10 C’s for Writing Effectively

Strayer University
MGT 505 Managerial and Bus Communications
Dr. Stephanie Lyncheski
November 18, 2012

1. Identify the communication problems with the email.
Effective written communication takes time and skill since such a small portion of our communication is contained in the words themselves. For business purposes, managers must deliver their message clearly, succinctly and effectively if they want to be successful. Poorly written messages create confusion or fail to achieve their intended purpose. Bobby Johnson’s task is organizing the retirement gathering for friend and co-worker Joe Banyon. He drafted a quick email to inform 50 people that the party in Joe’s honor would be the upcoming Friday.
However, Bobby failed to utilize his effective writing skills, delivering an email lacking many details as well as posing many questions from 50 others in receipt of his email. I have made an assumption that Bobby may have been in a hurry and lacks experience in the party planning aspect. He forgot one of the most important features of the letter and that is the date the party will take place. He did mention that it would be on Friday at 6pm but an emailed memo should serve as a reference for future planning and scheduling. Another important factor is that he assumed that everyone in receipt of the email would know what and where City Café is located. Possible questions that would accompany this issue are: if the party offers a full course dinner or just drinks and also if the spouses are invited as well. Also, requesting monetary contributions from attendees without details as to how this contribution will be collected and utilized. As a email recipient would need to know when the money is being collected, a.s.a.p. is not an acceptable phrase when seeking a response it can be interpreted as an unclear directive. 2.