Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" Page i The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication Page ii THE FAST FORWARD MBA SERIES The Fast Forward MBA Series provides time-pressed business professionals and students with concise, onestop information to help them solve business problems and make smart, informed business decisions All of the volumes, written by industry leaders, contain "tough ideas made easy." The published books in this series are: The Fast Forward MBA in Negotiating & Dealmaking (0-471-25698-6) by Roy J Lewicki and Alexander Hiam The Fast Forward MBA in Financial Planning (0-471-23829-5) by Ed McCarthy The Fast Forward MBA in Hiring (0-471-24212-8) by Max Messmer The Fast Forward MBA in Investing (0-471-24661-1) by Jack Waggoner file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (1 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" The Fast Forward MBA in Technology Management (0-471-23980-1) by Daniel J Petrozzo The Fast Forward MBA Pocket Reference (0-471-14595-5) by Paul A Argenti The Fast Forward MBA in Marketing (0-471-16616-2) by Dallas Murphy The Fast Forward MBA in Business (0-471-14660-9) by Virginia O'Brien The Fast Forward MBA in Finance (0-471-10930-4) by John Tracy The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management (0-471-32546-5) by Eric Verzuh Page iii The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication Lauren Vicker Ron Hein Page iv This book is printed on acid-free paper Copyright © 1999 by Lauren Vicker & Ron Hein All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4744 Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, (212) 850-6011, fax (212) 8506008, E-Mail: PERMREQ@WILEY.COM file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (2 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services If legal, accounting, medical, psychological or any other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Vicker, Lauren The fast forward MBA in business communication/Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein p cm.—(The fast forward MBA series) Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 0-471-32731-X (pbk : alk paper) Business communication I Hein, Ron II Title III Series HF5718.V53 1999 99-19466 658.4'5—dc21 CIP Printed in the United States of America 10 Page v ABOUT THE AUTHORS Lauren Vicker is a Professor and Chair of the Communication/Journalism Department of St John Fisher College Vicker taught for seven years at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester In addition to teaching, Vicker offers presentation skills training to professional and academic groups on a consulting basis She lives in Penfield, New York Lauren Vicker can be reached at vicker@sjfc.edu Ron Hein is president of Ron Hein & Associates, Inc., a corporation that provides writing, editing, and consulting services to individuals and clients such as Xerox and Eastman Kodak He also taught in the full-time MBA program at the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester, for seven years and continues to teach in its Executive Development MBA program He lives in Webster, New York Ron Hein can be reached at ron@eznet.net or ron-hein.com Page vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr David Arnold and Dr Jim Seward of St John Fisher College for supporting the sabbatical leave that gave me time to work on this book I also owe thanks to those who contributed ideas and material, including Jim Vicker, Judy Isserlis, Eric Skopec, Nic Marinaccio, Peter Monk, Dennis Garrett, Alex Ryan, and all the students at Fisher and the Simon School who have taught me so much over the years A special thanks to Fisher student Michael Leaver, who kept me organized in the office and was always willing to read, edit, copy, and FedEx files with great enthusiasm and a positive attitude And finally, thanks to Jim, Matt, and Chrissie for their unconditional support and understanding while I was involved with this project —LAUREN VICKER I would like to acknowledge the support of my family, friends, and colleagues Specifically, I would like to thank the following: Lauren Vicker for her willingness to understand that medical problems sometimes preclude efficiency Tammany Kramer for her willingness to work with me over the last five years, and for her insights and intuitive ability to see things clearly Deb Beckmann-Hein and my daughter, Lindsay Beckmann-Hein, who continually listen to my musings, help me clarify my thinking, and make certain that I set family-centered priorities My many friends, students and clients who have helped me understand that it is important to use systematic processes that lead to winwin options and to those who seek to continually improve themselves and their world —RON HEIN file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (3 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" Finally, we offer our deepest gratitude to our editor Renana Meyers, whose enthusiasm was infectious, whose support was unconditional, and whose patience seemed endless Page ix CONTENTS Introduction Stellar Performer: Department of Mathematical Science, University of Delaware xv xviii Part Communication Strategy Chapter Strategic Business Communication What Is Driving Changes in Business Communication? Benchmarking and Teamwork Require Excellent Communication Leadership and Negotiations Require Excellent Communication Skills Deciding Your Communication Strategy Implementing Your Communications Strategy Company-Level Business Communication Trends Developing Effective Business Communication within Teams 10 Developing Effective Business Communication Skills As an Individual 11 Integrated Supply Chains