Week2 Business Communication & Ethics, April 15, 2012
This week's learning was rich with deeper insights and about Written communication.
Clearly this training is taking my effective communication skills to a whole new level, forcing me to think deeply about the objectives, context, relationships, and the tone or style. As my job responsibilities at work involve communications with hundreds of people on a regular basis, I know the diligence I put in here will pay rich dividends for the rest of my life.
The class discussions were also greatly valuable to me because they made the reading materials come alive in ways I never imagined before. Even though I had read Mary Munter's book, the discussions made me think differently and drew attention to interesting angles.
I have listed below the most important concepts and approaches I learned this week.
(1) Mary Munter's Guide to Managerial Communication, Chaper 2, 4, Appendix A, B, C
****************************************************************************************
Before embarking on any written communication I will weigh the following carefully.
(a) Think about the objective: what is the desired outcome ? excellence in task, maintaining relationships or pleasing the boss ?
(b) What is my relationship with the recipient: subordinate, peer, boss ?
(c) What do I want to say: be authentic, engage, compel
(d) What tone does the context warrant? : Choose the style carefully to avoid unintended consequences, unforeseen side effects and inadvertent damages. Key choices include Formal vs Informal, Personal vs Impersonal, Forceful vs Passive, Simple vs Complex; jargon vs simple
(e) Avoid Wordiness: Pick words to focus on accomplishing business purpose. Fewer words to get the message across the better
(f) Avoid long sentences: use shorter sentences and variety
(g) Multicultural check: Do not generalize, avoid gender bias, be inclusive
(h) Grammar check: Need to work on this section more for formal communications
(i) Before hitting send button: Take a break, Review for spell checks and Rules of Road before
(j) Overcome Writer's block
**********************************
Change the writing task - work on another task, section, headings or visual aids.
Change the activity - take a break, talk to readers, talk about ideas, read or talk about something else.
Change perceptions - Relax the rules, break down to modules, draft, lower unrealistic expectations. It does not have to be perfect. Expect complexity.
(k) Writing in Groups
*************************
Agree on group guidelines: Ground rules for group to function effectively.
Decide on methodology - how will decisions be made? protocol for dealing with emotional ownership of wording and handling disagreements ?
Agree on tasks and timelines: specify milestones, set specific timelines, be clear about who will perform a particular task. Build in slack to deadlines to manage contingencies.
(l) Email communications
*******************************
Pay attention to first words: Assume readers will look at first words only
Quickly communicate bottom-line: Emphasize requests and value-adds immediately
Carefully choose subject line in email and document design for websites, blogs and wikis
Use high skim value: Make it readable using headings, lists, bullets, shorter chunks
Sensitivity check: Make up for non-verbal cues with politeness markers such as please
Sunshine Test: Think about the risk once sent. What are the consequences of the sun shining on the email ie email becoming public? Don't send emails when emotionally perturbed
(2) John Fielden, "What Do you Mean you don't like my style ?", HBR article
****************************************************************************
To get message across vary writing style to suit each situation.
Style is the way something is said or done over and above the substance.
Tone and Strategy are parts of it.
Words have associated connotations such as feelings or images which is why we need to be careful.
- Positive situations and Good news communication: Relaxed style would work
- When some action is being requested: Persuade, not order; Be firm like in a good handshake
- Information conveying situations: Be straightforward, not emotionally charged
- Negative situations and Bad news communication: Be diplomatic with conflict of interest eg. unethical
Forceful Style - Use when reader is a subordinate; Use Active voice, be direct, clear; step up
Passive Style - Use when reader is superior; bury sensitive information; never give orders
Personal Style - Use names; use "you" and "I"; use short sentences; conversational; add positive thoughts
Impersonal Style - Use in Technical writing; use title instead of names; make yourself disappear; vary lengths
Colorful Style - Use for Hard hitting marketing messages like "surely, quickly, immediately"; use metaphors; capture wit, liveliness, vigor
For best results in communication, emphasize 50% of energies on content and 50% on style.
