Report for second presentation Chapter 4: Principles of business communication CHOOSING WORDS

DICTIONARY Is a word reference that gives word meanings, acceptable spelling (s), hyphenation( , capitalization, pronunciation (s), and synonyms.

THESAURUS Provides synonyms and different shades of meaning. Can provide the simplest and most precise words for your message.

Principle 1 : Choose Understanable Words

Principle 6 : Avoid Obsolete Words

Principle 2 : Use Specific, Precise Words

Principle 5 : Avoid Overused Words

Principle 3 : Choose Strong Words

Principle 4 : Emphasize Positive Words

PRINCIPLE 1:CHOOSE UNDERSTANABLE WORDS

The first principle of word selection is to choose words that your receiver understand. Prior to composing your messages,your should analyze your receiver An understandable word is one that is in your receiver's knowledge,interests,opinion,and emotional reactions. vocabulary, consider your receiver's educational level and knowledge of the message topic. Example: Less Understandable Abdicate Affluence Ambiguous More Understandable resign wealth uncertain

Appropriate selection of technical words is a special consideration when choosing understanable words. Technical words are terms that have a special meaning in a particular field. They convey precise,meaningful massages among certain receivers and sender Example of technical and nontechincal words: Technical words Bill of lading Brief De facto Nontechnical words shipping document summary of a legal case actual

PRINCIPLE 2:USE SPECIFC,PRECISE WORDS Specific words are clear and precise in meaning In your messages use words that are clear and that will leave no question in your receiver's mind about intended meaning. Vague or abstract words and inderfinite words;they do not have a specific meaning that is the same for each receiver of the messages. Vague words are not precise; They are the opposite of specific words. Abstract words may be nouns that identify an idea,an emotion,a quality af a belief. Example are thought,beauty and miracle Vague or abstract words can create wrong or confusing meanings in your receiver's mind. Give preference to specific and precise words in your messages. Example: Vague Many Early Most Specific 1,000 or 500 to 1,000 4.am 89.9 percent

PRINCIPLE 3 : CHOOSE STRONG WORDS

A strong words is one that creayes a vivid image in the receiver's mind. Power words have a distinct meaning and create a visual image in the image in the mind of the receiver. Using too many adjective or adverbs may lead to overstating a point ao position. Overuse of preposition and prepositional phrases distracts from the messages. Eliminate those that are unnecessary A sender who communicates with clarity and forcefulness makes the messages easy to read and understand. Weak Nouns and Verbs The conflict in ongoing The situation was creatng contention Weak Adjectives and Adverbs The contract expires in a few years I very nearly died Unnecessary Preposition or Phrases Did you pay out rent for the office space? The market sold the item free of a duty charge free Strong Nouns and Verds The war rages on The problem created conflict Strong Adjective and Adverbs The contract expires in five years I almost died Simple,Direct Statement Did you rent the office space? The market sold this item duty

PRINCIPLE 4 : EMPHASIZE POSITIVE WORDS Effective communicators have a positive, can-do attitude. Positive words convey optimism, confidence and help achieve communication goals: receiving the desired response, maintaining a favorable relationship, and gaining goodwill.

Negative words trigger unpleasant emotions in receivers. Examples of negative words you should avoid using : accuse angry blame complaint disaster discoursing disgust failed improper insensitive neglected never no not obnoxious regret regret sorry terror trouble

Selecting positive words and avoiding negative ones promote goodwill and build relationships. Negative Phrasings Your understanding was wrong - You will not regret your decision - The store is not open until 10 a.m. on Monday Positive Phrasings Let us review the facts - You will be pleased with your decision - The store opens at 10 a.m. on Monday

PRINCIPLE 5: AVOID OVERUSED WORDS An overused word is one that loses effectiveness because it has been used too much in normal conversation or in written messages. Overused Words and Phrases actually awesome below the belt bottom line change agent down to the wire dude razor thin in denial interface lean and mean level playing field like out of the loop get over it really see ya synergy user friendly wannabe ok or okey win-win impact yeah slam dunk talk to you later been there; done later by leaps and bounds whats up wow paradigm you know

PRINCIPLE 6: AVOID OBSOLETE WORDS

An obsolete word is one that is out-of-date, pompous, dull, or stiff. The use of obsolete words makes a written or oral message formal, stilted, unnatural and pompous. The following are examples of obsolete words and phrases that you should avoid: Obsolete Words and Phrases enclosed herewith enclosed please find hereby advise permit me to say permit us to remind pleased to inform regret to advise take the liberty of thanking you in advance I hereby send in regard to mind your ps and qs thanking you, I remain tower of strength trusting you will we remain wish to advise your kind favor

