Writing Routine and Positive Messages

* Using the three step process for routine and positive messages
--- Step 1: Planning a Routine or Positive Message
----- analyze he situation, make sure your purpose is cleas and you know ebough about your audience
----- Gather the information your audience needs to know
----- Select the right medium for your audience, the message, and the situation
----- Organize your information effectively
--- Step 2: Writing a routine or Positive Message
----- be sensative to the needs of your audience
----- establish credibility and protect the company image
----- keep in mind: some messages need to be more formal than others
----- use plain English and the active voice
----- open by stating the main idea
----- give necessary details in the body
----- close with a cordial request for specific action
--- Step 3: Completing a Routine or Positive message
----- revise your message be evaluating content and organization
----- design the document to suit your purpose and audience
----- proofread the final version
----- choose an inexpensive and convenient distribution method

This is a link to a slide show with routine and positive messages. I found it very informative:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:A7p6K9O1KVcJ:faculty.business.utsa.edu/bjwilson/BCE03/bovee_bce03_ppt_07.ppt+Routine+business+messages&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

* Making routine requests
--- Strategy for Routine Requests
-----> Stating your request upfront
1. place initial requests first where it can get you the most attention
2. Be sure to: pay attention to tone, assume that your audience will comply, and be specific
----->Explaining and Justifying your request
1. help readers sort through multiple questions or requests
2 be sure to: ask the most important questions 1st, ask only relevant questions, deal with only one topic per question
-----> Request specific action in a courteous close
1. Use 3 important elements: (1) request for a specific action (2) information about how you can be reached (3) an expression of appreciation
--- Common examples of Routine Requests
----- Asking for information and action
1. for simple straight forward requests, use the direct approach
2. in a business, tend to use a more formal tone
----- Asking for recommendations
1. ALWAYS ask for permission before using someone as a reference
2. refresh the memory of any potential reference you haven't been in touch with for a while
----- Making claims and requesting adjustments
1. an adjustment is the settlement of a claim
2. use claim letters to (1) explain the problem and give details (2) provide backup information (3) request specific action
3. document your claim: send copies and keep the original

* Sending routine replies and positive messages
----- Goals: to communicate the info or good news, answer all questions, provide any required details, leave a reader with a good impression
--- Strategy for Routine replies and Positive messages
----- Starting with the main idea
1. use the direct approach
2. prepare your audience for the details that follow
----- Providing necessary details and explanation
1. details so your audience will not be confused
2. Present negative info in a positive context
----- End with a courteous close
1. Make sure audience members understand what to do and how it will benefit them
---Common examples of routine message and Positive messages
----- Answering requests for Information and Action
1. Goals: respond to the inquiry and answer all questions, leave your reader with a good impression, and encourage future sale
--- Granting claims and Requests for Adjustment
----- Responding to a claim when your company is at fault
1. acknowledge receipt of the customer's claim
2. Take responsibility for setting matter straight
3. Sympathize with the customers inconvenience or frustration
4. Explain precisely how you resolve or plan to resolve the situation
5. Take steps to repair the relationship
6. Follow up to verify that your response was correct

-----Responding to a claim where your customer is at fault
1. If you grant a claim when the customer is at fault, look for ways to errant behavior in the future
----- Responding to a claim when a third party is at fault
1. any response depends on your agreements with the third party
2. evaluate the situation and know the policies before responding
----- Providing recommendations
1. Convince the reader that the person being recommended has characteristics for what they are looking for
2. Shortcomings cannot be ignored, but: include only relevant and factual information, avoid judgments, and balance criticisms
----- Creating Informative Messages
1. State the purpose in the opening and briefly mention the nature of the information you are providing
2. Provide the necessary details in the body
3. end with a courteous close
4. May require additional care
----- Announcing Good News
1. God business to spread positive messages
2. need careful planning and evaluate to avoid legal troubles
3. new (press) releases: a specialized documents to share relevant information with local or national news media
----- Fostering goodwill
1. Positive feeling that encourages people to maintain a business relationship
2. make sure compliments are sincere and honest
3. Noting specific events in a person's life helps cement business relationships
4. A message of appreciation documents a person's contribution
5. Condolence messages let the reader know that you and the organization care about their loss
6. Keep all goodwill message brief, write in your words, be tactful, take special care, and include special qualities

Interesting Sites:
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~bowman/gdnews.html
This website shows how to convey positive business message and how important they actually are in business today.

