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VALUE OF COMMUNICATIONS • What does “communications” entail?
• Human to human; human to machine?
• What does it mean to communicate effectively?
• List 3 times when you had to adapt your communication style to get your message across
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONS • Effective, clear communication
• Preparing, researching, crafting your message • Objective-driven • Specific, targeted audience • Often includes graphics and images
Complex ideas Understandable language
Expert info Non-expert understanding
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS • Technical/professional communications require:
1. A specific audience
2. Integration of visual elements (often)
3. Timeliness
4. Structure
LET’S EXPLORE WRITING ITSELF • What are your feelings about writing?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• What areas could use improvement?
LET’S EXPLORE WRITING ITSELF • A skill that can be learned (not inborn)
• Thinking about writing can improve it • Develop a basic storehouse of skills
• The dread and fear of writing • A nuisance? • Best/worst part about work? • Part of your job, whatever the context • “Invisible labour”
THE READER-CENTERED APPROACH AIM, PURPOSE, AND TONE
READER-CENTERED APPROACH • Crucial in all communications
ü Always identify your reader and audience • You: figure out your aim and purpose; choose the right tone • Them: anticipate who your reader is
ü Ask for second opinions on your communications
ü Pay attention to communications you receive and evaluate your feelings • Are you receptive? • Are you annoyed? • Are you (dis)interested?
(Anderson, 1995)
Affects how we develop and maintain ourselves and our professional relationships
TONE AND VOICE • What is tone?
• How the writer feels about a topic, subject or issue • Similar to “voice” in writing
• “Voice” = personality (e.g., serious) • “Tone” = attitude or mood (e.g., Somber? Dark? Urgent?
Optimistically serious?
• Communicated through language use • Words affect how readers process your message • Words affect how readers receive your message
TONE • What are some tones to avoid?
• What are some tones to adopt?
TONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE • Similar message, different tones (leads us in
different directions):
• “Climate change is the fight of our lives – yet we can hardly bear to look at it.” – Naomi Klein (2014) • Call to action within the self • Stop and look within, in order to move forward
• “The [climate crisis] is the greatest challenge our civilization faces, and we need to get on with solutions.” – Al Gore (2014) • Call to collective action • Move forward immediately, as a collective
• Which speaks to you?
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READER-CENTERED APPROACH • 3 general guidelines to consider prior to writing
1) Consider how you affect the reader’s overall attitude
2) Try to anticipate your reader’s characteristics
3) Consider future/other readers
(Anderson, 1995)
FINAL TIPS ü Ask for help and seek advice from others ü When asked to write something, ask:
• Who else will see it? • What should the communication accomplish? • Is there anything else I need to know?
ü Leave some ego (gently) at home
EMAILS
EMAIL TODAY • Preferred method of business communication
• Good complement to other methods (i.e., phone; meetings) • Quick, effective, and efficient • Originally for simple, basic notes across networks (i.e., not
for mass communications)
• Consider impacts of good/poor writing on reputation • What relationships will you build through email?
(Held, 2014)
EMAIL ETIQUETTE • What are some characteristics of….
• Poor email etiquette? • Good email etiquette?
WHAT IS POOR EMAIL ETIQUETTE?
Subject: Re: Merry Chirstmas & Happy New year! From: John Doe <jdoe1@agency_that_is_reputable.com> To: me Hi Jane: Just wanted to wish u & your family the best of this holiday season!I hope your doing well. Are u still in the market for a place?? If so,just let me know and I’ll start sending u new listings at your convenience. fyi,there are quite a few really nice places right now, & I’d be happy to email these to u if u want? Cheers John Doe
GETTING STARTED (AGAIN): YOUR ADDRESS • Think of it as your “brand”
• Represents you and what you stand for • Imprints itself on the brain (like a logo) • Makes a clear first impression
EMAIL ADDRESS (PROFESSIONAL) • AVOID: ① “Cute,” “flirty,” “goofy,” or nonsensical addresses
• E.g., [email protected]
② Shared email addresses (even if business is shared) • E.g., [email protected]
③ Modified spelling • Appears unprofessional and shows lack of care • E.g., [email protected]
④ Unbranded or generic accounts • E.g., [email protected]
⑤ “Spam-able” addresses • Numbers, underscores, extra adjectives • E.g., [email protected]
EMAIL ADDRESS (PROFESSIONAL) • DO: ① Use your own full name
• Ensure it is the name you go by and be consistent
② Get your own account and maintain it • Separate from your personal life
③ Purchase a domain name? (optional, but recommended for start-ups/consultancies) • Affordable and a good investment
(Coutu, n.d.)
