This document contains tips for effective business communication. It discusses selecting the appropriate communication medium based on factors like audience and purpose. E-mail is recommended for maintaining relationships and collecting opinions from distant audiences. Tone is also important, suggesting being respectful, modest, polite, and tactful rather than demanding, arrogant, sarcastic, or condescending. The document concludes with tips for managing e-mail volume, including prioritizing messages, filing emails by topic, and copying or saving important messages.

1. Chapter Eight
1
Understanding the Principles of
Business Communication
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

2. Chapter Eight
2
Table of Contents
 Writer’s Checklist: Selecting the Medium
 Writer’s Checklist: Using Tone to Build Goodwill
 Writer’s Checklist: Managing Your E-mail and Reducing
Overload
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

3. Writer’s Checklist: Selecting the Medium
3
 Consider your audience, purpose, and what is typical or
expected in your organization. Generally, use written
forms and messages for precise wording; use
telephone, videoconference, and in-person
communication when you need, for example, to resolve
a misunderstanding.
 Use e-mail to send messages and electronic
documents, maintain professional relationships, elicit
discussions, and collect opinions from distant as well as
wide audiences.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

4. Writer’s Checklist: Selecting the Medium
(continued)
4
 Use instant messaging when you need to communicate
and share files in real time with one or more people in
multiple locations who do not have convenient access to
e-mail at their current locations.
 Use letters on organizational stationery for outside
business communications; printed letterhead on quality
paper communicates formality, respect, and authority.
 Use memos (printed and electronic) for in-house
business communications — from policy
announcements to short reports.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

5. Writer’s Checklist: Selecting the Medium
(continued)
5
 Use faxes when the exact image of nondigital
documents must be viewed and when speed matters.
 Use telephone and conference calls when give-and-take
or tone of voice is important; conference calls, when
carefully planned, are a less-expensive alternative to a
face-to-face meeting for participants in distant locations.
 Use voice mail for short, uncomplicated messages.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

6. Writer’s Checklist: Selecting the Medium
(continued)
6
 Use face-to-face meetings for early contacts with
business associates and customers or when solving
problems.
 Use videoconferencing as a substitute for face-to-face
meetings when travel is impractical.
 Use Web sites for company or group postings as well as
for making available or exchanging documents and files
with others.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

7. Writer’s Checklist: Using Tone to Build
Goodwill
7
 Be respectful, not demanding.
DEMANDING Submit your answer in one week.
RESPECTFUL I would appreciate your answer within one
week.
 Be modest, not arrogant.
ARROGANT My attached report is thorough, and I’m sure
that it will be essential.
MODEST The attached report contains details of the
refinancing options that I hope you will find
useful.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

8. Writer’s Checklist: Using Tone to Build
Goodwill (continued)
8
 Be polite, not sarcastic.
SARCASTIC I just received the shipment we ordered six
months ago. I’m sending it back—we can’t use
it now. Thanks a lot!
POLITE I am returning the shipment we ordered on
March 12. Unfortunately, it arrived too late for
us to be able to use it.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

9. Writer’s Checklist: Using Tone to Build
Goodwill (continued)
9
 Be positive and tactful, not negative and condescending.
NEGATIVE Your complaint about our prices is way off
target. Our prices are definitely not any higher
than those of our competitors.
TACTFUL Thank you for your suggestion concerning our
prices. We believe, however, that our prices are
comparable to or lower than those of our
competitors.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

10. Writer’s Checklist: Managing Your E-mail
and Reducing Overload
10
Given the high volume of e-mail in business, you need to
manage your e-mail strategically. Avoid becoming involved
in an e-mail exchange if a phone call or meeting would be
more efficient.
Consider whether your e-mail message could prompt an
unnecessary response from the recipient and make clear if
you expect a response.
Send a copy (cc:) of an e-mail only when the person
copied needs or wants the information.
Review all messages on a subject before responding to
avoid dealing with issues that are no longer relevant.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

11. Writer’s Checklist: Managing Your E-mail
and Reducing Overload (continued)
11
 Set priorities for reading e-mail by skimming sender
names and subject lines as well as where you appear in
a “cc:” (courtesy copy) and “bcc:” (blind courtesy copy)
address line.
 Check e-mail addresses before sending an e-mail and
keep your addresses current.
 Check your in-box regularly and try to clear it by the end
of each day.
 Create e-mail folders using key topics and personal
names to file messages.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8

12. Writer’s Checklist: Managing Your E-mail
and Reducing Overload (continued)
12
 Copy yourself or save sent copies of important e-mail
messages in your topic folders.
 Use the search command to find particular subjects and
personal names.
 Print copies of messages or attachments that you need
for meetings, files, or similar purposes.
Bedford/St. Martin's (c) 2010 Writing That Works | Chapter 8