Ebook Business communication (3/E): Part 2

(BQ) Part 2 book Business communication has contents: Writing short reports, researching and writing reports, writing short reports, communicating in the job search, developing additional business communication skills,... and other contents.

Researching and Writing Reports 198 PART | Writing Effective Reports chapter eight H ow often you write reports in the LEARNING OBJECTIVES years ahead will depend on the size LO 8-1 Write clear problem and purpose statements LO 8-2 List the likely factors involved in a problem LO 8-3 Explain the difference between primary and secondary research LO 8-4 Use Internet search engines to gather information LO 8-5 Use other Web resources to gather information complexity, the greater the need for informa- LO 8-6 Evaluate Web sites for reliability tion to manage the organization LO 8-7 Use social networking and social bookmarking sites to gather information go hand in hand Caroline Molina-Ray, Execu- LO 8-8 Use the library to gather information tive Director of Research and Publications at LO 8-9 Use sampling to conduct a survey and nature of the organization you work for If you work for an organization with fewer than 10 employees, you will probably write only a few But if you work for a midsize or large organization, you are likely to write many The larger the organization, the greater its complexity; and the greater the Successful reports and effective research Apollo Research Institute, explains why: “Business leaders must base their decisions on relevant facts—not just on intuition Effective research provides leaders with facts they can use to plan, evaluate, and improve business performance To be most useful, research reports must not only include pertinent data but also explain what the data mean and how a decision maker might act on this information.” This chapter will help you gather and prepare information to help solve business problems j LO 8-10 Construct a questionnaire and conduct a survey LO 8-11 Design an observational study for a business problem LO 8-12 Conduct an experiment for a business problem LO 8-13 Explain the uses of focus groups and personal interviews LO 8-14 Discuss important ethical guidelines for research LO 8-15 Interpret your findings accurately LO 8-16 Organize information in outline form using time, place, quantity, factors, or a combination of these as bases for division LO 8-17 Turn an outline into a table of contents whose format and wording are logical and meaningful LO 8-18 Write reports that are focused, objective, consistent in time viewpoint, smoothly connected, and interesting LO 8-19 Prepare reports collaboratively CHAPTER | Researching and Writing Reports 199 workplace scenario Researching and Writing Reports on the Job Introduce yourself to the subject of report permanent records Thus, those who need the organization is a consulting firm, reports to writing by assuming the role of operations information contained in these reports can the client may be its primary deliverable If the analyst at Technisoft, Inc Much of your work review and study them at their convenience company is publicly traded, it is required by at this large software company involves get- Plus, written reports are a convenient and law to publish financial reports to the govern- ting information for your boss Yesterday, for efficient means of distributing information be- ment and to shareholders Depending on the example, you looked into the question of ex- cause they can be easily routed to a number nature of its business, a company may have to cessive time spent by office workers on the of readers research and write reports for various agen- Internet A few days earlier, you worked on an Your report-writing work is not unique to cies about its impact on the environment, its assignment to determine the causes of unrest your job In fact, report writing is common hiring practices, or its compliance with quality in one of the branch locations Before that throughout the company For example, the standards assignment you investigated a supervisor’s engineers often report on the technical prob- Sometimes reports are written by individu- recommendation to change an evaluation lems they encounter The accountants regu- als Increasingly, however, they are prepared process You could continue the list indef- larly report to management on the company’s in collaboration with others Even if one per- initely because investigating problems is a financial operations From time to time, pro- son has primary responsibility for a report, part of your work duction people report on various aspects of he or she will often need contributions from So is report writing, because you must operations The salespeople regularly report many people Indeed, report writing draws on research and write a report on each of your on marketing matters Such reporting is vital a wide variety of communication skills, from investigations A written report has several to your company’s operations—as it is to the getting information to presenting it clearly advantages over other communication forms operations of all companies Written reports are a good medium for con- Writing to external audiences can also be veying detailed findings They also make critical to an organization’s success If the DEFINING REPORTS You probably have a good idea of what reports are Even so, you might have a hard time defining them Some people define reports to include almost any presentation of information, while others use the term to refer only to the most formal presentations We use this middle-ground definition: A business report is an This chapter and the following chapter describe how to prepare this vital form of business communication interpret them without personal bias The word communication in our definition is broad in meaning It covers all ways of transmitting meaning: speaking, writing, using visuals, or a combination of these The basic ingredient of reports is factual information Factual information is based on events, statistics, and other data Finally, a business report must serve a business purpose Research scientists, medical doctors, ministers, students, and many A business report is an orderly and objective communication of factual information that serves a business purpose orderly and objective communication of factual information that serves a business purpose others write reports, but to be classified as a business report, a report must help a business solve its problems or meet its goals As an orderly communication, a report is prepared carefully This care in their preparation distinguishes reports from casual exchanges of information The objective quality of a report is its unbiased approach Good reports present all the relevant facts and Business reports can be short or long, formal or informal, electronic or printed, mostly text or mostly visuals Whatever their specific qualities, though, all reports should help readers make informed business decisions 200 PART | Writing Effective Reports communication matters How Far Should Your Report Go? All business reports should help solve busi- interpretations? Or orderly information foll- appropriateness of the site might take one of ness problems But how far they should go in owed by interpretations and recommen- the forms in the table below solving these problems will depend on what dations? your reader wants When determining your report’s purpose, Let’s say a hardware chain is consid- be sure you ask yourself what the reader has Does your reader want orderly informa- ering a site for a new store The report you asked for and what your data will support tion only? Or orderly information followed by write to help the management determine the Then deliver exactly that—no more and no less Informative Report Analytical Report Recommendation Report A report that lists all the competition within a A report that lists all the competition within 5-mile radius, grouped according to location a 5-mile radius and draws conclusions or type of company about the likely demand for a new hardware store in the area LO 8-1 Write clear problem and purpose statements DETERMINING THE REPORT PROBLEM AND PURPOSE Your work on a report logically begins with a need, which we refer to in the following discussion as the problem Someone or some group (usually your superiors) needs information for a business purpose Perhaps the need is for information only; perhaps it is for information and analysis; or perhaps it is for information, analysis, and recommendations (see the Communication Matters box above) Whatever the case, someone with a need will authorize you to the work How you define this need (problem) will determine your report’s purpose The Preliminary Investigation Your first task is to understand the problem To this well, you will almost surely have to gather additional information beyond what you’ve been given You may need to study the company’s files or query its databases, talk over the problem with experts, search through external sources, and/or discuss the problem with those who authorized the report You should enough preliminary research to be sure you understand the problem that your report is intended to address The Need for Clear Problem and Purpose Statements Your next task is to clearly state your understanding of the problem and your report’s purpose Clear problem and purpose A report that lists all the competition within a 5-mile radius and draws conclusions about the likely demand for a new hardware store in the area and recommends a decision or further action statements are important for you as you plan and write the report and for those who will read and use the report The problem statement provides a clear description of the situation that created the need for your report Problem statements are generally written as declarative statements For example, a simple one might read “Sales are decreasing at Company X.” You should then write a purpose statement (also called the report’s objective, aim, or goal) This statement is often written in the form of a question or infinitive phrase Thus, if your problem is that Company X wants to know why sales are decreasing, your purpose statement may be “to determine the causes of decreasing sales at Company X” or “What are the causes of decreasing sales at Company X?” Sometimes, as in the preceding example, the purpose will be clearly implied in the problem statement Other times, the problem will be so complex or general that you will need to put some thought into your report’s purpose For example, the purpose of a report intended to help a company reduce employee turnover could be “to find out why employee turnover is so high,” “to find out how other companies have addressed employee turnover,” “to find out what makes loyal employees stay,” a combination of these, or some other purpose Consider carefully what approach your report will take to the problem These statements will help keep you on track as you continue through the project In addition, they can be reviewed, approved, and evaluated by people whose assistance