Communications Report | Effective Business Communications | |

Effective Business Communications

Prepared for

Prepared by

November 13, 2012

Letter of Authorization

Alvin C. Miles
Director of Business Development
Lecturer of Management
EMBA Coles College of Business
Kennesaw State University
October 29, 2012

Team Green Fusion
EMBA Coles College of Business
Kennesaw State University

Dear Team Green Fusion:

The documents (3 in total) directly beneath this assignment should be used to complete your formal communications report. This assignment is broken in to two parts: your team's evaluation of your assigned team's individual presentations and the formal communications report.
This is to be a team assignment.
This assignment is to be completed by November 18th
Business report and presentation slides are available for review in the Business Communication Learning Module. Please look at the notes associated with each slide for additional information:
A Microsoft Word template has also been supplied as a starting point for the formal report.
If there are questions, the team is expected to delineate guidelines through research, inquiry, and rational decision making. I anticipate that teams will search for formal report guidelines to get specificity on structure, or look up white papers to read sample abstracts. In a Master’s program, this is the expectation. Each report will vary according to the interpretation of the requirements by the team members. Some will focus the recommendation and action steps section on the process and overall team product – some will apply this at the individual level. Both are correct approaches, but made better through an explanation of the process in the Letter of Acceptance. Letters of Acceptance and Transmittal are formal business letters.
You are encouraged to use the discussion board to ask questions, seek clarification or offer observations about this assignment. Additionally, you are encouraged to comment on others' discussion entries if you feel that you have something to add. This discussion thread will be monitored so please place all questions for the unit here versus sending an e-mail to the faculty responsible for the unit as this is a great way to disseminate information to all associates.
If you want to ask questions about this assignment, use the "Business Communication II" link in the Discussion area of Moodle.
The assignment is as follows:
Team Assignment – Speech Evaluation (30 Points – 3%) * Presentation review (Team review setup below) * Each student views the matched teams’ videos and performs an assessment of each speaker on the matched team. * Discuss with your team the results of your assessment – each team member will provide an assessment of each speaker by the evaluation criteria (delivered as appendix to report). * Complete a focused review and gather consensus feedback. * Provide a speaker analysis report as part of your team activity. Use the BET/BEAR feedback model to offer positive and constructive feedback for improving presentation and delivery skills. Please see the accompanying BET/BEAR Feedback Model document for a description of the model. * Evaluations will be provided back to the original speaker – so be sure to be constructive and informative.

Team | Reviews the Presentations of: | Silver Fox | Red Express | Synchronicity | Siri Us | Blue Steel | Green Fusion | Green Fusion | Blue Steel | Siri Us | Synchronicity | Red Express | Silver Fox |

Your Report
Your report should be submitted as a Word document so I can separate and distribute the evaluation and feedback to the respective speaker.
The report should have the following structure: * A one-page evaluation for each speaker (single-spaced) for a total of six (or seven).
Research Report on Business Communication Skills and Pitfalls to Avoid (70 Points – 7%)
Each team will submit a research report on effective business communication skills and associated pitfalls to avoid. This report is intended for an internal company executive, meaning that the writing should be as unbiased and objective as possible.
The report should include 2 major sections, with smaller supporting components (e.g. executive summary, appendices, etc.). First, the report should research and summarize the conceptual strengths and concerns of business communications. This section should be based on academic research (peer-reviewed journals) and industry white papers. Second, the report should identify and evaluate 4 corresponding pitfalls to avoid in terms of important factors to the organization and to the success of teaming.
See the report guidelines in the attached report template for more information on the content of the report.

Sincerely, Alvin C. Miles

Letter of Acceptance

Team Green Fusion
EMBA Coles College of Business
Kennesaw State University
November 13, 2012

Alvin C. Miles
Director of Business Development
Lecturer of Management
EMBA Coles College of Business
Kennesaw State University

Dear Mr. Miles,

Team Green Fusion is excited to accept your offer to provide speaker analysis reports on the members of Team Blue Steel along with a research report on effective business communication skills and associated pitfalls to avoid. The members of our team feel that we can not only meet but exceed your expectations. It is our goal to provide a comprehensive report that will accomplish several things.

The report you receive will be divided into two sections. The first section will contain the speaker analysis reports compiled on the video presentations of the members of Team Blue Steel. These reports will performed utilizing a focused team review and will contain evaluation and feedback utilizing the BET/BEAR feedback models. The second section will be a report of our compiled research and opinions on effective business communication skills and associated pitfalls to avoid. We will address not only the conceptual strengths and concerns of business communications but also 4 corresponding pitfalls to avoid. This data will help steer focus to the importance of the success of the organization and to the team.

