Business X204Business Communication

a learning guide(3 credit hours)

course designed byJudy Steiner-Williams

course edited byWendy Ostermeyer

Indiana UniversitySchool of Continuing StudiesIndependent Study Program

Copyright © 2006 by the Trustees of Indiana University

All rights reserved.No parts of this guide may be reproduced in any form.

Table of Contents: Business X204

Important Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

Study Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vStudy Materials Order Form

Lessons

1 Overview of Today’s Business Communication Processand Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 The 3-x-3 Writing Process: Prewrite, Write, Revise . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3 E-mail and Routine/Goodwill Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

4 Negative and Persuasive Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

5 Tips for the Midterm Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Application for the Midterm Examination

6 Reports and Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

7 Teamwork, Interpersonal Communication, andIntercultural Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

8 Oral Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

9 Employment Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

10 Tips for the Final Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Application for the Final Examination

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Introduction

Business X204

What Will I Learn?

What are the current trends in business communication? What decisionsmust a business communicator make in today’s business world? What arethe legal and ethical implications for business communication? How willtechnology continue to impact business communication? Are any specialcommunication skills necessary to work as a productive team member orto work with cross-cultural coworkers and clients?

As a student enrolled in Business Communication X204, you will be ableto answer those questions and others such as the following:

! Should I communicate differently with my boss than with coworkers,clients, or customers? If so, how?

! How do I choose the most effective media? The most efficient media?

! What are the steps in the communication process in general?

! What are the steps in the writing process specifically?

! What is the importance of audience analysis and how do I incorporatereader benefit?

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Throughout this course, you will be challenged to understand and improvenot only your business writing skills, but also your listening, speaking, andnonverbal communication. You will learn the importance of following thecommunication process by knowing your purpose, analyzing youraudience, and adapting to that audience for each situation. The course isdesigned to help you achieve an effective style in communications withsuperiors, subordinates, coworkers, stockholders, suppliers, customers,and the general public.

What Will I Have to Do?

A variety of exercises and assignments will give you the opportunity todemonstrate your ability to apply effective business communicationprinciples to diverse media including:

! e-mail messages

! memoranda

! routine letters and goodwill messages

! persuasive and sales messages

! negative messages

! formal research reports/proposals

! business plans

! employment communication

! oral presentations

! team/small group communication

Written and oral communications, whether internal or external, local orinternational, include e-mails, newsletters, press releases, mass groupmeetings, face-to-face encounters, gossip (yes, the grapevine is alive andwell!), video- and teleconferencing, formal oral presentations, committeemeetings, reports (periodic and special), letters (form andindividual—sales, employment, routine), memos (directives and

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feedback), faxes, text messaging, and voice mail. The choices continue toincrease.

TextbookMary Ellen Guffey, well-known in her field, is the author of the textbookfor this course: Business Communication: Process and Product, fifthedition. A bonus is the student Web site that enriches the learningexperience with many valuable student exercises and reviews. The Website includes elements such as chapter review quizzes, the author’slistening quiz, and electronic documentation formats for MLA (ModernLanguage Association) and APA (American Psychological Association).The author also refers to various Internet sites in chapter discussions.Occasionally, I will suggest that you visit certain sites; in some lessons,you will be asked to visit sites to prepare your written assignment.

Why Do I Need These Skills?

Employers are constantly emphasizing that the ability to communicate andthe ability to work with people are the top skills you need to be hired andfor advancement. Understanding the communication process andrecognizing the problems with communication and how to overcome theseare the first steps in becoming a better communicator. The next step is topractice effective techniques. So the primary course objective is to prepareyou to communicate effectively in this ever-changing business world.

What Is Necessary to Achieve These Skills?

To achieve these skills, you will concentrate on the basic principles ofeffective business communication. Emphasized throughout this coursewill be the need for complete, concise, clear, conversational, courteous,correct, coherent, concrete, credible, and considerate communication,regardless of the medium used.