may be valuable Most important, putting the problem and purpose in writing forces you to think them through Keep in mind, though, that no matter how clearly you try to frame the problem and your research purpose, your conception of them may change as you continue your investigation As in other types of CHAPTER | Researching and Writing Reports 201 business writing, report writing often involves revisiting earlier steps (recursivity), as discussed in Chapters and Financial status In your completed report, the problem and purpose statements will be an essential component of the report’s introduction and such front matter as the letter of transmittal and executive summary; they will orient your readers and let them know where your report is headed Product development LO 8-2 List the likely factors involved in a problem DETERMINING THE FACTORS Once you’ve defined the problem and identified your purpose, you determine what factors you need to investigate That is, you determine what subject areas you must look into to solve the problem Computer systems Human resources Hypotheses for Problems Requiring Solution Some problems concern why something bad is happening and perhaps how to correct it In analyzing problems of this kind, you should seek explanations or solutions Such explanations or solutions are termed hypotheses Once formulated, hypotheses are tested, and their applicability to the problem is either proved or disproved To illustrate, assume that you have the problem of determining why sales at a certain store have declined In preparing to investigate this problem, you would think of the possible Once you’ve defined the problem and identified your purpose, you determine what factors you need to investigate What factors a problem involves can vary widely, but we can identify three common types First, they may be subtopics of the overall topic about which the report is concerned Second, they may be hypotheses that must be tested Third, in problems that involve comparisons, they may be the bases on which the comparisons are made explanations (hypotheses) for the decline You might identify such possible reasons as these: Purpose statement: To find out why sales at the Springfield store have declined Hypotheses: Activities of the competition have caused the decline Use of Subtopics in Information Reports If the problem is a lack of information, you will need to figure out the areas about which information is needed Illustrating this type of situation is the problem of preparing a report that reviews Company X’s activities during the past quarter This is an informational report problem—that is, it requires no analysis, no conclusion, no recommendation It requires only that information be presented The main effort in this case is to determine which subdivisions of the overall topic should be covered After thoroughly evaluating the possibilities, you might come up with a plan like this: Purpose statement: To review operations of Company X from January through March 31 Subtopics: Production Sales and promotion 202 PART | Writing Effective Reports Changes in the economy of the area have caused the decline Merchandising deficiencies have caused the decline Changes in the environment (population shifts, political actions, etc.) have caused the decline You would then conduct the necessary research to test these hypotheses You might find that one, two, or all apply Or you might find that none is valid If so, you would have to generate additional hypotheses for further evaluation Bases of Comparison in Evaluation Studies When the problem concerns evaluating something, either singularly or in comparison with other things, you should look for the bases for the evaluation That is, you should determine what characteristics you will evaluate and the criteria you will use to evaluate them Report-Writing Tools Help Businesses Succeed To survive and thrive, businesses must have timely, accurate data about their operations For many businesses, that means investing in software that will generate the informational reports they need The most powerful report-writing tools are those that are integrated with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which allows managers real-time access to data about the different facets of the company These products’ report-writing tools make it easy to get a snapshot of any part of business operations, whether it be the current financial picture, the sales history of a certain product, or the status of customers’ accounts But even small businesses can find electronic assistance for generating reports Shown here is the title page of a sample home-inspection report created with Horizon software The software enables home inspectors to create all the necessary components—from transmittal letter to contract to results and recommendations— and then generates a professional-looking report for the customer While you may not be able to find software to support your report writing to this extent, you will almost surely use electronically generated reports when preparing your own reports Be sure to familiarize yourself with any report-writing tools your organization uses so that you not over- Source: “Professional Reports,” CarsonDunlop, Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 2012, Web, June 2013 Reprinted with permission look important data or leave out information that your reader expects to see in your report CHAPTER | Researching and Writing Reports 203 www.downloadslide.net transportation in the three cities may well include such subdivisions as water, rail, truck, and air Workers may be compared by using such categories as skilled workers and unskilled workers Subdivisions of this kind may go still further Skilled workers may be broken down by specific positions: engineers, programmers, technical writers, graphic designers Make as many subdivisions as you need in order to provide a thorough, useful comparison LO 8-3  Explain the difference between primary and secondary research GATHERING THE INFORMATION NEEDED Report writing requires hard work and clear thinking in every stage of the process To understand the problem, identify your report’s purpose, and prepare the report that will solve the problem, you may need to consult many sources of information Illustrating this technique is the problem of a company that seeks to determine which of three cities would be best for expansion The bases for comparing the cities are the factors that would likely determine the success of the new branch After considering such factors, you might come up with a plan like this: Purpose statement: To determine whether Y Company’s new ­location should be built in City A, City B, or City C Comparison bases: Availability of skilled workers Tax structure Community attitude Transportation facilities Nearness to markets Each of the factors selected for investigation may have factors of its own In this illustration, for example, the comparison of You can collect information you need for a project by using two basic forms of research: primary and secondary Secondary research uses material that someone else has published in resources such as periodicals, brochures, books, digital publications, and Web sites This research is typically conducted before you engage in primary research Primary research is research that uncovers information firsthand It produces new information through the use of experiments, surveys, interviews, and other methods of direct observation To be an effective report writer, you should be familiar with the techniques of both primary and secondary research The following pages describe these techniques Conducting Secondary Research on the Internet One of the most accessible research tools we have is the Internet That makes the Web a good place to start a research project Using search engines, other Web-based tools, and online social networks, we can often find all the secondary information we need LO 8-4  Use Internet search engines to gather information using search engines  Internet search engines compile indexes of information about Web sites, such as the meta tags (hidden keywords) they use, how often they’re visited, and other sites they link to When you use a search engine, you are actually searching its index, not the Web itself According to Experian Hitwise,1 the top five search engines are Google, Bing, Yahoo! Search, Ask, and AOL Search, with Google being the most popular of the five Google, whose simple, clean screens you see in Exhibits 8-1 and 8-2, provides the ability to a simple search or a more advanced search As you can see in Exhibit 8-1, even a simple search includes ways to filter the 204  PART 4  |  Writing Effective Reports ren03229_ch08_198-245.indd 204 4/11/18 3:40 PM www.downloadslide.net E X H I B I T -   A Simple Search Using Google Source: www.google.com •Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission E X H I B I T -   A Google Search Using a Filter to Narrow Results Source: www.google.com •Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission information you are searching In this case the search phrase “morale in organizations” pulls up 11,900,000 results If you use the categories on the left side of the screen (such as V ­ ideos, News, or Discussions), you can limit your results to those sources, as shown in Exhibit 8-2 In this case, when you filter for News, you receive 1,410 results You can use another Google tool, Google Scholar, to search scholarly literature, which includes journals from academic publishers, conference papers, dissertations, academic books, and technical reports You can perform a simple search in Scholar much as you would in Google’s regular search For example, you could search with the phrase “conducting surveys CHAPTER 8  |  Researching and Writing Reports  205 ren03229_ch08_198-245.indd 205 4/11/18 3:55 PM www.downloadslide.net E X H I B I T -   Illustration of a Search Using Google Scholar and the Alerts Option Source: http://scholar.google.com •Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission at work,” as in Exhibit 8-3 Google Scholar also has a feature called Alerts, as shown in Exhibit 8-3, which allows you to create an alert for a topic You will then receive email notification of any new sources on the topic you are researching to find more information on your research topic (Exhibit 8-7) If your search yields too many citations, you can use the operator AND to narrow your search As you can see from the results in Exhibit  8-4, Google Scholar also provides filters on the left side of the screen In this case the search tool can filter by date and whether or not to include patents and citations You could also refine your research by using the Google Scholar Advanced Search option (Exhibits 8-5 and 8-6) Finally, when you pull up the results of a search, you can use the Related articles link Whatever search engine you are using, a good command of Boolean logic will help you extract the information you need quickly and accurately Boolean logic uses three primary operators: AND, OR, and NOT If your search yields too many citations, you