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Communicating for Change in the New Economy
Communication: A transactional and relational process involving the meaningful exchange of information
Good communication skills make good business sense. Strong communication skills benefits employees and the companies they work for. HR specialists and business leaders increasingly look for new hires that have good communication skills
Effective communication nurtures collaborative and creative workplaces; builds credibility, accountability, and relationships; increases efficiency, workflow, and productivity; enhances problem-solving and decision-making, and creates wealth
Top skills for entry-level hires: collaboration/teamwork skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, analytical capabilities, resiliency
Soft skill: A social, interpersonal, self-management, or language skill that complements a person’s technical skills
Hard skill: A technical skill (know-how and abilities) that a person requires for a specific job

The Knowledge Economy
Canada’s economy no longer based on raw materials and manufacturing; it is now knowledge-based, information is a valuable commodity
Practice of collecting, analyzing, and comparing large data sets, and identifying patterns in them to better understand consumer preferences, forecast trends, and attune strategies, products, and services, is increasingly common in businesses large and small
73 of surveyed businesses reported gaining value from the data and artificial intelligence (AI) projects they launched in marketing, customer-relationship management, data sharing, human resources and hiring, and security enhancement
Companies also rely on competitive intelligence, the practice of deriving data insight from external sources to gain a competitive advantage by utilizing information about a competitor’s products, services, and customers to make business decisions ~ ex. The Toronto Raptors front office has drawn insights from big data since 2016, when it partnered with IBM
Technologies make knowledge and information more accessible
Workers need to find, evaluate, process, and communicate information
Insight economy
Data-driven approach to business
Competitive intelligence used to make decisions
Shared workspaces and intranets allow employees to share insider information

Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility
Corporations now have great power and influence; 42 of the 100 largest economies in the world are companies, not countries
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A company’s voluntary contributions to sustainable development through the support of non-profit organizations and/or the creation of socially conscious corporate policies
CSR movement was born in the 1990s amid concerns over environmental catastrophes (such as the sinking of the Exxon Valdez), the first sustainability reports from forward-looking companies such as Ben & Jerry’s, and the emergence of the anti-globalization movement
The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) asks companies to embrace, support, and enact core values related to human rights, labour standards, environmental protections, and anti-corruption
CRS reporting is increasingly important. It strengthens reputation, links with stakeholders, stakeholder value, investor appeal, and financial performance
Sustainable development: Economic development that maintains natural resources for future generations and recognizes the relationship between economic, social, and environmental issues

Business on a Global Scale
Globalized economy due to new technologies and outsourcing
Companies compete and operate across international markets
Increased foreign investment in Canada and Canadian companies
Skills in intercultural communication are crucial
The globalized business structure provides new opportunities as well as challenges for Canadian workers and their organizations
Canadian products must compete in international markets brands we may think of as 100 per cent Canadian may in fact be produced, in whole or in part, in other countries
Ex. Canadian aerospace and transportation giant Bombardier has facilities in 28 countries
The need to explore new and emerging markets, negotiate, buy and sell overseas, market products, and enter into joint ventures is anchored in effective communication with people from around the world; without this communication, none of these functions could be accomplished
The ability to communicate across cultural differences, time zones, and language barriers and to exercise intercultural sensitivity by respecting differences in customs, lifestyles, religions, and business etiquette ~ is crucial to business success in this new global economy

More Diverse Employee Base
Embracing diversity = greater productivity and competitive advantage
Diversity: Differences among people with respect to gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religious belief, and physical ability, which are to be acknowledged, valued, and celebrated in today’s workplace
Canada’s diverse, multi-generational workforce is not simply the outcome of Canada’s success in attracting talented immigrants or in cultivating social responsibility through fair and equitable employment policies
Matter of good economic sense, as companies capitalize on talents, expertise, creativity, and strengths across diverse groups to obtain greater productivity and competitive advantage.
A company’s human capital, or the individuals that make up an organization, either fuel or curb its success and are arguably its greatest asset
RBC Financial Group refers to this practice as “the diversity advantage” and cites it as a defining business trend in the twenty-first century
Demographic makeup of most workplaces and the interactions brought about by a worldwide economy makes promoting diversity an important component of management

Growing Millennial and Gen Z Workforce
Millennials + Gen Z = 64 of Canada’s workforce by 2020
Prefer to work from home ~ gig company
Work preferences: financial rewards and benefits; flexible work hours; work-life balance; ongoing learning, coaching, and real-time feedback; fulfillment – be themselves and develop strengths; being kept in the loop – access to information
Millennials: born between 1981 and 1996; 1/3 of Canada’s population
Gen Z: born in 1997 or after
Gig economy: a labor market characterized by a high number of freelance and contract jobs
Millennials are also known for their willingness to work in teams, communicate openly with managers, embrace new communication technologies, and change jobs frequently, in fact twice as often as previous generations, in order to achieve career goals
70 per cent of millennials prefer to work from home, making telecommuting, mobile offices, online collaboration tools, and cloud software more than just passing trends
If this new generation of employees has a personality, it could be summed up as the Pew Research Center has described it: confident, connected, and open to change

Teamwork Environments
Creativity demands different work modes and types of technology
Collaboration through cross-functional teams, in which individuals with different areas of expertise come together to share information for a common goal
Makes the most of a workforce’s creative potential by increasing individual involvement in decision-making and project development
Cross-functional teams: individuals with different areas of expertise come together to share information for a common goal
21st century business is conducted by teams
Collaboration helps drive growth and innovation
IT enables remote, virtual teamwork
Teamwork requires good communication and interpersonal skills
Training helps teams boost performance, manage conflict, and communicate openly
Digital Connectivity
Extensive impact on business communication, relationships, marketing, productivity
Web 3.0 will transform business (sales, marketing, product development) with its unprecedented ability to connect and communicate with customers; real-time analytics
Business-to-business (B2B) apps are used to support an organization’s internal business processes such as customer-relationship management, warehouse management, and salesforce automation
Business-to-consumer (B2C) apps fulfill different needs: content-oriented apps, such as Twitter and IM+, answer the need for information, communication, entertainment, and socialization; marketing-oriented apps promote brands and target them to young, digitally native demographics
Productivity apps: note-taking apps, business-planning apps, file-synching apps, and virtual assistant apps

New Economics
Attention Economy: new currency, always at a premium, and measured in views, tags, likes, followers
Distracting Economy: drawing consumers’ attention from one source to another
Share (peer) Economy: access to resources, not ownership – sharing, renting, swapping, gifting, lending, bartering
Place a monetary value on access to assets, they enable people who control that access to become part-time entrepreneurs
Though capital, labour, information, and knowledge are plentiful, attention is scarce, and businesses must compete and manage information strategically to attract it
Internet and social media have made information glut and overload a central fact of daily experience.
Surging volumes of content bring endless choices about what to view, read, listen to, and know.
For businesses and their stakeholders, getting attention quickly and memorably and forging connections and affinities online matters more now than it has ever before.
Share economy app-based services such as Airbnb (accommodation), Lyft (ride sharing), and TaskRabbit (micro jobs) have disrupted previously regulated taxi, car-rental, and hotel industries.
Because share economies place a monetary value on access to assets, they enable people who control that access to become part-time entrepreneurs

Professionalism and Employee Engagement
Professionalism: demonstrating the competence and/or skill expected from a professional
Employee Engagement: employee’s genuine enthusiasm for and commitment to their work and organization

Professional Boundaries and Behaviours
Personal: emotional, physical and mental limits individuals establish to protect themselves from harm and to set their thoughts and feelings apart from those of other people
Professional: emotional, physical and mental limits that define what employees should and should not do and how they should be treated in the workplace
Relationships are defined by the boundaries we set to map out what is acceptable behaviour and what is off-limits in particular contexts
Boundaries create transparency and help build strong, respectful relationships
Professional boundaries help employees work safely, comfortably, and productively
Recognizing and respecting boundaries helps people work together more effectively, and it helps build an environment of transparency in which there is less chance of stress, blame, or bullying
Defining and establishing professional boundaries begins with recognizing the limits of your personal boundaries
Requires you to understand the guidelines your organization has set to regulate how you will behave toward others and how others will behave toward you
Be aware of how professional boundaries relate to communication: organizational rules and regulations (-/+ sanctions); norms (obligations that must be met); cognition (ways of thinking); individualized self-regulation (self-control)
Set professional boundaries: read job description and employment manual; reflect on personal values; talk to supervisors and superiors; observe workplace culture and how other interact
Crossing professional boundaries can have negative results: causes confusion, conflict, embarrassment, loss of respect and reputation; shifts attention off-task and away from a customer’s needs; disrupts co-worker relationships; lowers morale

Teamwork
Team: a group whose members have complementary skills and work toward a common mission or goal
Team orientation is a sought-after skill
Teams are the foundation of organizational life
Teams help organizations perform crucial functions, including meeting work needs, realizing specific outcomes, and sustaining a competitive advantage.
Teams are essential because of their capacities in accomplishing projects too large or too complex to be completed by individuals
Project Teams: formed on a time-limited basis; function to perform specific tasks
Cross-Functional Teams: bring together members from different departments or sectors
Intact Standing Teams: exist as ongoing organizational units
Virtual Teams: collaborate within online environments; overcome time/space barriers that challenge more conventional teams

Stages in Team Development


Ethics & Legal Responsibilities
Business Ethics: the socially accepted moral principles and rules of business conduct
Company code of ethics: upholds important company values; sentizes managers and staff how to behave
polices, procedures and training: provide guidance during crises or times of change; strengthen brand image and company reputation; may provide legal benefits
Create marketplace advantage, enhance employee performance, promote a strong public image, prevent legal challenges, avoid huge sums in legal fees, and provide incentive for leniency in legal proceedings

Privacy in the Workplace
“the claim of individuals, groups or institutions to determine for themselves when, how and to what extent information about them is communicated to others”
In Canada, the Privacy Act explains how federally regulated public bodies can collect, use, and disclose individuals’ personal information
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) applies to commercial transactions in the private sector and organizations that are federally regulated, include:
name, age, ID numbers such as a Social Insurance Number (SIN), income, ethnic origin
bank account number, credit records, loan records, transaction histories, tax returns
medical records, employee personnel files, and even voiceprints and fingerprints
Canada’s 2015 Digital Privacy Act requires organizations to notify affected individuals when a privacy breach has occurred and poses significant harm.
Governments and businesses collect such a wide array of information, compliance with PIPEDA has implications for communications practices at every level
Fair employers have clear policies that tell their employees exactly what personal information can be collected and how it will be used
Employees should be well advised of web, e-mail, and social media policies, random surveillance, and any monitoring of their Internet use

Oral Presentations
An informative or a persuasive speech delivered using only notes and visual aids to guide the speaker’s performance ~ simple structure, specific purpose, clear main idea
Need to keep audience in mind and use organizational strategies to develop effective oral presentations
Deliver your message for easy comprehension and retention—simple structure, specific purpose, make main idea clear
Make sure your listeners know what to do next

Analyzing the Audience
Essential to keep your audience’s needs, expectations, and perspective in mind if you hope to connect with them and achieve your purpose
Level of audience assessment depends on whether you are speaking to colleagues, visitors, or outsiders
Analyze by asking:
Why are they there?
What do they expect?
What is their attitude?
Will decision-makers be in audience?
How can you counter resistance?
Are there tensions within the audience?
What do they know already?
How will topic appeal to the audience?
What questions will they want answered?


