Chapter eight summary-Business Writing Design

In the business world excellent writing skills are highly desirable by prospective employers. Writing in business should be concise, precise, and clear. You should try to eliminate as much communication noise as possible; such as mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, vagueness, and unfamiliar language. There is a process one should follow when designing a business message. Start by asking yourself questions such as, what is it that I am trying to communicate? Who is my audience? What is the purpose of my message? These questions will help you generate ideas and develop a starting point for your writing. Next, you can move on to Freewriting. Freewriting is the process of writing all the message ideas that come into your mind nonstop without lifting your pen or pausing at the computer. This step should be worked on for at least 15 minutes. After completion, you should go back and highlight all the useful and important ideas. During the listing step, compose a list of all the things that need to go into the document you plan to write. Clustering involves determining the relationships among the ideas of a message, such as the mind maps we make for every chapter of our book. When you have generated all the ideas needed for your message you can go on and gather information to support and explain the goal of your message. You can research, conduct surveys, and hold interviews. Presenting your audience with actual data will help them understand the message and receive it much clearer. Remember to consider the purpose of your message. Again here you would ask yourself questions such as, what am I trying to communicate? What does my audience want to know? Or what do they need to know? Business writers have two strategies they can utilize to complete the task of strategy consideration. In a direct strategy, writers state their message goal first. Or a writer can use an indirect strategy to warm up the audience with information and goodwill before delivering the message goal. Once you have decided on a strategy you can go on to the outlining and drafting step. An outline is a structured list of the information to be included in the message. Your outline will help you organize your ideas and incorporate them with your gathered information.
Now you can write the first draft of your message. Drafting is getting the text down on paper or a computer screen in its first version. Include your main points and details for message clarity. You will refine it later on. Once your first draft is complete, you then have to revise it. Look at the document as if you haven’t seen it before. Make sure you included your message goal, its explanation and development, and included enough details to make it clear to your audience. If you are not satisfied with your draft you can re-outline it. Re-outlining involves writing a new outline based on the original document you wrote. Or you can use the slash and burn method, which is a total revision strategy in which you select certain points of a document and then rewrite it using only those points from the original work. When you have finally written a draft that you are satisfied with you can go on to edit and proofread it to create your final draft. When I proofread, I have to read out loud to hear myself. Examine the language and style you have chosen. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases. Replace negative words when possible with positive expressions. There are several styles when it comes to writing business messages or documents. The “You” view style is focused on the interests of the readers. This is a good strategy to use when trying to create good public relations, if the information in your message is negative then this probably isn’t the strategy you want to use. Make sure your message emphasizes what you can do instead of the things you can’t do. Keep your reader interested by using active sentence constructions and vivid language. Make sure your message is free of grammatical errors. Errors make it difficult for your audience to grasp the meaning of your message, and it’s a big turn off. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the best speller. In grade school I was eliminated from a spelling B in the first round, so I always use spell check. Memos and letters usually have the same components. Memos are an internal written channel of communication. Letters are typically an external, written channel of communication. The introduction comes first; it should include any good news and your goals. The body of the message offers supporting data, and explains the reasons for the message. The closing of the document should include a call for action and a goodwill statement. An e-mail is an internal and external written channel of communication that transmits messages over the internet. E-mails are typically short. Use bias-free language in your messages. Bias language will offend your audience and show you in a bad light. It is very important to write clearly and use the tools and formats of business writing that are suitable for your audience. Sharpening your writing skills will significantly increase your chances of moving up in the business world.

Talking with Confidence video mind map

Journal entry for week # 7

While working on this chapter I thought what if the mid-term for this class was an oral presentation? It would only make sense to work on the chapter about oral presentations the week before, if we are going to be presenting next week. Then I though naah. The professor would have mentioned it by now, wouldn't she well anyway we'll find out tomorrow. I used the PRS technique to read this chapter and it helped, but I did forget to label so I was a little scattered, next time i'll get it just right.

