Business Communications Baruch College Week 2

CAB 0002/01 Business CAB 0002/01 Business CommunicationsCommunications

Week 2 :Week 2 :

Message StrategyMessage Strategy

I didn’t know this…

MessageMessage Strategy

ChannelsChannels of of CommunicationCommunication

• WrittenWritten: Hard copy, email, blogs, tweets, Instant Messaging/Text Messaging, Wikis, and websites.

• Oral onlyOral only: Phone, voicemail, conference calls, and podcasts.

• BothBoth: presentations, consulting, face-to-face, talk, and webcasts.

Communication Channels

CultureCulture StrategyStrategy

• Fate• Time: British Versus Jamaican • Communication Style: group–oriented

cultures versus individual cultures (ex. American vs. Native American)

• Credibility• Audience Selection• Greetings & Hospitality

Cultures Differ Based On…

Culture Differences by FATE

• Persuasion• Gender-based• Message Structure• Channel Choice• Non-verbal Behavior• Space & Objects

Cultures Differ Based On…

Contexting & Contexting & Face-ChangingFace-Changing

Contexting

The WritingThe WritingProcessProcess

Process Versus Product• STEP 1: Establish the communication strategy.• STEP 2: To write or not to write?• STEP 3: IF you decide to write, divide your

activities into FIVE steps:– Research– Organize– Focus the information– Draft– Edit

• STEP 4: Rethink, re-organize, make changes.

1. Research1. Research

• SYNTHETIC Approach: The internet, the library, emails, reading, and interviewing.

• ANALYTIC approach: Define your topic, identify your sub-topics, and your approaches using the journalist 5Ws & HOW approach.

• Ask rhetorical questions such as:– What does this mean?– How do I define this?– What are the consequences…?– How do I compare…?

Approaches to Researching

Research Approaches

• INTUITIVE Approaches– Brainstorming– Brain-writing– Free Writing– Free note Taking– Mind Mapping

Approaches to Researching

FREE Writing

EXERCISEEXERCISE

How to How to FREEFREE Write Write

FREE Writing

2. Organize2. Organize

• Group similar ideas together• Bucket similar ideas• Label the buckets• Re-check the buckets• Put buckets in their proper order

Organize

IDEASIDEAS

• Create an organizational blueprint:– Line out– Idea chart– Circular design

Organize

3. Focus3. Focus

• Imagine the reader skimming your document: what does the reader NEED to know the MOST.

• “NUTSHELL” your ideas: present the MAIN idea in only a few sentences.

• “Teach” your ideas: How would you teach the nutshell to someone else?

• Formulate a Thesis Statement: synthesize your information to a new ideanew idea with an original point of view.

Focus

Thesis Statement

Thesis Statements

• Simulate an elevator presentation “pitch.”• Use the “BUSY BOSS” two (2) minute rule:

– “I don’t have the time to read through your entire document. Tell me your main ideas in TWO minutes.”

Focus

4. Draft4. Draft

• Compose in ANY order: write the parts that you are the most comfortable with first. Write your introduction LAST.

• Avoid editing: drafting is an entirely CREATIVE process.

• Print a hard copy: this will help you to edit faster, by seeing the ENTIRE document.

• Schedule a TIME gap: leave time between finishing the drafting stage of the document and the beginning of the editing process.– See it with a FRESH set of eyes.

Draft

5. Edit5. Edit

• Edit for:strategymacro ideasmicro ideascorrectness

Edit

FREE Writing

• S• X• X• X• X• X

Br

RESOURCESRESOURCES

Resources

Resources

Resources