Principle 1: Compose clear sentence

Principle 2: Use short sentences

DEVELOPING SENTENCES

Principle 3: Prefer active voice in sentences

Principle 4: Give sentences appropriate emphasis

Priciple 1:Compose clear sentences A clear sentences uses words that are understandable, precise, strong and positive. In addition, clear sentences have unity that is contain one main idea and have related word placed close to one another. Finally, clear sentences are gramatically correct. GIVE SENTENCES UNITY A sentence that has sentence unity communicates one main idea, one main thought. It include supporting ideas in the same sentence. The general rule, however is one thought, one sentence. If you have two main thoughts, construct two separate sentences. Examine these contrasting examples of sentences without unity and with unity: Lacks Unity International freshman student live on campus, and we have students enrolled who will graduate this spring. Cell phone ring tones are popular; iTunes sells music, video, and ring tone downloads. Has Unity International freshman students live on campus. We have students enrolled from 12 countries who will graduate this spring. Cell phone ring tones are popular. iTunes sells music, video, and ring Tone downloads.

In the first example, living on campus and enrolled from 12 different countries are related thoughts but not closely related. In the second example, the first part of the sentence introduces a thought about the popularity of ring tones. The second part conveys the thoughts that ring tones downloads are sold by iTunes. In both examples, the relationship between the two ideas is not clearly stated or understood. Separating these two thoughts into two sentences makes the sentences easier to read and gives each separate sentence unity.

KEEP RELATED WORDS TOGETHER Words, phrases, or clauses that describe or limit other words, phrases, or clauses are modifiers. Modifiers should be placed in the sentence close to the words they modify. For sentence clarity, the word or words described or limited by the modifier must be obvious. Each of the following Unclear Relationship examples shows in italic both the modifier and word(s) that could be confused. This is the followed by the question in the readers mind. Unclear Relationship The restaurant served excellent food; it was only two years old. (Was the restaurant or the food two years old?) Sue and Jim laid the plans on the table where they remained for two weeks. (The plans remained for two weeks or Sue and Jim remained for two weeks?) USE CORRECT GRAMMAR A clear relationship between the pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which it refers) means that there is no question about which word in the sentence is the antecedent. Another important form of agreement is parallelism purpose. using the same gramatical construction or word form for parts of sentences that serve the same The plans remained on the table for two weeks after Sue and Jim laid them there. Clear Relationship The restaurant, which was only two years old, had excellent food.

Gramatically correct sentences have agreement of subject and verb, agreement of pronoun and antecedent, and parallel structure of similar sentence components. The sections that follow illustrate each of these grammatical rules for sentences. Examples refer page 92 and 93.

Principle 2: Use Short Sentences The average length of sentences depends on receivers knowledge of the message content. For an average-level receiver, short sentences should range between 15 to 20 words. Generally, we should use sentences of longer-than-average length only in message for receivers with a high degree of knowledge. For receivers who have less knowledge of the topic, use short and simple sentences. Vary the length of our sentences to provide interest and to eliminate the dull, choppy effect of too many short sentences. At times, we need a long sentence to cover the main idea or the relationship of ideas, but be sure that the meaning is clear. A complete sentence usually has at least two words, a subject and a verb, and expresses a complete thought. For example, Paul laughed is a complete sentence. An acception is a request or command. In request statements such as Pleas close the door when you leave, the subject You is not stated but is understood. Therefore, this expressed is complete. Fragment expressing a complete thought can be used for special effect in bulletins or advertisement. Fragment look like a sentence followed by a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark but either do not have a subject and verb or do not express a complete thought. The example of fragments that express a complete thought are Welcome! And Thank you for your interest in our product. OMIT UNNECESSARY WORDS An unnecessary or redundant word is one that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Clear and concise sentences are lean. They have only important words. When composing sentences, you should ignore unnecessary words that repeat the same or similar meaning. Merge together and fair and equitable are examples of words that duplicate meaning. More example please refer page 94 and 95.

LIMIT CONTENT If you have a sentence that is 30 words or longer, you may want to divide it into two or more sentences. Examine the unity of the sentence to see whether dividing it futher is appropriate. You want just one thought unit for most sentences. Avoid beginning sentences with There are and It is. One technique for changing long sentences is to change compas or semicolons to periods when possible. Examples please refer to page 95. Principle 3: prefer active voice in sentences 1) Sentences using the active voice of the verb communicate more clearly, concisely and forcefully that those in the passive voice. 2) The active voice is more direct, stronger, and more vigorous. 3) The actve voice usually required fewer words and results is shorter. Active voice = the subject does the acting. Passive voice = the subject is act upon. Example: Gloria issued the teaching schedules (active voice) The teaching schedules were issued by Gloria (passive voice) 4) Passive voice can be used to add variety or to de-emphasize ideas. 5) The passive voice show the performing the action of the verb is unimportant or unknow. Example: The department store delivered your clothing late.(active voice) You clothing was delivered late.(passive voice) Principle 4: give sentences appropriate emphasis 1) Appropriate emphasis means emphasizing ideas or de-emphasizing the unimportant idea. 2) The several way to imphasize or de-emphasizing the unimportant idea: Use length Use location Use sentence structure Repeat key words Tell the receiver what is important Be spesific or general