SUBJECT LINE • Clear, brief, direct, and purposeful
• Accurately reflect the content of the email
• Professionals receive ~108 emails/day Ø Subject line compels people to read your email Ø Particularly important for first/unfamiliar interactions Ø Helps people prioritize
• No subject? • Can go to junk/spam folder
(Held, 2014)
SUBJECT LINE • Vague subject lines:
• “Grant meeting” • “Webinar” • “Newsletter” • “Management project”
• Clearer subject lines: • “Finalizing grant proposal by January 31, 2015” • “Webinar date and coordinator contact info” • “Revised version of October newsletter” • “Kaslo CF AAC for March management plan”
(Held, 2014)
CONTENTS OF AN EMAIL Greeting/Salutation, Introduction/why you are writing. Body paragraph (or headings, with bulleted items) Closing, Name Signature Position Other ways to contact you
(attachments)
EMAIL CONTENT • SALUTATION & INTRO
• Friendly greeting, then a quick “intro”
• BODY: Short, direct, and to the point Ø Longer conversations are for phones Ø Use headings and bullet points for longer messages Ø Include relevant and important information only
• Emails cannot be unsent… …is this the message you want to deliver?
CONTENT: GREETING/SALUTATION • Courteous, professional tone
• Use appropriate level of formality • E.g., “Hello”; “Hi there”; “Dear” (?); “Good morning”, etc.
ü Sets you up for requests ü Creates a friendly relationship
• First time communication: • Use last name, with title (e.g., Dr.) • Ms., not Mrs. or Miss • If unsure, use full first name (try Googling first) • Triple-check spelling!
CONTENT: BODY • WHAT NOT TO DO:
• Type in all uppercase. THIS IS YELLING. OR CONDESCENSION. • type in all lowercase • Use internet abbreviations (lulz, ttyl, brb) • Include personal information, such as credit card numbers
• Stays in the correspondence • Use the phone instead
• Use patterned backgrounds or many coloured fonts
• Words, tone, content, and style are the primary focus
CONTENT: BODY • AVOID:
• Bolding, underlining, or italicizing text • Emphasizes the text ten-fold (can appear condescending) • Exception #1: when using headings (this is appropriate)
• E.g., Agenda items: • Exception #2: if you know how your reader reads
• E.g., Please mark January 19, 2015 in your calendar.
• Using too many exclamation marks • Only use one at a time! (!!) • Try to limit to one per email, though this depends on context
CONTENT: BODY • DO:
• Write in complete sentences… …except for bulleted items.
• Include a few pleasantries • E.g., “Thanks”; “I hope this email finds you well”; “I appreciate your help”
Ø Be respectful of your reader’s time ü Shorter and plainer is better, and more effective ü Edit out what is unnecessary
CONTENT: CLOSING • CLOSING
• Maintain a polite and accessible tone • Demonstrate availability for further communication • “Thank you”; “Sincerely”; “Best regards”; “Cheers”; “Best
wishes”; “All the best,” etc.
• Include your full name for first time correspondences • Drop your last name when you are familiar to the recipient
CONTENT: SIGNATURE • Helpful!
• Provides additional information about yourself • Provides other ways in which people may contact you
• Details to include: Degrees and institutions E.g., Satoshi Inoue, M.A. (UBC), B.A.