Crafting Messages for Electronic Media

*Choosing electronic media for messages
- Many delivery options for brief messages- the challange is to figure out which delivery method is best: social networking and user generated content sites, emails, instant messaging, text messaging, blogs, podcasts, or online video
-More beneficial to use printed messages: create a more formal impression, when legally you are required to do so, to stand out from electronic messages, for a permanent/ secure record

* Cresting content for a social media
- writing for social media requires a different approach that traditional busniness media
--- remember that it is a conversation
--- write informally
--- create consise, sepecific, and informative headlines
--- get and stay involved
--- if you need to promote, do so indirectly
--- be transparent and be honest

* Creating effective email messages
--- approach email as a professional communication media
- Treating email as a professional communication meduim
--- expectations of writing quality is higher and consequences of poor writing is worse
--- many companies have formal email policies- restrictions on using compny email for personal or objective messages
--- email hygiene: all efforts that companies are making to keep email clean and safe
- Adapting the 3 step process for successful email
--- Planning email messages
----- attention to etiquette is vital
----- make sure you dont spend unnecessary messages or "cc" people who don't really need the message
----- be sure to check the chain of command
--- Writing email messages
----- well crafted messages show professional and respect for your audience
----- careless writing can save you time but cost your readers time
----- writing effective subject lines-> a prooly written one can lead to an email being deleted or ignored
----- keeping your emotions under control-> flaming emothions can damage relationships and reputations
--- Completing email messages
----- proofreading can save toyr audeince hours
----- take advantage of your emails signature option
----- do not send urgent messages unless it is truely a priority
The following site includes 10 important steps for email messaging:
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm

* Creating effective instant messages and text messages
--- taking the place of email for routine communication with companies
--- phone- based text messages are fast and portable but not as versatile as computer based IMing
-Understanding risks/ benefits of IMing
--- benefits: rapis response, low cost, ability to mimic conversation, and wide availability
---risks: security problems, need for user authentication, challenge of logging and archiving messages, and imcompatabitlty between IM services
The following site speaks about effective business messaging:
http://www.tmcsms.com/sms-references/creating-an-effective-text-messaging-sms-campaign-14-07-08.aspx

- Adapting the 3 Step process for Successful Instant Messaging
1. Planning => view every IM exchange as a conversation, think the more successful and effective way to state a question
2. Writing => use appropriate writing style for business being more formal and avoid using acronyms
3. Completing => qucikly scan the message to proofread in the usual sense before sending
--- be aware of potential for interruptions and wasted time
--- understand how to be successful before you begin to use it

*Creating effective business blogs
--- Play close attention to several elements:
1. communicating with personal style and an authentic voice
2. delivering new information quickly
3. choosing topics to peak audiences interests
4. encouraging audiences to join the conversation
-Understanding the business applications of blogging
--- include internal and external communications; including:: project management and team communication, company news, customer support, public and media realtions, recruiting, policy and issue decisions, crisis communication, market research, brainstorming, viral marketing, email replacement, news syndication, and community building
The following is a site about writing effective business blogs:
http://webbiquity.com/business-blogging/how-to-write-an-effective-business-blog/

- Adapting a 3 step process for successful blogging
1. Audience=> defining can be challengine and make sure you understand what your target audience wants
2. Purpose=> must be business related and important to your company and audience; mus drive content for months or years
3. Scope=> can be tricky; borad enough to keep discussion for years but narrow enough to have an identifiable focus
--- write in a comfortable style but not careless
--- evaluate content and readability before publishing

* Creating effective podcasts
--- can be use to deliver a wide range of audio and visual messges
- Adapting the 3 Step process for successful podcasting
--- make sure your podcast has "legs"- enough interesting topics to sustain ongoing effore
--- use of previews, transactions, and reviews helps pod cast audiences follow the thread of your reading
--- plan podcast content carefullly as edits are mor difficult to make
- Assembling a podcast system
--- your PC has more of the hardware needed, just download rcording software
--- for higher quality podcast, need extra hardware and software
The following give us choices of many business podcasts:
http://www.ibizradio.com/

* Distributing Blog and Podcast Content
- Syndicating your content
--- syndicating: distribution process for blogs and podcasts
--- feed: file that contains info about the items you have written or recorded
---RRS: really simple syndication
---aggregator: automatically collects info about new blog poss and podcasts
---podcatchers: aggregators specifically for podcasts
- Connection with audiences
--- adding feed capability is the most important step in staying connected with your blog or podcast audiences
---tagging: involves assigning descriptive words to each post or podcast

Interesting Sites:
http://www.iblogbusiness.com/
This website is one of the most dominent on the internet when it comes to technological media that help communications grow in business.