We shall present this report in a formal structure for your review. Please do not hesitate to contact the team for any clarification that you may need. We are looking forward to your feedback on our report and are confident that you will find it to exceed expectations.

Sincerely,

The Members of Team Green Fusion

Letter of Transmittal

Team Green Fusion
EMBA Coles College of Business
Kennesaw State University
November 13, 2012

Alvin C. Miles
Director of Business Development
Lecturer of Management
EMBA Coles College of Business
Kennesaw State University

Dear Mr. Miles,

Team Green Fusion was honored to have compiled this report for you. We are grateful for the opportunity and experience to have provided you with not only detailed evaluations of Team Blue Steel’s video presentations but also the opportunity to share with you the knowledge and perspective that we obtained on effective business communication and the associated pitfalls.

After research and discussion on the direction of the assignment by the team and in order to capitalize on our skills as a team and maximize individual strong points, we divided the assignment as follows:

* We have clarified roles:

* Assign work/Project Outline – Mat King

* Focused speaker review – Entire Team

* Speaker analysis reports – Divided one-on-one among entire team: * Jeff Dippel | * Mark Craig | * Maurice Sessoms | * Sharronda Williams | * Mat King | * Edward Morales | * Vanessa Miranda | * Alan Johnson | * Christy Kisner | * Andy McKoski | * Leonard Adams | * Adrienne Coleman | * Deyanna Jones | * Demetrius Jones |

* Effective business communication – Vanessa Miranda and Deyanna Jones * Associated Pitfalls – Jeff Dippel, Leonard Adams, Maurice Sessoms, Mat King * Edit and compile report – Christy Kisner * Review of and sign off of each section – Entire Team

We have enjoyed the process of evaluating effective business communication and are confident that you will find our report to open doors for you to help build on communications with the team and organization. Please feel free to contact us if you have further questions via email.

Sincerely,

Team Green Fusion

Table of Contents

Letter of Authorization…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….ii
Letter of Acceptance……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….v
Letter of Transmittal……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….vi
Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1
Speaker Analysis Reports…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2 Adrienne Coleman…………………………………………………………………………………………………………2 Mark Craig……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3 Alan Johnson………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4 Andy McKoski………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5 Sharronda Williams……………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Edward Morales…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 Demetrius Jones…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Communication is a Lifeblood…………………………………………………………………………………………………..9
Pitfalls of Communication………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11 Clear and Concise…………………………………………………………………………………………………………11
Action Items…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………12
Lack of Feedback………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12 Knowing Your Audience……………………………………………………………………………………………….13
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15
Appendix (speaker evaluation forms)………………………………………………………………………………………17

Executive Summary
Organizations and Teams all over the globe depend on one primary resource that determines their level of success, and that is communication. With businesses, now more than ever, spread around the world, the dependence on effective communication is heavy. Ensuring that there is an understanding of the key primary components of communication will make certain that an organization and team has the right starting point for developing and achieving their success. Succumbing to the pitfalls associated the keys to effective communication can render a team and an entire organization ineffective. The research outlined below will guide you to a correct starting point from which you can develop skills and behaviors that will be beneficial.

Speaker Analysis
Presenter: Adrienne Coleman
Adrienne’s topic was client communication and messaging strategies in the form of letters. She informed us about current letter communicating systems in place and efforts the team she leads is tackling to enhance new development. We feel she used a direct method. Her audience appeared to be a small meeting group.
Adrienne’s introductory method was in the form of asking a question. She clearly used questions that all could relate and reflect on our own experiences in communicating about our credit cards. She immediately established creditability by describing her current position as well as her past positions to validate her experience in the organization. Her experience level made us believe that what she was speaking on was true and concise. Adrienne was able to talk at a level that her listeners could understand. She seems very comfortable with the subject and it showed. We felt lead the entire way while she stayed on point.
Adrienne was seated and we would have like to see her stand at times. We were not sure if sitting helped keep her grounded and helped to mellow her nervousness. Some would argue that her head movement might be a sign of nervousness, but we feel she was attempting to show eye contact around the room. Was it on a swivel? Yes, but we understand that it is hard to talk to an invisible audience. She could locate a few focus point or individuals in the room and talk to those targets.
We clearly agree that Adrienne was clear and confident in her delivery. Her tone was pleasant and easy to listen. Her dress was appropriate and colorful. We did notice that she appeared to be reading at times. Likely it was from an overhead projector with points to keep her in line with her message. This could also have contributed to her constant head and eye movement. Lastly the presentation appeared to be edited or just cut short to meet the timeframe restrictions.
In conclusion we all felt Adrienne did a good job. She’s made it known she gets nervous, but totally pulled this one off without notice. She came across as a subject matter expert and a leader of a team that clearly knows what to target and how to implement. She stated her cause in the beginning and reviewed the outcomes excepted at the end.