can use the operator AND to narrow your search When you link two search terms with AND, the search engine will retrieve only those citations that contain both terms The operator NOT is another narrowing term, instructing the search engine to eliminate citations with a particular term E X H I B I T -   Results from a Google Scholar Search Source: http://scholar.google.com •Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission 206  PART 4  |  Writing Effective Reports ren03229_ch08_198-245.indd 206 4/11/18 3:55 PM www.downloadslide.net E X H I B I T -  How to Access Google Scholar’s Advanced Search E X H I B I T -  Illustration of Google Scholar’s Advanced Search Features Source: http://scholar.google.com •Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission Source: http://scholar.google.com •Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission For example, if you were searching for articles on conducting surveys at work, you could search with the phrase “surveys at work NOT healthcare” to eliminate healthcare-related surveys to use If the search still comes up short, you should check for spelling errors or variations Becoming skilled at using Boolean logic will help you get the Internet-based information you need, and it will also help you search online databases (discussed in a later section) more efficiently The OR operator can be used to expand the search by adding variations or synonyms to the basic search term For example, to expand a search for articles on “surveys AND morale,” you might add “productivity OR enthusiasm OR confidence.” If you have difficulty thinking of terms to broaden your search, look at the keywords or descriptors of the items that have already been identified Often these will give you ideas for additional terms As search engines evolve to meet the changing needs of the Internet’s content and its users, new forms of these tools have emerged as well Metasearch tools allow you to enter the search terms once, run the search simultaneously with several search engines, and view a combined results page Examples E X H I B I T -  The Related Article Link in a Google Scholar Search Source: http://scholar.google.com •Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission CHAPTER 8  |  Researching and Writing Reports  207 ren03229_ch08_198-245.indd 207 4/11/18 3:56 PM Thomas L Friedman, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005), print John Mattock, ed., Cross-Cultural Communication: The Essential Guide to International Business, rev 2nd ed (London: Kogan Page, 2003) 15–23, print 14 “Business Culture in Spain,” WorldBusinessCulture, Global Business Culture, 2012, Web, May 2013 15 Jensen J Zhao, “The Chinese Approach to International Business Negotiation,” Journal of Business Communication 37 (2000): 225, print 16 Zhao 225 Roger E Axtell, Gestures: The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language around the World (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1998) 43, print 17 Naoki Kameda, Business Communication toward Transnationalism: The Significance of Cross-Cultural Business English and Its Role (Tokyo: Kindaibungeisha Co., 1996) 34, print Wang De-hua and Li Hui, “Nonverbal Language in Crosscultural Communication,” Sino-US English Teaching 4.10 (2007): 67, www.linguist.org.cn, Web, May 2013 18 Mattock 14–15 Allan Pease and Barbara Pease, The Definitive Book of Body Language (New York: Bantam, 2006) 111, print 10 Iris Varner and Linda Beamer, Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace, 5th ed (New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2011) 101–102, print 19 Danielle Medina Walker, Thomas Walker, and Joerg Schmitz, Doing Business Internationally: The Guide to Cross-Cultural Success, 2nd ed (New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2003) 211, print 20 Jean-Claude Usunier, “Ethical Aspects of International Business Negotiations,” International Business Negotiations, ed Pervez N Ghauri and Jean-Claude Usunier, 2nd ed (Amsterdam: Pergamon, 2003) 437–438, print 11 “Power Distance Index,” ClearlyCultural, ClearlyCulural.com, n.d., Web, May 2013 12 Sejung Mariana Choi, Shu-Chuan Chu, and Yoojung Kim, “CultureLaden Social Engagement: A Comparative Study of Social Relationships in Social Networking Sites among American, Chinese and Korean Users,” Computer-Mediated Communication across Cultures, ed Kirk St Amant and Sigrid Kelsey, IGI Global, 2012, Web, May 2013 13 Kirk St Amant, “Culture, Context, and Cyberspace: Rethinking Identity and Authority in the Age of the Global Internet,” Association for Business Communication Southeast Regional Conference, St Petersburg, FL, Mar 2013, conference presentation BONUS CHAPTER E Examples included here have been adapted to business communication from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed (New York: MLA, 2009), print; Diana Hacker and Barbara Fister, Research and Documentation Online, 5th ed., Bedford/St Martin’s, n.d., Web, 19 July 2013; and Linn-Benton Community College, “MLA Citation Guide,” Scribd, Scribd Inc., 2012, Web, 24 July 2013 When these sources did not agree, we used the model that seemed to fit best with the logic used for other entries Endnotes EN-3 This page intentionally left blank www.downloadslide.net credits CHAPTER Opener: Robert Daly/Getty Images RF; p.  11: Creatas/PictureQuest RF; p. 12: © John Fedele/ Blend Images LLC; p.  16: Jupiterimages/Getty Images RF; p. 19: © Max Power/Corbis RF CHAPTER Opener: © franky242/Alamy; p. 28 (top): Image Source/ PunchStock RF; p. 28 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  29: Chad Baker/ Jason Reed/Ryan McVay/Getty Images RF; p. 30: Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 32 (top): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  32 (bottom): David J Green-technology/Alamy; p. 33 (and subsequent uses): © Bernhard Lang/Getty Images; p. 34: Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 35: Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 39: Inti St Clair/Getty Images RF CHAPTER Opener: Indeed/Getty Images RF; p. 55 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 56: Elena Zajchikova/Shutterstock.com; p. 59: © NAN/Alamy RF; p. 63: Alejandro Rivera/Getty Images RF CHAPTER Opener: Photodisc/Getty Images RF; p.  66: Stockbyte/Getty Images RF; p. 69 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  70: © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Mark Dierker, photographer; p.  72: Pop Paul-Catalin/Shutterstock.com; p.  74: ©  Digital Vision/Getty Images RF; p.  77 (right): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  78: © Jon Parker Lee/Alamy; p.  81: © T.T./ Iconica/Getty Images; p.  83: Don Farrall/Getty Images RF; p. 84: Rich Reid/National Geographic/ Getty Images RF; p. 88: Photodisc/Getty Images RF; 89 (right): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  90: LWA/Larry Williams/Blend Images/ Corbis; p. 93: XiXinXing/Shutterstock.com; p. 96: Jack Hollingsworth/Blend Images LLC RF CHAPTER Opener: © Anatolii Babii/Alamy RF; p. 100: Digital Vision/Getty Images ; p. 101: Biddiboo/Getty Images; p.  103 (right): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 106 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  107 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 110 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  118 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  121 (center): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  122: Purestock/Getty Images RF; p. 126 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 131: © Robert Daly/age fotostock RF CHAPTER Opener: © Montgomery Martin/Alamy RF; p. 135: © Digital Vision/Getty Images RF; p.  136: JGI/ Blend Images LLC RF; p.  138: © Olix Wirtinger/ Corbis RF; p 141 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  142: © ColorBlind Images/ Iconica/Getty Images; p. 145 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 147: Scott Linnett/ U-T San Diego/ZUMAPRESS.com; p.  151: JGI/ Jamie Grill/Getty Images RF; p. 154 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 155: © Graham Bell/Corbis RF CHAPTER Opener: Stockbyte/Getty Images RF; p. 159 (top): David Zalubowski/AP Images; p.  159 (bottom): © Ralph Henning/Alamy; p.  161 (top): © Image Source/Corbis RF; p.  161 (bottom): Thinglass/ Shutterstock.com; p. 166 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 167: Red Chopsticks/ Getty Images RF; p.  170: Frank Herholdt/The Image Bank/Getty Images; p.  171: © David Livingston/Getty Images; p. 172 (top and bottom), 177: Courtesy of Marie Flatley; p. 185: Photodisc/ age fotostock RF; p. 186 (top): Courtesy of Marie Flatley; p. 186 (bottom): Courtesy of Marie Flatley; p. 190 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 197: Pixtal/age fotostock RF CHAPTER Opener: Steve Cole/Getty Images RF; p.  204: DragonImages/Shutterstock.com; p.  221: Digital Vision/Alamy RF; p.  223: Hill Street Studios/ Getty Images RF; p.  226: © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Mark Dierker, photographer; p. 228: Spencer Grant/PhotoEdit; p.  230: Steve Cole/ Getty Images RF; p. 239: © Digital Vision/Getty Images RF; p. 242: Stockbyte/Getty Images RF; p.  243 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 245: Stockbyte/Punchstock RF CHAPTER Opener: Scott Quinn Photography/Getty Images RF; p. 252: © Erik Isakson/Tetra Images/Corbis RF; p. 254 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  255: Comstock/PictureQuest RF; p. 265: Brand X Pictures/Getty Images RF; p. 275: Image Source/Getty Images RF; p. 277: Ingram Publishing RF CHAPTER 10 Opener: © Dave and Les Jacobs/Blend Images LLC RF; p.  283 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. 284: PhotoAlto/Getty Images RF; p.  285: Jupiterimages/Getty Images RF; p.  287: © BananaStock/Masterfile RF; p.  289: Joshua Hodge Photography/Getty Images RF; p. 292: Jacobs Stock Photography/Jupiterimages RF; p.  296: © Digital Vision/Getty Images RF; p.  298: Dynamic Graphics Value/SuperStock RF; p. 299 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  302: Purestock/SuperStock RF; p. 303: © Fancy Photography/Veer RF CHAPTER 11 Opener: © Stockbyte/Veer RF; p.  309: Robert Nickelsberg/Alamy; p. 312: momentimages/Getty Images RF; p.  342: Purestock/SuperStock RF; p. 344: Jupiterimages/Getty Images RF; p. 346: © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Mark Dierker, photographer; p.  348: © Hill Street Studios/ Blend Images LLC RF BONUS CHAPTERS Page A-9 (top): Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  A-10: Used with permission from Microsoft; p.  B-3: Ingram Publishing RF; p.  B-5: © Keith Morris; p. B-9 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. C-4: © Jack Hollingsworth/ Corbis RF; p.  C-6: arabianEye/Getty Images; p. D-2: © kupicoo/Getty Images; p. D-3 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft; p. D-6: Ian Dagnall/Alamy; p.  