Analyzing the Situation
What is the purpose of your presentation? What underlying concern has necessitated it?
What level of formality does your organization expect in oral presentations?
In what surroundings will you make your presentation?
Is the setting formal or informal?
How large is the room? Will it be equipped with a microphone or PA system? What are the acoustics and seating arrangements like?
What are the visual-aid facilities, and how are they placed relative to the audience?
How much time has been allotted for your presentation? How long will listeners expect you to speak?
Is your presentation the prime attraction (the only presentation to be given) or will there be presentations from other speakers?
How does your presentation tie in with the actions or topics of other participants?
What will happen before and after your presentation?
Setting:
Formal or informal?
Equipment, acoustics, seating?
Time (how long and when during the day)?

Structuring Presentations
Simple structure is best — keeps audience from getting lost
3 to 5 main ideas
3 common structures:
Logical
Build your points sequentially
use signpost words (my first point, my next point) to guide listeners
Narrative
Tell a story
Provides way to ground statistics and other abstract info
Must be well told, interesting, and relevant to objective
Formal
Intro: Tell them what you will say
Body: 3 main points
Conclusion: Tell them what you said
Repetitive to aid with comprehension and retention

Developing a 3-Part Presentation: Introduction
State unexpected statistic or fact or point out an intriguing aspect of your topic
Ask a question that raises on issue you will address
Display a key visual aid or perform a demonstration ~ one involves the audience
Cite a relevant quotation
Tell a joke or an anecdote, but only if it is fresh, appropriate and relevant to the situation
Arouse interest
Use a fact, question, demonstration, joke, or quotation
Introduce yourself and establish credibility
Make your purpose clear
Preview your main points

Developing a 3-Part Presentation: Body
Present info with context and analysis
Use fresh information
Give specific examples
Anticipate questions and give answers
Clearly announce each point
Various ways to organize info, depending on material and purpose:

Chronological
Topical/logical
Spatial
Journalistic Questions
Problem-solution
Exclusion of alternatives
Causal order
Comparison/contrast
Pro-con
Process


Developing a 3-Part Presentation: Conclusion

Restate main points
Return to first point
Challenge or call to action
Ask a question

Using Visual Aids
Keep them simple and consistent
Use sparingly
Focus is on you, not visuals
Give each visual a title
Proofread

Methods of Delivery
Script
Extensive or complex data, with no margin for misinterpretation
Read the whole thing
Maintain eye contact
Intonation important; mark script where special expression required
Memorization
Can enliven connection but can backfire—lack of recall, slip-ups, repetitive expressions
May be better to memorize general shape of presentation, key points, opening remarks rather than word-for-word
Impromptu
Informal
Spur-of-the-moment
A few pleasant, well-chosen remarks, delivered in less than two minutes, are usually all that is required
Extemporaneous
A combination of thoughtful preparation and spontaneity
Somewhere between ad-libbing and reading aloud

Team-Based Presentations

Decide who will cover which topic
Decide how group will be governed
Establish ground rules
Develop deadlines
Decide how to handle questions
Allow time for rehearsals and prep
Appoint someone to introduce speakers
Use transitions and bridges between speakers
Adhere to time limits for each speaker


Types of Meetings
Purposeful and organized
Internal or external
Formal (Robert’s Rules of Order) or informal
Can be good for individual’s profile
Can also be good for groups by bringing leaders to the forefront, providing networking opportunities, and strengthening staff and client relations
Internal meeting: A meeting that involves only personnel from within an organization
External meeting: A meeting that involves outsiders in addition to company personnel
Formal meeting: A scheduled meeting that operates according to a pre-set agenda under guided leadership for the purposes of achieving specific goals
Informal meeting: A small, sometimes unscheduled meeting that may operate without strict rules

Preparing for a Meeting
Purpose
Define the purpose of the meeting
Distribute an agenda or supporting materials at least two days in advance
Alternatives
Could email or phone call replace meeting?
Participants
Limit to most essential people—decision makers, implementors, people with key info
Problem-solving most effective in groups of 5 to 15
Location
Depends preferred environment, how well participants get along, how much space you need, and whether you need to be seen as being in control
Table and seating arrangement should enhance the flow of information and ideas
Scheduling
Time should be convenient to key decision-makers or fit in with personal working styles
Meetings of more than two hours should include a short break (5-10 minutes)
Agenda
Written document distributed in advance that sets the order of business for a meeting

Making Calls
Identify yourself
When call someone who does not know you, give your name and identify the organization you represent
Be courteous and attentive
Give your full attention
Plan ahead
Plan what you will say
Visualize the person to whom you will be speaking
Leave clear messages
Leave your name (including the correct spelling, if necessary), business title, company name, phone number, and a brief message (including the best time to reach you)
Mind your manners
Return calls
Place calls when others are likely to receive them
End professionally
As the caller, it is your responsibility to close the conversation

Receiving Calls
Answer promptly
Within two or three rings
Identify yourself clearly
full name and department affiliation
Use proper telephone language
Positive and appropriate— do not say Hang on a sec, say May I put you on hold; do not say Who is this? say May I ask who’s calling, please?
Be professional when answering a call intended for a colleague
Don’t give out information that might embarrass a co-worker
Indicate when the person will be available to take the call
Putting calls on hold
Don’t leave the caller on hold for more than 30 or 45 seconds
Listen actively
Pay close attention to what the caller says and to what the caller’s tone of voice reveals
Learn to use your organization’s phone system
Lost or misdirected calls can result in frustration and lost business.
Ask for permission before you transfer a call,
Take accurate phone messages
Include name of the person for whom the message was left, the caller’s name, department, and company, the date and time, message and instructions if any

Dealing with the Media
Anticipate questions
Be aware of recent events
Know your story, practise telling it, and stick to it.
Crystallize story into no more than three key points or a few hard-hitting sentences
Try to relate the reporter’s questions to one or more of your key points
Tone defines the impression you make
Stay calm and be positive and helpful
Never overreact to a reporter’s attitude
Assess what information will be valuable to the reporter
Begin with a brief position statement to set the tone
Don’t get too technical
Avoid buzzwords and acronyms.
Use language that the reporter and the audience will understand
Speak in sound bites
Limit your answers to between five and twenty words
Short answers may help you get your message out more effectively
Tell the truth
Nothing is off the record
Be alert and on guard
Avoid speculating, making off-hand comments
Look your best but be yourself
Be engaged and show enthusiasm, using examples to enrich your story.
Let the reporter ask questions; don’t try to give all your information immediately

Communication Process
Situated: embedded in a particular environment or socio-cultural context
Relational: involves ability to interact effectively and ethically at a given moment
Transactional: exits as a co-operative activity in which people adapt to one another

Elements of Communication Process
Sender: form that the idea ultimately assumes its content, tone, emphasis, and organization ~ shaped by the sender’s context, knowledge, attitudes, background, and other assumptions based on the sender’s experience
Encoding: message can be encoded verbally or non-verbally in writing, speech, or gestures with the goal that it will eventually be understood
The sender must consider the receiver’s context, knowledge, attitudes, and communication skills and then choose the right code to convey the intended meaning.
Channel: delivery can be by spoken word, letter, memo, report, telephone, computer, voice, or gesture
Synchronous (i.e., communication take places directly, at the same time or in real time)
Asynchronous (i.e., information is stored or archived and accessed later so that sender and receiver do not need to be present at the same time).
Receiver: decodes the message ~ life experiences, knowledge, attitudes, and context can influence how they interpret and respond to the message
Feedback: the receiver’s discernible response to a message

Hierarchy of Media Richness


Interpersonal Communication
Reflect the emotional temperature of the relationships in a workplace – are constructed and sustained through differing levels of trust, control, intimacy, distance
Sharing meaning: Shared meaning occurs when there is similarity between the sender’s intentions and the receiver’s interpretation of a message
Meeting social goals: Examples include making acquaintance, gaining compliance, and reducing conflict
Managing personal identity: Personal identity distinguishes you from other people and has three dimensions: (i) who you think you are, as reflected in your values, beliefs, and attitudes; (ii) who other people think you are; and (iii) who you want others to think you are. In interpersonal communication, self is very important to the communication process
Conducting relationships: Interpersonal communication provides the means for managing our relationships
Emotional intelligence: The ability to be in touch with one’s emotions, manage one’s behaviors, and understand and respond to others’ emotions so as to foster strong interpersonal relationships
Emotional intelligence is essential to creating competent, appropriate, and ethical messages
Personal competence: the ability to stay in touch with your emotions and use this awareness to manage behavioural tendencies
Social competence: the ability to understand other people’s moods, motives, and behaviours in order to improve given relationships.
Self-awareness: your ability to perceive your emotions
Self-management: your ability to use your emotional awareness to stay flexible and direct your behaviour positively and productively
Social awareness: the ability to read emotions in other people
Relationship management: the ability to manage relationships through an awareness of your emotions and the emotions of others

Small-Group Communication

3 – 20 people
Participants interact freely
Pursue common goals
Links between people are vital
Project-planning meetings
3 people = 6 paths
4 people = 12 paths
5 people = 16 paths

Intercultural Communication
Management of messages between people/groups from different cultural backgrounds
Adapt communication to account for cultural differences in communication behavior, both verbal and non-verbal
Ex. E-mail sent from an English-speaking organization in Winnipeg to a supplier in Shanghai involves careful consideration of intercultural issues

Meta – Communication
Secondary communication – indirect cues about how a piece of information is meant to be interpreted ~ congruent or incongruent


Non-Verbal Communication
Communication that does not use words but takes place through, gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions to convey emotions, attitudes, greetings, and cues of status
55 from non-verbal cues
38 from voice quality
7 from the words that are spoken
Non-verbal skills and abilities fall into three general domains, all essential to achieving competence as a non-verbal communicator.
Developing non-verbal communication skills can help you “read” people and their attitudes, not just the words they speak or write, and make you a more effective and confident communicator.
Non-verbal cues are also an important source of feedback that can tell you how successful your communications are—what the mood of a group is, when the group has heard enough, and whether someone in the group would like to speak or raise a question.

