商务与管理沟通（英文 第12版）教案 Locker-BAC12e-IM-Ch01 Succeeding in Business Communication

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Chapter1

SucceedinginBusinessCommunication

TableofContents

DescriptionoftheChapter

2

EssentialstoCover

3

MotivatingLearnerstoDevelopBusinessCommunicationSkills

5

StressSectionsofChapter

5

RemindThemoftheVarietyofWritingStyles

5

ShareActualDocuments

5

Connect

6

ApplicationExercises

6

DeterminingCostsofPoorCommunication

6

StaleCookies

7

CommunicatingLabResults

8

Chapter1Quiz

8

Chapter1TestBank

8

LearnSmartAchieve®

8

GrammarandCommonSentenceProblems&PunctuationandMechanics

9

SmartBook®

9

AnswersandAnalysisforEnd-of-ChapterExercisesandCases

9

1.1ReviewingtheChapter

9

1.2AssessingYourPunctuationandGrammarSkills

11

1.3MessagesforDiscussionI—AskingforaClass 12

1.4MessagesforDiscussionII—RespondingtoRumors 13

1.5DiscussingCommunicationBarriers

14

1.6IdentifyingPoorCommunicators

14

1.7IdentifyingChangingConventions

14

1.8UnderstandingtheRoleofCommunicationinYourOrganization

14

1.9ProtectingPrivacyOnline

15

1.10MakingEthicalChoices

15

1.11AnalyzingBusinessEthics

15

1.12IntroducingYourselftoYourCollaborativeWritingGroup

16

1.13DescribingYourWritingExperiencesandGoals

16

ExercisePlanningTable

17

PPTLectureOutline

18

LessonPlanIdeas

19

“CocktailParty”

19

IntroductionInterview

19

IdentifyingandDiscussingDocumentsUsedinOrganizations

19

LearningtoEvaluateDocuments

20

IdentifyingtheStrengthsandWeaknessesofSampleMessages

20

DiscussingWaystoBuildGoodwill

21

DiscussingConventionsforGoodEmailMessages

21

DemonstratingCommunicationProblemSolving

21

QuestionoftheDay

21

DescriptionoftheChapter

Thischapteristhefoundationalchapterandshouldmotivatelearnerstoimprovetheircommunicationskills.Thechapteroffersanoverviewofcommunicationinorganizations,discussesthecostsofpoorcommunication,stressesbenefitsofimprovingcommunicationandusingtechnologytocommunicate,outlinescriteriaforeffectivemessages,introducestheimportanceoffollowingconventions,explainswhyethicsissoimportantinbusinesscommunication,explainshowcorporatecultureaffectsthebusinessenvironment,anddemonstrateshowtoanalyzeandsolvebusinesscommunicationproblems.

Thelearningobjectivesinclude:

LO1-1Whatthebenefitsofgoodcommunicationare.

LO1-2Whyyouneedtobeabletocommunicatewell.

LO1-3Whatthecostsofcommunicationare.

LO1-4Whatthecostsofpoorcommunicationare.

LO1-5Whatthebasiccriteriaforeffectivemessagesare.

LO1-6Whatroleconventionsplayinbusinesscommunication.

LO1-7Whyethicsaresoimportantinbusinesscommunication.

LO1-8Howcorporatecultureaffectsthebusinessenvironment.

LO1-9Howtosolvebusinesscommunicationproblems.

EssentialstoCover

LO1-1Whatthebenefitsofgoodcommunicationare.

Communicationhelpsorganizationsandthepeopleinthemachievetheirgoals.Peopleputthingsinwritingtocreatearecord,conveycomplexdata,makethingsconvenientforthereader,savemoney,conveytheirownmessagemoreeffectively,andincreasetheirownvalueintheworkplace.

LO1-2Whyyouneedtobeabletocommunicatewell.

Theunderstandingthatpeopleneedtocommunicateeffectively.Peopleneedtocommunicatetointernalandexternalaudiencesusingavarietyofmethodsandgenres.

Thethreebasicpurposesofcommunicationaretoinform,torequestorpersuade,andtobuildgoodwill.Mostmessageshavemultiplepurposes.