Presenter: Mark Craig
Mark’s video was intended to be an informative talk given to a small audience using a direct method approach to delivering his message. The video was within the assignment time parameters and was very well thought out and organized prior to the videotaping. It was clear that Mark prepared ahead of time as he was using some external source of prompting such as power point on a computer or visual cards.
Once the video presentation began, Mark introduced himself and began to preview his presentation by laying out a summary of what he planned to discuss. He quickly moved through his plan and began discussing the particulars of how his organization approaches crisis management and resolution. Mark nervously went from one topic to the other so quickly, it left the viewer with a sense of wanting to know more about his qualifications and role as well as how he helped initialize this team. In the future, Mark may want to work on arousing more interest by discussing himself first, how long he has been with the company or even how passionate he is about his current role.
Although one could sense that Mark was very well informed and knew his topic, he did not directly establish credibility. Mark mentioned a few other names of co-founders of this group but without their titles or affiliation within his organization it was left to the viewer to determine who they were. Credibility could have been established rather quickly had these individuals been introduced in the video. A good preview of the presentation let the viewer know what lied ahead and it was easy to determine the overall objective of his talk because of his direct approach.
Mark spoke with a clear and slightly nervous voice at an appropriate volume for his audience. His eye contact was steady and typically straight ahead and posture was upright and rather fixed Although he was sitting, he was a bit fidgety in his chair and took longer than normal pauses while trying to locate his place on his teleprompter. It was apparent that, he was reading and at times this distracted from his talk. Crisis management is a fascinating topic but it was evident that he was very nervous and his monotone voice left the viewer feel a bit placid with respect to the topic being discussed. In the future, Mark may want to consider being more animated and enthusiastic about the very important work that he is doing at Home Depot. Redundant practice may have helped improve his nerves and build his confidence allowing for more time to focus on his topic and delivery.
With regard to the video conclusion, Mark used a very quick, abrupt approach and summarized by recapping a few of the main points of his talk but they did not really coincide with a specific objective. He then simply opened the forum up for questions and ended his talk with just a couple of seconds to spare. This left the viewer’s feeling like they wanted more and in future talks Mark may want to focus on a bit more practice that may induce his comfort level in front of the camera. The end result may be a more fluid and animated talk that will result in more time to recap by restating a few of his most important topics.