Completing Business Messages

*Moving beyond your first draft
- rarely as effective as they could be, improve through revising

* Revising your message
--- readers tend to believe quality of writing is equal to quality of thinking
--- put aside your draft for a while before revision
- Evaluating your content, organization, style, and tone
--- evaluate content by questioning:
----- Is information accurate?--- Is infotmation relevant to the audience?--- Is there enough information to satisfy the reader's needs?--- Is there a good balance between general information and specific information?
- Review organization with:
----- Are all points covered in the most logical order? --- Do most important ideas recieve the most space? --- Are there any points repeating unnecessariy?
--- Beginning and end of message have the greatest impact => be clear, concise, and compelling
- Reviewing for readability
--- readability indexes measure: word length, number of syllables, sentence length, and paragraph length
--- cannot measure document design, the "you" attitude, clear sentence structure, smooth transactions, and proper word usage
--- varying your sentence length
----- Creative way to make messages interesting and readable
----- Short senetnces can be processed quickly
----- Medium messages can show relationship among ideas
----- Long sentences convey complex ideas, list realted points, and summerize information
--- Keeping paragraphs short
----- Long paragraphs are difficult to read and can be intimidating
----- Use one sentence paragraphs only occasionally for emphasis
--- Using lisits and bullets to clarify emphasis
----- Highlights and simplifies material
----- Bullets are preferred over numbers unless the list is in some logical sequence
----- Easier to locate and read
----- Lists should use the same gramatical pattern
--- Adding headings and subheadings
----- headings: brief title that informs readera about the content of the sections
----- subheadings: subsections within a major section
----- descriptitve headings: identify a topic but do little more
-----informative headings: guide readers to think a certain way about a topic

This site is an example of revising and editing business messages:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/648/01/

* Editing for clarity and conciseness
--- break up overly long sentences
--- rewrite hedging sentences
--- impose parallelism
--- correct dangling modifiers
--- reword long now sentences
--- replace camoflagued verbs
--- clarify sentence structure/ awkward references
--- delete unnecessary words
--- shorten long words and phrases
--- eliminate redundancies
--- rewrite "it is/ there are" starters
- Evaluating, editing, and revising the work of others
--- important responsibility
--- do not impose your wirting of writing style
--- understand writers intent before making changes
- Using technology to revise your message
--- can help you add, delete, more text, "cut and paste," and "search and replace"
--- can track your revision process when multiple reviewers are imvolved
--- 4 revisions tools include spell checkers. grammer checkers, style checkers, and computerized thesauruses

* Producing your message
--- production quality: affects readability and audience perceptions of your message
- Designing for readability
---1. can improve the effectiveness of your message
---2. visualize design influences audiences perceptions before they read
--- to achieve effective design, pay attention to: consistency, balance, restraint, and detail
--- white space
-----seperates elements in a document and helps guide the reader's eye
--- Margins and justifications
----- can be (1) justified (2) flushed left with a ragged right margin (3) flushed right with a ragged left margin (4) centered
----- most business documents use flushed left with a regged right margin
--- Typefaces
----- refers to the physical design of the letters, numbers, and other text characters (font)
----- serif types: used for regular paragraph text
----- sans serif types: use for headings or subheadings
--- Typestyles
----- any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type => including bold, italic, underlinging, color, and highlighting
----- do not use if interfering with reading
- Designing multimedia documents
--- contains a combination of text, graphics, photographs, audio, animation, video, and interactivity
--- can be powerful communication tools
--- to design, consider: creative and technical skills, tools, time and cost, content, message structure, and compatibility
- Using technology to produce your message
--- Tech tools can vary widely
--- Learning the basic cmoounication tools will help to produce messages in less time
--- be proficient with: templates and stylesheets, page setup, column formatting, paragraph formatting, numbered bulleted lists, tables, pictures, textboxes, and objects
- Formatting formal letters and Memos
--- elements include: preprinted letterheads, date, inside address, salutation, complimentary close, and signature block
This site gives examples of how to format business messages:

http://wps.ablongman.com/long_johnsonshe_tct_1/27/7024/1798363.cw/content/index.html