Theabilitytowriteandspeakwellbecomesincreasinglyimportantaspeopleriseinanorganization.

LO1-3Whatthecostsofcommunicationare.

Commoncommunicationcostsincludewritingtime,documentcycling,printing,mailing,andelectronicstorageofemails.

LO1-4Whatthecostsofpoorcommunicationare.

Poorwritingwastestime,wasteseffort,andjeopardizesgoodwillatmultiplelevels,allofwhichcostmoney.Inaddition,poorcommunicationofalltypescanleadtolegaltroublesforindividualsandorganizations.

LO1-5Whatthebasiccriteriaforeffectivemessagesare.

Goodbusinessandadministrativewritingmeetsfivecriteria:clear;complete;correct;savesthereceiver’stime;andbuildsgoodwill.

LO1-6Whatroleconventionsplayinbusinesscommunication.

Commonbusinesscommunicationshaveconventions,asdoorganizations.Businesscommunicatorsneedtoknowhowtounderstandandanalyzebusinesscommunicationsituationstobeabletoadjustconventionstobestfitaparticularaudience,purpose,andcontext.

Toevaluateaspecificdocument,learnersmustknowtheinteractionsamongwriter,thereader(s),thepurposesofthemessage,andthecontent.Nosinglesetofwordswillworkforallreadersinallsituations.

Tounderstandbusinesscommunicationsituations,learnersshouldaskthefollowingquestions:

What’satstake—towhom?

Shouldyousendamessage?

Whatchannelshouldyouuse?

Whatshouldyousay?

Howshouldyousayit?

Thefollowingprocesshelpscreateeffectivemessages:

Gatherknowledgeandbrainstormsolutions.

AnswerthefivequestionsforanalysisinFigure1.6.

Organizetheinformationtofittheaudiences,thepurposes,andthecontext.

Makethedocumentvisuallyinviting.

Revisethedrafttocreateafriendly,businesslike,positivestyle.

Useresponsestoplanfuturemessages.

LO1-7Whyethicsaresoimportantinbusinesscommunication.

Ethicsconcernsareamajorpartofthebusinessenvironment.Ethicsbreachescancostcompanieslossofgoodwillandmillionsofdollars.Evensmallerethicsbreacheslikemisuseofcompanytime,abusivebehavior,companyresourceabuse,discrimination,andconflictsofinterestcostgoodwillandmoney.Positiveethicalefforts,includingethicalcommunication,helpcompaniesandtheirbottomlinesinsignificantways.

LO1-8Howcorporatecultureaffectsthebusinessenvironment.

Corporateculturesvarywidely.Theyrangefromformal—withindividualoffices,jackets,andhierarchicallinesofcommunication—toinformal—withopenofficespace,casualattire,andindividuallyempoweredworkers.Astronginfluenceonthebusinessenvironment,effectivecommunicatorscanreadilynavigateacrosscorporatecultures.

LO1-9Howtosolvebusinesscommunicationproblems.

Businesscommunicationproblemsrequiresolutionsthatwillbothsolvetheorganizationproblemandmeettheneedsofthepeopleinvolved.Thefollowingprocesshelpstosolvebusinesscommunicationproblems:

Gatherknowledgeandbrainstormsolutions.

AnswerthefivequestionsforanalysisinFigure1.6.

Organizeinformationtofittheaudiences,thepurposes,andthecontext.

Makethedocumentvisuallyinviting.

Revisethedraftforstandardspelling,punctuation,andgrammar;double-checknamesandnumbers.

Revisethedrafttocreateafriendly,businesslike,positivestyle.

EditthedraftforstandardEnglish;double-checknamesandnumbers.

Useresponsestoplanfuturemessages.

TheLessonPlanIdeassectionoffersseveraldifferentwaystoapproachthismaterial.