Presenter: Alan Johnson
Alan makes a great entrance to what seems to be a small group meeting. He is very relaxed and comfortable with the environment and the presentation he is about to give. He starts engaging the audience by asking a question and adding humor to the presentation. This is a great asset because it establishes rapport and puts the audience at ease, creating the perfect environment to deliver his message about company culture. His choice for humorous comment also shows that he knows his audience.
This apparent intimacy with the audience plays into his credibility and when he introduces himself, he leads the audience to assume he has been with the company for a long time. Altogether, these elements help build some credibility but not enough. Alan could have built a stronger foundation by introducing himself more in detail and making it clear why he was the qualified person to deliver the presentation.
Alan previews the presentation by stating he will talk about company culture and quickly explains the structure, organized in a topical/chronological pattern: past, present and future. His goal seems to be to inform but also to motivate and persuade the audience “to jump on this train” of change and improvement of the company culture.
Even though it is clear he is talking about company culture and wishes to motivate his audience of supervisors to make it better, it is not as clear why he is talking about it now. At some point, he mentions there is a consulting firm coming to assist in the implementation of behavior based programs which could lead one to ask if the goal of the meeting was to announce it or just to talk about culture in general. Alan could have stated the objective of the presentation more precisely.
Overall, his delivery dynamics are very good: voice tone, modulation and volume; pauses; posture and absence of reading. He exhibits confidence and his eye contact is good most of the time. It can get better if he fixes on certain areas of the audience for longer, at least until he finishes the sentence or thought, as to give the impression he is talking specifically to one person in the audience rather than moving the gaze too fast, which can hinder the connection with the audience.
In his delivery, despite being seemingly at ease with the presentation, his erratic movement sometimes can come across as nervousness and was distracting to the viewer. A suggestion that could help in controlling this repetitiveness is to take advantage of the entire physical space and make larger movements, maybe walking to one side of the room as to focus on the audience on that side, and then to the other side.
At the conclusion stage, there was no review of the main points or summary of the presentation. Alan offers a very compelling and motivating closing statement that makes the audience want to jump on board with him and make it happen. Nonetheless, the lack of specific objectives and next steps could make such a motivational presentation be quickly forgotten. He should clearly present what the expectations and next steps are and – if applicable – even give a timeline for them to happen. This would have been the perfect ending to a good presentation aimed at motivating change.
Presenter: Andy McKoski
Cell phone usage in restaurants: annoying to customers, annoying to wait staff and just overall annoying. Andy delivers his presentation to a small group around the subject of cell usage in the restaurant space by both employees and customers of the business. The presentation was intended for a small group and was delivered through an indirect (evidence first then main idea) format. The presentation adhered to the given time limit; however it appeared that as time was up, Andy just abruptly ended the presentation. There appeared to be no technical difficulties with the presentation.
Andy starts the presentation off with a catchy scene where he is on a phone call and even rudely motions to the audience (camera) to “hold-on” while he finished his call. He attempts to mimic a scene we all know all too well of someone on their phone as we are awaiting them to interact with us for some reason or another. There was some confusion as to whether this was intended to be funny or simply a creative example of what not to do. By clearly making this a humorous “skit” the effectiveness of captivating the audience’s attention would have been greater.
During the introduction Andy does explain that he has experience in the restaurant business, as a partner of a successful restaurant chain. This was overall ineffective at establishing his overall credibility. He begins immediately talking about cell usage in the restaurant, but it remains unclear of exactly what he is talking about until the end of the presentation. Overall he was unable to leave the audience with the ability to know what was coming due to confusion around the topic. In the future adding a clear and concise statement at the end of the introduction would correct this and increase effectiveness.
His opening was creative but not executed effectively. Adding some humor around his introductive “skit” and clarity around the topic of his presentation would have increased the effectiveness dramatically. Also to make the introduction more effective and trust-worthy speaking to the years of experience he has had in the business and to the customer service ratings of his restaurants would have helped with credibility. A better organizational pattern around the key points of the talk would have accomplished this as well. The absence of this was obvious in that Andy came across as searching for what he wanted to say almost to the point of being uncomfortable and nervous.
Andy’s delivery was overall clear and confident. It was obvious that he was not reading from prompt. On the other hand he appeared to be “winging” it and unprepared, too conversational. Eye contact was good, but was just with the camera. If he was truly talking to a small group he should shift his eye contact. He had great posture. Volume could have been a little louder and the inflections in his voice more deliberate and animated. The conversational tone of the presentation came across as plain and mono-tone. Andy did a lot of gesturing which verged on too much at times.
Andy did not summarize his presentation, or review his main points. There were no next steps or objectives. This left the audience wondering what the implications of what he spoke about were. Also exactly how what he was presenting was meaningful to the audience was unclear. By clarifying these two points would increase the overall effectiveness of the delivery and remembrance of the information.
Presenter: Sharronda Williams
Sharronda started the presentation with a quick introduction of herself, which included titled and position. She left out her background information that explains why she was selected to give the presentation. The titled can sometime give credibility to the audience that she is a possible subject matter expert, but in this case I was left with uncertainty. Sharronda summarizes the key components, which is an excellent technique to arouse the audience. Presenting an outline at the beginning of a presentation is an effective way to develop interest and let the audience know what lies ahead. Her body language reflected that she was reading from a power point presentation. The deep stare at the computer screen, quick eye and head movement back and forth to the audience.
Sharronda used the direct method approach in her presentation. The objective was to deliver the statistical data of the success of her division. The approach was clear and precise, but was a little overwhelming depending on the audience. If the audience were colleagues then the objective was clear. If the audience were outsiders, then the message included a lot of technical data that could possibly be confusing. She also presented the information in a chronological order, which made it easy to see the success of her division. It made it easier for outsiders to follow the growth and understand the need improvement areas.
Sharronda’s delivery dynamics was even tones, very clear voice, great pasture, calm and excellent audio sound. Her eye movement was very inconsistent, due to reading the screen. There was no body language just a slight rotation of her eyes and head. The small rotation of the head reflects that there was a small audience. There was no evidence of nervous mannerism; she was very calm and pleasant. Towards the end she was unable to give a summary because of the time restraints, caused her to end the presentation abruptly.
There were a few things Sharronda could have done differently. At the beginning, summarize a little work history that would give the audience an idea why she was chosen to give the presentation. This information would support that she is a subject matter expert. Furthermore, know the subject so she would not have to read from the power point, which will allow her to give eye contact to the audience. The eye contact will make the audience feel more connected and engaged in the presentation. When you are not tied to a screen you can be mobile and interact with the audience. Finally, she needs to summarize a few key components that were mentioned in the beginning. This helps bring the presentation to a close and give a review to the audience.