* Proofreading your message
--- "quality inspection stage"
--- look for 2 problems (1) indetected mistakes for writing, design, and layout (2) mistakes that crept in during production
--- use a methodical approach to help find fixible problems
--- can be fooled into overlooking proofreading errors
--- some techniques include: making multiple passes, using perception tricks, double check high priority items, give yourself distance, be viligant, stay focused, review complex electronic documents, and take time

* Distributing your message
--- make sure your delivery message is convienent for your audience
--- When distributing consider: cost, convienence, security, and privacy.

Interesting Sites:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17736080/The-Process-of-Preparing-Effective-Business-Messages
This site is important to us as students because it contains a powerpoint that explains why it is important to edit business messages and also the best ways of going about revising and editing.

Writing Business Messages

*Bringing idea to life
- Adapting to audience
--- Readers/ listeners want to know how your messages will benefit them
--- May need to alter your communication style to match specifications
-Benefits ensitive to your audience's needs
--- Using the "you" attitude
----- speak and write in terms of your audience's wishes, interests, hopes, and preferences
----- do not (1) sound dictatorial (2) make someone feel guilty (3) go against your style (4) innappropriate for the culture
The following is a site speaking all about the "you" Attitude:
http://grammar.about.com/od/qaaboutrhetoric/f/youattitudefaq.htm
---Maintain standards of etiquette
----- Show audience consideration and foster a more successful environment for communication
----- express facts in a kind and thoughtful manner
----- add more courtsey when communication with people higher in the organization or outside the company
--- Emphasizing the Positive
----- don't be negative when communicating negative news
----- when giving advise => focus on what the person can do to improve
----- show how audience members will benefit from complience
----- use meaningful words, not negative connotations
--- Use bias free language
----- Words ad phrases that unfairly and even unethically categorize or stigmatize people in a way related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability

*Building strong relationships with your audience
- Requires poritive messages with the sender and reciever
- Establishing your credibility
--- credibility: measure of your believability, how reliable you are, and how much trust you evoke in others
--- people will react better to you if thet have confidence in you
--- emphasize: honesty, objectivity, awareness of audience needs, credenticals, knowledge, enterprise, endorsements, performance, confidence, communication style, and sincerity
--- can take time to establish
- Protecting your company's image
--- Company's interests and reputation come before your communication style

*Controlling your style and tone
--- style: the choices you make to express yourself: the words, how you use them, sentences, and how you build paragraphs
---tone: overall impression in your messages, created by style
- Using a conversational tone
--- aim for a " warm but businesslike" tone
--- guidelines:
1. understanding the differences between texting and writing
2. avoid stale and pompous language
3. Avoid preaching and bragging
4. Be careful with intimicy
5. Be careful with humor
- Using plain language
--- audiences can understand and act on it without reading it many times
--- to be clear, not lifeless, dull, or boring
- Selecting the active/ passive voice
--- use active tone when the subject performs he action and the subject recieves the action
--- use paccie voice when the subject recieves the action
--- active voices are usually stronger than passive
--- use passive mostly too:: soften bad news, put yourself in the background, and create an impersonal tone