Use format Use mechanicalmeans

Use length The length means long sentences de-emphasize or short sentences emphasize. Example: The team to go to the meeting that will be held on Friday at 7 p.m. The team plans to attend the 7 p.m. Friday meeting. Use location The location means that the begining and ending emphasize or the middle deemphasize. The example of the begining or ending emphasize: Larry received a raise Larrys salary was raised to RM 42000 per year Larry received a raise because of his outstanding performance The example of the middle de-emphasize Tranfer to a new position at another facility offer an excellent opportunity for promotion. Potential for promotian is a benefit of tranfer to another facility; this job change may create opportunities for a management position. Use sentence structure The sentences structure mean independent clauses emphasize or dependent clauses de-emphasize. The independent clause is similar to the short sentences. It can stand alone as a sentence. Dependent clauses are not complete thoughts. They do not make sense standing. For example: The new position offers an excellent opportunity for advancement, althought it requires a transfer to another facility. Organizing two ideas into one complex sentence which is emphasizes one idea and de-emphasizes the other called sub-ordination. For example: Effa Manley was the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Frame because she was co-owner of the Newark Eagles. Effa Manly, who was the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, was co-owner of the Newark Eagles. Repert key word Repetition means emphasize ideas by reperting key words.key words represented as main ideas. Repetion of key words also provide coherent and movement in a sentences. For example: An extended-stay hotel makes you feel at home; this hotel is your home away from me.

Tell the receiver what is important Tell the receiver what is important or unimportant by chosing words. The words such as significant, of (no) consequence, (not) a concert, high (or low) priority, (not) critical, fundamental, and (non) essential. For example High grade and high SAT score are essantial for acceptance by top university. The team of the movie was less important than the conclusion. Be spesific or general Use spesific words to emphasize ideas and to use general words to de-emphasize idea. For examples: Spesific: Tom brought a new yellow Hummer. General: Tom brought a new car. Use format Use format to emphasize ideas with puntuation(such as full stop and comma) and list. The puntuation can change the meaning of the sentences. A vertical list attracts more attention than a list of item Use mechanical means Use mechanical means emaphasize with underlining, types size and front, color or other means. Overuse of format or mechanical will distract attention and reduce their effectiveness. The use of mechanical is more common in advertisements, reports and visual aids.

FORMING PARAGRAPHS Good paragraphs need to organized sentences into meaningful paragraphs That is an important part of composing a message Paragraphs helps receiver understand the messages and its intent.

There have 5 basic principles of business communication: PRINCIPLE 1: USE SHORT PARAGRAPHS

Business messages

4 to 5 lines

Read quickly

The paragraphs can have 2 lines

Long paragraphs are 12 lines or more

Business letters and memos

Business report

Short paragraphs aid receiver understanding

The average of paragraphs are 6 to 7 lines

First and last paragraphs are shorter than the middle paragraphs Short opening and closing paragraphs are inviting to the reader

People will want to use short paragraphs in business messages. A short paragraphs helps : receivers can organize their thoughts increases understanding of messages appears more inviting to the receiver than a long paragraphs. There are two business messages : Business Letters and Memos For this messages, short paragraphs average four to five lines If any paragraphs is eight lines or more, it is long and should be shortened or divided(bpecah) - Business letters and memos are read quickly, and short paragraphs aid receiver understanding b) Business reports - the paragraphs can be longer than letters and memos - short paragraphs should average six to seven lines - if any paragraphs is twelve lines or more, it is long and its unity should be examined () carefully. In conclusion : - the first and last paragraphs in letters and memos are one to three lines long and consist of only one or two sentences - In report, the first and last paragraphs may be somewhat longer - They add emphasis to the messages beginning and ending ideas a) PRINCIPLE 2 : GIVE PARAGRAPHS UNITY Paragraphs unity - clear paragraphs have unity - all the sentences in a paragraphs related to one topic - the topic should be covered adequately; however, if the paragraph becomes too long, it should be divided into two or more logical parts.

example : The College of Business has proposed that all professors submit their professional development(grown up) plans online. The new procedure will required all plans to follow the same format. Using the same format will save time for reviewers of professional development plans. All College of Business faculty members must publish one refereed journal article per year and make two presentations at professional conferences(mesyuarat). The fourth sentence does not related directly to the paragraphs main topic it is separate topic that required its own paragraph or paragraphs.