Components of Non-Verbal Communication
Proxemics: the amount of space that individuals maintain between each other during a conversation or interaction according to their cultural backgrounds can lead to serious failures in communication explains why invading someone’s personal space
by standing too close or overstepping what is appropriate in a particular social context
can lead to misunderstanding and negative interpersonal perceptions
Chronemics: how people use and interpret time in non-verbal communication
time is a valuable commodity that is uniquely connected to status
how punctual a person is, how long someone is willing to listen or wait for a reply, the pace of speech or tempo of a conversation - are factors that influence the interpretation of that interaction
Paralanguage: acoustic or non-verbal vocal qualities of verbal communication, they can reveal underlying emotions are used to infer personality traits
Vocal Qualities: properties that make each voice unique – intonation, pitch, volume, speed or tempo, rhythm, emphasis or inflection
Vocal Characteristics: sounds that may be recognized as speech but that primarily express emotion – laughing, crying, yelling
Vocal Segregates: pauses or fillers (umm, ahh, you know) that punctuate but get in the way of fluent speech
Body language (kinesics): based on the assumption that all humans—consciously or unconsciously—act and react both verbally and with their bodies.
Non-verbal communication conveyed by gestures, posture, eye contact, and facial expressions
The meaning of these signals and their positive and negative value can shift depending on the receiver’s culture, personality, and experience
Gestures: Various hand and arm movements and specific body positions that express special meanings—often culturally determined. Most gestures convey unconscious messages on the sender’s part, so excessive
gesturing is a distraction that should be kept in check.
Types of gestures:
Emblems: easily translated into unequivocal verbal statements, e.g., waving goodbye or holding a palm outward to signal “stop.”
Illustrators: non-verbal behaviours that accompany speech and depict what is said verbally, e.g., wagging a forefinger at another person in a verbal interaction that involves reprimand or disagreement.
Affect displays: convey emotion, primarily through the face, e.g., a smile.
Regulators: control interaction, e.g., leaning forward to signal entry into a conversation.
Adaptors: body movements that aid in the release of bodily tension due to new or anxious situations, e.g., crossing your arms, running your hand through your hair, or tapping a pencil
Posture: Open body positions (arms uncrossed and away from the body, legs uncrossed, leaning forward) suggest ease, comfort, and agreement
Closed body positions (arms folded across the torso, legs close together or crossed, hands in pockets) may suggest defensiveness, a lack of receptivity, or discomfort
Eye contact: Meaning depends on degree, duration, and context (both interpersonally and culturally)
Direct and purposeful eye contact is a sign of honesty, sincerity, respect, and recognition
Facial expressions: There are six universally recognized facial expressions: happy, sad, afraid, surprised, angry, and disgusted. Most expressions are short-lived, but they can nonetheless indicate personality traits, judgements, attitudes, and emotional states
Image: Personal choices pertaining to such things as clothing and accessories can be communicators of professional identity and corporate culture

Essential Skills for Workplace Communication
Reading
Active listening
Pay attention to what is said
Interact with the speaker
Ask questions
Review and paraphrase points
Pay attention to non-verbal cues
Don’t tune out messages that don’t fit your values and beliefs

Informal & Formal Channels

Formal network
Establishes hierarchy or lines of communication
letters, memos, reports, proposals
informal network
individuals talking about work
gossiping, chatting, unofficial news



Communicating in a Global Economy
Global acquisitions, alliances, mergers, international markets, importing, exporting
Employees must overcome differences in language and culture
BELF (Business English as a Lingua Franca): variety of English for specific task-related purposes, learned as a second or even third language worldwide; simple, clear, free of idioms, anchored in serviceable business vocabulary
Lingua franca: a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different

Diversity in the Workplace

Acceptance of diversity
Internal benefits
External benefits
Multinational workforce
Opportunities
Challenges




Understanding Cultural Differences
Culture: learned, dynamic; influences values, our behaviour, our worldview, approaches to problem-solving, and thinking and reasoning patterns
always the potential for misunderstandings and, consequently, antagonisms to occur across cultural boundaries
Ethnocentrism: intensifies cultural misunderstanding and makes communication difficult
Cross-cultural competence: learned skill; becoming increasingly important in today’s workplaces

Defining Intercultural Communication
Refers to the management of messages between people and groups of different cultural backgrounds
Power distance: the degree to which less powerful members of a group expect and accept that power is distributed
Uncertainty avoidance: a society’s tolerance for ambiguity and comfort level with situations that are new, unstructured, or unknown
Individualism vs. collectivism: the degree to which people are integrated into groups and expected to take care of other
Masculinity vs. femininity: related to the societal distribution of emotional roles and values between genders
Short-term vs. long-term orientation: the degree to which societies are future-focused (long-term orientation) or anchored in the past or present (short-term orientation


High & Low Context Communication Styles
High-context cultures: Cultures in which communication depends not only on the explicit wording of a message but also on the message’s context—status, non-verbal cues, and setting shape meaning
Low-context cultures: Cultures that favour direct communication and depend on explicit verbal and written messages exclusive of context
Writing in Context: 4 Key Concepts
Contextual factors: situation, organization’s procedures, audience
Genre & Register: form of writing and level of formality required
Discourse communities: communicators who share a gold or interest in adopting a way of participating in a public discussion
Rhetorical Situation: the circumstances in which individuals communicate


Steps in the Writing Process
Prewriting: assessing the purpose, audience, and most appropriate channel for communication
Organizing & Outlining: mapping out the most strategic and logical arrangement of ideas and details
Drafting: writing the actual message by choosing the precise wording, the style, and organization that delivers information most strategically
Revising: process of reading over and reassessing your draft with a critical eye to ensure its information, wording, sentences, paragraph structure, audience focus, layout and come together a form a clear, concise, and readable message that is right for the context and accomplishes the goals
Editing & Proofreading: last chance for improving the look and sound (tone of the writing)

Prewriting
Process of gathering ideas and establishing the purpose, scope, audience, channel, and other details for a message
Help adapt the message to the situation and tailor it to readers’ needs
Identify the purpose
Estimate the scope of the subject
Consider the audience’s needs
Choose most effective design or layout
Select a communication channel
Collect information
Develop supporting points
Craft a story

Purpose
Reason for communicating and the objectives your message is meant to achieve. Most business communication has only one of two broad purposes: to inform (the most common purpose) or to persuade
Consider what you want your receivers to gain from your message and what their purposes for reading or listening may be (e.g., to receive instruction or notice or to evaluate).
How will they use the information?
Is there a particular result (e.g., a general response, a specific action, a change in attitude, approval for an initiative, or a decision) you are seeking from your audience?
Scope
Depth or breadth of a document’s coverage
Find balance between number of ideas and details
Follow instructions and company or industry standards for detail, length, format, visual elements
Confine message to information you can legally, ethically, access and disclose
Keep message scalability in mind
Use overview or preview statements, headings, to help readers navigate

Audience Profile
Is essential – it informs other decision you make as you create the document, including choice of channel, design, content, word choice and tone
What are their responsibilities and position?
Attitudes, interests, and questions?
What is your experience/relationship with them?
How much do they already know?
What is their likely response?
Are they international?
How will they use the document?

Medium or Channel
Physical means of transmission
Accuracy, speed, cost
Need for permanent record
Detail and importance of message
Privacy
Channel constraints
Size, location of audience
Level of formality
Immediacy of feedback
Richness of medium
Preferences of organization
Design or Layout

Clean lines, white space, no unnecessary elements
Consistent formatting, alignment, line spacing
Wide, even margins
Easy to read fonts
Sufficient contrast between text and background
Useful, well-placed headings
Adequate labels for visuals


Content Generation
Market research: process of gathering information about how people will react to current or proposed products and services
Research data or generate ideas for content
Informal idea-generation strategies
Brainstorming: free association, list ideas as they come to mind
Mapping/clustering: visual form of brainstorming, linking ideas into clusters
Asking questions: 5 W’s & H – who, what, where, when, why, how
Information sources
In-house: archived company records, documents, and files
Digital media: social media, websites, blogs, podcasts, video
Published sources: books, research studies, statistics
Market research: surveys, interviews, focus groups


Organizing & Outlining
Organizing and outlining process of arranging information for clarity and impact
Sequential development: method of organization that describes the arrangement of steps in a process
Chronological development: method of organization that describes events in the order in which they occurred.
General-to-specific development: method of organization that begins with general information on a topic followed by specific details.
Cause-and-Effect development: method of organization that links events with the reasons for them.
Outline: framework for a document, showing its divisions and elements

Writing Under Pressure
Allocate your time: consider how much time and energy you need to invest in writing your message relative to its purpose and importance
Keep distractions to a minimum: organize your writing area by setting out all the tools and resources you will need
Word-processing software: use the outline feature to brainstorm and organize an outline
Cut and paste to organize alternative ways of presenting information
Plan the structure: select a method of development to keep your information under control
Remember your reader: visualize your reader & explain difficult concepts by relating them to what is familiar and already known to your reader
Go with the flow: start with the section of your document that is easiest to write
Leave refinements for revision: writing doesn’t have to be perfect until it is time to send