* Composing your message
--- be creative and not perfect in your 1st draft
--- introduction is often hardest to write
- Choosing strong words
--- first consider correctness of the word
--- if you are unsure of correct grammer=> look it up; avoid mistakes and learn more
--- also consider effectiveness= many options
--- Understand denotion and connotation
----- denotive meaning is the literal or dictionary meaning
----- connotative meaning is the associations evoked by the word
--- Blanace abstraction and concreteness
----- abstract words express a concept, quality, or characteristic
----- concrete word is something you can touch, see, or visualize
----- Use abstractions in communications only when necessary
--- Finding wrds that communicate well
----- powerful and familiar words
----- avoid cliches and be careful of buzzwords
----- use jargon carefully
- Creating effective sentences
--- Four types of sentences
1. a simple sentence has one main clause
2. a compound sentence has 2 main clauses- independent and dependent
3. a complex sentence has one main clause and one subordinate clause
4. a compound/ complex sentence has 2 main clauses and at least one dependent clause
This website gives different types of sentences and their forms:
http://learningnerd.wordpress.com/2006/09/12/english-grammar-types-of-sentences/
--- Using sentence style to emphasize key thoughts
----- can emphasize ideas by: (1) devoting more words (2) putting them at the beginning/ end of sentences (3) making them the subjuect
----- depenent clauses and positioning them is a sentence can determine emphasis
- Crafing united, coherent paragraphs
--- organizing sentences in a unified manner- focusing on a single topic
--- elements in a paragraph
1. Topic sentence
--- the sentence that introduces the topic of the paragraph
--- generally explicit and first sentence in the paragraph
--- helps write say focused and on topic
2. Support Sentences
--- explaination, justification, and extention of topic sentences
--- more specific and relates to the general idea
3. Transitions
--- words/ phrases that tie together ideas by showing how one thought is realted to another- arrangement and connection of thoughts
--- can use by connecting works, repeat words or phrases, pronouns, and words that are frequently paired
- five ways to develope a paragraph
1. illustration
2. compare or contrast
3. cause and effect
4. classification
5. problem and solution

*Using technology to compose and shape a message
- Capabilities of more word processing systems:
1. style sheets and templates: preesigens designs to help your message be organized and designed to company standards
2. smart documents: word processor files based on special templates that can retrive info from documents
3. master documents: can organize and integrate all subdocuments when ready to print/ distribute a report
4. Autocompletion: inserts a ready-made block of text when you type the first few characters, shich saves time and reduces errors
5. Endnotes, footnotes, indexes, and tables of contents: computer can track endnotes and footnotes, renumbering them when you add references
6. Wizards: guide processes of creating letters, resumes, web pages, and common documents
7. Mail Merge" personalize form letters by inseting names and addresses form a database

Interesting Sites:
http://www.writing-business-letters.com/business-letter-format.html
This site lays out in a visually pleasing form how to write business messages as well as what are the most important aspects to include in your messages.

Planning Busniess Messages

*Understanding the 3 step writing process
-- Ensures your messages are effective and efficient

--- Step 1 Planning Business Messages
> define a purpose and develope an audience profile
> gather information
> how to deliver the message
> organize the information

---Step 2 Writing Businesses Messages
> adapt to your audience
> compose the message

---Step 3 completing Business Messages
> revise the message
> proofread the message
> distribute the message

- Optomizing your writing time
--- ex: allow half of your time for planning, a quarter for writing, and a quarter for completing the messages
--- very important to set aside time for completing

- Planning Effectively
--- skimping on one of the main steps. like planning, can cause more time used in the long run
* Analyzing Your Situation
--- a successful message connects the sender's needs with the audiences needs

- Defining your purpose
--- general purpose: to inform, to persuade, or to collaborate with the audience
--- defines the degree of audeince participation and the amount of control you have
--- specific purpose: identifies what you hope to accomplise with your message and what your audience should do or think after recieving the message

--- 4 Questions to test your purpose?
-----1. Will anything change as a result of your message?
-----2. Is your purpose realistic?
-----3. Is the time right?
-----4. Is your purpose acdeptible to your organization?

- Developing an audience Profile
--- audience needs to be interested in what you are saying
--- Steps to an audience analysis:
1-> Identify your primary audience
2-> Determine audeince siae and geographic distribution
3-> Determine audience size and geographic distribution
4-> Guae audeince members' level of understanding
5-> Understand sudience expectations and preferences

The following link is how and why you should know your audience before giving a presentation:
http://www.school-for-champions.com/speaking/audience.htm

* Gathering Information
--- assemble the information that you will include in your message
--- some info may be on hand and some may need considerable research
--- consider the audience's perspectives, read reports, and other company documents, talk with supervisors, colleagues, and customers, and ask your audience for their imput

- Uncovering Audience Needs
--- some audience needs may be obvious whil others may be vague= ask questions
--- include additional info that mey be helpful even if not specifically asked

- Finding your focus
--- Free writing: write whatever comes to mind without stopping to make correctons for a set time period
--- Use if a topic is to vague you are unsure how to get started in determining what the audience needs to know

- Providing required information
--- to test completeness: make aure you answer the 6 journalistic approach questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how
--- check to ensure the information is accurate, ethical, and pertinent
--- Accurate: information is accurate and the commitments made are kept
--- Ethical: clear sense of ethics should guide decisions when determining detail
--- Pertinent: audiences respond to filtered and priortized info to meet their needs, rely on common sense