PRINCIPLE 3: ORGANIZE PARAGRAPHS LOGIALLY

Using direct or Indirect plans

Present positive or neutral new using the direct plan

- The direct plan (deductive approach) or the indirect plan (inductive approach) - In direct plan, the main idea is presented in the first sentence of the paragraph and details follow. - Indirect plan details are PRINCIPLE 3 presented first, and the main idea comes later in the paragraph. Use the indirect plan to persuade or present negative news The first sentence should Be topical or transitional

- Positive news and neutral news can best presented use using the direct plan.

The topic sentence states the main point of the paragraph

- Negative news or persuasive the paragraph.News can be presented best using the indirect plan -This approach enables Message details at the beginning to pave the way for an unpleasant main point, an favorable recommendation or a request for action.

- Unless there is an important reason to locate it elsewhere in the paragraph - Using indirect plan the topic sentences will be placed later in the paragraph.

-The topic sentence announces the main idea to the reader or it summarizes the contents of the main idea. -In the direct plan, the topics sentence is like a headline and will be the first sentence. If with indirect plan, the topic sentences will be placed later in the paragraph.

DIRECT PLAN (TOPIC SENTENCES FIRST) TOPIC SENTENCES LOCATION IN DIRECT AND INDIRECT PLANS INDIRECT PLAN (TOPIC SENTENCES LAST)

INDIRECT PLAN (TOPIC SENTENCES WITHIN)

PRINCIPLE 4: GIVE PARAGRAPH APPROPRIATE EMPHASIS Emphasizing the important ideas and de-emphasizing the unimportant ideas. There are many of the same ways for giving appropriate emphasis to sentences apply to giving appropriate to paragraph contents.

Six ways to emphasize ideas: Length Location Repetition Explicitness Format Mechanics

PRINCIPLE 5: PROVIDE PARAGRAPH COHERENCE

Having a smooth thought flow from one sentences or paragraph to the next.

The primary way to ensure coherence is to organize paragraphs logically using the direct or indirect plans. Can use transitional words and tie-in sentences to provide coherence between and within paragraphs.

USE TRANSITIONAL WORDS Transitional words bridge ideas: Contrasts- but, however, on the on hand Examples- for examples, that is, in illustration Sequence- first, second, third, one, also, addition. Emphasis- above all, in fact, indeed Conclusions- therefore, thus, so Exclusions- except, neither, all but, except for Additions- in addition, also, similarly, too A transitional word is a helpful bridge from one idea to the next. It also helps receivers see where you are leading them. Transitional words provide coherence by logistically linking ideas. Transitional words provide coherence for different situations. USE TIE-IN-SENTENCES The tie-in-sentences help tour receiver move from one aspect of the subject to the next. When using this tie-in-sentences technique for coherence, repeat the same subject one or more times. To develop tie-in sentences, repeat key words that describe the subject or use pronouns that refer to the subject. Paraphrasing Examples: The student group asked for a delay in the assignment due date. These students explained that the original due date conflicted with final exams. Repeating key words Raising funds for scholarship is a worthy activity. However, raising funds requires an extensive time commitment. Using pronouns reference Students submitting applications to MBA programs must register for the GMAT test by April 1. They will receive confirmation of their registration by May 1.

USING UNBIASED LANGUAGE The use of unbiased language is a final and important consideration in the composition of massages. Important to creating and sustaining favorable human relationships.

Using Unbiased Language

1. Avoid Gender-Biased Language

2. Avoid Other Biased Language

Is a special challenge because of the structure of the English Language. The English Language implies stereotyping of males and females because: i) The generic use of masculine singular pronous. ii) The generic use of the word man. iii) The use of certain words, phrases, and constructions that tend to stereotype a group or an individual.

To treat people of different races and cultures in a bias-free manner, avoid all negative stereotypes of any group. Avoid categorizing groups of people as having specific common characteristics and do not use terms that set them apart from others. Unless a description of the individual or group is essential to the massage meaning, omit references to race, religion, age, or disability.

COMPOSING WITH STYLE Give attention to develop your unique writing style Should reflect the interesting person that you are. Use words and combinations of words that not only are understood by your receiver but also reveal who you are - Words that give life and distinction to your message.

Use the words that communicate clearly and concisely and that reflect your
personality. Examples: Famous statement: If I cant have freedom, then I would rather not life. Actual statement : Give me liberty(), or give me death!