The course is divided into eight lesson areas and two examinations:

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Lesson 1: Overview of Today’s Business Communication Process andEnvironment

Lesson 2: The Writing Process: Prewrite, Write, ReviseLesson 3: E-mail and Routine/Goodwill MessagesLesson 4: Negative and Persuasive MessagesLesson 5: Midterm ExaminationLesson 6: Reports and ProposalsLesson 7: Teamwork, Interpersonal Communication, and Intercultural

CommunicationLesson 8: Oral CommunicationLesson 9: Employment CommunicationLesson 10: Final Examination

Because of the very nature of communication in general and of businesscommunication in particular, we can’t put the various components intonice, neat, mutually exclusive categories. So even though I have listedtopics and concepts that you will study in each lesson, remember thatevery aspect of effective communication has an impact on every otheraspect. Understand from the beginning that what you learn in lesson 1needs to be incorporated in lessons 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9; what you learn inlesson 2 needs to be incorporated in lessons 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9; and so on.

For example, the writing process will be introduced and discussed inlesson 2. That concept will then be an integral part of subsequent lessons.Every communication situation requires that you plan, prepare, evaluate,and make changes as necessary. Unlike a literature course, perhaps, inwhich you read and analyze one short story and then go on to a completelydifferent author and another short story, all concepts related to effectivebusiness communication are intertwined.

How Will I Demonstrate My Understanding?

By the end of the course, you will understand the basic principles ofeffective business communication and will have completed numerousactivities demonstrating your understanding. You will

! analyze audience characteristics and adapt to those characteristics inwritten documents by practicing reader benefit and positive wording

! analyze a variety of communication media

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! analyze the direct and indirect approaches used in writing andspeaking

! write a letter and/or memo in each of the four major categories: goodnews, routine, bad news, and persuasion

! prepare two business reports: one formal and one informal

! observe and/or participate in meetings

! prepare and present two speeches by videotape or DVD

! prepare a series of letters pertaining to employment (cover letter,résumé, thank you, follow up)

You might want to look at lesson 6 early in the course. In that lesson youwill be preparing a business report that will focus on a current topic inbusiness (general topics are listed), so you might want to begin thinkingabout a topic that interests you.

How Many Lessons May I Submit at Once?

Because the lessons are intertwined, you need to prepare and submit alesson and then wait for feedback before beginning the next lesson. If oneof your assignments violates basic principles, then you will need feedbackbefore completing the next lesson. Not waiting for your instructor’scomments will almost guarantee that the same problems will surface againin subsequent lessons. Writing is a skill, and, as with any skill, the moreyou practice, the better you become—if you are practicing correctly.

I am not a golfer, but if I decided to learn to play golf—and not only playbut go on the pro-golf circuit—I would read all the material I could findon golfing. I would look at pictures of various stances and different kindsof clubs. I would certainly watch the pros on television and practice—eight hours every day for months! And then would I be assured ofprofessional status? Of course not! What is missing from this picture?Feedback from a professional! After I received the input, I would need tocontinue to practice, incorporating the professional’s feedback.

This golf scenario is a little like writing—practice alone is insufficient.This course gives you the opportunity to practice your writing and to

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receive helpful feedback when your assignments are returned to you.Submitting one lesson at a time and waiting for the instructor’s commentswill help guarantee that you get maximum course benefit. On occasion astudent will say, I’ve worked in business for years. I’ve written manymemos; therefore, I already know how to write. Keep in mind that doingsomething many times and doing it correctly are not synonymous.

In addition to the attitude I already know how to write, some of us havethe attitude that our writing style is very personal and we want to protectthat style. Others may think that if someone criticizes our writing, thatperson is criticizing our value as a human being! The feedback youreceive is intended to be helpful, in line with current businesscommunication guidelines. After you write a document, detach yourselffrom it as much as humanly possible; you have to be able to look at yourwriting objectively.

I have been teaching business communication for more than thirty yearsand I do consulting work for businesses. My suggestions and correctionsare not just textbook based! I know what businesspeople are saying aboutthe need for effective communication and what the guidelines are forachieving effective communication.