Critiquing Other’s Writing

Build a safe environment

Stick to guidelines
Avoid criticism that could suppress responses
Be an attentive listener
Be sensitive when giving feedback
Feedbacks on content, style, and organization of the writing
Use the same skills to assess writing

Word Choice
Plain Style: values simplicity, directness, clarity
Acceptable to write in everyday language
Saves time and improves clarity
Endorsed by government, businesses, professions, and industries that value comprehensibility

Plain Style
Use common, everyday words
Use reasonable sentence lengths
Use the active voice and phrasal verbs
Place the subject as close as possible to the verb
Use personal pronouns
Use clear, unambiguous language
Word Choice | Step 1 – Use familiar Words
Plain style, avoid:
“ize”, and “ization” words
Use vs. utilize vs. utilization
Words derived from French
Start vs. commerce
Foreign words and phrases
Genuine vs. bona fide
Jargon not related to the field
Buzzwords

Word Choice | Step 2 – Use Fresh & Current Language
Modern and up-to-date, avoid:
Cliches

Going forward
Without further delay
Outside the box
Fiscal house in order
To be perfectly honest
Push the envelope

Slang

Greenback – US $
Schlepp – carry, haul

Text messages abbreviations, emotions, and emojis

Idk – I don’t know
B4 – before

Outdated business expressions

Word Choice | Step 3 – Keep Language Specific, Precise, Functional
Write with precision
Provide details using concrete nouns
Abstract: our company demands loyalty
Concrete: our company demands employee loyalty to corporate policy
Quantify facts and avoid vague statements
Vague: the stock is performing poorly
Specific: shares of grocerynet.com lost 15 of their market value in 2019
Use comparisons and analogies
Avoid ambiguous statements

Word Choice | Step 4: Practise Factual & Ethical Communication
Be reasoned, factual, and moderate in your judgements
Keep personal biases out of your workplace communication, and use only inclusive, non-discriminatory language
Consider the impact your communication has on others as well as yourself
Make sure the actions you endorse are legal and that your communication would reflect well on you if it were disclosed publicly
Consult qualified colleagues
Seek out experienced co-workers to help you navigate ethical minefields and find feasible solutions to the wording of important messages & documents
Avoid libellous language
Common law protects every person against libel – printed character defamation
Harmful and potentially libellous words include drunk, lazy, crazy, crooked, corrupt, incompetent, stupid, drug addict, maniac, and thief
Be timely and accurate in your communication
Avoid unjustified delays in replying or processing information
Retain print or electronic copies of important documents
Avoid untrue, deceptive or misleading statements
Good policy to back up any generalization qualified by entirely, completely, or always with supportive facts and evidence
Know what you can and cannot disclose to certain parties
Familiarize yourself with corporate disclosure practices and confidentiality agreements
Handle your organization’s intellectual property with care
Distinguish between fact and opinion
Let readers know the difference between unsubstantiated belief or conjecture and verifiable fact
Passing off an opinion as a fact is misleading and unethical
Don’t claim authorship of documents you have not written
Consequences of plagiarism are serious
Always acknowledge your sources through notes or citation
Never take credit for ideas that aren’t your own

Achieving Conciseness
Writing should be concise, complete, and polite
Be aware that “time is money”
Shorten as much as possible
Avoid sounding choppy, blunt, or rude
Wordy: please note that you are requested to read and offer your comments on the attached file
Terse: read this and get back to me
Concise and polite: please review and comment on the attached file
Eliminate long lead-ins

Revise noun conversions

Eliminate redundancies

Revise empty phrases

Use strong, precise verbs


Revise wordy prepositional phrases

Eliminate fillers

Reduce that/which/who clauses

Combine sentences; reduce, clauses, phrases


Tone
Implied attitude of the author to the subject and the reader, as reflected by word choice
Sets the mood of the message
Consistent and support content
Ranges from causal to formal
Depends on situation, purpose, channel of communication

Tune in to Word Connections
Cheap, inexpensive, cost-effective, low prices, thrifty, economical
Artificial, faux, synthetic, sham, fake, imitation, mock
Flexible, changeable, fickle, adaptable, compliant, resilient
Denotation: A word’s literal or dictionary definition.
Connotation: A word’s implied or associative meaning, often coloured by emotion
Ex. cheap vs. economical, fake vs. faux

Personal and Impersonal Styles
Personal style
Uses short sentences
Uses personal pronouns
Uses first names and personal references
Use of the active voice throughout
Impersonal style
Uses a mix of sentence lengths, including long sentences
Does not use personal pronouns
Does not use first names or personal references
Includes legitimate use of the passive voice


Be Positive
Make your message positive and reader friendly
Avoid negative wording

Emphasize what the reader can do

Use dependent clauses, passive voice to soften negative facts


Be Polite
Emotional language can provoke hostile reactions

Excessive politeness may sound cold

Phrase: group of words with either a subject OR a verb (not both)
Does not express a complete thought so cannot stand by itself as a sentence
Adding phrases to simple sentences makes them more interesting and complex
Clause: group of related words containing a subject and a verb; can be independent or dependent
Subject: word or group of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence that performs the action of a verb
Verb: word or group of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence that describes an action, an occurrence, or a state of being
Modifier: word or group of words that describes or gives more information about another word in a sentence
Independent clause: clause that functions as an independent grammatical unit
Grammatically complete and can stand on their own as sentences
Dependent (or subordinate) clause: clause that cannot function as an independent grammatical unit
Grammatically incomplete and reliant on independent clauses for their meaning

Types of Sentences


Improving Sentence Variety & Length
Use short and long sentences to vary rhythm
Turn a clause into a prepositional or participial phrase
Turn an independent clause into a relative clause
Covert a describing or defining sentence into an appositive

Improving Sentence Clarity
Avoid broad, vague references using this, that, it

Limit multiple negatives

Put dependent clauses at the beginning of a sentence, not the middle


Writing with Consistency

Number
Person
Verb tense
Voice


Writing Balanced Sentences
Parallelism: Using the same grammatical forms or sentence structures to express equivalent ideas
Use for lists, instructions, consecutive phrases, comparisons

Writing for Emphasis
Use eye-catching mechanical devices
Use style
De-emphasize unpleasant information
Use complex sentences
Embed unpleasant facts

Applying Active & Passive Voice
Use active voice to:
State good news nearly
Emphasize the person who performs the action
Use passive voice to:

De-emphasize negative news
Show tact and sensitivity
Reduce first person pronouns





Paragraph Length


Proofreading
Take a cooling period so you read with fresh eyes
Read slowly, word for word
Consider reading aloud to hear mistakes
Accuracy of names, facts, and figures
Appropriateness of format
Grammar
Spelling
Punctuation

Memorandums
Memo: a specially formatted document sent to readers within an organization

Reminders
Instructions
Records of actions /decisions
Data-gathering tools
Aids to problem-solving

E-mail brings the best of memo style to internal and external communication, using its time-saving format and straightforward approach while eliminating printing
Memos and e-mail are the workhorses of business communication
Indispensable aids to gathering
Sharing
Analyzing information about products
Day-to-day operations
Services
Stakeholders
Personnel
Single topic -> short and simple, to be read quickly -> two part structure (header: date, To, From, Subject, CC(Carbon Copy), BCC (Blind Carbon Copy), Message)

Memo Organization
Consider the facts and issues you must cover and anticipate your readers needs
Positive and neutral messages conveying routine or non-sensitive information can be organized
Must deliver bad news or write persuasively, start with the evidence
Readers are more likely to accept a decision, even a negative one, when they are prepared for it and know it is logical and well justified

E-mail
Advantages:
Quick production and transmission
Fosters collaboration
Not public
Disadvantages:
Include compromising information
Forwarded easily
Easy access can extend workday to 24hrs

General E-mail Guidelines
Keep it brief
Short message is most likely to be read fully
Long messages may end up being skimmed, marked to be read later, or simply forgotten
Consider using attachments or breaking up longer text (e.g., with headings) to visually highlight key messages
Include only as much information as recipients need to take action and make decisions
Remember that e-mail is not your only option
Strive for a balance between technology and human contact
Don’t use e-mail simply to avoid face-to-face contact, especially if you wish only to distance yourself from conflicts, arguments, or bad news
Match the situation to the correct communication channel
Compose crucial messages offline
Review messages, reduces the chance that they will be lost after technical issues
Follow organizational rules for e-mail
Some companies have standardized procedures for e-mail; some have only unwritten or loosely applied guidelines
If rules haven’t been established, allow the most effective messages you receive to guide you
Don’t use company e-mail for personal communication
Your organization’s resources shouldn’t be used to shop or send personal photos or personal messages
Though some companies allow their employees “reasonable personal use” of e-mail, others prohibit it
Sending personal e-mails and using the Internet for matters unrelated to business is risky and may have professional repercussions for you
Aim for a balance of speed and accuracy
E-mail readers are generally more tolerant of writing errors, but there are limits to allowances for incorrect spelling, poor grammar, and misused punctuation
Ensure that your spell-check software is set to the correct language, and review your messages to catch errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation before you hit “Send.”
Give important, non-routine e-mails with many recipients close and careful reading, and employ the same kinds of strategic planning and range of writing skills as you would for non-electronic documents
Involves the rapid exchange of information, let your readers’ needs be your guide, but don’t double or triple your composition time by putting every single word under the microscope.
Keep your messages professional
Only use emoticons and emojis in cases where you are mimicking the style of the person you’re communicating with, and only if the situation and your audience’s expectations truly call for them
State your business plainly in standard English. Use please and thank you for the sake of politeness, and adjust your tone if you want to sound friendlier
Use your e-mail system’s settings to add an electronic signature containing your name, professional title, and, if you like, other contact information or even a photo
Understand that e-mail is not guaranteed to be private
Even deleted e-mail can be retrieved, providing a permanent record of actions and decisions. It can be saved, archived, forwarded, and even used as legal evidence.
Some companies monitor employee e-mail.
Don’t write anything in an e-mail that you wouldn’t want published in the company newsletter
Don’t “write angry”
Avoid electronic aggression and flaming—firing back and venting anger via e-mail
Communicate contentious matters and sensitive issues through other channels, preferably ones with visual or tonal cues
If you have to deal with an angry e-mail, give yourself enough time to cool down and consider your response before you reply
Don’t send unnecessary messages
Don’t send trivial messages or ones that say merely “thank you” or “you’re welcome.” Respect your fellow e-mail users by putting a stop to time-wasting messages
With some exceptions, for example when a message just can’t wait, avoid sending e-mail late in the day or on weekends if it means the receiver’s time will be infringed upon without justification
Review the distribution list before sending an e-mail to ensure that it has been properly updated and that your message will reach only those recipients to whom it is relevant
Protect yourself and your company
Be aware of ownership and copyright issues and safeguard your organization’s intellectual property. Add a copyright symbol (©) to all corporate material intended for Internet posting
Keep your password and user ID confidential to ensure secure applications aren’t compromised
Fight spam by using anti-spam software that blocks unwanted messages and by not posting your e-mail address on web pages, where it can be easily copied by spammers
Exercise caution in opening any file attachment you suspect has been corrupted