E-7 (bottom): Used with permission from Microsoft Credits  CR-1 ren03229_credits_CR1-CR2.indd 4/10/18 2:33 PM This page intentionally left blank index A Abbreviations care in using, 68 initialisms and, 32 in instant messaging, 34 in text messages, 33–34 ABC See Association for Business Communication ABI/Inform, 218 ABI/Inform Complete, 218 (illus.), 220 Abstract words, 68 Accomplishments/achievements layout, for résumé, 319, 322 (illus.) Accountability, Ace Hardware, 211 Acknowledgments, in visuals, 46 Acronyms, 68 Action-oriented, past tense verbs, 314 Action verbs, for résumé, 314, 315 (illus.) Active listening, 286 Active verbs, 71–72 Active voice, 71–72 Adaptation in speaking, 282 in writing, 66 Adjustment grants case illustration, 126 (illus.) examples, contrasting, 124 explaining a human error, 126 (illus.) overcoming negative impressions, 122–124 regain lost confidence, 124 reviewing the plan, 124 special needs, considering, 122–124 Adjustment refusals adapting general plan to, 148 bluntness in direct refusal, 148 case illustration, 149 (illus.) closing courteously, 148 defined, 146 examples, contrasting, 148 making the case for, 147–148 refusing positively, 148 setting up reasoning for, 147 strategy development for, 146–147 tact and indirect order in courteous refusal, 148 Adobe Acrobat ConnectPro, 300 Age, words that stereotype by, 74–75 Age diversity, Agenda, 289 Almanacs, 219 AMA See American Management Association (AMA); American Marketing Association (AMA) American Community Survey, 220 American Express, American FactFinder, 220 American Heritage Dictionary, 219 American Institute of CPAs, 215 American Management Association (AMA), 215 American Marketing Association (AMA), America’s Corporate Families, 219 Analytical skills, 7–8 Andersen, Erika, 140 Angie’s List, 181 (illus.) Animation, 6, 57, 298, 300 Annual & Quarterly Services, 219 Anonymity, in interviews, 229 Anxiety, 281 AOL Search, 204 Apollo Research Institute, 199 Apologies, 136 Appeals, 159, 160, 163, 170–171 Appearance, personal, 284–285, 343 Application documents cover messages, for résumé attention-getting in opening, 331, 338 body, 331 conclusion, 331 driving for action in the close, 340 email, 341 examples, contrasting, 340 form prospecting letter, 337 (illus.) good, 335 (illus.) introduction, 331 organizing for persuasion, 339–340 prospecting letter, 336 (illus.) selecting content, 338–339 solicited (invited), 331, 338 unsolicited (prospecting), 331, 338 interview follow-up, 345–347 overview, 310–311 résumés See Résumés thank-you message, as interview follow-up, 346 Area charts, 52, 53 (illus.) Area sampling, 222 Articulation, 281 Asian cultures, 135 See also specific countries Ask (search engine), 204 Association for Business Communication, 4, 103, 215 Association for Financial Professionals, 215 Association for Information Technology Professionals, 306 Association of American Colleges and Universities, Atos, 116 Attachments, email, 31 Attention-getting opening in formal presentations, 295 in persuasive requests, 161–163 in résumé cover letter, 331 in sales messages, 172–173 Audience benefits for, developing, 158–159 choosing visuals for, 42 design elements and, 37–38 external, 12 feedback of, 297–298 judgment of, 282 for persuasive messages, 158 Audience analysis in formal presentations, 294 in writing process, 23–24 AutoCorrect tool, 103 B Baby Boomers, 7, 75, 76 Back-channeling, 286–287, 298 Background, of visuals, 43–44 Bad-news messages, 108 See also Indirect messages adjustment refusals, 146–148, 149 (illus.) approaches to writing, 134 directness and, 152–153 indirect claims, 140–143 indirect plan, 134–136 negative announcements, 148, 150–153, 154 (illus.) refused requests, 136–139 Baquet, James, 83 Bar charts, 48–49, 49 (illus.) Basenese, Louis, 50 Bcc: (blind courtesy copy), 31 Beamer, Linda, 135 Before-after design (experiments), 227 Behavioral interview style, 344 Berne, Eric, 92 Bilateral column charts, 49–50, 50 (illus.) Bing, 204 Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders, 220 Biographical directories, 219 Biography in Context, 220 Biography Reference Bank, 220 BizMiner, 218, 220 Blogs, 6, 35, 36 (illus.), 253 Body of formal presentation, 295–296 of résumé cover message, 331 Boolean logic, 206–207 Borders, in visuals, 43 Bowman, Judith, 93 Brainstorming, 24, 232 Breathing, during speaking, 281 Buffers, 134, 137 Bulleted lists, 47 Burgess, Douglas K., 27 Business communication activity, variation in, 13–14 dependence on communication, 5–6 global nature of, 6–7 goals of, and communication goals, 23 (illus.) role of communication in, 4–14 Business & Company Resource Center, 218, 220 Business communication See also Letters bottom line, 19 categories of, 9–11 challenges for, 6–9 contexts for, 15–17 etiquette, in international relations, 93 goal of, 19 model of, 15–19 as problem solving, 14–15 process of, 14–19, 15 (illus.) use “adult-adult” interactions in, 92 Business communicators, key traits of, Business information services, 219 Index IN-1 Business Insider, 345 Business report See report topics Business Source Complete, 218, 220 Business Source Premiere, 218 Business USA, 220 Business writing instant messaging, 34–35, 35 (illus.) social media, 34 (illus.), 35 text messaging, 33–34 C Cameron, Kim, 91 Camouflaged verbs, 72–73 CAN-SPAM Act, 181 Captions, in visuals, 44–45 CapturePlanning.com, 184 Career centers, 309, 311 (illus.) Career fairs, 309 Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 203 Cartoons, 57 Castro, Amy, 286 Casual operational message, 125, 127 Caukin, Jennifer, 288 Cc: (courtesy copy), 31 Celebrity spokesperson, 173 Cell phones, 94, 293 Census of Mineral Industries, 219 Census of Wholesale Trade, 219 Central appeal, 170–171 Chaney, Lillian H., 93 Change trackers, 243 Channels choice of, affects message success, 17 choosing, in planning stage of writing process, 25 persuasive, 170 Chapman, Cameron, 43 Character-based appeal (ethos), 159, 160, 170, 173, 175, 182 Chartjunk, 58 Charts, 47–48, 298 Chief Marketer, 168, 169 China, 93, 180 CIA World Factbook, 218, 220 Citrix, 300 Clarity, 66 Clarke, Monica, 173 Classified advertisements, 309 Clichés, 67–68, 89 Clip art, 43 Clipart.com, 178 Closed-ended questions, 229 Closing in adjustment message, 148 in adjustment refusals, 148 of cover letter for résumé, 340 in direct claim message, 121 in favorable response messages, 109 goodwill, 100–101 in indirect claims, 142 in job search cover letter, 331 in negative announcement, 151 providing goodwill, 100–101, 121, 139, 142 in refused request, 139 in routine inquiry, 104 Cloud applications, 299 Clustered (multiple) bar chart, 49, 49 (illus.) IN-2 Index Cluster sampling, 222 Cluttering phrase, 78 CNN, 209 Coherence, 86 (illus.), 87 Collaborative presentations, 302–303 Collaborative tagging, 215–216 Collaborative tools, for virtual meetings, 288 Collaborative writing, of reports comment and review tools, 243 emotional intelligence and, 241 ground rules, 241–242 group makeup, determining, 241 means of collaboration, 242 project plan, 242 researching and writing, 242–244 Collectivism versus individualism, Colloquialisms, 89 Color in charts, 49 communicating with, 43 culture-specific meanings of, 43 Column charts, 48–49 Columns, in table, 46 (illus.), 46–47 Combination charts, 54, 54 (illus.) Comcast Cable, 133 Commenting tools, 243 Common-ground persuasion technique, 161 Communication See also specific communication types and topics poor, costliness of, role of, in business, 4–14 shortcomings of employees, why business depends on, 5–6 Communication activity, variation in, by business, 13–14 Communication Matters ability more important than knowledge, accident reports, choice lines from, 240 active and passive voice, 72 “adult-adult” interactions in business messages, 92 applying color to visuals, 44 camouflaged verbs, 73 channel choice affects message success, 17 chartjunk, 58 clichés, 67 communicating with color, 43 decision-maker types, 171 delivering bad news, leadership and, 140 diversity issues, 75 emotional intelligence, 241 fonts, 102 formality in reports, 238 gaining and keeping readers’ attention on Facebook and Twitter, 173 generational issues, 76 handshakes, 286 hiring, 308 homophones, 71 hours spent on email, 31 infographics, 45 instant messaging etiquette in the workplace, 26 interview questions, 343 job interview mistakes, 345 listening, 287 misplaced modifiers, 83 monetary value of a good report, 271 negotiation, 282 Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, 60 (illus.) persuasive requests, 164 persuasive strategies across cultures, 180 poor wording, 240 portfolio, 338 positivity, business benefits of, 91 presenting bad news to intercultural audience, 135 promotional writing, trends in, 177 proposal writing, seven deadly sins of, 189 proposal-writing tips, 188 reports, 201 report title with Ws and H, 249, 250 résumés, 323 routine responses in the late 1880s, 109 sales letters, 169 stringy and see-saw sentences, 78 surplus words, 79 There is/There are sentences, 80 This, 86 visual ethics, 61 white papers, 268–269 workplace diversity, workplace metaphors, 13 workplace without email, 116 writing versus speaking, 24 Communication networks, of the organization, 11–13 Communication skills, importance of, 4–5 Communication strategy, problem-solving approach, 18 (illus.) Communicators, relationship of, 16 Company newsletter, 269, 270 (illus.) Competence, 284 Complete Economic and Demographic Data Source: CEDDS, 220 Complimentary close, of letter, 28 Computational thinking, Computerworld Online, 37 Conciseness, 26 Conclusion of formal presentation, 296 of résumé cover message, 331 Concrete language, 68, 70 Confidence, 283 Confidentiality, in interviews, 229 Consistent time viewpoint, 239 Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports magazine, 170 Contact information, in résumés, 312, 314 Contexts, for business communication, 15–17 Contrast, in visuals, 44 Controlled before-after design (experiments), 227, 228 (illus.) Convenience sampling, 222 Conventional outlining system, 232 Conversation See Informal conversation Conversational style, 88–89 Corbisimages.com, 178 Corporate social responsibility (CSR), 8–9 Corporation Records, 219 CorpWatch, Correlated, 230 Country Commercial Guides, 220 Country Reports, 220 Country Studies, 220 County and City Data Book, 220 Courtesy cell phones and, 94 in refusals, 148 in speaking, 282 in telephone speaking, 292–293 in writing for positive effect, 91–93 writing with, 66 Cover message See also Application documents dull, selfish, and poorly written, 341 follows textbook instructions, 342 for persuasive request, 339–340 Cox, Denise, 269 Coxcomb chart, 45 Crabb, Stuart, Creativity, 3, Crick, Francis, 54 Critical thinking, 3, Cross-cultural competency, 6–7 Cross-cutting capacities, Cross-hatching, 43, 49 CSR See Corporate social responsibility (CSR) Cullen, Mary, 67 Cultural agility, Cultural diversity, 13–14 Culture(s) communicating with color, 43 etiquette, in international relations, 93 organizations as, 13 persuasive strategies across cultures, 180 presenting bad news to intercultural audience, 135 Curriculum vita, 311 See also Résumés D D&B’s Million Dollar Database, 218, 220 Dangling modifiers, 83 Database searches, 217–218 Data interpretation See Report findings Datamonitor 360, 220 Datapro Directory, 219 Data row, in table, 46 Data sheet, 311 See also Résumés Decimal outlining system, 232–233 Decision Support Database, 220 Decision tree, 48 Delicious, social bookmarking site, 215 (illus.) Dell Computer, 36 (illus.), 45 Delta Air Lines, 178 (illus.) Delta Sigma Pi, 306 Demographic information, 158 Demonstrative pronoun, 87 Descriptive statistics, 231 Design See Document design decisions Diagrams, 57, 57 (illus.), 298 Dictionaries, 219 Digg, social bookmarking site, 216 (illus.) Digg Reader, 209 Digital media, 168 Dimdim, 300 Direct claims, 116 clear/efficient, and with goodwill, 121 examples, contrasting, 121–122 firm yet courteous, 122 indirect and harsh, 121–122 insulting/indirect, 120 organizing beginning, 120 explaining the issue, 120 goodwill closing, 121 reviewing the plan, 121 Direct mail, 169 Direct mail message, 174 (illus.)