Presenter: Edward Morales
Ed’s video was the first in a series of motivational presentations, using the direct method, to small group newly hired mortgage sales associates. The video was within the assigned time limits. Overall, Ed’s great use of time management allowed him to elaborate his points appropriately and keep the audience engaged and involved. This allowed Ed to finish within the allotted time and to leave the audience with a good understanding of the points provided, without feeling rushed or thinking about a previous topic while missing the current topic being discussed.
During the Intro there was not a specific attempt at arousing interest in the presentation during the introduction. Ed started with more of a greeting than introduction, and moved directly into outlining what would be discussed during the presentation. That leaves the audience slow to engage in the presentation. This could be addressed by simply asking the audience some rhetorical questions such as “What makes a highly effective sales associate?” This would get the audience engaged and thinking immediately in the same direction. Ed did a good job establishing credibility during his greeting, by elaborating on his position with the company, and setting a positive and confident tone of voice. This allows the new sales associates to immediately understand that he has been where they are, and has the experience to confidently talk about the information in the presentation.
Ed also did an outstanding job outlining what was ahead in the presentation, and what would be covered over the next 5 minutes. This was done quickly, and efficiently, preparing the audience for the topics that would be covered. Ed’s overall delivery was good. He maintained good eye contact with different areas of the audience, while speaking clearly and confidently. This helped him connect with the audience, and reinforce his credibility.
During the entire presentation Ed moved in a “Zoom In/Zoom Out” and “Strafe left/Strafe right” pattern almost constantly during the presentation. This seemed to be almost a burning off of nervous energy, similar to pacing. While the movement around the room, to ensure engagement was a good thing, the frequency and rhythmic pattern was a major distraction to the audience trying to focus on the presenter. This could be improved significantly by stopping and addressing the specific area or member of the audience before moving again to another section. This would allow the benefits of moving around, such as avoiding stiffness to the presenter or visual boredom the audience, as well as reinforce the connection between Ed and specific audience members.
Ed’s conclusion included some good points as well as some challenges. Ed did a great job summarizing the series of the presentation, reminding the audience that this was a single part of a 5 part series and discussing the next steps and upcoming events. This left kept the audience engaged, and understanding when the next installment in the series would be presented, and allowed a clean wrap up of this specific presentation. However, Ed did not summarize the main points of this specific presentation, only focused on the next steps of the series itself. This was a missed opportunity to reinforce the points made during his presentation, and to solidify the ideas in his audience’s mind. A quick “Single Word” recap of the qualities in a high producer vs. a low producer would have improved this presentation by capitalizing on this opportunity to remind the audience of the points made earlier in the presentation.
Presenter: Demetrius Jones
Demetrius created a digital presentation intended for a small group to learn about two different types of dialysis treatments and the pros and cons of each. Outside of indicating the topic, he did not preview the presentation to help the listeners know the direction the presentation would take.
He instantly established credibility by indicating he is a Certified Kidney Smart Educator. Due to the high level of information, one could imagine he is presenting to others in the medical field and those who understand the medical terminology he uses.
For the most part, he managed to have descent eye contact with the camera. However, occasionally he would look away as if there was concern regarding timing throughout the video. In addition, he did not look comfortable until he went off script. The flow of the presentation appeared scripted for the description of the first dialysis treatment and often times he came across as reading. One sign of his anxiety could be noted by the repeated use of the word “okay” throughout the presentation. Once he began discussing home dialysis his comfort level noticeably increased and he appeared to be off script.
Overall, Demetrius did accomplish his goal of informing the small group of what the treatments entail and the differences between the two. However, there were several things he could have done to create a stronger presentation. First, make eye contact around the room. He kept a focus on the camera with a few distractions. In an effort to engage the group, he could have loosened up, made more eye contact and moved around the room more. Moreover, in the future he should move his timekeeper or time device directly in front to f the camera as it caused him to continue to look away. Next, the use of props to discuss the topic would have been useful. Often in the presentation he made reference to things that could occur and tried pointing to his own body to show it, but a manikin with an example of the medical supplies being or side effects described would have brought the presentation to life and made it more memorable.
Lastly, the presentation was rushed at the end as he was a little short on time. In fact, the timing device sounded at the end of the video. He should consider dropping some of the points that were ad lib points made once he got comfortable, which more than likely caused his time to go longer. In addition, he could edit the end of the video to ensure the sound from the timing device is not heard.