What Quality of Work Is Expected?

The work that you submit for a grade should be of the same quality as thework you would submit to an employer. It will be graded on that basis.Actually, in the business world, a project is not graded. It is eitheracceptable or it isn’t! Here are the guidelines:

! All written assignments must be keyed using 12-point font(handwritten assignments and assignments using smaller font will bereturned ungraded).

! Questions and cases that require short answers are to be numbered (donot rekey the questions) and single-spaced with double-spacingbetween each paragraph and between each separate response, using thenumbering given in the written assignment. The pages in each writtenassignment refer to your textbook’s pages.

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! The letters, memos, proposals, and reports should appear exactly asthey would in an actual situation—the same standards andrequirements apply to lessons submitted electronically. The form,format, appearance, and content will all be part of the grade. In otherwords, each letter, memo, proposal, and report will follow the correctformat, (including being signed), will be on a separate page, and willhave been proofread carefully. If you will be using e-mail to submityour assignments, please contact your instructor for specificinstructions.

Because the appearance or first impression is such an integral part ofeffective business communication, you are required to send lesson 8(“Oral Communication”) by regular mail.

I want this course to be of practical use to you. If you are currentlyemployed, I encourage you to contact your instructor about makingchanges in the assignments so they would be more applicable to yourpersonal situation. For example, an assignment might ask you to prepare aproposal about incorporating a new fringe benefit into the employee benefitpackage; but in your company, you need to prepare a proposal suggestingways to improve employee morale. With your instructor’s permission, youcould write the proposal about your work situation.

How Will My Grade Be Determined?

You will be graded on your understanding of the theories and principlespresented in each lesson. As noted before, your grade will also be based onhow well you continue to incorporate the theories and principles fromprevious lessons, and whether the appropriate format is being used. Inaddition, since grammatical competence is essential for effectivecommunication, your grade on each written assignment will be reduced forgrammatical errors, misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, and poorsentence structure.

An assignment with any major mechanical error (i.e., spelling, wrongword, proofreading error, comma splice, run-on sentence, sentencefragment, etc.) cannot receive a grade of A. Remember that using a spellchecker and grammar checker is no guarantee that your document ismechanically correct. I have yet to see a “checker” that will alert me thatI’ve used it’s when I should have used its, that the word I should have used

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was effect instead of affect, or that the stationary I’ve used does not refer towriting paper, which is stationery.

I have heard students suggest that their support staff at work will take careof such routine matters as correcting spelling, inserting a comma at theappropriate place, or rewording an awkward sentence. The fact is that mostbusinesspeople today originate their own correspondence on computers(especially beginning business workers) and that the originator’s nameappears on the letter, memo, or report—not the support person’s.

Another reason to wait until the graded assignment is received beforesending the next one is that your instructor will mark all mechanical errors(punctuation, grammar, word confusion, spelling), but take off more pointsif the same errors occur in subsequent lessons.

Grading StandardsSpecific standards for your written assignments are as follows:

! A range. Superior, outstanding, excellent command of all effectivebusiness communication principles, and completely follows allinstructions given. Your work offers an effective solution to theproblem based on good audience analysis; it fulfills minor as well asmajor purposes and its overall pattern of organization is appropriate,the internal organization of ideas is effective, and transitions aresmooth. Reader benefit and logic are well developed. The message isclear, interesting, and easy to read and understand.

You will not be able to achieve this level of communicationeffectiveness without reading the assigned material in the textbook andlearning guide, following the communication process and procedure,and putting forth a high level of time and effort. Everyone wants an Aon every assignment, but only a few are willing to put forth the timeand effort required to achieve a superior grade. The work describedabove is the set standard for an A. Grades are not curved.

! B range. Good performance, solid work, good command of all businesscommunication principles, and completely follows all instructionsgiven. Your work offers an effective solution to the problem. Both theoverall pattern of organization and the internal organization are good.

