Essentials of business communication

unit 1. Communicating in today's workplace

1. Career success begins with communication skills

Communication skills : your ticket to work or your ticket out the door

Understanding the communication process

Improving listening skills

Enhancing your nonverbal communication skills

How culture affects communication

Capitalizing on workforce diversity

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Activities and cases

Video resources

Career success starts with communication foundations

Intercultural communication at work

Understanding teamwork : Cold Stone Creamery

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : technology (using job boards to learn about employment possibilities in your field). unit 2. The writing process

2. Planning business messages

The basics of business writing

The writing process for business messages and oral presentations

Analyzing the purpose and the audience

Anticipating the audience

Adapting to the task and audience

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Activities

Writing improvement exercises

Video resource : Guffey's 3-x-3 writing process develops fluent workplace skills

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : career skills (sharpening your skills for critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making)

Chapter 3. Composing business messages

Collecting information to compose messages

Organizing to show relationships

Composing effective sentences

Improving writing techniques

Drafting powerful paragraphs

Composing the first draft

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Writing improvement exercises

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : ethics (using ethical tools to help you do the right thing)

4. Revising business messages

Understanding the process of revision

Revising for conciseness

Revising for clarity

Revising for vigor and directness

Designing documents for readability

Understanding the process of proofreading

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Writing improvement exercises

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : technology (using Word's Track Changes and Comment features to edit and revise documents). unit 3. Communicating at work

5. Electronic messages and memorandums

How organizations exchange messages and information

Organizing e-mail messages and memos

Applying e-mail and memo formats

Using the writing process to create effective internal messages

Best practices for using e-mail smartly, safely, and professionally

Using instant messages professionally

Writing information and procedure e-mail messages and memos

Writing request and reply e-mail messages and memos

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Writing improvement exercises

Writing improvement cases

Activities and cases

Video resources : smart e-mail messages and memos advance your career

Innovation, learning, and communication : a study of Yahoo

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : ethics (should employees restrict e-mail, instant messaging, and Internet use?)

6. Positive messages

Sending positive written messages outside your organization

Direct requests for information and action

Direct claims

Direct replies

Adjustment letters

Goodwill messages

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Writing improvement exercises

Writing improvement cases

Activities and cases

Video resources : social responsibility and communication at Ben & Jerry's

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : career skills (Dr. Guffey's guide to business etiquette and workplace manners)

7. Negative messages

Strategies for delivering bad news

Techniques for delivering bad news sensitively

Refusing direct requests and claims

Delivering bad news to customers

Delivering bad news within organizations

Ethics and the indirect strategy

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Writing improvement exercises

Writing improvement cases

Activities and cases

Video resource : bad news : BuyCostumes

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : intercultural issues (presenting bad news in other cultures)

8. Persuasive messages

Making persuasive requests

Writing sales and marketing messages

Writing successful online sales and marketing messages

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Writing improvement exercises

Writing improvement cases

Activities and cases

Video resources : persuasive request : Hard Rock Cafe

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : ethics (what is legal and what is not in sales letters). unit 4. Reporting workplace data

9. Informal reports

Understanding report basics

Defining the purpose and gathering data

Choosing a report writing style and creating headings

Preparing typical informal reports

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Writing improvement exercises

Activities and cases

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : collaboration (laying the groundwork for team writing projects)

10. Proposals and formal reports

Understanding business proposals

Informal proposals

Formal proposals

Preparing to write formal reports

Researching secondary data

Generating primary data

Documenting data

Organizing and outlining data

Illustrating data

Presenting the final report

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Activities and cases

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : technology (trash or treasure : assessing the quality of Web documents). unit 5. Professionalism, teamwork, meetings, and speaking skills

11. Professionalism at work : business etiquette, ethics, teamwork, and meetings

Recognizing the importance of professionalism, business etiquette, and ethical behavior

Becoming a professional communicator in face-to-face settings

Practicing professional telephone, cell phone, and voice mail etiquette

Becoming a team player in professional groups and teams

Conducting productive business and professional meetings

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Activities and cases

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : career skills (five rules for resolving workplace conflicts)

12. Business presentations

Getting ready for an oral presentation

Organizing content for a powerful impact

Building rapport like a pro

Planning visual aids

Designing an impressive multimedia presentation

Polishing your delivery and following up

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Activities and cases

Video resource : building workplace skills : effective on-the-job oral presentations

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : collaboration (techniques for taking part in effective and professional team presentations). unit 6. Employment communication

13. The job search, résumés, and cover letters

Preparing for employment

Creating a customized résumé

Optimizing your résumé for today's technologies

Applying the final touches to your résumé

Creating a customized, persuasive cover letter

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Activities and cases

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : career skills (network your way to a job in the hidden market)

14. Interviewing and following up

Types of employment interviews

Before the interview

During the interview

After the interview

Other employment documents

Summing up and looking forward

Critical thinking

Chapter review

Activities and cases

Video resource : building workplace skills : sharpening your interview skills

Grammar/mechanics checkup

Grammar/mechanics challenge

Communication workshop : career skills (let's talk money : negotiating a salary)

Appendix A.A guide to document formats

Appendix B. Correction symbols and proofreading marks

Appendix C. Documentation formats

Grammar/mechanics handbook

Key to grammar/mechanics checkups

Endnotes

Acknowledgments

Index