MotivatingLearnerstoDevelopBusinessCommunicationSkills

Thechapterisstraightforwardtoteach.Ifyouareteachinglearnerswhoarecurrentlyworkinginbusinessorprofessionalsituationsyouwillprobablynotneedtoconvincethemthatbusinesscommunicationskillsareimportant.Learnerstendtohavedifficultyprimarilywhentheyresisttakingthecourse,eitherbecausetheydonotbelievewritingandcommunicationwillbeimportanttotheircareersorbecausetheyhavealreadyhadotherwritingcourses.Thereareseveralthingsthatcantodonetomotivatelearnerstodeveloptheircommunicationskills.

StressSectionsofChapter

YoucanstresssectionsinChapter1thatdiscusshowimportantwritingistocareeradvancementbyillustratingwaysthatbusinessandprofessionalwritingdiffersfromotherkindsofwriting.Encouragelearnerstosharetheirworkexperiences,shareyourownworkexamples,andpullexamplesofbusinesscommunicationfromthenews,whetherthatcommunicationhelpedoradverselyaffectedbusiness.

RemindThemoftheVarietyofWritingStyles

Youcanalsomakeclearthatlearnerswillhavetoaltertheirwritingstyletodowellinthiscourse.Forexample,ifyou’reteachingatauniversity,thewritingthatlearnershavedoneinothercourseswilllikelynotbeeffectiveinbusinesscommunications.Whetherit’sfirst-yearcompositionorahistoryorabiologycourse,thelearners’mainpurposewastodisplayknowledgetotheirinstructor.Thedocumentswerealsolikelyformattedindouble-spacedAPA,Chicago,orMLAstyle.Inthiscourse,you,theinstructor,willnotbethelearners’primaryaudienceandthedocumentswillbeformattedtolookliketheywouldintheworkplace.Learnerswillrespondtocommunicationsituationsthathavelargerimplicationsforthebusinessworld.

ShareActualDocuments

Wehavefoundthatlearnersbenefitfromseeingactualbusinessdocumentsearlyinthecourseandhavingimmediateexperienceswriting.Bringinexamples,orhaveyourlearnersbringinexamplesofprofessionaldocumentsthatyoucananalyzetogetherwithyourlearners.Askthemtoidentifypurposes,audiences,andcontextsofthedocuments.Moreover,tohelpthemcometotermswiththedifferentdemandsofwritinginabusinesssetting,considergivingsomeshortwritingexercisesforwhichyougivefeedbackbutnotalettergrade.Startinginthiswaycangivelearnersasolidfoundationonwhichtobuildfortherestofthesemester.

Notethatexamplesofmiscommunicationhavingnegativeeffectsonbusinessaresometimesmorememorablethanpositiveexamples.

Connect

Connect®BusinessCommunicationallowsyoutoenhancetheskillsofstudents,andpreparethemforthenetworkedworldusingthelatestproven-effectiveadaptiveresources.Itoffersassignable,auto-gradedactivitiesproventoincreasetestscores,retentionrates,andattendance.

EachchapterisavailableinSmartBook®formatandincludesLearnSmartAchieve®.Inaddition,therearenumerouschapter-specificactivitiesavailableinConnect.Activitiesincludeachapterquiz,aTestBank,andavarietyofApplicationExercises,containingmatching,multiple-choice,andrankingquestions;caseanalysisexercises;andvideocases.Belowarealistofavailableassetsandsuggestionsforincorporatingthemintoyourcourse.

ApplicationExercises

DeterminingCostsofPoorCommunication

LO:1-3,1-4

AACSB:Communication

Blooms:Understand

DifficultyLevel:Medium

Thismatchingexercisehelpslearnersrecognizedifferentwaysthatpoorcommunicationcancostthemandtheirorganization.TheDeterminingCostsofPoorCommunicationactivityishelpfulifyourlearnersareskepticalabouttheneedtodeveloporhonetheircommunicationskills.

Useasquizafterthereading:

AssignChapter1forstudy.

AssignDeterminingCostsofPoorCommunicationasaquizonthereading.

Useasreviewafterlectureanddiscussion:

Givebrieflectureonthebenefitsofeffectivecommunicationandthecostsofpoorcommunication.(PPTslides1.4–1.11).