Formatting and Writing E-mail
Type the e-mail address correctly
Rely on your electronic address book if you routinely leave out or mistype characters
Determine distribution and mailing lists beforehand so you can tailor messages to recipients’ specific needs
Add “CC” (copy feature) and “BCC” (blind copy feature) addresses accordingly.
Send copies only to people who have a legitimate need for your information and keep some e-mail addresses anonymous if recipients are likely to object to their circulation.
Compose an action-specific subject line.
Labels such as “URGENT” can be used from time to time when companies approve of them.
Be specific—for example, instead of “New Statement” (too general) write “Revised Quality Assurance Statement.”
If an action is needed, use a verb (e.g., “Complete Attached Survey”).
Revise reply subject lines when they no longer reflect the content of the message.
E-mails without subject lines are most likely to be deleted without being read.
Design messages for clarity and readability.
Apply reader-friendly formatting to make your e-mail quickly scannable.
Use a standard, professional font (e.g., Arial, Calibri).
Use headings, boldface, lists, and other formatting techniques to break up larger blocks of text into manageable segments.
Do not write messages in all caps.
Some platforms don’t show bold, italics, or underlining. In such cases, use asterisks (*) around a word to show italics and underscores (_) to show underlining.
Keep paragraphs and sentences short.
Keep text shorter than in regular word-processing documents.
Use double-spaced paragraph breaks for emphasis and readability.
Overall: use appropriate greetings, use lists where appropriate, include an automatic signature, get to the point, sign off with a complimentary close, follow rules for attachments

E-mail Style and Tone
Reply as promptly as possible
Modify your distribution list
Don’t automatically include the sender’s original message with your reply
Conversational style
Personal pronouns
Contractions
Active voice
Careful choice of tone
Re-read message before sending to avoid misunderstandings
Avoid indiscriminately forwarding e-mails
Make provision for absences from the office
Protect and respect authorship

Instant Messaging
Exchange of messages over the Internet between two or more users who are online simultaneously
Combines features of synchronous, real-time communication (face-to-face meetings, telephone calls) with traits more commonly identified with e-mail.
Guidelines

Understand when IM is appropriate
Limit abbreviations
Use sentence capitalization
Keep conversations to a few people
Inform people about your availability
Use “away” or “busy” notices
Be specific
Keep message brief
Use clear, consistent wording
Be cautious
Not appropriate with groups and managers


Limitations of the Indirect Strategy
May seem manipulative
Takes longer to read
Makes greater demands on reader’s time and patience

Using the Direct Writing Plan
Gentle approach not always needed
Some readers prefer directness – some messages demand it
Use direct approach when
Bad news is expected
Critical information must be presented clearly
The bad news is not serious or detrimental to reader
The company practice is directness
You are terminating the relationship
Direct writing plan for bad news
State the bad news simply
Provide an explanation the reader can accept
Offer an alternative if possible
Close with a goodwill statement
Avoid negative words and phrases

Limitations of the Direct Approach
Make your message polite without adding to its length, focus on using a tone that conveys respect and courtesy

Types of Bad News Messages

Refusing requests
Refusing claims
Refusing Credit
Turning down job applicants
Announcing bad news to employees
Declining invitations
Writing Persuasively
Persuasion: the process of gradually influencing attitudes and behaviours and motivating the audience to act
Influence audience attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours
Respectfully make readers want to do something by using
Reasonable propositions
Well-framed arguments
Vivid supporting evidence
Relatable message based on credibility and rapport
Valuable skills for sales, group work, job application, and when asking for favours or donation

Preparing to Write Persuasively
Know your purpose and what you want your reader to do: Make your request reasonable and beneficial to the reader.
Understand what motivates your reader: Analyze your audience’s goals and needs and tap into them. How does your pitch for a product, service, or action answer that need in benefitting the reader by saving them money, solving a problem, or helping them achieve an objective?
Consider design and layout: Appearance often forms opinion before message is read. Proper proportioning, typography, and use of white space—will make your message attractive and professional.
Be positive and accurate: Use a sincere, confident tone and reader-centred language.
Anticipate objections and plan how to deal with them: Collect data that will help you overcome resistance and allow readers to follow up easily
Figure 9.1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Organizational psychologist Abraham Maslow defined these motivating factors in terms of an ascending hierarchy of needs, from the most basic at the bottom to the abstract at the top. Tapping into one of these motivational needs will make your message more persuasive.
When writing persuasively, it’s important to analyze your audience in terms of its goals and needs
Persuasion is necessary whenever you expect resistance or preference for the status quo. Overcoming resistance depends on swaying readers in three processes of influence:
Compliance (through rewards/benefits or punishments)
Identification (commonality)
Internalization (affirmation of goals and values)
Overcoming resistance is best done in non-threatening ways (through rewards rather than punishments)
Try to frame your persuasive request as a win–win proposition.
A concession statement can let you acknowledge objections in a non-judgmental way before you offer a rebuttal that logically supports a needed action
Although the new system may cause some disruptions at first, it will speed processing dramatically and give us access to all relevant company-wide databases
Persuasive Appeals
Appeal: An attempt to persuade
Because not all audiences or persuasive tasks are alike, messages that must convince can rely on single or combined appeals.
Appeal to reason: business decisions must be logical and well-justified
Effective reasoning based on evidence in the form of non-numerical facts, expert opinions, statistics, examples, or analogies allow you to show the merits of your claim
Clear, logical development in the way these facts are presented encourages readers to agree with your conclusion and support the action you propose
Appeal to emotion: Tapping into emotions such as pride, hope, honour, pleasure, respect, and fear is a leading strategy and catalyst in marketing, sales, and leadership communication that helps people connect with brands through positive associations and motivates them to act and adapt in times of change
If it is excessive or not handled skillfully, however, it can backfire.
Readers may see it as inauthentic, overhyped, and manipulative, especially if they believe they are being prevented from considering your argument logically or the emotions you are trying to evoke don’t resonate with them for cultural or other reasons.
Examples:
1. A memo that asks for safer working conditions may play on a sense of responsibility and pride in a company’s reputation (Our company has always maintained a level of safety above industry standards).
2. The final letter in a series of collection letters or payment-past-due notices may arouse fear at the consequences of not paying immediately (If we do not receive payment immediately, we will be forced to turn your account over to an attorney for collection. Such action will damage your previously good credit rating).
Appeal to ethics: to work, you must establish credibility; avoid sarcasm and hostility, and keep your focus on reader benefits, not on what you have to gain personally
Figure 9.2 Four Key Sources of Credibility: a company’s ability to build and maintain credibility can help it attract, retain, and persuade loyal customers.

AIDA – Strategy for Persuasive Messages
Attention: captures attention, creates awareness, makes a sales proposition, prompts audience to read on (OPENING)

Summary of problem
Unexpected statement
Reader benefit
Compliment
Related facts
Stimulating question

Interest: describes central selling points, focuses not on features of product/service but on benefits relevant to the reader’s needs (BODY)

Facts, figures
Expert opinions
Examples
Specific details
Direct benefits
Indirect benefits

Desire: reduces resistance, reassures the reader, elicits the desire for ownership, motivates action (BODY)

Reduce resistance
Anticipate objections
Offer counterarguments
Use “what if” scenarios
Demonstrate competence
Show value of proposal

Action: offers an incentive or gift, limits the offer, sets a deadline, makes it easy for the reader to respond, closes the sale (CLOSING)

Describe specific request
Sound confident
Make action easy to take
Offer incentive or gift
Don’t provide excuses
Repeat main benefits

Four-part AIDA Strategy
Gain the audience’s attention by opening with:

Problem description
Unexpected statement
Reader benefit
Compliment
Related facts
Stimulating question

Build audience interest by using:

Facts, figures
Expert opinions
Examples
Specific details
Direct benefits
Indirect benefits

Elicit desire by doing:

Reduce resistance
Anticipate objections
Counterarguments
Use what if scenarios

Prompt action by doing:

Specific request
Sound confident

Suggest specific and easy-to-follow action
Suggest a deadline and give a reason for the date
Persuasive Memos
A persuasive memo communicates facts and benefits before it pushes for action, so there is less chance the initiative it endorses will be misunderstood or rejected prematurely.
The memo ultimately succeeds when it puts words and ideas into action to overcome resistance and wins support for a well-defined and workable solution to a problem.
Problem-solution strategy steps:
Summarize the problem
Explain how the problem can be solved
Describe benefits
Use evidence, facts and figures
Minimize resistance
Acknowledge counterarguments
Request specific action
Set a deadline
Offer incentives

Persuasion for Managing Change & Motivating Performance
Organizations are often confronted by change: change they actively seek and change that is imposed on them that may not come easily.
Internal corporate communication has four goals:
encouraging internal relations and commitment
promoting a positive sense of belonging
developing employees’ awareness of change
the need to evolve
The best messages combine information and motivational goals and use:
Direction-giving and uncertainty-reducing language to clarify goals and duties
Empathetic language that encourages and inspires the workforce and shows gratitude
Meaning-making language outlining norms and expectations (strategic storytelling and references to teams)