–175 (illus.) Direct messages adjustment grants, 122–124, 126 (illus.) beginnings, 100–102 direct claims, 116, 120–122 direct plan, 100–101 effective, 105 ending with goodwill, 100–101 favorable responses, 108–109, 110 (illus.) general direct plan, 100–101 internal-operational messages, 125, 127–130 objective, 100 order acknowledgments, 109, 112, 114, 117 (illus.)–118 (illus.) preliminary assessment, 100 routine inquiries, 101–107 thank-you messages and, 114–115, 119 (illus.) Direct order, 25 executive summary in, 251 (illus.) in good news messages, 100 indirect order versus, 134 in short reports, 252–253, 255 Directories in Print, 219 Directory of Corporate Affiliations, 219 Disabilities, words that typecast, 75 Dispersion, 231 Diversity cultural, 13–14 workplace, 6–7 Division by factors, 234 Document design decisions Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, 60 (illus.) print versus online, 35–38 Documents, print versus online, 35–38 Dogpile, 208 (illus.) Don’t Take the Last Donut: New Rules of Business Etiquette (Bowman), 93 Double-barreled questions, 222–223 Drafting, in writing process, 22, 23, 25–26 Druskat, Vanessa Urch, 241 E Edgar (search engine), 208, 220 Editing, 26, 27–28 Education, job search and, 314, 316 Eisen Agency, 177 Email attachments to, 31, 336 (illus.) casual, 31, 32 Chief Marketer, 168 communication challenges of, 30–31 as cover message, for résumé, 341 defined, 30–31 etiquette for, 33 form, 31 formal, 31, 32–33 formality in, 31–33 informal, 31, 32 MailChimp.com, 168 most-used medium in business, offering name removal to readers of, 181 permission-based, 167 of persuasive message, 166 (illus.) of progress report, 272 (illus.) proposals, 190 (illus.) prospecting cover letter, 334 (illus.) sales messages, 172, 176, 179 (illus.), 180 sending résumé via, 326, 330 signature block, 31 subject line in, 172 widespread use of, 30 workplace without, 116 Email report, 249, 265, 269 eMarketer, 167 Em dash, 46 Emily Post’s Etiquette (Post), 94 Emoticons, 26, 34 Emotional appeal (pathos), 159, 160, 170, 173, 175 Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (Goleman), 241 Empathy, 164 Emphasis, for positive effect, 93–95 EmployeeIssues.com, 75 Employees attitudes of, 11 participation in informal networks, cautions about, 12–13 Employment agencies, 309 Encyclopedia Americana, 219 Encyclopedia Britannica, 219 Encyclopedia of Advertising, 219 Encyclopedia of Banking and Finance, 219 Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, 219 Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries, 219 Encyclopedia of Small Business, 219 Encyclopedias, 219 Energy, 164 Enron scandal, Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, 203 Enthusiasm, 164 Envelopes, 172 Epsilon Data Management, LLC, 169 Error, human, advice for avoiding, 230–231 Errors of format, 59, 61 Errors of scale, 57 E-selling, 168 Ethics in business research, 229–230 increased focus on, positive emphasis and, 95 in visuals, 61 Ethos, 159–160, 174, 175 Etiquette for email, 33 for instant messaging, 26 in international relations, 93 Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home (Post), 94 Europe World Yearbooks, 220 Evans, Will, 323 Evans-Raoul, Kali, 75 Excel (Microsoft), 55, 231 Excellent Work (blog), 281 ExcelUsers (blog), 58 Executives, need for communication, Executive search consultants (headhunters), 309 Executive summary, 250–251, 268 Experiments, 226–228 Index IN-3 Extemporaneous presentations, 296 External-operational communication, 9, 10 (illus.) External proposals, 183–185 Extrinsic benefits, 159 Eye contact, 285 F Facebook, 3, 34 (illus.), 35, 173, 211, 214, 308, 309, 310 Face-to-face communication, 90 (illus.) Face-to-face interview, 342–345 Face-to-face presentation, versus virtual presentation, 301–302 Facial expressions, 285 Factiva, 218, 219, 220 Faulty parallelism, 83–84 Faulty sentence logic, 82 Favorable responses, 108–109, 110 (illus.), 116 Feasibility study, 274 Federal Reserve Bulletin, 219 Fedmarket.com, 184 Fedstats, 220 Feedback on formal presentations, 297–298 in revision stage, 28 Few, Stephen, 44 Filtering, during listening, 285 FindLaw, 208 Findsounds.com, 178 Firefox Web browser, 210 Five Ws (who, what, where, when, why), 45, 249, 250 Flesch-Kincaid readability score, 77 Flesch Reading Ease score, 77 Flickr.com, 41 Flowcharts, 47–48, 48 (illus.) Focus groups, 228–229 Folksonomies, 215–216 Follow-up message, 346 Fonts choosing, 102 for résumé, 323, 330, 331 sans serif, 37, 43, 102 serif, 37, 43, 102 title case, 45 in visuals, 43 Footnotes, 46, 268 Forbes.com, 253 Forbes magazine, 169, 305 Foreign Commerce Handbook, 219 Form, choosing, in planning stage of writing process, 25 Formality in conversational style, 88 in report writing, 238 Formal messages internal-operational messages, 127–129 moderately formal, 127 Formal network, 11–12 Formal presentations, 293 attention-getting opening, 295 audience feedback, 297–298 body of, 295–296 collaborative, 302–303 conclusion, 296 extemporaneous presentation, 296 human-interest story, 295 humor in, 295 IN-4 Index introduction, 295 memorizing, 296 PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts, 297 preparing, 295–296 presentation method, 296–297 presentation software, 299–300 quotations and questions, 295 reading, 296–297 startling statement, 295 topic and purpose, 294 virtual, 301 visuals in, 298–300 Web-based, 300–302 Formal reports, 248 Format choosing, in planning stage of writing process, 25 for proposal, 186, 188 readability and, 27 (illus.) report organization and, 235–236 FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data), 220 Freedonia Focus Market Research, 220 Fried, Jason, 294 Friendliness, 284 From the Tech Desk brainstorm and outline with visualization tools, 232 change trackers, 243 clichés, colloquialisms, and jargon, 89 courtesy and mobile devices, 94 customizing Word or Outlook toolbar, 141 email etiquette, 33 grammar and style checkers, 69, 89 interview advice, on the Web, 339 making the most of Excel, 55 Outlook’s Quick Parts, 123 presentation delivery tools, 283 proposal writing, Web resources for, 184 readability statistics, 77 report templates, 254 report-writing tools, 203 shortcut tools for productivity and quality, 103 survey tools, Web-based, 224 tables, 113 TED.com, 294 virtual meetings, collaborative tools for, 288 virtual presentations, 301 visuals in sales messages, 178 Zotero, citation management tool, 210–211 Functional or skills layout, for résumé, 319, 321 (illus.) Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary, 219 G Gadd, Kelly, 177 Gale Business Insights: Global, 219 Galegroup, 220 Gantt charts, 48, 48 (illus.) Garber, Marjorie, 68 Gender diversity, Gender-neutral words, 73–74 General libraries, 216 Generations, Inc., 76 Generation X, 76 Generation Y, 7, 76 Genres, 12, 25 Geographic maps, 54 Gestures, during speaking, 285 Glasbergen, Randy, Global Business Etiquette: A Guide to International Communication and Customs (Martin and Chaney), 93 Globalism, 6–7 Global Market Information Database, 220 Goals business, 23 business and communication, interrelated nature of, 23 (illus.) of business communication, 19 writing, 23 Goleman, Daniel, 241 Good-news messages See Direct messages Goodwill apologizing and, 136 ending direct claims messages with, 121 ending direct message with, 100–101 ending in indirect claims, 142 ending in refused request, 139 ending routine inquiry with, 104 importance of, 87 in order acknowledgments, 112, 114 thank-you messages and, 112 Google, 204, 205 (illus.) Google blog search, 214 Google Drive, 299 Google Goggles, 41 Google Images, 178 Google Scholar, 205–206, 206 (illus.)–207 (illus.) Google Sites, 214 Gossip, 12 GoToMeeting, 300 Government publications, 219 Grade-point average, in résumé, 316 Grammar checkers, 69, 77, 89 Grapevine, 12 Graphs, 44, 57–59, 61 Greenpeace, Grouping, 231 H Handouts, 300 Handshakes, 286 Harvard Business Review, 241 Hashtags, 213 Headings in résumés, 312, 313 (illus.) in tables, 46 (illus.), 46–47 talking, 235, 236 topic, 235, 236 Heuristics, 14 Hierarchy, 231 High-context cultures, 135 High contrast, 44 Hi-lo charts, 52–53 Homophones, 71 Hoover’s Online, 218, 219, 220 Horizon software, 203 Human error, advice for avoiding, 230–231 Human-interest story, 295 Humor, in reports, 295 I IBISWorld, 220 ICON Group International, 220 Icons, 57 Idioms, 70 Images of Organization (Morgan), 13 Imagination, Impersonal writing, 238 Incomplete construction (sentences), 83 Index to International Statistics Statistical Yearbook, 219 Indirect claims blunt and harsh message, 142, 143 building goodwill with a fair-minded close, 142 choosing the right tone, 140 describing the problem clearly, 141–142 examples, contrasting, 143 firm yet courteous message, 143 leading into the problem in the beginning, 140 outlining the message, 143 requesting the correction, 142 Indirect messages See also Bad-news messages; Refused requests apologizing, 136 buffer to begin, 134 ending on a positive note, 136 negative news, setting up, 134–135 offering an alternative solution, 135–136 presenting bad news positively, 135 in routine inquiries, 104–105 strategic buffer, 134 tact and courtesy in indirect refusal, 139 Indirect order, 25 direct order versus, 134 executive summary in, 251 (illus.) Individualism versus collectivism, Inferential statistics, 231 Infographics, 45 Informal conversation See also Oral communications adaptation, 282 courtesy in, 282 elements of professional talking, 280–282 listening and, 285–287 meetings, 288–292 phone use, 292–293 style, 281 voice quality, 280–281 word choice, 281–282 Informal network, 12 Information gathering ethics and, 229–230 for formal presentations, 295 in planning stage of writing process, 24–25 primary research experiments, 226–228 focus groups, 228–229 observations, 226 personal interviews, 229 qualitative, 228–229 with surveys, 221–225 secondary Internet research, 204–216 in a library, 216–221 Initialisms, 32 Initials, 68 Inspiration (concept mapping tool), 232 Instant messaging In business writing, 34–35, 116 etiquette in the workplace, 26 Microsoft’s Lync Instant Messaging Tool, 35 (illus.) Intangible rewards, 158 Integrity, 164 