Style is situation dependent and so adjust the style as warranted
(3) Bottom-line Communication Technique (John Fielden):
******************************************************************
- Tell the reader immediately the purpose of writing and the expected actions from the reader
- Give information in the order of importance to the reader; push rest to appendix section
- In persuasive situations, state the request at the start, except when writing to strangers or readers who are not close (avoid being seen as "pushy")
- Avoid wordy memos, keep to within one page (recall example of brevity - should be able to write your message succinctly on a calling card)
- True judge for communication is not length or weight but succinctness that achieves the same objective
- Think before sending negative messages upward
(4) Connect with the Audience
************************************
- Convey ideas cleanly, simply, coherently
- Tell reader something new and credible
- Inform, Inspire, Persuade through writing - present ideas with clarity
- To make words come alive: Write as a human being and for a human being, with real, familiar, concrete, colorful, dramatic, emotional, empathetic content
- Write to audience: not down or up; know the audience and tailor content; understand their hopes and concerns; make the connection
(5) One Draft is Never Enough
************************************
Sharpen, Clean up, Expand, Take out, Humanize, Engage
Take a Break and Review again
Get a critical review from trusted sources where possible
(6) WebEx eActivity
***********************
The course guideline outlines the rubric that sets performance expectations and criteria for excellence
Deeper is better than Shallow - critical thinking and substantive discussions are in the true spirit of this program
Learn and share - Teach others what you have learned from life experiences
Coming next - Designing a Presentation, communicating with Candor, organizational integrity, Ethics
(7) Write with Conviction to Move and Motivate
*****************************************************
* Make it memorable - say something unexpected; slowly solve a mystery/puzzle; tap into emotions
* Get people to care - Tell a story - Describe status quo with a crisis or challenge; introduce characters who bring story to life; build in creative and escalating tension and take to a high point climax; show how things changed
* Choose effective style - Convey power of your conviction; be direct to get people to act
* Organize ideas - Avoid data dump
* Clear out dead wood such as dull prepositions
* Observe Rules of the Road that promote order, clarity, ease for all - Verbs to subjects agreements; avoid hanging sentence fragments; comma splices are hard to read; cut redundancy; be specific; avoid passive voice; use metaphors, jargon sparingly; Proof read;
This program is already becoming one of the top learning experiences of my life.
Dr DP
This week's learning was rich with deeper insights and about Written communication.
Clearly this training is taking my effective communication skills to a whole new level, forcing me to think deeply about the objectives, context, relationships, and the tone or style. As my job responsibilities at work involve communications with hundreds of people on a regular basis, I know the diligence I put in here will pay rich dividends for the rest of my life.
The class discussions were also greatly valuable to me because they made the reading materials come alive in ways I never imagined before. Even though I had read Mary Munter's book, the discussions made me think differently and drew attention to interesting angles.
I have listed below the most important concepts and approaches I learned this week.
(1) Mary Munter's Guide to Managerial Communication, Chaper 2, 4, Appendix A, B, C
****************************************************************************************
Before embarking on any written communication I will weigh the following carefully.
(a) Think about the objective: what is the desired outcome ? excellence in task, maintaining relationships or pleasing the boss ?
(b) What is my relationship with the recipient: subordinate, peer, boss ?
(c) What do I want to say: be authentic, engage, compel
(d) What tone does the context warrant? : Choose the style carefully to avoid unintended consequences, unforeseen side effects and inadvertent damages. Key choices include Formal vs Informal, Personal vs Impersonal, Forceful vs Passive, Simple vs Complex; jargon vs simple
(e) Avoid Wordiness: Pick words to focus on accomplishing business purpose. Fewer words to get the message across the better
(f) Avoid long sentences: use shorter sentences and variety
(g) Multicultural check: Do not generalize, avoid gender bias, be inclusive
(h) Grammar check: Need to work on this section more for formal communications
(i) Before hitting send button: Take a break, Review for spell checks and Rules of Road before
(j) Overcome Writer's block
**********************************
Change the writing task - work on another task, section, headings or visual aids.
Change the activity - take a break, talk to readers, talk about ideas, read or talk about something else.
Change perceptions - Relax the rules, break down to modules, draft, lower unrealistic expectations. It does not have to be perfect. Expect complexity.
(k) Writing in Groups
*************************
Agree on group guidelines: Ground rules for group to function effectively.
