Study GuideBusiness CommunicationsChapter 71. Wh.docx
- 1. Study Guide Business Communications Chapter 7 1. What are some downsides and complaints about the use of email in the workplace? What cautions should be considered when using email at work? 2. Can you write and/or recognize a suitable subject line in a business communication? Do you know the relative value of the subject line compared to the rest of the message? How do you get someone to notice your email using your subject line? 3. What are some strategies for controlling your inbox? a. Scheduled email checking b. Two-minute rule 4. What is down-editing? When and how should it be used? 5. In what format should emails and interoffice memos usually be written? 6. Do you understand the liability potential from both emails and on-the-job texting? 7. What are some tips for using social media in the workplace? 8. Can employees be terminated or disciplined for their private
- 2. (off-the-job) social media postings? If so, under what circumstances? Chapter 8 9. In what format do you generally write positive business messages? 10. What channels are appropriate for routine, positive messages in the workplace? 11. When are letters still the preferred method for communication? 12. What is the imperative mood and when is it appropriate to use? 13. What are some guidelines for writing messages that give instructions? 14. What is an adjustment message? a. What are three goals when composing adjustment messages? b. What are four sensitive language rules for an adjustment letter? c. Should you apologize in an adjustment letter? d. What are “apology laws” and how common are they? Chapter 9 15. When should you use the direct strategy in delivering bad news messages?
- 3. 16. When should you use the indirect strategy in delivering bad news messages? 17. What is a buffer and what is its purpose? a. Do all business communication authors agree that you should use buffers? b. What are six types of buffers? 18. What are the 5Rs of apologizing effectively? 19. What is empathy and can you give examples of how to show it in a bad news message? 20. When presenting reasons for the bad news you are delivering: a. Where do you position the bad news? b. When should you give a clear and specific explanation of the reasons? c. Should you use company policy as a reason and if so, how? d. Can you use reader benefit when delivering bad news? 21. What are some options for closing a bad news communication? 22. What are four goals for letters in which you are refusing credit to a customer? 23. When should you consider delivering bad news in person and what are six tips for handling such a face-to-face meeting? 24. When writing a rejection letter to a job applicant, what should employers do to avoid charges of discrimination or other wrongful action?
- 4. Chapter 10 25. What are the six basic principles of human behavior that explain how individuals make decisions? 26. What are five ways that persuasion has changed in the digital age? 27. What are the six important strategies for persuasion in business writing? 28. What are some examples of attention-grabbing devices that may be used in persuasive writing? 29. What are some devices that can be used to build interest and conviction in persuasive writing? 30. What is doublespeak and why should it be avoided in business writing? 31. What are some ways to gain attention in a sales message? 32. When crafting a sales message: a. What is a rational appeal? b. What is an emotional appeal? 33. How can you reduce resistance in a sales message? 34. What are some tips for creating effective email sales messages? 35. What is “puffery” in sales messages?
- 5. The idea: Which Option Will You Select for Your Senior Research Project? (go to Options) Task 1, Proposal (go to Task 1) THE IDEA: Senior Research Projects Start With Your Skills The core idea of this course is that students will perform original research that can be used to support an argument presented in one of the kinds of documents they have learned to create in their Communication Studies program. The document students select to create as their project should be one with which they are familiar from the prerequisite courses. Start with the five steps listed here, then conclude with the checklist at the end of this page. STEP 1. To start thinking about a research project idea, first look at the general categories of the project options: Academic writing, technical writing, business writing, speech, media, or journalism. In which of these areas was the bulk of your coursework and where your skills lie? These are listed, below, in chart form. STEP 2. Before your final decision, consider what kind of research methods you would like to use. WARNING! The most important rule of this seminar is that you may not begin your research activities that involve people (for example asking them to be interviewed) until after you have an instructor approved IRB form. Types of Acceptable Original Research Methods · Subject matter expert (SME) interviews (one or two)
- 6. · Online survey · Text analysis (of web sites, television shows, movies, or other) · Observations (at public events, shopping malls, a zoo, or other large, open and public spaces) · Meta-analysis (an examination of a large number of studies about a topic) Types of UNACCEPTABLE Research · Any project involving children · Any project involving interactions with people other than the two SME interviews and your classmates) · Any project that could possibly cause physical, emotional, or any other kind of harm to anyone for any reason Note. You are not the final judge of what research will be allowed. Your instructor makes that determination based on the information you provide in your IRB form. STEP 3. Before your final decision, think of the communication theories that most intrigued you. How will they apply to your project? STEP 4: Before your final decision, think of subjects that interest you, questions you wish to explore, or problems that need solving. STEP 5. Put all of your thoughts from Steps 1 through 4 into the blender of your mind, and create a senior project worth your time and doable in the time allowed.
- 7. OPTIONS PROJECT OPTIONS COMPARISON CHART OPTION 6: TRAINING PROPOSAL PACKAGE Document Types: a proposal, a training package outline with lesson plan format for developers, an objectives list, a content test, a satisfaction survey, and a sample lesson. Prerequisite Courses: SPCH 125, and any two of the following: SPCH 426, COMM 302, COMM 380, COMM 493, WRTG 393, or any HRMN courses Documentation Style: Default: APA Use the style required by the audience Audiences: For a specific and real organization: Proposal Target: The decision maker (name and title required) Training Target: The people who will be trained Length: the proposal should be 1,000 to 2,000 words, the other documents will vary widely depending on the training topic. The outline should be no more than two pages, but it must outline five lessons. The objectives, reflective task, content test, and satisfaction survey should each be single pages. The sample lesson length will vary considerably but should be tightly focused on a single part of the overall topic. Special: To earn an A on this assignment, the lesson must have a multimedia component defined as including motion and sound. If the lesson relies completely on word documents and static
- 8. pictures, the highest grade will be a B. Deliverables: a proposal with a references page listing 8 published resources, a training package outline for five modules showing the module outlines; a detailed lesson plan for one of the modules including a list of learning objectives, training content, a reflective task, a content test, a satisfaction survey, and a sample presentation of content. If your target audience would not want to see APA style in-text citations and a References list. discuss with your professor how to handle the requirement for 8 published resources. 3