Reader benefits and logic are developed adequately. The writing styleis clear, concise, and friendly. It may have one or two mechanical

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errors or some awkward spots, but basically it is well written and has agood impact on the reader.

! C range. Satisfactory performance, average command of coursecontent, and follows all instructions given—highest grade anyassignment can earn if it violates any of the basic principles of effectivewriting (positive tone, reader centered, correct order, effectivedocument design, mechanical correctness) or if it has a major flaw insolution, organization, or tone.

! D range. Marginal performance, below average command of coursecontent, does not follow instructions. The submitted work may showsome evidence of attempting the exercise but it has errors inorganization, development, word choice, style, tone, and mechanics.None of these alone would necessarily doom the assignment; however,together they make the work below standard.

! F. Unsatisfactory performance and does not demonstrate anunderstanding of the facts explicitly given in the problem. Thesubmitted work is marred by an unacceptable number of errors inorganization, development, word choice, style, tone, and mechanics.

Note: for written exercises, an error in format (for example, not initialing amemo or signing a letter, using a letter when a memo is needed, orsubmitting incomplete or incorrect parts of the document) will lower thegrade.

Grading ScaleYou will have the opportunity to earn a possible 1,000 points. Lessons 1and 2 will be worth 60 points each; lessons 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9 will be worth75 points each; and lesson 6 (which requires the formal research report) isworth 105 points. The midterm will be worth 150 points and the finalcomprehensive exam will be worth 250 points. Each question and activitywill be assigned a specific point value of the total points possible. Indiana

University’s standard scale will be used in assigning a letter grade to thepoints earned (see the following scale). The Independent Study Programrequires that you receive an average grade of at least a D– on the twoexaminations in order to pass the course. Even if your written

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assignment grades are excellent, you won’t pass the course unless youfulfill this requirement.

By computing the number of points possible at any given time and dividingthat number into the number you have earned, you should be able todetermine your cumulative letter grade at any point in the course.

100–93 A 82–80 B– 69–67 D+ 92–90 A– 79–77 C+ 66–63 D 89–87 B+ 76–73 C 62–60 D– 86–83 B 72–70 C– 59–0 F

ExaminationsThis course includes two examinations—a midterm and a final. Both willinclude true/false and multiple-choice questions, and writing components.Questions will be taken from the textbook and from the learning guide.Directions on how to arrange to take your exams are at the end of lessons 5and 10.

How Much Time Will This Course Require?

Keep in mind that this course is equivalent to a one-semester collegecourse meeting three hours a week for sixteen weeks. Those almost fiftyhours of class time, in addition to another fifty or more hours of out-of-class work, means that a traditional student would put in more than onehundred hours of work on this course. Studies show that those studentswho make As in a course spend three hours out of class for every hourspent in class!

For you this is equivalent to spending an average of ten or more hours oneach lesson. Actually, some lessons will require additional time (lesson 6,which requires you to research and prepare a formal business report, andlesson 8, which requires two speeches, will necessitate more time).

The positive side is that if you are like 95 percent of X204 students, youwill find the material interesting, easy to read, and practical. Because of thetime involved in successfully preparing each lesson, you should allow a minimum of three months for completing the course, though a morerealistic goal is five to six months.

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Please budget your time. Those students who are the most organized, setgoals for themselves, and establish a timetable for completing each lesson—as well as for completing the entire course—are the ones who gainthe most from the course, earn the highest grades, and finish in the timeframe they have set for themselves. The importance of setting and adheringto a schedule cannot be stressed enough!

What Are the Most Important Things to Remember?

Before beginning the first lesson, be certain that you understand what thiscourse’s general objectives are and what is expected of you. Let’s review:

1. Communicating is a skill. In this course you will receive a lot ofpractice in communication for business purposes. You will gain themost from the course (and get the best grades!) by incorporatingfeedback on each lesson into the next lesson.

2. Each assignment should be of the same quality as one you wouldsubmit to an employer or send to a customer, including correctgrammar and punctuation, and accurate proofreading.