and Resource Management 11 Management Styles and Communication Strategies 13 End Point 13 Chapter Document Management in an Electronic Age 15 Changes in Document Management 16 Document Life Cycles 17 End Point 20 file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (4 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" Part Business Writing and Editing 21 Chapter Using Writing and Editing Processes 23 Make the Process a Habit 24 Clarify Your Goals 24 Page x Prewriting 24 Drafting 27 Editing 29 Postwriting 32 End Point 33 Chapter Developing the Logic and Structure of Documents 35 Think First 36 Create an Organizational Plan 36 Build Strong Arguments 38 Use Figures and Tables 39 Tech Tool: Designing Charts, Figures, and Tables 41 End Point 41 Chapter Document Layout and Design: Making Your Logic Visually Clear 43 Layout and Design during the Prewriting Step 44 Tech Tool: Using Style Sheets from Word Processing and Presentation Programs 45 Layout and Design during the Drafting and Editing Steps 46 Layout and Design during the Postwriting Step 46 file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (5 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" Specific Layout and Design Concepts 47 Applying Layout and Design Concepts in Sample Documents 48 End Point 53 Chapter Making Your E-mail Go Further and Do More 55 Lack of Common Standards and Expectations 57 Maximizing E-mail Communication 57 Security Concerns 62 Document Life Cycle of E-mail 62 End Point 62 Chapter Memos 65 Good Memos Are Read and Acted Upon 65 Creating Good Memos 66 Sample Memos 68 End Point 70 Chapter Business Letters 73 Content 73 Organization 74 Page xi Tone and Phrasing 75 Correctly Spelled Names and Titles 77 Style—Layout and Design 78 End Point 79 Chapter Reports and Executive Summaries 81 file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (6 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" What Makes a Good Report? 81 Using the Writing and Editing Process with Reports 82 Structuring Your Report so It Gets Read 88 Using Executive Summaries and Keeping Reports Short 91 End Point 93 Chapter 10 Proposals and Requests for Proposals 95 The Relationship between Proposals and RFPs 95 Formal Versus Informal Proposals 96 To Bid or Not to Bid? 97 Writing Proposals and RFPs 98 Evaluating Proposals 101 End Point 102 Part Business Presentations 103 Chapter 11 Defining Your Purpose 105 Defining Your General Purpose 106 Determining Your Specific Purpose 106 Defining Your Desired Results 107 End Point 107 Chapter 12 Analyzing Your Audience 109 Who Will Be in My Audience? 110 What Does the Audience Know about Me? 110 What Does My Audience Know about the Topic? 112 Does My Audience Have Any Opinions on the Topic? 112 What Motivates My Audience? 113 file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (7 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" What Does My Audience Need or Want to Know? 113 What Do I Want My Audience to Do As a Result of Our Interactions? 113 Rely on Situational Analysis 113 End Point 114 Fast Forward to the Real World 115 Page xii Chapter 13 Gathering Supporting Materials 119 Types of Supporting Materials 120 Guidelines for Using Supporting Materials 122 End Point 123 Chapter 14 Organizing Your Ideas 125 Introductions 125 Creating the Thesis Statement 128 Developing the Body 130 Tech Tool: Outlining with Software 131 Making a Conclusion 132 End Point 134 Fast Forward to the Real World 135 Chapter 15 Planning Visual Support 139 Why Use Visual Aids? 140 Types of Visual Aids 141 Tech Tool: Presentations Magazine 141 Characteristics of Good Visual Aids 141 file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (8 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" Guidelines for Using Visual Aids 147 End Point 150 Fast Forward to the Real World 151 Chapter 16 Practicing Your Delivery 157 Types of Delivery 157 Avoiding Distractions 160 Using Your Voice Effectively 162 Using Posture and Gestures to Enhance Your Message 163 Practicing Your Presentation 165 End Point 167 Stellar Performer: Dr William Pickett 168 Chapter 17 Handling Questions and Answers 171 Preparing for Questions 172 Taking Questions in a Business Presentation 172 Listening Effectively to Questions 173 Responding When You Don't Know the Answer 173 Maintaining Control of the Question-and-Answer Session 174 Planting Questions: Should You Do It? 175 End Point 175 Chapter 18 Handling Speech Anxiety 177 Why Are We Afraid of Public Speaking? 177 Is Speech Anxiety Really a Bad Thing? 179 file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Settin _Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (9 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22 Lauren Vicker, Ron Hein - "The Fast Forward MBA in Business Communication" Page xiii How Can You Reduce or Control Your Speech Anxiety? 179 End Point 181 Chapter 19 Evaluating Your Presentation 183 Did You Achieve Your Purpose? 183 Audience Analysis 183 Delivery 184 End Point 185 Part Writing and Presenting As a Team 187 Chapter 20 Writing As a Team 189 Step 1: Evaluate the Team Process 189 Step 2: Evaluate Your Team 191 Step 3: Evaluate Written Materials 192 End Point 193 Chapter 21 Presenting As a Team 195 A Team Presentation from a Team-Written Document 195 A Team Presentation without a Written Document 197 General Guidelines for Presenting As a Team 197 End Point 198 Appendix A The Self-Diagnostic Grammar Test 199 Appendix B Guidelines for Special-Occasion Presentations 207 Appendix C Sample E-mail Documents 211 Appendix D Sample Business Letters 213 file:///C|/Documents and Settings/gasanova/Local Setti Fast_Forward_MBA_in_Business_Communication/e-book.html (10 of 175)16.02.2005 13:57:22