Interaction worker, 31 Interest inventory, 308 Internal-operational communication about, 9, 12 casual operational messages, 125, 127 defined, 125 examples, contrasting, 130 formal messages, 127–129 moderately formal messages, 127 structure of, 129 Internal proposals, 183–185 International Brands and Their Companies, 219 International Business Dictionary and References, 219 International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 219 International sources, for research, 219 Internet research, 204–216 Internships, 307, 308 Interpersonal communication, 282 Interpretative skills, Interviews job, 342 appearance in, 343 behavioral style, 344 dialogue in, 345 investigating the company, 343 putting yourself at ease, 344–345 questions, 343–344 websites for advice, 339 personal, in primary research, 229 Intranets, 10 Intrinsic benefits, 159 Introduction formal presentations and, 295 persuasive requests and, 161–163 résumé cover letter and, 331 Inverted pyramid style, 36–37 Invitation for/to bid (IFB/ITB) See Request for proposals (RFPs) iPad, 208 iPhone, 208 istockphoto.com, 178 J Japan, 135 Japan Company Handbook, 219 Jargon, 68, 89 Job acceptance message, 346 Job boards, 308 Job interview See Interviews Job Outlook Survey (2011), Job refusal message, 347 Job resignation letter, 347 Job search application documents, 310–341 See also Application documents continuing activities for, 347 finding your employer, 309 following up and ending the application, 345–347 identifying appropriate jobs, 307–309 internships for networking, 307 interview, 342–345 network of contacts for, 306 outside factors, analyzing, 308–309 self-analysis, 307–308 sources for See Job search sources Job search sources career centers, 309, 311 (illus.) career fairs, 309 classified advertisements, 309 employee referrals, 308 employment agencies, 309 executive search consultants, 309 Facebook, 308 job boards, 308 LinkedIn, 308, 309, 310 Occupational Outlook Handbook, 310 (illus.) online sources, 309 personal contacts, 309 prospecting, 309 social networks, 308 Twitter, 308 John Deere, 269, 270 (illus.) Johnson, Larry, 76 Johnson, Meagan, 76 Johnson-Sheehan, Richard, 188 J Peterman Company, 176 Junk mail, 167 K Kartoo, 208 Kellogg, Keywords Internet searches using, 217 repetition of, in paragraphs, 87 in scannable print résumés, 330 Kienzler, Donna, 61 King, Julia, 47 Klug, Debra, 184 Kyd, Charley, 58 L Language See also Word selection casual, 32 concrete, 68, 70 formal, 32–33 informal, 32 plain language, 67 for texting and instant messaging, 33–34 Larger context, 15–16 Leaderwork, 47 Leading questions, 222 Leading So People Will Follow (Andersen), 140 learntowriteproposals.com, 184 Legend, 49 Letter report, 249, 265, 266 (illus.)–267 (illus.) Letters defined, 28 form, 28 formality in, 29 full block format (mixed punctuation), 28 (illus.) Levels of generality (hierarchy), 231 Levin-Epstein, Amy, 26 LexisNexis Academic, 218, 220 LexisNexis® Company Dossier, 218, 220 Liebman, Jessica, 345 Line art, 298 Line charts, 52 (illus.), 52–53, 59 (illus.) LinkedIn, 35, 308, 309, 310 LinkedIn Profile, 327 (illus.)–329 (illus.) Linkster Generation, 76 Index IN-5 Listening, 280 active, 286 back-channeling, 286–287 filtering, 285 improving, 286–287 nature of, 285–286 remembering, 286 sensing and, 285 ten commandments of, 287 when delivering bad news, 140 Listservs, 214–215 Logan, Jim, 172 Logical appeal (logos), 159–160, 170, 173, 175, 179 Logos, 159–160, 173, 175, 179 Loo, Tristan, 169 Lync Online, 300 M MailChimp, 168 Main clauses, 80 Major Companies of Europe, 219 Mamma, 208 Maps, 53–54, 54 (illus.) Margins, 323 Marketing professionals, need for communication, MarketLine, 220 MarketResearch.com Academic, 220 Martin, Jeanette S., 93 Mashable.com, 35 Mayo Clinic, 34 (illus.) Mayor, Tracy, 47 McCarthy, Joan, 133 McKinsey Global Institute, 31 Measure of dispersion, 231 Measures of central tendency, 231 Mediafinder, 208 Media literacy, Median, 231 Meeting minutes, 275, 276 (illus.), 277, 290, 291 (illus.) Meetings agenda, 289 conducting, 288–290 controlling participants, 289–290 minutes, 275, 276 (illus.), 277, 290, 291 (illus.) parliamentary procedure, 288–289 participating in, 290, 292 virtual, 288 Me-focused messages, 182 Memorandums (memos) defined, 29 form, 29 formality in, 30 Microsoft Word template, 30 (illus.) Memo report, 249, 265, 269, 273 (illus.) Memorizing, 296 Memory fundamentals of, 223 listening and, 286 Mergent Industry Reports, 220 Mergent Online, 220 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 219 Messages See also Planning; Writing planning checklist, 23 (illus.) in process of communication, 17 IN-6 Index Metacrawler, 208 Metaphors, workplace, 13 Metasearch tools, 207–208, 208 (illus.) Microsoft Excel, 231 Excel 2013, 55 Live Meeting tool, 116 Lync Instant Messaging Tool, 35 (illus.) Lync Online, 300 PowerPoint 2013, 297, 299 readability statistics, 77 Word, 103, 141 Word 2010, grammar and style checkers, 89 Word 2013, 69, 243, 254 Mid-length reports, 256 (illus.)–264 (illus.) Millennial Branding and Experience Inc., 308 Millennials, 75, 76 Million Dollar Directory, 219, 220 Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory, 308 Mintel Market Research Reports, 220 Minutes See Meeting minutes Misplaced modifiers, 83 Missing zero beginning (scale error), 58–59 Mixed construction, in sentences, 82–83 Mode, 231 Modifiers dangling, 83 misplaced, 83 Molina-Ray, Caroline, 199 Monster.com, 309, 339 Monthly Labor Review, 219 Moody’s Investors’ Advisory Service, 219 Morgan, Gareth, 13 Morris, D., 51 Motivation, Multicultural organization, 14 Multimedia, 298–299 Multiple bar chart See Clustered (multiple) bar chart Myers-Briggs personality test, 307 N n.a., N.A., NA, 46 Nasrallah, Wahib, 220 National Association of Colleges and Employers, 4, 307 National Audubon Society, 171 Nationality, words that stereotype by, 74 Negative announcements See also Bad-news messages case illustration, 154 (illus.) closing on positive or encouraging note, 151 directness and, 152–153 examples, contrasting, 151–152 focusing on next steps or remaining benefits, 150 handling, 108 positioning in, 108 positively presenting, 150 reviewing the plan, 151 setting up, 150 strategy development for, 148, 150 Negative impressions, overcoming, 122–124 Negotiation, 282 Nelson, Brett, 253 Network of contacts, for job search, 306 Neutral messages See Direct messages New media, NewsBlur, 209 Newsweaver software, 268–269 New York Times, 209 New York Times Almanac, 219 NFI Research, NGOs See Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) Nielsen, Jakob, 36 Nightingale, Florence, 45 No, saying, 135 See also Refused requests Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), 8–9 Nonprobability sampling, 221, 222 Numbering to show order or ranking, 103 in visuals, 44 O Objectivity, 238 Observations, 226 Occupational Outlook Handbook, 309, 310 (illus.) Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 219 O’Leary, Kevin, 282 Olenski, Steve, 169 omNovia, 300, 301 Online catalogs (library), 217 Online chatting See Instant messaging Online databases See Secondary research Online games, Online newsletter, 269, 270 (illus.) Online order acknowledgment, 117 (illus.) Online sources, for job search, 309 Online surveys, 225 (illus.) Open-ended questions, 229 Opening of persuasive message, 161–163 of sales messages, 173 Operational messages casual, 125, 127 formal, 127–129 moderately formal, 127 structure of, 129 Operators (AND, OR, and NOT), 206–207 Oral communications, 4, See also Listening appearance and physical actions, 284–285 informal, 280–282 meetings, 288–292 negotiation, 282 personal traits, 282–284 phone use, 292–293 preparing yourself to speak, 282–285 presentation delivery tools, 283 professional voice, finding, 281 speeches and presentations, 293–298 team presentations, 302–303 TED.com, 294 visuals for, 298–300 Web-based presentations, 300–302 ORBIS, 220 Order acknowledgments, 109 about, 112 defined, 112 directness and goodwill building in, 112, 114 online, 117 (illus.) with a problem, 118 (illus.) structure of, 115 tact in, 114 thank-you messages in, 112, 114–115 Ordering, 231 Organizational contexts, 16 Organizational culture, 14 Organizational metaphors, 13 Organization charts, 47–48, 48 (illus.) OrgWare.com, Orientation, of visuals, 43 Outline for indirect claim message, 143 in visual presentation, 298 Outlining, 231–233 Outlook, 209 customizing toolbar, 141 Quick Parts, 123 P Pace, Anne, 91 Pace, in speaking, 281 Palmer, O.R., 109 Pamphlets, 269 Panas, Jerold, 164 Paper, for résumés, 323 Paragraphs coherent, 86 (illus.), 87 pronouns in, 87 repetition of key words and ideas, 87 short, for emphasis, 85 topic sentences for, 85–86 transitional devices, 87 unity in, 84–85 unnecessary detail, 86 Parallel construction, in report table of contents, 236 Parallelism, faulty, 83–84 Parliamentary procedure, 288–289 Particular contexts, 16 Passive voice, 71–72 Past-time viewpoint, 239 Pathos, 159–160, 170 PBworks, 214 People Search, 208 Perfectionism, 25 Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, 60 (illus.) Permission-based email, 167 Personal appearance for job interview, 343 for oral presentations, 284–285 Personal communication, 10–11 Personal contexts, 16–17 Personal growth, Personal interviews, 229 Personal inventory, 311 Personality tests, 307 Personal qualities, job search and, 307 Personal writing, 238 Persuasion appeals, kinds of, 159–160 direct, bland approach, 162 direct approach and, 158 easy reader compliance, 160 indirect, interesting letter, 163 indirect order and, 158 internal request, 165 (illus.) know your readers, 158 reader benefits, 158–159 Persuasive requests, 160 See also Sales messages appeal, development of, 163 attention-getting in opening, 161–163 case illustration, 165 (illus.), 166 (illus.) common-ground technique, 161 in cover letters, 339–340 direct, bland approach, 162 examples, contrasting, 164 indirect, interesting letter, 163 planning, 161 problem-solution message, 162 request clearly/positively, 163–164 selfish blunt approach, 164 skillful, with indirect order, 164 strategy determination in, 161 summarizing the plan, 164 uninvited, 161 Pew Research Center, 293 Phillips, Katherine, Phillips, Lisa E., 46 Photographs, 56, 56 (illus.), 298 Physical maps, 54 Pictographs, 50–51, 51 (illus.) Pie charts, 51–52, 52 (illus.) Pilot study, 225 Pitch, of voice, 281 Place division, 234 Plagiarism, 229 Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents (U.S Securities and Exchange Commission), 67 Plain language, 67 Planning of survey questionnaires, 223–225 in visual communication process, 42 in writing process, 22 audience analysis, 23–24 form, channel, and format, choosing, 25 goals, determination of, 23 information analyzing and organizing, 25 information gathering, 24–25 steps of, 23–25 Plunkett Research Online, 218, 220 PmWiki, 214 Podcasts, Portals, 10 Portfolios, 338 POS See Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) Position, of positive/negative points in message, 93–94, 95 (illus.), 108 Positive effect, writing for accent the positive, 