Decide on methodology - how will decisions be made? protocol for dealing with emotional ownership of wording and handling disagreements ?
Agree on tasks and timelines: specify milestones, set specific timelines, be clear about who will perform a particular task. Build in slack to deadlines to manage contingencies.
(l) Email communications
*******************************
Pay attention to first words: Assume readers will look at first words only
Quickly communicate bottom-line: Emphasize requests and value-adds immediately
Carefully choose subject line in email and document design for websites, blogs and wikis
Use high skim value: Make it readable using headings, lists, bullets, shorter chunks
Sensitivity check: Make up for non-verbal cues with politeness markers such as please
Sunshine Test: Think about the risk once sent. What are the consequences of the sun shining on the email ie email becoming public? Don't send emails when emotionally perturbed
(2) John Fielden, "What Do you Mean you don't like my style ?", HBR article
****************************************************************************
To get message across vary writing style to suit each situation.
Style is the way something is said or done over and above the substance.
Tone and Strategy are parts of it.
Words have associated connotations such as feelings or images which is why we need to be careful.
- Positive situations and Good news communication: Relaxed style would work
- When some action is being requested: Persuade, not order; Be firm like in a good handshake
- Information conveying situations: Be straightforward, not emotionally charged
- Negative situations and Bad news communication: Be diplomatic with conflict of interest eg. unethical
Forceful Style - Use when reader is a subordinate; Use Active voice, be direct, clear; step up
Passive Style - Use when reader is superior; bury sensitive information; never give orders
Personal Style - Use names; use "you" and "I"; use short sentences; conversational; add positive thoughts
Impersonal Style - Use in Technical writing; use title instead of names; make yourself disappear; vary lengths
Colorful Style - Use for Hard hitting marketing messages like "surely, quickly, immediately"; use metaphors; capture wit, liveliness, vigor
For best results in communication, emphasize 50% of energies on content and 50% on style.
Style is situation dependent and so adjust the style as warranted
(3) Bottom-line Communication Technique (John Fielden):
******************************************************************
- Tell the reader immediately the purpose of writing and the expected actions from the reader
- Give information in the order of importance to the reader; push rest to appendix section
- In persuasive situations, state the request at the start, except when writing to strangers or readers who are not close (avoid being seen as "pushy")
- Avoid wordy memos, keep to within one page (recall example of brevity - should be able to write your message succinctly on a calling card)
- True judge for communication is not length or weight but succinctness that achieves the same objective
- Think before sending negative messages upward
(4) Connect with the Audience
************************************
- Convey ideas cleanly, simply, coherently
- Tell reader something new and credible
- Inform, Inspire, Persuade through writing - present ideas with clarity
- To make words come alive: Write as a human being and for a human being, with real, familiar, concrete, colorful, dramatic, emotional, empathetic content
- Write to audience: not down or up; know the audience and tailor content; understand their hopes and concerns; make the connection
(5) One Draft is Never Enough
************************************
Sharpen, Clean up, Expand, Take out, Humanize, Engage
Take a Break and Review again
Get a critical review from trusted sources where possible
(6) WebEx eActivity
***********************
The course guideline outlines the rubric that sets performance expectations and criteria for excellence
Deeper is better than Shallow - critical thinking and substantive discussions are in the true spirit of this program
Learn and share - Teach others what you have learned from life experiences
Coming next - Designing a Presentation, communicating with Candor, organizational integrity, Ethics
(7) Write with Conviction to Move and Motivate
*****************************************************
* Make it memorable - say something unexpected; slowly solve a mystery/puzzle; tap into emotions
* Get people to care - Tell a story - Describe status quo with a crisis or challenge; introduce characters who bring story to life; build in creative and escalating tension and take to a high point climax; show how things changed
* Choose effective style - Convey power of your conviction; be direct to get people to act
* Organize ideas - Avoid data dump
* Clear out dead wood such as dull prepositions
* Observe Rules of the Road that promote order, clarity, ease for all - Verbs to subjects agreements; avoid hanging sentence fragments; comma splices are hard to read; cut redundancy; be specific; avoid passive voice; use metaphors, jargon sparingly; Proof read;
This program is already becoming one of the top learning experiences of my life.
Dr DP
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