Claim Requests
Indirect writing plan is useful for claims that may be judged questionable—expired warranties, terms of a contract contravened—to prove the legitimacy of your claim with a clear line of reasoning before you can ask for an adjustment.
A weak or questionable claim can usually be strengthened with expressions of confidence in a company’s integrity and fairness and appeals to its pride in its products and reputation.
Steps to follow:
Gain positive attention: Open with a compliment, a point of shared interest, a review of action taken to solve the problem, or your original reason (if favourable) for buying the product or service.
Prove your claim is valid: Your line of reasoning should lead the reader to conclude that responsibility rests with his or her company, not with you. Describe the problem in a calm and credible way; give a chronology of what happened and what you have done to resolve the problem; provide supporting data to help the reader assess the situation such as order numbers, delivery dates, method of shipment, servicing locations, and descriptions of the items in question; take steps to defend yourself against possible blame; attach supporting documents such as receipts.
Ask for a specific action: State how the claim can be resolved and what you expect the company to do (make a refund, offer a replacement, or apologize). End positively, expressing confidence in the company’s ethical standards
Sales Messages
A message that promotes a product, service, or business and seeks prospective customers or additional sales
Rich in details that make the reader want to purchase the product or service
Can be individual letters/emails or form letters/emails
Successful sales messages
Rely on market research to target the needs, preferences, and demographics of targeted groups
Use appropriate persuasive appeals and incentives to create desire for products and services
Provide product information, indicate benefits to buyer, and build confidence in product’s value and performance
Avoid hard-sell pitches, empty hype, and deceptive product claims that turn readers off
Aim is to translate interest into sales and an ongoing relationship of trust with customers
Analyzing the Product & Audience
An effective sales message delivers specific facts to a specific audience. Careful planning is essential
Become an expert on the product or service
Keep the problem it solves top of mind
Learn as much as possible about the target audience
Aim for an ethical sales pitch
Pay attention to timing, presentation, personalization, tone

Writing Plan for Sales Letters
Gain attention with a:
Thought-provoking fact or statement (Over 20,000 vehicles are stolen every year in this city.)
Good news (You’re pre-approved for the Ultra Platinum Card. This exciting credit card is yours to help you achieve the best in life.)
Special offer or bargain (The cheque below is yours to cash toward your Ultra Card Registry service! It’s a special way to introduce you to the protection and peace of mind that Ultra has provided to Canadians for over 20 years.)
Product feature (Ultra is the first platinum card that allows you up to 15 days of out-of-province travel medical insurance—absolutely free!)
Question (Have you ever wondered if you paid too much for an all-inclusive resort vacation?)
Story (I am pleased to write to you today to tell you an alumni success story about Janet and Steve, who may not be very different from you. They work hard and invest their money wisely to build a bright future for their family. Although they know they can’t predict the future, they have protected it by investing in the Alumni Term Life Insurance Plan. With low rates for alumni, they protect themselves, their family, and everything they have worked so hard for.)
Introduce the Product
Link need with solution the product offers (You too can take advantage of the Alumni Term Life Insurance Plan and provide the people you love with the same security that Janet and Steve did for their family.)
Make the Product Desirable
Focus on reader benefits in product description (The Power Vac’s 6-metre cord allows you to vacuum even the largest rooms from a single outlet.)
Balance and dispel possible doubts (If you ever worried that a home security system might mean a loss of privacy, we want to reassure you that our monitoring system is activated only when the alarm is triggered.)
Mention price early if price is low
De-emphasize price if price is high
Mention late
Use smaller units
Calculate cost after discount
Show savings
Link price with benefits
Ask for a simple action
Make the action as easy as possible
Include contact info for immediate response (Say yes to your Pre-Approved Acceptance Certificate today! Simply complete and mail it to us in the postage-paid envelope provided or give us a call at 1-877-553-0123.)
Provide a deadline
Use an incentive
An optional step: add a postscript
High impact statement
Use to summarize, spotlight, or make a final appeal (P.S. If you’re concerned about workplace stress, make mindfulness part of your work routine through MindSet’s five-session Resiliency-Plus training program. Sign up today to learn from an accredited MRSR professional and feel the difference mindfulness can make)

DCM Best Practices
Establish goals for content marketing: brand awareness, build engagement, convert interest to sales, or promote community
Identify audience: who can your content help or benefit?
Develop a unique and compelling brand story
Create relevant, quality, informative content: Opt for innovative choices and multimodal content (e.g. videos, podcasts) to appeal to a wider audience and consider preparing your content for voice search to make it more accessible
Interact with customers and listen to feedback: use platforms that enable dyadic, two-way communication and feedback and facilitate real-time conversation with customers
Show knowledge, helpfulness, and problem-solving abilities in B2B interactions
Self-created content is better perceived than sponsored content, more controllable than user generated
To create an authentic self-brand
Make a professional profile that builds trust and speaks to impact
Curate content and update frequently
Interact with colleagues and clients
Assessing Your Skills & Values
Professional stock-taking and personal soul-searching can guide you to the right career path.
Self-assessment involves considering what you enjoy doing, identifying personality traits that apply to your work style, and learning from earlier work experiences
What are your values, interests, and marketable skills?
What are you good at? What are you most interested in doing?
Are you willing to acquire new skills or restrain to advance?
What drew you to your career path?
What is your 5-10-year plan? What are you willing to do to make that happen?
Do you live to work or work to live?

Assessing your Work History
Soft skills include
approach to work (including flexibility and resourcefulness)
knowledge and quality of work
organization and time/task management
client service orientation and social sensitivity
communication and interpersonal skills
leadership, teamwork, and team skills
analytical thinking/problem-solving/decision-making
result achievements and ability to cope with responsibility
professional development and interest in lifelong learning
What are your key accomplishments?
What is the most meaningful work recognition you’ve received?
What are your most satisfying tasks, experiences and work relationships?
What work experiences have you most Disliked?
How well do you communicate and learn on the job?
What hard and soft skills do you have?

Writing Persuasive Resumes
Resume: one-two page personal marketing tool that tells prospective employers about your education, employment experience, and skill sets
Convince employers to interview you
Show employers your ability to communicate in writing
HR specialists spend a minute or less reading each resumé
May enter electronic resumés (or scans of printed resumés) into a job-tracking system for keyword matches

Resume Tips
Tell the truth: A resumé is a legal document; fraudulent to lie on a resumé and unethical to tell half-truths; these practices are grounds for disqualification or, if discovered after hiring,
dismissal.
Keep your resumé up to date: Schedule regular resumé updates; last-minute updates can result in sloppy formatting and typos.
Create different versions of your resumé: email attachment and scannable version
Fine-tune your resumé for each new application: Revise career objective statement to match the job
Avoid gimmicks: Print your resumé on good quality, standard 81/2– by 11–inch white paper; use enough white space to make your resumé easy to read

Solicited Application Letters
Introductory Paragraph
Gain attention
Name specific job
Include competition or reference numbers
Clearly state that you’re applying
Briefly show that you possess the major qualifications required
Summary + Request—summarize your qualification and request consideration
Shared Values—explain how your values fit the company’s and request consideration
Request—simply ask to be considered
Name—mention the name of an employee who recommended the job to you
Middle Paragraphs
Relate your skills
Use action verbs
Describe relevant skills, education, experience, and achievements
Emphasize strongest skills
Closing Paragraph
Ask for action
Ask to arrange an interview
Tell the employer that you will call
Request should be courteous
Personal Statements
Less formulaic than cover letter
Do not duplicate parts of resume, cover letter, or transcript
Reframe the information in a new light —give the employer a chance to get to know you, your capabilities, and your career aspirations
Give specific examples and anecdotes related to your experience or professional development
Focus each paragraph on one of your skills: e.g., teamwork, ability to work independently, interpersonal skills, communication skills)
Show clarity of thought and enthusiasm, and that you have knowledge of the program, job, or organization
Introduction
Catchy or calculated personal statement
Why interested in job/program/organization
Supporting paragraphs
Give specific and relevant examples of skills
Anecdotes of professional development
Reason for application
Concluding
Draw together strands of story
Explain why a good fit

E-mailing Resume
Follow submission instructions
Use keywords
Include cover letter
Make subject line specific
Submit attachments in requested format – PDF

Before the Interview

Learn about the company
Know your non-verbal habits
Dress for the job
Anticipate questions
Talk about problem-solving
Rehearse what you can

Prepare in order to minimize job interview anxiety: research employer, job description, company values, goals, products, services, corporate structure, people, culture, awards, customers, and competitors
Become familiar with your non-verbal communication habits: posture, facial expressions, gestures; avoid closed body language and fidgeting
Dress for the job: reflect the position and the company culture; good hygiene and grooming
Anticipate what questions you might be asked: think of typical interview questions and how you would answer them; e.g.:
What skills will you bring to the company that will help us meet our goals?
How would you describe your skills?
Why should we hire you when other applicants might have better credentials or more experience?
What attracted you to this position at our company?
Can you give me examples of where you have demonstrated the competencies you think will be key to performing well in this job?
Be prepared to talk about your experiences and how you handled problems: Relevant experience, situations. How did you handle problems in a previous job? What previous work achievements and successes might apply here?
Prepare several good questions to ask the interviewer: Job candidates are judged in part on the questions they ask; prepare relevant questions to appear wise, interested, and informed
Practise. Rehearse what you can: Film yourself answering typical interview questions and assess your performance

How to Answer Behavioural Questions
STARS
Situation: outline the situation
Task: note any tasks you performed
Actions: describe actions you took
Results: state the results
Skills: reflect on the skills you used