90–91 avoid blaming the reader, 91–92 conversational style, 88–89 courtesy, 91–93 more than is expected, 92–93 emphasis by position, 93–94, 95 (illus.) ethics and, 95 formality level, 88 goodwill, 87 positivity, business benefits of, 91 rubber stamps, 88–89 sentence structure and emphasis, 94 sincerity, 93 space and emphasis, 94–95 you-viewpoint, 89–90 Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS), 91 Post, Anna, 94 Post, Emily, 94 Post, Lizzie, 94 Post, Peggy, 94 Postscripts, 180 Posture, during speaking, 281, 284 PowerPoint, 299, 338 PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts, 297 PowerPoint Presenter View, 283 Prefatory pages, 248 Presentations See Formal presentations; Virtual presentations Presentation software, 299–300 Present-time viewpoint, 239 Prezi, 299 Primary research before-after experimental design, 227 controlled before-after experimental design, 227 defined, 204 ethics and, 229–230 experiments, 226–228 focus groups, 228–229 observations, 226 personal interviews, 229 qualitative, 228–229 with surveys, 221–225 See also Surveys Principal International Business, 219 Printed (hardcopy) résumés See Résumés Probability sampling, 221 Problems, well defined and ill defined, 14 Problem-solution message, 162 Problem solving business communication as, 14–15 communication strategy and, 18 (illus.) Problem-solving reports, 274–275 Problem statement, in report, 201–202 Process charts, 47–48 Procter & Gamble, 10 Product features, 159 Production supervisors, Professional contexts, 16 Professionalism in the Workplace study (Center for Professional Excellence/York College of Pennsylvania), 45 Professional organizations, 214–215 ProfitFuzion.com, 169 Progress reports, 271, 272 (illus.)–273 (illus.) Pronouns, 87 Proofreading, 26, 27 Proposals categories of, 183 (illus.) content, 188–189, 190 (illus.)–196 (illus.), 197 evaluation process, 188–189, 197 external, 183–185, 191 (illus.)–196 (illus.) formality in, 186, 188 format, 186, 188 internal, 183–185, 190 (illus.) internal/unsolicited, 190 (illus.) request for proposals (RFPs), 185–186 selling your services through, 184 solicited, 185–186, 191 (illus.)–196 (illus.) solicited/external, 191 (illus.)–196 (illus.) types of, 183–186 unsolicited, 185–186, 190 (illus.) Web resources for, 184 you-viewpoint, 183 Index IN-7 ProposalWriter.com, 184 Proquest Business Insights, 220 Prospecting cover letter, 334 (illus.), 336 (illus.)–337 (illus.) as job search source, 309 Psychographic information, 158 Public relations professions, need for communication, Publishers Clearing House, 168 Pull quotes, 44, 47, 47 (illus.) Purposeful sampling, 222 Purpose statement, in report, 201–202 Q Qualifications brief, 311 Qualitative research, 228–229 Qualtrics.com, 224 Quantity division, 234 Questionnaires, for surveys defined, 222 guidelines for, 222–223 Web-based tools for, 224 Questions in job interview, 343–344 for personal interviews, in primary research, 229 structuring, in routine inquiries, 103–104 true question form, 103 Quotations, in formal presentations, 295 R Race, words that stereotype by, 74 Rainie, Lee, 49 Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 219 Range, 231 Ranking, 224 Rating, 224, 225 (illus.) Rational appeal, 173, 182 Ratios, 231 Readability statistics, 77 Reader benefits, 159 Recency, 223 Recursive process, 17, 22 Redish, Janice, 36, 37 Redundancies, 79–80 Reference materials, 218–221, 219 (illus.)– 220 (illus.) References, in résumés, 316 Reference sheet, 316, 318 (illus.) Referral sampling, 222 Refused requests, 144 (illus.), 145 (illus.) adapting general plan to, 139 bad example, 138 closing with goodwill, 139 compromise and, 139 denying request for a donation, 137 examples, contrasting, 139 handling the refusal positively, 137–138 harshness in direct refusal, 139 offering an alternative, 138–139 opening of, with explanation, 137 presenting the explanation, 137 strategy development for, 137 tact and courtesy in indirect refusal, 139 Reklaitis, Victor, 310 Reliable questions, 222 IN-8 Index Remembering See Memory Repetition, of words or ideas, 79–80 Report findings avoiding human errors in interpretation, 230–231 statistical tools and visuals to interpret data, 231 Report organization combination and multiple division possibilities, 234–235 concise wording, 236–237 by conventional relationships, 233–234 by division, 233 formatting decisions, 235–236 outlining, 231–233 parallel construction, 236 table of contents, 235–237 talking headings, 235, 236 topic headings, 235, 236 variety of expression, 237 Report problem and purpose comparison, in evaluation studies, 202, 204 determining, 201–202 factors, 202, 204 hypotheses for problems requiring solution, 202 preliminary investigation, 201 problem and purpose statements, 201–202 subtopics in information reports, 202 Reports See also Formal reports; Short reports classification plan, 248–249 components of executive summary, 250–251 table of contents, 250 title pages, 249–250 transmittal message, 250 defining, 200 determining the problem and purpose, 201–202 See also Report problem and purpose findings See Report findings gathering information for, 204–230 See also Information gathering interpreting findings, 230–231 meeting minutes, 275, 276 (illus.), 277, 290, 291 (illus.) mid-length See Mid-length reports monetary value of, 271 organizing information, 231–237 See also Report organization problem-solving, 274–275 progress, 272 (illus.)–273 (illus.) progress, 271 researching and writing, on the job, 200 routine operational, 270–271 table of contents, 235–237 templates for formatting, 254 writing See Report writing Report templates, 254 Report writing beginning, 237–238 collaborative writing, 241–244 consistency with time viewpoint, 238–239 ending, 237–238 formality in, 238 impersonal versus personal, 238 maintaining interest, 240–241 objectivity in, 238 tools to help businesses succeed, 203 transitions in, 239–240 Tweets, blog comments, text messages and, 253 Reppler, 35 Request for proposals (RFPs), 185–186, 187 (illus.), 191 (illus.)–196 (illus.) Request for quote (RFQ) See Request for proposals (RFPs) Research collaborative, 242–244 interpreting findings, 230–231 primary See Primary research for reports, on the job, 200 secondary See Secondary research Research specialists, need for communication, Resignation letter, 347 Résumés See also entries for specific résumé types accomplishment/achievement layout, 319, 322 (illus.) action verbs for, 314 appearance of, 323, 324 (illus.)–325 (illus.), 326, 331 arrangements of, 311–312 constructing, 311–331 contact information, 312, 314 content, 311–319 education, 314, 316 electronic, 326, 327 (illus.)–329 (illus.) examples, contrasting, 323, 324 (illus.)– 325 (illus.), 326 facts, selecting and arranging, 312 functional (skills) layout, 319, 321 (illus.) grade-point average in, 316 headings, 312, 313 (illus.) maintaining, 347 online job application and, 330 organizing for strength, 316 personal information, 316 presenting the information, 314–319 printed (hardcopy), 319, 320 (illus.), 322 (illus.), 323, 325 (illus.), 326 references, 316 reference sheet, 318 (illus.) reverse chronological organizational layout, 319, 320 (illus.) scannable, 330–331, 332 (illus.)– 333 (illus.) statement of objective, 314 time recruiters look at, 323 titles, 313 (illus.) traditional print, 317 (illus.) Web pages or social networking sites and, 330 work experience, 314 writing style for, 319 Reverse chronological organizational layout, for résumé, 319, 320 (illus.) Reviewing tools, 243 Revising, 22 Revising, in writing process, 23, 26–28 RFPs See Request for proposals (RFPs) Rosling, Hans, 294 Routine inquiries beginnings, 101–102 case illustration, 106 (illus.), 107 (illus.) examples, contrasting, 104–105 goodwill endings, 104 informing and explaining, 102–103 order, reviewing, 104 structuring the questions, 103–104 Routine operational reports, 270–271 Routine response, 110 (illus.)–111 (illus.) RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, 209 Rubber stamps, 88–89 Rules (lines), in visuals, 43 Rumor, 12 S Sales 2.0, 172 Sales and Marketing Professional Association, 215 Sales messages, 164 attention-getting before message begins, 172 attention-getting in opening, 173 building a persuasive case, 173 CAN-SPAM, 181 (illus.) case illustrations, 174 (illus.)–175 (illus.) central appeal, determining, 170–171 driving for the sale, 180 email messages, 172 e-selling, 168 examples, contrasting, 182 external-operational communication and, 9, 10 (illus.) mailing, makeup of, determining, 171–172 me-focused message, 182 necessary information, 177, 179 (illus.) offering name removal to email readers, 181 permission-based email, 167 persuasive strategies across cultures, 180 planning, 182 postscripts, 180 preparing to write, 168–170 print, continuing use of, 169 questioning acceptability of, 167 request for proposals (RFPs), 187 (illus.) unfair tactics, 168 visuals in, 176–177, 178 word selection, 176 you-viewpoint, 176, 183 Salespeople, need for communication, Salutation, email, 31 Sample, 221 Sampling See Surveys Sandberg, Sheryl, 294 Sans serif fonts, 37, 43, 102 Sant, Tom, 189 Scale distortion, 58 Scaling, 224 Scannable résumés, 330–331, 332 (illus.)– 333 (illus.) Scatter diagrams, 53, 53 (illus.) Scenario painting, 159 Schawbel, Dan, 7, 308 Scotts LawnService, 174 (illus.) Search (search engine), 204, 208 Search engine, 204–208 See also entries for specific search engines SEC Filing (Edgar), 220 Secondary research defined, 204 on the Internet, 204–216 in a library catalog searches, 217 database searches, 217–218 general libraries, 216 keyword and subject searches, 217 reference materials, consulting, 218, 218–221, 219 (illus.) special libraries, 216 listservs and professional organizations, 214–215 other Web-based resources, 208–209 resources by research question, 220 (illus.) RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, 209 social bookmarking websites, 215–216 social networks, 215 Facebook, 211 LinkedIn, 213–214 Twitter, 212–213 wikis, 214 website evaluation, 209, 211 Wikipedia, 208–209 WorldCat, 209 See-saw sentence, 78 Self-analysis, for job search, 307–308, 311 Self-assessment, of speaking, 281 Senning, Daniel Post, 94 Sensing, during listening, 285 Sentences cluttering phrases, 78 coherent, 86 (illus.) coordination and subordination, 80–81 dangling/misplaced modifiers, 83 economize on words, 78–80 emphasis in, 80–81 excessive detail in, 81–82 faulty parallelism, 83–84 incomplete construction, 83 limit sentence content, 76–77 logical wording in, 82–84 main ideas in main clauses, 80 managing emphasis through structure of, 94 mixed construction, 82–83 repetition of words or ideas, 79–80 short, for emphasis, 81 stringy and see-saw, 78 surplus words, 78–79 There is/There are sentences, 80 topic sentences, 85–86 unity in, 81–82 unrelated ideas in, 81 Sentence transitions, 239–240 Serif fonts, 37, 43, 102 Sexist words, 73–74 Sexual orientation, words that stereotype by, 74 SharePoint, 31 Sherr, Ian, 58 Short message service (SMS) See Text messaging Short reports, 248–249 company newsletter, 270 (illus.) direct order and, 252–253, 255 email reports, 265, 269 form for, 255, 265 introductory information, 252 letter reports, 265, 266 (illus.)