer questions and resolve conflicts quickly,
  - to modify a proposal that may not be acceptable in its original form,
  - and to get immediate action or response.

In both oral and written messages, you should

• Adapt the message to the specific audience.
• Show the audience how they benefit from the idea, policy, service, or product.
• Overcome any objections the audience may have.
• Use you-attitude and positive emphasis.
• Use visuals to clarify or emphasize material.
• Specify exactly what the audience should do.

An oral presentation needs to be simpler than a written message to the same audience.

• In a monologue presentation, the speaker plans the presentation in advance and delivers it without deviation.
• In a guided discussion, the speaker presents the questions or issues that both speaker and audience have agreed on in advance. Rather than functioning as an expert with all the answers, the speaker serves as a facilitator to help the audience tap its own knowledge.
• An interactive presentation is a conversation using questions to determine the buyer's needs, probe objections, and gain provisional and then final commitment to the purchase.

Adapt your message to your audience's beliefs, experiences, and interests.

• Use the beginning and end of the presentation to interest the audience and emphasize your key point.
• Use visuals to seem more prepared, more interesting, and more persuasive.
• Use a direct pattern of organization. Put your strongest reason first.
• Limit your talk to three main points. Early in your talk-perhaps immediately after your opener-provide an overview of the main points you will make.
• Offer a clear signpost as you come to each new point. A signpost is an explicit statement of the point you have reached.

To calm your nerves as you prepare to give an oral presentation,

• Be prepared. Analyze your audience, organize your thoughts, prepare visual aids, practice your opener and close, check out the arrangements.
• Use only the amount of caffeine you normally use.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages.
• Relabel your nerves. Instead of saying, "I'm scared," try saying, "My adrenaline is up."
• Adrenaline sharpens our reflexes and helps us do our best.

Just before your presentation…

• Consciously contract and then relax your muscles, starting with your feet and calves and going up to your shoulders, arms, and hands.
• Take several deep breaths from your diaphragm.

During your presentation,

• Pause and look at the audience before you begin speaking.
• Concentrate on communicating well.
• Use body energy in strong gestures and movement.
• Convey a sense of caring to your audience by making direct eye contact with them and by using a conversational style.
• Treat questions as opportunities to give more detailed information than you had time to give in your presentation.
• Link your answers to the points you made in your presentation.

Repeat the question before you answer it if the audience may not have heard it or if you want more time to think. Rephrase hostile or biased questions before you answer them.

The best group presentations result when the group writes a very detailed outline, chooses points and examples, and creates visuals together. Then, within each point, voices trade off.

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**Content attributed to Locker, Kitty O. and Donna Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication, 8/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2008.

Oct 11: Negative Messages

Negative Messages

• Information conveyed is negative
• Audience’s reaction is negative
  - Message does not benefit them
  - Usually they experience disappointment or anger
• Varieties
  - Rejections, refusals
  - Policy changes not benefiting customer
  - Poor performance appraisals
  - Disciplinary notices
  - Insulting, intrusive requests
  - Product recalls

Purposes...

Primary

• To give audience negative news
• To have audience read, understand, and accept message
• To maintain as much goodwill as possible

Secondary

• To build good image of communicator
• To build good image of communicator’s organization
• To avoid future messages on same subject
• Want audience to feel
  - They have been taken serious
  - Your decision is fair and reasonable
  - If they were in your situation, they would make the same decision

Organizing Negative Messages: Clients and Customers

1. When you have a reason that the audience will understand and accept, give the reason before the refusal
2. Give the negative information, just once
3. Present an alternative or compromise
4. End with positive forward-looking statement

Organizing Negative Messages: Superiors

1. Describe problem clearly
2. Tell how it happened
3. Describe the options for fixing it
4. Recommend a solution and ask for action

Organizing Negative Messages: Peers and Subordinates

1. Describe problem objectively, clearly
2. Present an alternative or compromise
3. Ask for input or action, if you can
   - May suggest helpful solutions
   - Audience may accept outcomes better

Context Crucial In Messages

• Do you and audience have good bond?
• Does organization treat people well?
• Has audience been warned about possible negatives?
• Has audience accepted criteria for decision?
• Do follow-ups build goodwill?

Parts of Negative Messages

• Subject lines
• Buffers
• Reasons
• Refusals
• Alternatives
• Endings

Parts: Subject Lines

• Put the topic, not the specific negative
• Use negative subject lines when the audience—
  - May ignore message
  - Needs information to act
• Keep in mind not everyone reads all their messages
  - Be cautious of neutral subject lines

Parts: Buffers

• Buffer—neutral or positive statement that delays the negative
• Use a buffer when—
  - Audience values harmony
  - Buffer serves another purpose
  - You can write good buffer

Parts: Reasons

• Clear, convincing reasons precede refusal
  - Prepare audience for refusal
  - Help audience accept refusal
• Don’t hide behind company policy
  - Show how policy benefits audience
  - If no benefit, omit policy from message

Parts: Refusals

• Put refusal in ¶ with reason to deemphasize
• Imply—don’t state—refusal if you can
• Make it crystal clear
• Finalize message on subject
  - Don’t write 2nd message to say no

Parts: Alternatives and Endings

• Offers way to get what audience wants
• Shows you care about audience’s needs
• Returns audience’s psychological freedom
• Allows you to end on positive note
• Best endings look to future
• Avoid insincere endings:
  Please let us know if we can be of further help.

Tone in Negative Messages

• Tone—implied attitude of the author toward the audience and subject
• Show you took request seriously
• Use positive emphasis and you-attitude
• Think about visual appearance
• Consider timing of message
  

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Content attributed to Locker, Kitty O. and Donna Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication, 9/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2010.