Getting going in the writing class again. UHCL finally sorted out my financial aid money, so I have all the textbooks for my various classes now. Unfortunately, I pretty much had to buy all new books, and all from the university bookstore. That meant I paid a premium for them.
Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one person or group to another. Standard communication path, i.e. Message, Encoding, Decoding, Evaluating, Feedback. All heavily influenced by any number of factors.
Pay attention to the context and modifying factors. Try to communicate clearly and concisely.
The Writing Process:
- Prewriting
- Drafting
- Rewriting
- Editing
The hallmarks of effective business communication are that it is
- Purposeful
- Audience-centered
- Concise
In the prewriting phase, you define your purpose, analyze the audience for the work, and choose the best communication channel to deliver the message. Defining the purpose of the communication includes determining what information you want to convey and what impression you want to give. Analyzing your audience means determining how your audience will respond to various types of communication, so that you can pick the most appropriate type. This may mean determining how familiar with the assorted technical jargon and subject your audience is, taking into account the relationship between the two of you, and what needs that audience has. Tone of the message is very different when communicating with a coworker than when communicating with a difficult coworker. In business communication, you want to achieve a friendly, professional tone.
When delivering positive news, be “you” focused, concentrating attention on the audience member. When dealing with negative news, it is often better to be neutrally focused, using a passive voice or universal terms instead of specific assignments. Focus on the problem, not the reader.
The prewriting phase should give you a basic idea of what you will be writing and how you will be writing it well before you ever apply pen to paper.
Keep paragraphs and sentences short for business writing. A paragraph should not be more than eight lines long.