–267 (illus.) meeting minutes, 275, 276 (illus.), 277 memo reports, 265, 269 online newsletter, 269, 270 (illus.) pamphlets, 269 personal writing style, 255 problem-solving reports, 274–275 progress reports, 271, 272 (illus.)– 273 (illus.) routine operational reports, 270–271 structured coherence plan and, 255 types of, 269–277 uploading to the Web, 269 white papers, 268–269 Short sentences, 81 Simple present tense verbs, 314 Simple random sampling, 221 SimplyMap, 220 Simulations, Sincerity, 93, 284 SIS International Research, Skillpath® Seminars, 175 (illus.) Skills layout, for résumé See Functional or skills layout, for résumé Skype, 288 Slang, 67–68 SlideRocket, 299 SlideShare.net, 41 Smallbusiness.com, 214 Smith, Jacquelyn, 305 Snagit® TechSmith, 179 (illus.) Society for Human Resource Management, 215 Social bookmarking websites, 215–216 Social intelligence, Social media, 34 (illus.), 116 in business writing, 35 company use of, in hiring, 310 for managing workplace communication tasks, 31 Social networking, Social networks as job search source, 308 secondary research using, 211–215 Social responsibility, Society for the Advancement of Management, 306 Sociocultural context, 16 Solari Communications, Solicited (invited) cover letter, 331, 338 Solicited proposals, 185, 185–186, 191 (illus.)–196 (illus.) Source acknowledgments, in visuals, 46 SourceOECD, 220 Spam, 167, 172 Spanner head, 46 (illus.) Speaking See Informal conversation Specialized search engine, 208 Special libraries, 216 Specific language, 70 SPSS, 231 Stacked (subdivided) column charts, 50, 50 (illus.), 51 (illus.) Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys, 218, 220 Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage, 220 Standard & Poor’s Statistical Service, 219 Standard deviation, 231 Startling statement, 295 Statement of objectives, in résumé, 314 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 219, 220 Statistical maps, 53–54 Statistical Reference Index, 219 Statistical sources, 219 Statistical tools, for interpreting research findings, 231 Statistics, 231 Stereotype, words that, 74–75 Stern, Doug, 184 Stockfreeimages.com, 178 Strategic buffer, 134, 137 Index IN-9 Stratified random sampling, 221 Stringy sentence, 78 Strong Campbell Interest Inventory, 308 Structured coherence plan, 255 Style, in visuals, 43 See also Writing style Style checkers, 69, 77, 89 Sub-bullets, 47 Subject line, in emails, 31, 172 Subject searches, 217 Surplus words, 78–79 Survey channel, 225 SurveyMonkey.com, 224 Survey of Current Business, 219 Survey plan, 225 Surveys area (cluster) sampling, 222 choosing sampling technique, 221–222 convenience sampling, 222 nonprobability sampling, 221, 222 online, 225 (illus.) pilot studies, 225 premise of, 221 as primary research, 221 probability sampling, 221 purposeful sampling, 222 questionnaires constructing, 222–223 designing and planning delivery of, 223–225 referral sampling, 222 samples in, 221 sampling as basis, 221 simple random sampling, 221 stratified random sampling, 221 systematic sampling, 221–222 Web-based tools, 224 Systematic sampling, 221–222 T Table of contents, 250 Tables, 44, 298 arrangement of parts, 46 (illus.) constructing, 46–47 defined, 46 organize data for easy reading, 113 Tact, 114, 148 Tagging, 215–216 Talking See also Oral communications adaptation in, 282 courtesy in, 282 elements of, 280–282 finding your professional voice, 281 style, 281 voice quality, 280–281 word choice, 281–282 Talking headings, 235, 236 Talking voice, 281 Tamang, Julia King, 184 Tangible rewards, 158 Target (company), 338 (illus.) Team presentations, 302–303 Teams, Technical words, 68 Technorati, 214, 215 (illus.) TED.com, 294 Telephone techniques cell phones, 293 courtesy, 292–293 IN-10 Index effective procedures, 293 voice mail techniques, 293 voice quality, 292 Temping, 309 Templates for formatting reports, 254 for memos, 30 (illus.) Text messaging, 33–34, 94, 253 Text tabulations, 47 Thank-you messages about, 115 following job interview, 345, 346 follow-up to a meeting, 119 (illus.) order acknowledgments and, 112, 114–115 situations for, 114–115 structure of, 115 TheLadders company, 323 There is/There are sentences, 80 This, 86, 87 Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, 219 Thompson, Derek, 310 Thomson One Banker, 220 Three-dimensional graphs, 54, 56, 56 (illus.) Time Almanac, 219 Time division, 233–234 Timing, in speaking, 281 Title case, 45 Title fly, 249 Title page, 249–250, 268 Titles placement of, 45 in visuals, 44–45 Title slide, 298 To: line, in email message, 31 Tone, in indirect claims, 140 Topic headings, 235, 236 Topic sentence, 85–86 Trade directories, 219 Traditional Generation, 76 Traditional print résumé, 317 (illus.), 320 (illus.), 322 (illus.), 325 (illus.) Transactional Analysis (TM), 92 Transitional words, in paragraphs, 87 Transitions, in report writing, 239–240 Transmittal message, 250 Traynor, Des, 171 Tucker, Ross, 59 Tufte, Edward, 58 Twain, Mark, 76 Twazzup, 212 (illus.) Twinitor, 212 (illus.) Twitter, 6, 35, 173, 212–214, 253, 299, 301, 308–310 Type See Fonts Type-Writing and Business Correspondence (Palmer), 109 U Unformatted (plain-text) résumé, 326 Uniform scale size, lack of, 57 U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 220 U.S Census Bureau, 220 U.S Department of Labor, 307 U.S Library of Congress, 217 U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 67 University of Michigan, 91 University of Texas-Dallas, 93 University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, 225 (illus.), 313 Unsolicited (prospecting) cover letter, 331, 338 Unsolicited proposals, 185–186, 190 (illus.) Usability testing, 226 User testing, 226 V Valid questions, 222 Value Line Investment Survey, 219 Value Line Research Center, 220 Variance (hi-lo) charts, 52–53 Variances, 231 Varner, Iris, 135 Vascellaro, Jessica E., 58 Verbs action-oriented, past tense, 314 active, 71–72 camouflaged, 72–73 for résumé, 314, 315 (illus.) simple present tense, 314 strong, 79 Video clips, 57 Videos, Virtual meetings, Virtual presentations, 301 Visual communication, 42 Visual ethics, 61 Visual integrity, 57–60, 61 Visualization, of readers, 24 Visualization tools, for brainstorming and outlining, 232 Visual literacy, 7, 177 Visual.ly, 45 Visuals applying color to, 44 charts, graphs, and other visuals, constructing, 48–51 for formal presentations handouts, 300 kinds of information for, 298–299 presentation software, 299–300 techniques for, 299 general mechanics of construction background, 43–44 clip art, 43 color and cross-hatching, 43 footnotes and acknowledgments, 46 numbering, 44 orientation, 43 rules and borders, 43 size, 42–43 titles and captions, 44–46 type (fonts), 43 infographics, 45 for interpreting data, in report findings, 231 Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, 60 (illus.) placing and interpreting, 61–62 planning, 42 in sales messages, 176–177, 178 textual, constructing, 46 bulleted lists, 47 flowcharts and process charts, 47–48 pull quotes, 47 tables, 46–47 Vita, 311 Viveiros, Beth Negus, 169 Voice, active and passive, 71–72 Voice mail, techniques for, 293 Voice quality, 280–281, 293 Volume, of voice, 281 W Wakeman Agency, 173 Walking, during speaking, 284–285 Wall Flower Jeans, 171 Wall Street Journal, 58, 218 Warner Brothers Studio, 159 WDI Online, 220 Web-based presentations guidelines for, 301–302 varieties of, 300–301 Webcast, 301 Web conferencing, 301 Web events, 300 WebEx, 300 Webinars, 297, 300, 301 Web meeting, 301 Webopedia, 33, 34 Web resources, for proposal writing, 184 Website evaluation, 209, 211 WebspirationPro, 232 Web writing, accessibility of, 38 We-viewpoint, 89–90 White, Richard, 184 White papers, 268–269 Who Owns Whom, 219 Who’s Who in America, 219 Who’s Who in the East, 219 Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, 219 Who’s Who in the World, 219 Wikipedia, 208–209 Wikis, 214 Wikispaces, 214 Williams, Evan, 294 Wilson OmniFile Full Text Mega, 220 Wolff, Steven B., 241 Women, in the workplace, Woods & Poole Economics, 220 Woog, Dan, 75 Word selection See also Language; Sentences abstract words, 68 acronyms, 68 active verbs, 71–72 appropriate usage, 70–71 camouflaged verbs, 72–73 clichés, 67–68 concise wording, in reports, 236–237 concrete language, 68, 70 discriminatory words, 74–75 economize on words, 78–80 equivalent words with different levels of formality, 88 (illus.) familiar words, 66–67 gender-neutral, 73–74 homophones, 71 for negative news, 164 overused, 310 plain language, 67 precise language, 68, 70 in sales messages, 176 in scannable print résumés, 330–331 short words, 67 slang, 67–68 specific language, 70 stereotyping words, 74–75 in talking, 281–282 technical words, 68 transitional words, 240 Workplace, instant messaging etiquette in, 26 Workplace diversity, 6–7 Workplace metaphors, 13 Workplace Scenario announcing bad news, 150 answering a potential customer’s questions, 105 business messages, nature of, 22 business reports, 248 clarity and courtesy, 66 demonstrating your value on a high-profile team, denying a customer’s claim, 146 direct claims, 121 goodwill and “thank-you” message, 112 job search, 306 persuasive requests, 160 proposal writing, 184 refused requests, 137 reminding employees, 125 reports, researching and writing, 200 requesting correct shipment and revised invoice, 120 routine inquiries, 101 sales messages, 167 seeking an adjustment, 141 speaking and listening, 280 visuals for data and audience, 42 World Almanac and Book of Facts, 219 World Bank’s World Development Indicators, 220 World Book, 219 WorldCat, 209 WorldCom scandal, Writing drafting, 22, 23, 25–26 importance of, 22 planning, 22–25 process of, 22–28 revising, 22, 23, 26–28 for the Web, 38 Writing style, 87–95 See also Positive effect, writing for adapting your style to your readers, 66 clear paragraphs, 84–87 clear sentences See Sentences discriminatory writing, avoiding, 74–75 impersonal versus personal, in report writing, 238 inverted pyramid, 36, 36 (illus.), 37 (illus.) for résumés, 319 for short reports, 255 word selection See Word selection Wurman, Richard Saul, 294 Y Yahoo!, 204 Yahoo Country Links, 220 Yahoo!: People Search, 208 YouTube.com, 41, 184, 301 You-viewpoint, 89–90, 176, 183 Yunxia, Zhu, 180 Z Zotero, citation management tool, 210–211 Index IN-11 ... are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission 20 6  PART 4  |  Writing Effective Reports ren0 322 9_ch08_198 -24 5.indd 20 6 4/11/18 3:55 PM www.downloadslide.net E X H I B I T -  How... with the phrase “conducting surveys CHAPTER 8  |  Researching and Writing Reports  20 5 ren0 322 9_ch08_198 -24 5.indd 20 5 4/11/18 3:55 PM www.downloadslide.net E X H I B I T -   Illustration of a Search... reports should help readers make informed business decisions 20 0 PART | Writing Effective Reports communication matters How Far Should Your Report Go? 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