Followwithsmallgroupdiscussion.Asklearnertoshareatleastoneexperienceinteractingwithapoorcommunicatorandexplaintheeffectsofthatcommunication.Gathertogetherasalargegroup,askeachgrouptoshareatleastoneexperienceandeffect,andwritedowntheeffectsontheboardaslearnersshare.Makesuretoincludeadiscussionofwhattheeffectsofpoorcommunicationcouldbeintheworkplace(ifitdidn’tcomeupinthesmallgroupdiscussions).

AssignDeterminingCostsofPoorCommunicationashomework.

Transitiontohowtoensurecommunicationsareeffective(PPTslide1.12).Askeachgrouptochooseoneexampleandrevisethatexampletofollowthebasiccriteriaforeffectivemessages.

Useasaprecursortoaclassdiscussionaboutmiscommunicationcausingcompaniestolosecustomers,respect,lawsuits,oralloftheabove:

AssignDeterminingCostsofPoorCommunicationasaquizonthereadingorreviewofpreviousclassperiod.

Bringrecentnewsexample(s)ofmiscommunicationcausingcompaniestolosecustomers,respect,lawsuits,orothertoclass.Asksmallgroupstodiscusswhatthemiscommunicationwas,itseffects,andhowthecommunicationcouldhavebeenimproved.[Themorerecenttheexamplesyoucanfind,themorerelevantlearnerswillfindtheconceptsanddiscussions.]

StaleCookies

LO:1-5,1-9

AACSB:Communication

Blooms:Apply

DifficultyLevel:Hard

Thiscaseanalysisexercisewithmultiple-choicequestionsdemonstrateslearners’abilitytoapplythelearningoutcomesfromChapter1thatfocusoncraftingeffectivebusinessmessages,usingconventionsappropriately,andconsideringthecontextinwhichthey’recommunicating.

UseasquizattheendofallactivitiescomingfromChapter1.

Useasreviewafterlectureanddiscussion:

Providelectureoncraftingeffectivebusinessmessages,usingconventions,andunderstandingsituations(PPTslides1.12–1.14).

Followwithsmallgroupdiscussion.Asklearnerstocompleteexercise1.3MessagesforDiscussionI—AskingforaClassor1.4MessageforDiscussionII—RespondingtoRumors.Gathertogetherasalargegroupandaskeachgrouptosharetheirresponses.Asyoureview,makesuretoconnectpointsbacktothebasiccriteria,theimportanceoffollowingconventions,andunderstandingthecommunicationcontext.

AssignStaleCookiesashomework.

Useasaprecursortoaworkshopordraftingday:

StaleCookieswouldworkwellbeforeacomputerlabdaywhereyou’llasklearnerstostartdraftingtheirownmessage.Theclasscouldreferthecriteriaforeffectivemessagesandtheprocessforsolvingbusinesscommunicationmessagesbeforebeginningtheirownwork.

CommunicatingLabResults

LO:1-7

AACSB:Communication

Blooms:Understand;Apply

DifficultyLevel:Easy–Medium

Thiscaseanalysisexercisewithmultiple-choicequestionsdemonstrateslearners’abilitytoidentifythethinkingprocessneededforanalyzingandaddressingissuesofpotentialethicsbreaches.Thisassignmentasksonlyaboutthethinkingprocessanddoesnotasklearnerstodiscusswhatisethicalorunethical,nordoestheassignmentasklearnerswhattheywoulddointhescenario.

UseasquizattheendofallactivitiescomingfromChapter1.

Useasreviewafterlectureanddiscussion:

Providelectureonanalyzingpotentialethicsbreachesandrespondingtocommunicationproblems(PPTslides1.15–1.17).

Followwithsmallgroupdiscussion.Askthemtocompleteanactivitylikeexercises1.9ProtectingPrivacyOnline,1.10MakingEthicalChoices,or1.11AnalyzingBusinessEthics.Gathertogetherasalargegroupandaskeachgrouptosharetheirresponses.Asyoureview,makesuretoconnectpointsbacktothecontentfromthePPTsandbeawarethatanswerswillvarydependingonlearners’perspectives.

AssignCommunicatingLabResultsashomework.