At the Interview
Conduct yourself professionally:
Be on time or a little early: plan your route ahead of time
Go alone: unless you require physical assistance, leave family and friends at home
Bring copies of your resumé, references, work samples, or your portfolio: for you to refer to
Mind your manners, be courteous to everyone you encounter before, during and after interview
Make a confident first impression: firm handshake, eye contact, genuine smile
Listen carefully to questions: do not interrupt
Speak clearly and confidently: use pleasant tone and as few uhms, ahems, yups, and ahs as possible. Avoid slang or mumbling. Avoid simple yes/no or one-word answers
Concentrate: use body language to show interest, avoid showing anything that suggests boredom
Avoid being negative: especially avoid negative comments about yourself, former employers, or colleagues; negative comments can make you seem difficult
Make use of your research: when appropriate, drop tidbits of info about company/industry to show you are knowledgeable and interested
Don’t focus on salary and benefits: ask for information you require, but put your emphasis on what you can do for the company
Don’t expect an immediate response: ask the interviewer when you might expect a decision; show courtesy by thanking the interviewer
After the Interview
Send a thank you message within 24 hours
Consider your options
If you receive an offer:
Take time to decide – express appreciation and ask for a day or two to decide (I’d like a little time to consider your offer. May I call you back tomorrow?)
Turn it down tactfully if you must decline

Introduction to Report Writing
Business report help managers and co-workers to

Stay informed
Review opinions
Coordinate
Plan/Make decisions

Business report: document in which factual information is compiled and organized for a specific purpose and audience
essential form of corporate communication
help departments to coordinate initiatives and activities
help managers to stay in touch with and on top of changing circumstances
let management see the big picture to respond quickly and decisively to minor personnel, business, and technical difficulties before they become major problems
over years, reports form an extended and permanent corporate journal that tracks trends and includes accounts of incidents, actions, decisions, and policies
legal documents that can be used as evidence in court, so they must be accurate, complete, and objective

Factors in Successful Reports
Content:
Write with your objective in mind
Weigh information according to the report’s future use
Include facts to assist the reader in decision-making
Present information that relates directly to the problem you are solving
Don’t manipulate your facts and findings
Think of readers’ needs when selecting information
What background information do they have?
Organize the report logically
Good organization makes it easier to understand
Clarity:

Write simple sentences
Guide the reader
Cite sources
Include visuals
Use consistent evaluation criteria

Skimmability

Readable font
Informative headings/ lists


Short Reports: Formats & Distribution
Memorandum report: A short, internal report presented in memo format, letter report: A short, external report presented in letter format.
List of formats goes from least formal (top) to most formal (bottom)
Memorandum:
appropriate for circulating data internally
Under 10 pages
Informal, conversational style
1- to 11/4-inch (2.54- to 3.18-centimetre) side margins
standard guidewords TO, FROM, DATE, and SUBJECT
single-spaced paragraphs separated by two blank lines
Prepared form report:
forms with standardized headings
useful for recording repetitive data or describing routine activities
internal
Letter:
short, informal reports
prepared by one organization and sent to another on company stationery
all the elements usually found in a letter (date, inside address, return address, salutation, complimentary close)
PowerPoint Report:
short written reports, especially periodic reports such as progress reports
best to use notes in a printed slide deck in order to provide adequate explanation of the text and graphics on each slide
Formal report:
usually prepared in manuscript format
printed on plain paper
have headings and subheadings

Direct Approach
informational & analytical reports
routine, non-sensitive information
readers don’t need persuading
Standard for most informational reports
Structure:
Purpose/Introduction/Background
Facts and Findings
Summary
Also used in analytical reports when reader will not need persuading:
Structure:
Introduction/Problem/Background
Conclusions or Recommendations
Facts and Findings
Discussion and Analysis

Indirect Approach
analytical reports
expect reader resistance or displeasure
reader needs persuading and/or educating
builds gradual acceptance
Mirrors the logical processes of problem-solving
Build up to conclusion or recommendations
Structure:
Purpose/Introduction/Problem
Facts and Findings
Discussion and Analysis
Conclusions or Recommendations

Writing Style for Short Reports
readers have to be able to decode the text when reading quickly
check for ambiguous words and phrases
If in doubt, spell it out in specifics
Personal tone: personal language, personal pronouns, contractions, somewhat relaxed; use only when you know your reader fairly well
Impersonal tone: reader is stranger or top manager; neutral but not stuffy
Always avoid language that could offend, including words that exaggerate or show bias

Tips for Using Headings
Keep them short: Maximum eight words
Parallel construction: use balanced phrases and a parallel structure
Examples:
Not parallel: Improved Transmission of Sensitive Information
How can we end e-mail errors?
Voicemail problems
Why we should change fax procedures
Parallel: Improved Transmission of Sensitive Information
Ending e-mail errors
Eliminating voicemail problems
Changing fax procedures
Clearly rank headings: Show the rank and relative importance of headings by formatting each level systematically
Put headings where they belong: only use a subheading if the material that follows is divided into at least two subsections; only put near page bottom if at least 2 lines of text follow (move to following page, otherwise)
Don’t use a heading as the antecedent for a pronoun: do not begin the line of text after heading or subheading with this, that, these, or those alone—the reader may not know what you are referring to

Infographics and Data Visualizations
A visual display that conveys data or information in a quick, clear, and engaging way
Visual displays to represent data and information
Communicate complex information to a large audience
Draw connections and highlight patterns
Use good visual design
Can be designed using apps
keep in mind the principles of visual design: balance, proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast, and use of space
unity can be achieved through the repetition of elements within the design, such as a row of icons or a series of caption balloons
bright colours draw viewers’ attention
contrast between colours helps viewers differentiate components

Informational Reports
Periodic Reports:
Written at regular intervals (weekly, monthly, etc.)
Describe recurring/ongoing activities (monthly sales calls, customer service volumes, etc.)
Record data and outcomes
Help management monitor situations and stay informed on status quo
Situational Reports:
Non-routine, case-by-case
Business trip/conference reports
Project progress reports

Short Analytical Reports
Analytical reports pass on information with the intent of persuading readers to follow a specific course of action
“analysis” in an analytical report is focused on how to solve a specific organizational problem
Recommendation/Justification
Show why a specific change is needed
Feasibility
Evaluate projects to determine chances for success
Comparison/Yardstick
Compares and evaluates two or more solutions to a single problem and answers the question, which option is best?
Proposals
Suggest ways to solve problems (internal or external)
May sell a product or service

Proposals
Proposal: A business document that suggests a method for solving a problem or that seeks approval for a plan.
Persuade the reader
Ask for action, business, or funding
Strength, confidence, creditability
Direct approach
Internal proposal: A persuasive document that attempts to convince management to spend money or to implement plans to improve the organization.
External proposal: A proposal issued to governmental or private industry clients outside an organization as a means of generating income.
request for proposals (RFP): A detailed document requesting proposals and bids on specific projects

Elements of Informal Proposals
Introduction
overview of proposal, scope and highlights of your qualifications
Background
Details problem to be solved or opportunity to be addressed
Proposal, Method, and Schedule
Products and services offered
Feasibility
Work plan
Materials and resources
Project timeline
Costs and Budget
Carefully break down costs for entire project (if applicable, for each phase of project)
Legal contract—care is crucial; be realistic and note any costs that are impossible to estimate
Staffing and Qualifications
Expertise and credentials of project leaders
Special resources and facilities
Include only the contact information you have permission to disclose
Benefits
Summarize reasons for accepting the proposal
Move client to action
Request for Authorization
Closing request
Stipulate the time period in which the proposal is valid
Express
confidence in the solution
appreciation for the opportunity to submit the proposal
willingness to provide further information if required

Elements of Formal Proposals
Formal proposals differ from informal proposals in length and format
Have additional elements that sort complex details into easy-to-understand units with customized headings
Front matter elements above are optional in informal reports
Front matter and back matter sandwich the body of the proposal
front matter: The parts of a proposal or report that are included before the main body and contain introductory information.
Cover Letter or Letter of Transmittal
bound inside the proposal as its first page and addressed to the person responsible for making the final decision
explains the proposal’s purpose, major features, and tangible benefits
either refer to the RFP or mention how you learned about the client needs
mention when the proposal expires
Executive Summary or Abstract
Executive summary is intended for decision-makers; gives the proposal’s highlights in persuasive, non-technical language
Abstract summarizes proposal’s highlights in specialized, technical language
Title Page
proposal title and subtitle in boldfaced type or upper-case letters
name of the client organization and/or the decision-maker to whom the proposal is directed
RFP reference number
name and title of the proposal writer and company
date of submission
Table of Contents (TOC)
Included with longer proposals
List all 1st and 2nd level heads in proposal, with pages numbers
List of Tables/Figures/Illustrations
Include if proposal contains more than 6 graphic elements
Provide page number for each
Body
Introduction
Background or Problem Statement
Detailed proposal and method
Schedule
Budget or cost analysis
Staffing
Authorization
Benefits and conclusion


Researching & Collecting Data
Formal reports often involve extensive research
Sources of info:
in-house: e.g., internal files, memos, reports, or company databases or records
publicly available: e.g., consultants, experts, websites, books, or magazines
restricted: e.g., websites with paywalls, research by other companies and organizations
2 types of research:
Primary research: depends on first-hand sources; you generate the data you need, based on your own ideas and observations, by conducting interviews and surveys.
Secondary research: the retrieval of existing information based on what others have observed and experienced, by conducting a library or an online search

Preparing to Write Formal Reports
Before writing, think about:
Purpose: Why are you writing the report? What will it be used for?
Content: What is it about?
Audience: Who is it for?
Status: Is it a periodic/interim report (to be followed by another after a period of time) a or a special-projects report (one-time analysis written on request)?
Length: How long should it be?
Formality: How should it look and sound?
Accounts of major projects (10+ pages); e.g., development of new products or services; reorganization at departmental, divisional, or company-wide levels; or analysis of competing products or alternative methods
In-depth analysis and extensive research
Follow prescribed structure: front matter, body, back matter)
Organizations may have a “house” style


Time Management
Time management essential for meeting report deadlines

Learn when you work best
Set priorities
Avoid distractions
Start early
Break task into smaller
Ask for info if needed
Tell people if behind


Peer-Reviewing & Team Writing
Team writing: The practice of multiple writers working together to produce a single document.
Reports often have multiple authors
Requires careful collaboration
Before writing establish clear guidelines for tone, sentence and paragraph length, and word choice
Writing styles
Agree on style points before you start
Tidy the draft to smooth out contrasts in writing styles between sections
Minimize differences in writing styles
Ensure team is satisfied with the contents
Track changes and comments

Social Media: Consumer Benefits
Product information
Comparisons and reviews
Online shopping
Consumer support

Social Media Participation
Affiliation
Join online groups
Expression
Produce new creative content
Collaborative problem-solving
Work in formal or informal teams
Circulations
Shaping the flow of media through blogging etc.
New Media Literacies
Judgement
Ability to evaluate reliability and credibility of information/sources
How credible and reliable is the information?
Networking
Ability to search for, disseminate, synthesize info
Where can I find the information?
To whom should I pass it on, and in what form?
Collective intelligence
Ability to pool knowledge and compare information for common goals
What information can we collect together?
How do these stories compare?
Transmedia navigation
Ability to follow the flow of stories across multiple platforms
What are sources on other media platforms saying about this issue?
Appropriation
Ability to remix and reconcile conflicting information to form a coherent picture
How does all this conflicting information fit together?
What’s the big picture?
Negotiation
Ability to discern and respect multiple perspectives
How do I react respectfully to those with other perspectives or from other cultures?