3. All answers should follow the guidelines for effective writingpresented in the learning guide and textbook. Review previouslessons before beginning a new lesson. The words complete andconcise should always be foremost in your mind as you work throughthe assignments (these are not contradictory terms; there is morediscussion of that in lesson 2).

4. Also of major importance is the concept of adapting to thereader—remember that your instructor is your reader! That personwill react the same way most other readers do to long, disorganizedsentences and paragraphs—negatively! For example, if a questionasks for five ways to emphasize material, then you should think aboutthe best form for providing that information. Giving it all in oneparagraph is not the most effective way—a listing would be muchmore effective because it is much easier to read and to grade.

5. You will have a midterm examination and a final examination. Eachwill include objective questions (true/false, multiple choice) and

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writing situations. Questions for both examinations will be takenfrom the textbook and this learning guide. The final is cumulative.

6. Your grade for the course will be determined by the number of pointsyou accumulate. An average of at least a D– on the examinations isneeded to pass the course.

7. Please let your instructor know by an e-mail message, a note on anassignment cover sheet, a call during office hours, or a voice mailmessage if you have questions or concerns before, during, or afterpreparing a lesson or after receiving a graded lesson.

8. The most successful students in independent study courses are thosewho set time schedules and adhere to them!

9. Studying, analyzing, and applying the principles will help youprepare for communicating in the business world. You will gainknowledge about, have improved skills in, and have an increasedunderstanding of

! letters and memos

! diverse cultures

! communicating electronically

! speaking

! listening

! teamwork

! a variety of reports

! a changing workforce

! understanding legal and ethical issues

! the writing process

After reading the next two sections of this introduction, you will be readyto begin lesson 1. Good luck!

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Plagiarism

As an educational institution, IU puts learning first. We want you to learn,and we think you value learning as well. We also value honesty and trust.

You have every right to expect fair exams, fair assignments, and fairgrades. By the same token, your instructor expects the work you hand in tobe your own. You are welcome to discuss this course with other studentsand teachers, but when it comes to writing your assignments, all the wordsshould come straight from you, unless you are supporting your assertionswith a properly cited quote.

Passing off someone else’s work as your own is plagiarism. As stated inIndiana University’s Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct(Art. III, § A.3), “A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words, orstatements of another person without an appropriate acknowledgment. Astudent must give due credit to the originality of others and acknowledgean indebtedness whenever he or she does any of the following:

a. quotes another person’s actual words, either oral or written;

b. paraphrases another person’s words, either oral or written;

c. uses another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; or

d. borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material, unless theinformation is common knowledge.”

We take plagiarism very seriously. If you are caught plagiarizing, youcould receive an F for the whole course.

So how can you avoid plagiarizing? When is it appropriate to cite yoursources, and how should you cite them? The answer’s simple. Ask yourinstructor. If you’re unsure whether you’ve cited your sourcesappropriately, call or e-mail your instructor before you submit yourassignment. Not only will you get answers to your questions, you’ll reapthe fruit of honesty: trust.

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Contacting Your Instructor

With each lesson you are required to submit an assignment cover sheet.Every assignment cover sheet has a space for your questions andcomments; you are strongly encouraged to use this space. If problems arisebetween assignments, you can write to your instructor at the IndependentStudy Program. Many instructors can be contacted via e-mail or reached bytelephone during established office hours. To learn your instructor’s e-mail address and/or office hours, please refer to the contact information on theback cover of this learning guide.

Your instructor will respond to individual problems and concerns, and youare always encouraged to contact your instructor directly if you need todiscuss more thoroughly any comments or changes made on the lesson.

Be certain your questions are specific. Your instructor has dozens ofstudents and won’t remember individual problem areas. Questions such as,What did I do wrong? or What can I do to improve? are too general. Yourinstructor would be much more able to help you with questions such as,You wrote “review your viewpoint” on my letter. Would you help meunderstand that concept better?