* Selecting the right medium
--- the form in which you choose to communicate a message
- Oral Media
--- Best when you need to encourage interaction, express emotions, or monitor emotional responses
- Written Media
--- memos: breif printed documents used for routine exchange of info within an organization
---letters: brief written messages that generally are sent to recipants outside the organization
--- printed messages have been replaced in many instances by electronic media-> still has a place in business
- Visual Media
--- a message that is mostly visual and is supported by text can be more effective that a message that relies on text
- Electronic Media
--- Used to deliver messages quickly, to reach wide spread audiences and to take advantage of multimedia formats
---lack of integration in media can cause frustration in the workplace
--- electronic media can be oral (phone calls and teleconferences), written (emails, ims, or blogs), or visual (power point presentations)

* Factors to consider when choosing Media
1. Media richness: the ability to (1) convey a message through more than one ino=formational cue (2) facilitate feedback and (3) establish personal focus
2. Message Formality: nonverbal communication that affects the style and tone of your message
3. Media Limitations: every form of media has limitations inculding face to face
4. Urgency: media can deliver messages differently than others-> don't use instantanious delivery to create false urgency
5. COst: is is a real financial factor and a percieved verbal signal
6. Audience Preferences: Keep your audience's preferences and expectations

* Organizing your information
--- organizing information is an essential business skill
- Recognizing the importance of good organization
--- help audience members understand your message, accept your message, and save time
--- saves time and energy in the writing and completing phases

- Defining your main topic
--- topic: the overalll subject
--- main topic: specific statement about the topic
--- techniques to generate ideas:
----- brainstorming-> generate as many ideas as you can without stopping to critize or organize
----- Journalistic approach-> answers who, what, when, where, why, and how
-----question and answer chain-> start with the most important question in the audience's perspective and work toward your message
----- Story teller's tour-> talk through a communication message before it is written- record yourself
----- Mindmapping-> start with a main idea then connect every other idea that comes to mind
- Limiting your scope
--- scope: is the range of information presented and the length of the message in full detail
--- limit the number of support points: have fewer, stronger points, less weaker points
--- easy to understand and to accept if short

* Choosing between direct and indirect approach
--- direct: start with a main idea and continue with supporting evidence
--- indirect: start with evidence and build you case before stating the main topic
- Routine and Positive Messages
--- always use direct approach
--- involve daily matters from placing orders to updating employees about process changes
- Negative Messages
---lighten the blow of a negative message with following up with a positive one
---most likely profitable to use the indirect approach
- Persuasive Messages
--- indirect approach is usually ideal
--- usually you have to persuade the audience to give up something such as time, money, benefits, and habits
- Outlining your content
--- figure out a logical way to present major points and supporting details
---save time and get better results
--- can help visualize how all the points will fit together
--- experiment with organizational schemes in addition to traditional outlines
--- Start with the main idea
-----1. what you want your audience member to do or think
-----2. why your audience members should do it
--- State main points
-----clarify and explain your main idea
----- to inform and ensure the material is factual
--- Illustrate with evidence
----- each main point should have enough evidence to be convincing
----- not so much evidence that it is lengthy and boring
--- Needs to be in a logical hierarchy
--- Vary the type of detail you include

Interesting Sites:
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0070880581/student_view0/sample_letters.html
I found this site compelling to us as students as it gives several examples as to how business messages should look.

Communicating in a World of Diversity

This is all about understanding opportunities and challanges in communication!
- diversity: all characteristics and expierences that define individuals
- intercultural communication: sending and recieving message between people whose cultural backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal and nonverbal signs differently.