Chapter1Quiz

Themultiple-choicequiztestslearners’understandingofthechapter’scontent.

Chapter1TestBank

Thequestionbankutilizestrue/false,multiplechoice,andshortanswerquestionstothoroughlytestthelearners’understandingofthechapter’scontent.

LearnSmartAchieve®

LearnSmartAchieve®developsandimproveseditingandbusinesswritingskills.Thisadaptivelearningsystemhelpsstudentslearnfaster,studymoreefficiently,andretainmoreknowledgeforgreatersuccess.

GrammarandCommonSentenceProblems&PunctuationandMechanics

Grammarandpunctuationrulesaresetsofacceptedrulesforhowwordsareassembledtocreatemeaning,andourlearnersneedtoknowthoserulestobesuccessfulcommunicators.Whetherit’srightorwrong,fairorunfair,thequalityofourlearner’sgrammarandpunctuationknowledgecanaffecthowtheyandtheirmessagesareperceived.

SmartBook®

SmartBook®isthefirstandonlyadaptivereadingexperiencedesignedtochangethewaystudentsreadandlearn.

AnswersandAnalysisforEnd-of-ChapterExercisesandCases

Answersfortheend-of-chapterexercisesandcasesinChapter1aregivenbelow.

1.1ReviewingtheChapter

LO:1-1–1-7

DifficultyLevel:Easy

Generalanswersareprovidedbelow.Ideally,wewantlearnerstobeabletorelatetheseideastospecificinstancestoshowthattheyunderstandandcanapplytheconcepts.

Whydobusinessesneedtobeabletocommunicatewell?(LO1-1)

Communicationhelpsorganizationsandthepeopleinthemachievetheirgoals.Peopleputthingsinwritingtocreatearecord,conveycomplexdata,makethingsconvenientforthereader,savemoney,andconveytheirownmessagesmoreeffectively.Inaddition,employeeswitheffectivecommunicationskillsarehighlyvalued.

Whydoyouneedtobeabletocommunicatewell?(LO1-1)

Employersrelyontheiremployeestocommunicatewithinternalandexternalaudiencestogetworkdone.Employeesspendagreatdealoftime,ifnotmost,writingandspeakingintheworkplace.Beingagoodcommunicatorwillincreaseyourchancesforraisesandpromotions.

Whataresomeflawedassumptionsaboutworkplacecommunication?Whatistherealityforeachmyth?(LO1-2)

Myth:“Anadministrativeassistantwilldoallofmywriting.”

Reality:Becauseofautomationandrestructuring,jobresponsibilitiesinofficeshavechanged.Today,manyofficesdonothavetypingpools.Mostsecretarieshavebecomeadministrativeassistantswiththeirowncomplextaskssuchastraining,research,anddatabasemanagementforseveralmanagers.Managersarelikelytotakecareoftheirownwriting,dataentry,andphonecalls.

Myth:“I’lluseformlettersortemplateswhenIneedtowrite.”

Reality:Formlettersonlycoverroutinesituations,manyofwhicharecomputerizedoroutsourced.Thehigherlearnersrise,themorefrequentlythey’llfacesituationsthataren’troutineanddemandcreativesolutions.

Myth:“I’mbeinghiredasanaccountant,notawriter.”

Reality:Almosteveryentry-levelprofessionalormanagerialjobrequiresyoutowriteemailmessages,speaktosmallteams,writedocuments,andpresentyourworkforannualreviews.Workerswhodothesethingswellarelikelytobepromotedbeyondtheentrylevel.

Myth:“I’lljustpickupthephone.”

Reality:Importantphonecallsrequirefollow-upletters,memos,oremailmessages.Peopleinorganizationsputinformationinwritingtomakethemselvesvisible,createarecord,conveycomplexdata,makethingsconvenientforthereader,savemoney,andconveytheirownmessagesmoreeffectively.

Whatarethecostsofcommunication?(LO1-3)

Somecostscanincludewritingtime,documentcycling,printing,mailing,andelectronicstorage/servers(aswellasadministeringandmaintainingthem).

