INTRODUCTION[1]:

You will face a variety of communication assignments in your career, both oral and written. Some tasks will be routine, requiring little more than jotting down a few sentences on paper or keyboarding a brief email message, others will be more complex, involving weeks of reflection, research and careful document preparation. In any situation, your message must:

• Have a purpose
• Focus on your audience
• Be concise

To plan any message, you must first analyze the situation by defining the purpose and developing a profile of your audience. Once you’re sure what you need to accomplish with your message, gather information that will meet your audience’s needs. Next, select the right medium (oral, written or electronic) to deliver the message. With those factors in place, you’re ready to organize the information.

PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES:

The following performance outcomes describe the knowledge, practice and skill testing required to successfully complete this section.

In this section, you will learn to:

1. Describe the three-step writing process – planning, writing, completing
2. Outline how you can collect information informally, clarify what your audience wants to know, and test the thoroughness of your information
3. List factors to consider when choosing the most appropriate channel and medium for your message
4. Discuss how you can establish a good relationship with your audience
5. Explain why good organization is important to both the communicator and the audience
6. Discuss how good organization is achieved
7. Explain when to use the direct and indirect approaches

LEARNING ACTIVITES:

1. Read chapter 4 in your textbook.
2. Read the handout on Business Etiquette
3. 3.     Review and practice your learning from chapter 4 by working through some of the textbook exercises at the end of the chapter (pages 114-119).  Note: do not submit this work.
4. Complete the assignment (assignment #2) for this section and submit it to your instructor

ASSIGNMENT #2 (for submission to your instructor) – 10%

 

Part 1[2]

 

Instructions: Using short answer format (no bullet points please), submit a written response to the following questions.

1. Some writers argue that planning messages wastes time because they inevitably change their plans as they go. How would you respond to this argument? Briefly explain.

1. As a member of the public relations department, what medium would you recommend to inform the local community that your toxic-waste cleanup program has been successful? Why?

1. Would you use a direct or indirect approach to ask employees to work overtime to meet an important deadline? Please explain.

Part 2

 

Instructions: After reading the handout on Business Etiquette, complete the following assignment.

You have taken a course on Business Etiquette and are asked to share your learning with your colleagues in your department at work. Write a short memo or email (1 page or less) to your colleagues defining business etiquette, providing 5 business etiquette tips and explaining why you think these tips are important.

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[1] John V.Thill, Courtland L. Bovee and Ava Cross, Excellence in Business Communications (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2009), 85.

[2] John V.Thill, Courtland L. Bovee and Ava Cross, Excellence in Business Communications (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2009), 115.