(Uvic) Your title Strategic Advisor Company/Organization name
CedarCom Consultants 3456 Evergreen Way, Dendroville
A telephone number (604)-123-4567 Reiterate email address [email protected] Websites, if relevant CedarCom Corporation
http://cedarcomcorp.ca
CONTENT: ATTACHMENTS • Indicate in the body if there is an attachment
• Can often be missed by the reader • Send a pdf, unless stated otherwise
• E.g., Documents need to be tracked for edits • Name the file clearly
• Indicate when a large file will be sent (or ask for a time)
• Do not send after business hours (unless it’s expected) • Can be missed by the recipient
PROOFREADING – CRUCIAL! • Include addresses in “to” field only when the message is
ready to be sent out • Avoids accidents and embarrassment • Good practice even when you’re replying to an email
• Read carefully (out loud for very important emails) • Our bairn redas wrdos as a wolhe, not eevry lteter by ilstef • We might not notice if a word is out fo place or misspelled
• Relatedly, autocorrect pulls a lot of tricks on us • E.g. “Sorry for the inconvenience…”
…“Sorry for the incontinence.”
USE “SPAM” • Most importantly, be…
S: P: A: M:
CARBON COPY (CC) • Use when emailing several people who need to be
involved in (or informed about) a particular issue • Avoid overuse
• People will stop paying attention
• How/To whom do you reply? • “Reply all” if everyone needs to know • Reply to sender if individual responses are appropriate • If unsure, reply only to sender
BLIND CARBON COPY (BCC) • Use when emailing several people that don’t know
each other • Protects people’s privacy
• Use discretion • Not to be used to ridicule others or to provide evidence for
a problematic issue
HUMOUR • Maintain caution
• Lost in digital translation • Can be easily misinterpreted, even (or especially) if
followed by an emoticon…
…therefore, avoid emoticons as well.
• Might be seen as a lack of professionalism
• Assume no privacy when using the company server or resources
CLEARING MISUNDERSTANDINGS • Is email the best way to communicate?
• Phones and face-to-face meetings are indispensible
• Use email to determine a time to call
• Emotional/angry emails • Wait at least one day
before replying • You do not need
to reply immediately • Walk away. Take a break.
READ WITH DIFFERENCE IN MIND • Different cultures write differently
• Expectations are not the same • Use plain language to avoid misunderstanding • Include contextual details that matter
• I.e., personal details might be necessary for relationship-building
• Different generations use technology differently • Internet is still relatively “new” • Difficult to navigate tone in general – what about through
email? • E.g., “This report has to be in on time. Thanks.” • E.g., “Please ensure that this report is completed before the end of
day today. Thanks, and have a great weekend.”
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS ü If you wouldn’t want your email on the front page of
the news, don’t send it out ü Revise, and revise again ü Ask for clarification and avoid “reading between the
lines” ü Take responsibility for errors
(Mayhew, 2014)
REFERENCES Anderson, P. V. (1995). Part II: Defining Objectives. In (3rd Ed.) Technical Writing: A Reader-Centered Approach (58-84). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
BBC. (2014).Al Gore: climate change is the biggest challenge our civilization faces. Retrieved from BBC News Magazine website:http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28199131
Coutu, A. (n.d.). 7 terrible secrets revealed by your email address (and how to fix them). Retrieved from the Consultant Journal website:http://consultantjournal.com/blog/7-terrible-secrets-revealed-by-your-email-address-mistakes
Doumont, J. L. (2002). The three laws of professional communication. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 45(4), 291-296.
Guffey, M.E., & Almonte, R. (2010). Essentials of Business Communication (6th Edition). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education.
Held, M. (2104). Five ways to keep your tone in check when writing business emails. Retrieved from the Huffington Post website: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/matthew-held/business-emails_b_5955124.html
Klein, N. (2014). Climate change is the fight of our lives – yet we can hardly bear to look at it. Retrieved from The Guardian website: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/23/climate-change-fight-of-our-lives-naomi-klein
Smith, J. (2014). 11 email etiquette rules every professional should know. Retrieved from the Business Insider website:
http://www.businessinsider.com/email-etiquette-rules-everyone-should-know-2014-9?op=1#ixzz3PEymHtEx
Turk, C., & Kirkman, J. (1989). Effective writing: Improving scientific, technical, and business communication (2nd Ed). London, EN: E. & F.N. Spon.
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