Whatarethecostsofpoorcommunication?(LO1-4)

Somecostscanincludewastedtime,wastedeffort,jeopardizinggoodwill,andlegalproblems

Whatarethebasiccriteriaforeffectivemessages?(LO1-5)

Goodbusinessandadministrativewritingmeetsfivebasiccriteria:it’sclear,complete,correct,buildsgoodwill,andsavesthereader’stime.

Whatroledoconventionsplayinbusinesscommunication?(LO1-6)

Conventionshelppeoplerecognize,produce,andinterpretdifferentkindsofcommunication.Allbusinessdocumentsfollowsomeconventions.However,thekeytoconventionsisthattheyalwaysneedtobeadjustedtofittherhetoricalsituation—audience,context,andpurpose.

Whataresomepositiveethicaleffortsthataregettingattention?(LO1-7)

Responsestothisquestionwillbevariedanddependonindividuals’worldview.Theresponsescouldbealsocontentious—considerDick’sSportingGoods’recentdecisiontostopsellingAR-15assaultweaponsorDelta’sdecisiontocuttieswiththeNRA—butresultinrichconversationsaboutethics,goodwill,andmultipleaudiences.

Whataresomeethicalcomponentsofcommunication?(LO1-7)

Thereareseveralethicalcomponentsofcommunication:

Includealltheinformationanaudienceneeds.Ifthecommunicatorneedstheaudiencetomakeadecision,thenthemessageneedstohavealltheinformationthattheaudienceneedstomakethatdecision.

Useexpressionsthattheaudiencewillunderstand.Anexampleofprofessionalcommunicationfrommedicinewouldbeaphysicianexplainingacomplicatedmedicaldiagnosisattheknowledge-leveloftheaudience.

Useaformatthathelpstheaudienceunderstandamessagequickly.Documentsneedoveralldesignandfontsthataidreadercomprehension.

Includeinformationforalllevelsofaudience.

Accuratelyparaphraseandsummarizematerialfromothersources.

Accuratelydocumentmaterialfromothersources.

Whataresomeelementsofcorporateculture?Howdotheyaffectbusiness?(LO1-8)

Someelementsofcorporatecultureareofficespace,dresscodes,hierarchy,workarrangements,profitsharing,informationsharing,training,healthinsurance,andwellnessprograms.Individualsmighthavesomeadditionaloptions.

Responsesabouthowtheyaffectbusinesswillvarygreatly,butmakesuretheresponsescanexplainhowexactlysomethinglikehealthinsurancewouldaffectacompany.

Whatarethecomponentsofagoodproblem-solvingmethodforbusinesscommunicationopportunities?(LO1-9)

Gatherknowledgeandbrainstormsolution

UsetheanalysisquestionsinFigure1.6toanalyzetheaudience,purpose,andsituation.

Organizetheinformationtofittheaudiences,contexts,andpurposes.

Makethedocumentvisuallyinviting.

Revisethedrafttocreateafriendly,businesslike,positivestyle.

EditthedraftforstandardEnglish;double-checknamesandnumbers.

Usesresponsestoplanfuturemessages.

1.2AssessingYourPunctuationandGrammarSkills

LO:1-2,1-6

DifficultyLevel:EasytoHard(dependingonlearners’knowledge)

TheanswerstotheDiagnosticTest,B.1,fromAppendixBcanbefoundintheAppendixBInstructor’sManualfile.

1.3MessagesforDiscussionI—AskingforaClass

LO:1-1,1-5,1-6

DifficultyLevel:Medium

Message1

Salutationistooinformal.Themessageistoaprofessionalthatthewriterdoesnotknowpersonally.

Messagelacksyou-attitude.

Messagelacksgoodwillbystatingthelearnerdidn’ttakeitlastyear“cuzIreallydidn’twantto.”

Thereisnoincentivefortheaudiencetoactonthemessage.

Grammarandspellingneedtobeimproved.

Message2

Thesalutationisbetterthanthefirstmessage,butstillnoteffectiveenough.

Thewriterblamesotherpeopleinsteadofthelearnertakingresponsibility.

Thetoneistooinformaloverall.