The following is a link to a video that shows how diversity impacts business today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui4kjsWH-78

- The opportunities in a global marketpalce include:
--- local markets are open to worldwide competition and business
--- most companies rely on exports for businesses = communication with other cultures

- Advantages of a Diverse Workforce
--- Broad range of views and ideas
--- better understanding of diverse, fragmented markets
--- more talent from which to recruit from
--- diversity is a given for most companies

- Challanges of intercultural communication
---can effect how business messages are recieved, conceived, composed, deliveres, and interpreted
---cultural and communication can go hand in hand including: language, non-verbal signals, word meanings, time and space issues, and rules of human relationships
- Enhancing your sensitivity to clture and diversity
--- Communication is largly automatic when relating to your own culture
- Understanding the concept of culture
---culture is a shared sysem of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for your behavior
--- influences your priorities, helps define what is apropriate in the situation, and establishes the rules of behavior
--- learned directly and indirectly
--- offer views on life that are coherent (logical) and complete (answers life's big questions)

-Overcoming ethnocentrism and stereotyping:
--- ethnocentrism: tendency to judge other groups according to standards, behaviors, and customs of one's own group
---stereotyping: assigning a wide range of generalized attributes to an individual on the basis of membership in a particular group
---cultural pluralism: acceptance of multiple cultures on their own terms
--- to aviod ethnocentrism and stereotyping:
-----1. avoid assumptions
-----2. avoid judgements
-----3. acknowledge distinctions

- Recognizing Variations in a diverse world
--- 8 types of Cultural Differences
1. Contextual differences
> cultural context: pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit understanding btwn members of the same culture
> high context: rely heavily on non-verbal acts and environmental setting convey meaning view adherence to laws as being flexible
> low context: rely on explicit verbal communication. Value written agreements and interpret laws strictly
2. Legal and ethical differences
>honestly and respect are important to all cultures in ethical communication
> basic principles:
> 1. Actively seek mutual ground
> 2. Send and recieve messages without judgement
> 3. Send messages that are honest
>4. show respect for culture differences
3. Social Differences
> formal rules are defines but informal rules are learned
> Social differences can be:
>>>attitudes toward work and success
>>>roles and status
>>>concepts of time
>>>use of manners
>>>future orientation
>>>openness and individualness
4. Nonverbal differences
> vary from culture to culture
>people's nonverbal nehavior can include greetings, personal space, toughing, facial expressions, eye contact, posture, and formality
5. Age Differences
> culture's view on youth and aging effects how people communicate
>society's that value are and seniority: earns respect and increasing freedom and power
6. Gender differences
> in mostly all sultures, men and women have differnnt communication styles
> men emphasize content
> women emphasize relationship maintenance
7. Relationship Differences
> may be a dominent force for many cultures
> law requires employers to accommodate employees' religious beliefs- reasonably
8. Ability differences
> imporant aspect of diversity in the culture
>assistive tech help employers create inclusive workplaces and benefit from contributions of people with impairments

- Adapting to other business cultures
--- 4 guidelines to help communication
-----1. be aware of your own biases
-----2. ignore the "Golden Rule"
-----3. exercize tolerence, flexability, and respect
-----4. be patient and remian with a sense of humor

The following is a website that tells us the differences in manycultures and their communications:
http://www.eruptingmind.com/communication-gestures-vary-different-cultures/

-Adapting to U.S. business cultures
---U.S. values individualism, equality, privacy and personal space, time and schudules, religion, and communication style
- Improving intercultural communication skills
--- communicating inerculturally requires many skills
--- study other cultures and languages respect communicaion styles, write and speak clearly, listen carefully

- Studying other Cultures
--- may require changing communication habits
--- if you know about the culture of other's is a sign of respect
--- info can be found all over

- Studying other Languages
---although English is the most used language in communication, not everyone understands or speaks it
--- learn comparison phrases in other languages

- Respecting Preferences for Communication Style
--- can include a level of directness, degree of formality, preferences for written verses spoken communication

- Writing Clearly
--- clarity and simplicity are essential when communication with those who don't speak your language
--- recommendations: simply and clear language, be breif, use transitional elements, address international correspondence property, cite numbers and dates carefully, avoid slang, idiomatic phrases, and business jargon and avoid humor and other references

- SPeaking and listening carefully
--- languages differ in tone, pitch, speed, and volume
--- processing of everyday conversations can be difficult
--- key points: speak clearly and get pleanty of feeedback
--- listening-> accept what you hear without judgement and let people finish what they say.

- Using interpreters, Translators, and Translation Software
--- use a professional translator (written) or interpreter (oral) for business communications
--- Machine translation: any form of computerized intelligence used to translate one language to another

-Helping others adapt to you culture
--- create a more productive work place and help learn the cultures of others
--- the more help you can provide the greater the communication and the better business.

Interesting Sites:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hr022
This website is almost a handbook as to how one should communicate in the business world as well as how diversity problems can be overcome.