Blogs
Blog: A web page on which a person posts his or her writings, opinions, and/or other information, usually on a regular basis.
Many companies maintain blogs to keep employees, customers, and shareholders up to date on important developments while reinforcing and building the company’s brand
Corporate blogs represent a shift in the way companies interact with customers and have been shown to build trust, liking, and involvement
Corporate blogs are useful for content marketing
content marketing: A type of marketing in which a company provides content of interest to a defined audience in order to boost its profile, attract new customers, and strengthen relationships with existing customers

Podcasts
Audio files for streaming or downloading
May be episodes in a series
Can be used to educate consumers
Best practices:
Use a professional-quality recording app
Record podcasts with an app that replicates studio-recording suite functions, such as Audacity, GarageBand, Audio-Boom, or SoundCloud.
Follow a loose script
While reading word-for-word can result in a monotonous presentation, a brief script that outlines your major points will help to keep you on track.
Avoid going solo
Enter into dialogue or conversation with a co-presenter or guest to create a more dynamic experience for listeners.
Seek out and engage with followers
Promote your content on social media and seek out active users who can share your podcast.
Find an appropriate style
Experiment with podcasting styles to determine how and how much to assert your individual and brand personality.

Social Networking Sites
Social networking site: A website that facilitates communication and interaction between two or more people by allowing them to create profiles, send messages, write status updates or posts, and share photos, videos, and other media
Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn
A social media campaign provides access to millions of current and potential customers without the costs associated with more traditional forms of advertising
Encourage “word of mouth” marketing
Create brand communities
Publicize and promote events
Promote products and services
Recruit new hires and brand ambassadors

LinkedIn Best Practices
Customize your URL
Make your profile public
Complete your profile
Stay active
Connect and network
Ask for recommendations
Stay informed

The Social Media Advantage
Globally, Internet users spend an average of 136 minutes a day on social networking sites.
Social media use is a powerful trend, and there is little evidence that this trend is temporary.
Companies that have embraced the power of social media have realized significant benefits.
Social media provides banks of raw data that businesses can harvest and analyze to better understand customers’ needs, interests, and priorities.
Internally, social media can help to strengthen connections among colleagues and enhance workers’ productivity.
Social media has opened up worldwide markets to even the smallest business.
Has made what used to be word of mouth into a global stream that can be heard and seen, instantaneously and spontaneously, by millions.
Benefits to companies:
Internal and external communications
Sales and marketing—data, customer identification and profiles, sales and marketing leads
Customer care and loyalty development
Interaction, engagement, and collaboration
Brand awareness and product promotion
Recruitment
Crowdsourcing
Increased exposure and website traffic
Event promotion
Feedback monitoring
Impact measurement

The Risks and Challenges of Social Media
Learning how to use social media ethically and effectively is something companies grapple with.
The learning curve can be steep.
Canadian businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of ensuring their compliance with securities regulations when using social media.
Damage to corporate reputation, threats to employee and customer relations, and fallout from failed or shaky regulatory compliance are likely outcomes when social media is used improperly or ineffectively.
Important for companies to understand their legal obligations and be ethical and transparent in their communications when using social media channels
Challenges:
time theft:
can be time-waster, with personal social media use sometimes cutting into work hours; can reduce productivity and workflow
malicious, negative, or damaging employee comments made about employers:
even a casual remark or snippet from an online conversation can be used against a business by its competitors
remarks can damage corporate reputation, threaten employee and customer relations, and/or lead to regulatory compliance issues
leaks of proprietary and/or confidential information:
can embarrass company, reduce revenues, threaten its competitiveness / survival
damage to brand reputation:
disgruntled customers or employees, through comments, have easy means to voice complaints in a way that can influence public opinion against an organization or its products and services
failed social media campaign or one that has caused a backlash is also hard to eradicate, even when controversial, misleading, or offensive product ads have been removed

Measuring Social Media Performance
outdated information
use of personal social media by corporate executives
Employees & executives used to sharing details of their personal lives through Facebook or Twitter posts may not understand the potential employment consequences of using social media to express beliefs and views about their work lives.
In 2012, for example, Netflix came close to being charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over information that CEO Reed Hastings had posted to Facebook and that ultimately boosted the company’s stock price.
Social media can harm individuals’ professional reputations — e.g., In 2017, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board upheld the Correctional Service of Canada’s decision to terminate an employee after her Facebook posts showed that she lied about her father’s death in order to use her bereavement leave to vacation in Mexico; in 2019, Toronto radio host Mike Stafford was fired by Global News Radio after tweeting out racist, anti-Muslim statements. Although Stafford quickly deleted the offensive tweets, they had already been screenshotted and shared by journalist Sean Craig.
corporate identity theft
fraud
Security breaches of social media accounts are a threat to individuals and businesses, with corporations or hackers seeking to steal private and confidential information to use for their own purposes.
For example, political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica used Facebook to illicitly harvest user data for political advertising
legal, regulatory, and compliance violations
important for companies to understand their legal obligations and be ethical and transparent in their communications when using social media channels
For example, T-Mobile Austria had to act fast to revamp its online security after a spokesperson on their company Twitter feed revealed that the telecommunications giant stores user passwords partially in plain text; had several high-profile data leaks

Mobile Communication
Wireless
mobile devices and wireless communication have made communication from anywhere at any time a reality
Connectivity
wireless communication has given rise to the mobile network society, transforming the ways we work, find work, play, shop, socialize, volunteer, and form communities
Always On
mobile advantage has been realized in many areas of business, including recruitment, remote workforce management and decision-making, project management, and even training

Designing and Writing Messages for Mobile Devices: Challenges
Special challenges with mobile devices:
Portability—likely background noises, distractions, interruptions
Smaller screen sizes (readability)
Different user interfaces
Only a single display window that can display less material than computer monitor

Writing Promotional Messages for Mobile Devices
Text message marketing and SMS (short message service) marketing involve connecting with consumers via mobile devices
becoming increasingly important in retail advertising and promotion
allow marketers to reach consumers wherever those consumers happen to be
Tips:
Confine message to the offer, its benefits, and details about how to take advantage of it.
Offer something specific of immediate value.
Gain attention while avoiding hype, slickly promotional generalizations, and clichés that can look like spam (e.g., instead of beginning with “Unbelievable prices,” catch attention with “50 off winter boots through 12/15/19”).
Create a sense of urgency and timeliness. The channel itself helps in conveying urgency, but also make time-limited offers or state the benefits of acting now.
Announce the company and brand clearly.
Communicate exclusivity and make the reader feel special. The promotion should be unique to your message and not widely advertised through a website or other channels. This will help in making the reader feel like an insider.

Optimizing Web Content for Mobile Devices
Mobile-friendly websites: Websites that display correctly on the small screens of hand-held mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Mobile-friendly sites are critical to businesses
Ensuring that websites are optimized for mobile devices is essential to avoid user frustration.
Common frustration is slow loading; research shows that 57 per cent of users abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load
Other frustrations:
text is too small to be read without zooming in
links are too tiny or pushed together too closely to be useful
content is sized wider than the screen, making it necessary for users to scroll horizontally to see everything
Tips to avoid frustrating mobile users:
text that is large enough to be read without zooming
enabled Pinch-to-Zoom, a useful accessibility tool for users with visual impairments
dynamic type, which allows users to specify their preferred font size
content that can be viewed in its entirety without scrolling or zooming
announcement and validation success or error messages that are enabled for screen readers
Ensure contrast between text and background
Position links and tappable objects apart
Limit need for input text
Don’t rely on software not often found on mobile devices
Use good design: tight spaces rather than long, linear presentations

Instant Messaging and Texting for Business
Different organizations set different guidelines on how, when, why, and with whom it is appropriate for employees to use IM
Commonly used by:
Social media platforms, re: account security
Companies involved in marketing, e-commerce and on-line retail
Travel and transportation companies
Mobile banking, financial services and payment divisions
Company customer service divisions
A text message may be short, but it can leave a lasting impression, especially if it is mishandled

Instant Messaging and Texting for Business: Planning
Consider your purpose
Are you making a request or providing information? Text messages can lack context, so be as specific as you can about the information you are seeking.
Consider your audience
Texting style can vary based on how well you know the recipient and on the recipient’s status and seniority relative to your own.
Unless organizational style allows for it, avoid being colloquial and using abbreviations and acronyms when writing to bosses and managers.
Consider the effect on the reader
Never send a text to communicate negative outcomes to important decisions or initiatives (“Oops—lost the contract!!!”)
It can be risky to send a text to solicit new business; instead, focus first on building rapport, and save texting for answering prospective customers’ and clients’ questions once you have established a stronger relationship.
Keep the messages short and to the point
Write in complete but succinct sentences or meaningful phrases that deliver a complete thought, formulating ideas and actions to be taken in as few words as possible.
Use a friendly tone
Avoid using an abrupt tone that sounds harsh and could be off-putting to your reader.
Maintain privacy
Consider the degree of privacy your IM system provides.
Double-check your message before you send it
Auto-correct and voice-to-text features can distort or alter original messages and recorded speech in unintended ways.
Consider the frequency and timing of messages
Texting bosses and co-workers outside of work hours may not be appreciated.
Likewise, texting clients and customers in the middle of the night could sour business relationships.
Consider where you are when you text
Texting during meetings or while having a one-on-one conversation is generally not condoned

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