Ch. 7 mind map- Designing Oral Presentations

Ch. 7 summary- Designing Oral Presentations

For most people in the business world, the day will come when they have to deliver an oral presentation in front of an audience. Delivering a good presentation is not a piece of cake; it requires a great deal of hard work. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration. For example, if I had to make an oral presentation next week in front of my peers, then I would complete the following tasks to ensure I give the best presentation within my abilities. I would start by gathering information about the audience I will be presenting in front of. Using the information I gather I could create a customized presentation. A customized presentation is a carefully planned speech that is tailored to the specific needs, knowledge, perspectives, and background of an audience. You have to show interest in your topic. How can a presenter expect their audience to be interested in their presentation if they themselves don’t seem interested? If you deliver your presentation with confidence and enthusiasm then in turn your audience will likely pay more attention to what you have to say, because now you appeal to them. Other techniques that could help you gain the interest of the audience are: Try to relate to their situation, field, position, or experience, and provide them with tips, facts, and strategies they can utilize in their professional or personal lives. I would take into account of what the occasion is that I will be presenting at. Will the occasion be relaxed and festive, or is it strictly business? Will there be other presenters or am I the only one? At what time do I have to make my presentation? Audiences are usually more alert in the mornings. These are some of the questions I would ask myself in the days leading up to my scheduled presentation. Before I start writing my speech I have to determine what I want to write about, such as my interests, or skills and abilities. Sometimes you won’t have choice and the topic will be selected for you. Now I have to decide what my speech goal will be. What do I want from my audience and what do I want to communicate to them? There are four speech goals: informative, persuasive, requesting, and entertaining. Informative speeches can build audience awareness, knowledge, and memory about a subject. A persuasive speech intends to influence a change in an audience’s attitude, behavior, or belief. A requesting speech is a type of persuasive speech, but its aim is to gain funding or approval for a specific product, program, or proposal. Entertainment or special occasion speeches mark special occasions, and arouse emotions through celebration. My introduction has to gain the attention of my audience. I have to make a connection between myself, my listeners, and the occasion. I can gain their attention through creative speaking. Creative speaking is the art of gaining the audience’s interest by using entertaining speaking methods; such as: Anecdotes, catchy stories that draw from common experiences with which the audience can relate to. I could ask a question; this can draw them in by making them think of a potential answer. Examples, such as personal or topic related can illustrate ideas and establish credibility. Quotations can be helpful when you’re trying to open up ideas. Startling or surprising remarks such as facts, statistics, or events can arouse the attention of the audience, and finally humor if used correctly can break the ice and build a rapport with the audience. Your audience needs to have a reason to listen, you have to be creative, and you have to be the one to let them know your message is valuable and they may be able to benefit from it. If I take the time to prepare, if I am honest, if I research my topic, and speak with confidence than I will be able to demonstrate my credibility to my audience. Now I am ready to organize my speech. I would break it up into three parts. In the first part, the introduction, I have to present a positive impression of myself, establish my credibility, and the main idea. A main idea is a central point you want to make with your audience that will run through the entire message.
In the body section of my presentation I will present my main ideas and back them up with supporting details or secondary ideas. I will limit my main ideas to three or four main points, because most people usually only remember three to four main points from a presentation. I can arrange my material in five different organizational patterns to help my audience understand and achieve my own speech goals. I can use a Chronological, topic, spatial, cause and effect, or problem and solution pattern to transmit my message. In the conclusion of my speech I have to connect my main points, inspire the next step, and provide a strong sense of closure. I can make a powerful statement or use a quote that I want them to think about later. I also have to remember to use transitions. Transitions are key words or short sentences that bridge one idea to another, such as my introduction, body, and conclusion. Visual aids such as tables, charts, posters, and handouts can give a speech more strength. You can also use electronic presentation software such as power point to create slides. The use of visual aids will increase message clarity, visually demonstrate and explain more than words, increase the interest of the audience, and dramatically extend the audience recall of speech information. You can use the internet, books, magazines, periodicals, and financial or statistical reports to gather your information. Once I have practiced over and over again and I’m ready to present I can choose from four different delivery styles. Impromptu speeches are unexpected and off the cuff. A manuscript speech is written word for word and read out loud. Extemporaneous speaking is planned and rehearsed but not memorized, prepared notes only outline key ideas. Finally with a memorized speech text is written word for word and committed to memory. There is a great deal of work that goes on before a speech is ever presented. You have to research your audience, gather data about your main idea, and prepare your speech in three parts, introduction, body and conclusion. Your speech should be organized in a specific organizational pattern, have a clear goal and be delivered in one of four speech styles to ensure message clarity and to not lose your audience. The next time I deliver a speech I think I will deliver it the extemporaneous style. Keeping the audience interested is very important. If they are uninterested and they tune you out then what is the point? Finally to reduce anxiety by planning practicing and rehearsing your speech till you know it inside and out.

Journal entry for week # 6

This chapter has a lot of terms and definitions to be learned and remembered. It didn't make the summary any difficult but was a little annoying when I had to make the mind map. I did learn a new term that could describe me at times. Sometimes when I have to present in front of people I experience communication apprehension in the form of Introversion. In other words I rather listen than participate because I get shy at times.

Chapter 6 mind map- Designing Messages with Words