Thewriterdismissestheirprogramandtheaudience’sexpertise(“Ishouldn’thavetotakethisclassanyway,butwhatever”).

Thewriteristoodemanding.

Thereisnoincentivefortheaudiencetoactonthemessage.

Themessagelacksyou-attitude.Theemphasisisonthewriternotthereader.

Message3

Thesalutationisgood.

Thetoneismuchbetterthantheprevioustwo.

Thelearnertakesresponsibilityandpolitelyaskstobeputonawaitinglistincaseaseatopens,somethingthattheinstructorcandowithoutaddingtotheirworkload(reflectsunderstandingofaudienceneeds,values,andattitudes).

Thelearnerbuildsgoodwillbystatingtheirinterestinthecourse.

Theclosingisprofessionalbythankingthereaderforhertime.

Message4

Thesalutationisgood.

Thespellingandgrammarneedattentionandlosegoodwillforthewriterinthecurrentstate.

Thetoneistooinformal.

Thewriterseemstobeuninformedandofferslittlereasonforthereadertoact.

Thewriterdoesn’texplainhisneedfortakingthiscourse.

Theclosingisinsincereandnotappropriate.

1.4MessagesforDiscussionII—RespondingtoRumors

LO:1-1

DifficultyLevel:Medium

Message1

Thesubjectlineisvagueandoverlypositive(couldbeperceivedasinsincere).

Thefirstparagraphemphasizesthewriter’srole,ratherthanstatingwhatreadersneedandwanttoknow:howtheywillbeaffectedbythemerger.

Thesecondparagraphcontainsnegativereferencesandblamesreadersfortherumorsthatarecirculating.

Eventhelastparagraphshedsnonewlightontheeffectsofthemergeronemployees.Asaresult,rumorsarelikelytoincreaseratherthandecrease.

Message2

Thismemogivestoolittleinformation.

Thesubjectlineisnotspecific.

Thebodyofthememooffersnodetailstomake“nolayoffs”seemcredible.Fortherumorstostopemployeesmustbereassured—byhardinformationfromsomeonetheytrust—thattheirjobsarenotinjeopardy.

ThewriterdismissesrumorsandimpliesblameonanyonenotinHR.

Message3

Thesubjectlinedoesnotinformreaders.

Thefirstparagraphgivestoomanydetailstoosoon,de-emphasizingthemainpoint:nolayoffs.It’sunfriendly.Placingthesupportingdetailsinasecondparagraphandomittingthesarcastic“ifyoudothemath”wouldimprovethemessageconsiderably.

Thesecondparagraphgivesreaderstworeadingassignmentswithoutexplainingwhyorwhatemployeesaretoderivefromtheassignments.ThewritermighthavecitedpassagesofAcme’smissionstatementandgoalstoreinforcehisno-layoffsmessage.

Message4

Thesubjectlinesetsanegativetoneforthemessage.

Thefirstparagraphhasaharshtone.Itlacksinformationdesignedtoreassureemployeesandquellrumorsaboutlayoffs.

Thesecondparagraphlacksyou-attitude.It,belatedly,containsthemainmessage:“...wewon’tbelayingoffemployeesafterthemerger.”Buttheextremelynegative,disrespectfultonemakesthestatementseeminsincere.Theparagraphshowsillwilltowardemployees,ratherthangoodwill.

Thethirdparagraphcontinuestoscoldemployeesandundercutanytrustbetweenthemandthewriter.

Message5

Thesubjectlineisacceptable,though“Layoffs—theTrueStory”wouldbebetterincasethereaders’screendisplaysfewerthanthe28charactersinthisline.

Thefirstparagraphhasanunderstanding,neutraltone,butsincethemainmessage(noplanstolayoffanyofourvaluedpeople)ispositive,itshouldappearhereinsteadofinthesecondparagraph.

Inthesecondparagraph,althoughthewriterwantstoreassureemployees,“Havenofear!”isinappropriate.MuchofthisparagraphbelongsinParagraph1.Thewritercouldhaveincreasedyou-attitudebywritinghimselfoutofthepictureandbystressingthatupdateswillappearinthenewsletterandontheintranetatreg