Business Communication: Rhetorical Situations

Preface

Chapter 1: Audience, Purpose, and Genre in Business and Professional Communication

GETTING STARTED
AUDIENCE IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Understanding Your Audience
Readability and Comprehension
Level of Power or Authority
Obstacles or Objections to Your Message
Demographics
Communication Networks
Link Your Goals with Readers’ Needs
How to Organize Your Information in Response to Your Readers’ Viewpoints
How to Choose Words and Structure Your Sentences to Respond to Your Readers’ Viewpoints
Analysis: Audience for the BookTime Gift-Card Memo
Understanding Haylee’s Readers
PURPOSE IN BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Motivating Readers to Grant Your Request
What Motivates Your Readers?
How Does Your Request Meet Your Readers’ Needs?
Analysis: Aiming to Keep the Job
Motivating Readers to Grant Mike’s Request
BASICS ABOUT GENRE AND GENRE SETS
Why Should You Know and Use Genre Conventions?
Analysis: Constructing the EAL Class Announcement
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 2: Argument in Professional Communication

GETTING STARTED
BASICS OF ARGUMENT
Credibility
Basics about Credibility
Analysis: Improving Dan Cooper’s Credibility
Logic
Basics about Logic
Argument and Values
The Logic of Your Argument
Expanding Claims
Strengthening Your Argument
Analysis: James Transforms Description into Argument
James Expands Claims into Arguments
Emotion
Basics about Emotional Appeals
Analysis: Meijing Motivates Readers to Follow the Rules
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 3: Style in Business and Professional Writing

GETTING STARTED
STYLE IN BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Plain Language in Professional Documents
Determine Your Readers’ Needs
Organize the Information to Respond to Readers’ Needs
Effective Style in Workplace Writing
Analysis: Dennis Writes a Summary of the Insurance Policy
Positive Emphasis and Bad News
Use Positive Language
Link Negative Information to a Reason or Reader Motivator
De-emphasize the Negative and State It Briefly
Analysis: Returned Eyeglass Frames and Positive Emphasis
If the Negative Is Trivial, Leave It Out
Cohesion, Emphasis, and Conciseness in Business and Professional Communication
Cohesion Strategy 1: Organize the Paragraphs around a Central Topic
Cohesion Strategy 2: Repeat the Subject Matter from the End of One Sentence at the Beginning of the Next
Emphasis
Conciseness
Analysis: Improving Jayson’s Style
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 4: Professional Writing in an Electronic Environment

GETTING STARTED
GOOD BUSINESS EMAIL MESSAGES: THE BASICS
The “To” Line
The “From” Line
The “Subject” Line
The “CC” Line
The “BCC” Line
The Message Space
Attachments
Analysis: Melania Revisits Her Unsuccessful Recruiting Email
TONE, LEVELS OF FORMALITY, AND PRIVACY IN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
Text Messaging and Chat
Electronic Mail
Email Is Not Always Private
Humor Rarely Travels Well Electronically
Do Not Respond Immediately to an Inflammatory Message
Use Standard Edited English in Business and Professional Email
Reread Carefully to Catch Errors before You Send
Analysis: Creating Excitement among Emma and Bart’s Coworkers
PUBLISHING ON THE WEB: TWITTER, BLOGS, FACEBOOK, AND LINKEDIN
Handling Other People’s Private Information
Writing Online: Principles and Strategies
Blogs
Analysis: Planning the C3 Blog Entry
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 5: Writing in Teams

GETTING STARTED
WORKING AND WRITING IN GROUPS
Request Knowledge and Opinions
Offer Information and Opinions
Summarize
Review Decisions
Evaluate Decisions and Ideas
Coordinate
MODELS OF COLLABORATION
Group Behaviors That Create a Successful Collaboration
Encourage Participation
Relieve Tension
Check Feelings
Solve Interpersonal Problems
Listen Actively
Analysis: The Mueller Kent Events Planning Meeting
What Does the Group Need to Know?
Group Behaviors That Can Sabotage a Group’s Process and Product
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Four Ways to Deal with Conflict
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 6: Communicating across—and within—Cultures

GETTING STARTED
COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES
What Constitutes Another Cultural Group?
Communicating across Cultures within Canada
Communicating across Cultures outside North America
Learning to Communicate across Cultures
Language
Politeness, Formality, and Social Interaction Practices
Oral Communication Practices
Business Practices
COMMUNICATING IN A CHANGING WORLD
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 7: Positive and Informative Messages: Writing Letters, Memos, and Emails

GETTING STARTED
CHOOSING THE MESSAGE TO FIT YOUR SITUATION
HOW TO WRITE POSITIVE AND INFORMATIVE MESSAGES
Motivating Your Reader
Concluding Positive and Informative Messages
Analysis: Writing a Letter of Congratulations
INFORMATIVE MESSAGES
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 8: Negative Messages: Writing Letters, Memos, and Emails

GETTING STARTED
HOW TO WRITE NEGATIVE MESSAGES
Buffers
ANALYSIS: ORGANIZATIONAL STATUS AND REFUSING JARED’S REQUEST
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 9: Writing Persuasive Messages

GETTING STARTED
TYPES OF PERSUASIVE MESSAGES AND HOW TO WRITE THEM
Overcoming Objections
Analysis: Argue Moonstone’s Tax Status
DIAGNOSTIC (OR PROBLEM-SOLVING) PERSUASIVE MESSAGES
Analysis: Please Use the Cloakroom
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 10: Proposals

GETTING STARTED
WRITING PERSUASIVE PROPOSALS
Proposal Writing and Persuasion
Logic
Credibility
Emotional Appeal
Analysis: DMRE Supports an Active Local Community
HOW TO WRITE UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS
FORMATTING A PROPOSAL
HOW TO WRITE A PROPOSAL IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
Determine What Kind of Proposal Is Requested
Identify the Evaluation Criteria Outlined in the RFP
Determine What Information to Include in the Proposal
Analysis: Formatting a Solicited Proposal
Questions a Proposal Must Answer
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 11: Informal and Interim Reports

GETTING STARTED
WHAT ARE ACTIVITY, STATUS, AND PROGRESS REPORTS?
Content
Analysis: Martin Aims to Return to Programming
Purpose
Audience
Persuasive Goals
TRIP REPORTS
Content
Analysis: Casey Reports on Her Training Trip
MEETING REPORTS
Purpose
Content
Audience
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 12: Research Reports: Recommendation, Analytical, and Informational

GETTING STARTED
GENRES OF THE RESEARCH REPORT
Formal and Informal Research Reports
RESEARCH METHODS: SECONDARY SOURCES
Online Keyword Search
Analysis: Considering a West-Coast Location
Online Database Search
RESEARCH METHODS: PRIMARY SOURCES
Interviews
Surveys
Dos and Don’ts for Question Writing
WRITING THE REPORT
Analyze the Research Results
Identify Appropriate Evidence
Draft the Report
Formats for Research Reports
Report Section Content
Formatting Conclusions and Recommendations
The Languages of the Report Genre
RESEARCH REPORTS AND OFFICE POLITICS
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 13: Design and Visuals in Business and Professional Communication

GETTING STARTED
DOCUMENT FORMAT AND DESIGN IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Basic Components of Document Design
Use White Space
Use Headings That Stand Out
Use Lists to Emphasize Multiple Ideas
Use Visuals
Document Formats: Information or Fact Sheet
Researching and Selecting Document Formats
USING VISUALS IN BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
How to Choose the Right Visual for a Story
Conventions for Visuals
Ethical Use of Visuals
Techniques for Misleading Presentation of Data
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Permissions Acknowledgments

Index