Communication Report
“Communication…is the lifeblood of an organization. There is a need for communication in each and every organization. Without communication, an organization will not be able to conduct its activities and achieve its goal.” (Hanumantharao)
Poor communication or misunderstood messages can affect relationships with employees, investors and clients leading to loss of business. (Muema) Effective communication is crucial in a business environment, especially in an era of globalization when increasingly business is conducted across borders, languages and cultures. In written communication, a few strategies are vital for optimal results, whether you are writing a report to the board, leading a meeting or sending an email to direct reports. If you can communicate well you can get your message across.
The most common business communication written formats are reports, memorandums, letters and emails. These mediums are used to relay information both internally with employees as well as teams and businesses that are dealt with externally.
The purpose of any and all business writing is to produce a message that is easily understood and interpreted as the writer intends it to be. With this goal in mind, it is important for the message to be read in a timely manner and to be clearly understood. A written communication that is clear, concise, compelling and tailored to its audience is more likely to get the most desirable response. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed, there is hope: skills that lead to good communication can be practiced and learned.
Define your goal
Communication will always be stronger if it has a clear and unambiguous purpose. With a clear purpose delivery of a message is more focused. It’s not just about being aware of what you want to communicate, but why you want to communicate it. What goal do you want to achieve? What results do you expect to get out of the communication? To motivate, persuade or inform? Having a clearly defined goal for the message guides the writer in choosing the best words, format and flow of ideas to achieve the desired outcome. In turn, this clarity helps the reader decode the message and provides the results that the sender had in mind, contributing to a better flow of communication between parties and better results.
Know your audience and choose the right format
A business communication which considers the audience, including how much they know about the subject, how they prefer to receive information and how they are likely to react, will ensure it connects with the recipients from the beginning and conveys why the message is important for them. Understanding the audience also helps define the tone – formal or informal – and the best way to deliver the message – in person, in writing, individually or in a group setting etc.
Be clear
A message that is clear leaves no opportunity for misunderstandings. It enhances the chances the communication delivers its intended outcome. It is important to be specific about what it is that the communication should achieve, when and why, by going straight to the point and putting the key message at the beginning of the communiqué. By doing this, it is guaranteed the reader will get the most important information first, particularly if they are just skimming through the document.
Be concise
A written communication that is simple and reader-friendly uses language and vocabulary appropriate to the audience helping them understand the message. Short sentences and short paragraphs, each containing only one main idea, make it easier to read through the message and understand the purpose of the communication. Including headings, subheadings and bullet points is also a good idea because it organizes the text and makes the reading flow better.
Be correct
A text clear of grammatical errors, spelling and typing mistakes communicates the intended message in a way more likely to be understood as intended. Accuracy of content is also a key to establish credibility of the writer to the reader and to the information being shared. If readers find discrepancies, they will likely question the rest of the information as well. Reading the text out loud helps catch mistakes.
Specify the response you want
When applicable, a call to action such as deadlines to be met, actions to be taken or next steps makes the message very effective. This is the case especially if the call to action is very visible. For example, under a headline such as “Next Steps” you draw the reader to pay close attention to what follows as they are cued in that they may have action items to respond to. This helps the readers continue to focus as they read the message.
Monitor effectiveness
The benefit of asking for feedback on a regular basis is it helps fine tune communication skills for business writings helping better meet the audiences’ needs and make future communication more effective.
Special note on cultural bias
In today’s world, it is not unlikely to be communicating across borders, languages and cultures. In this scenario, it is important to be tactful. If you insult your reader – even if inadvertently – your message might be completely ignored. Recognize cultural differences in communication styles. Before you send written communication to business partners in other countries, take time to investigate business and communication practices in their culture. This can be the difference between making or breaking a business deal.

Pitfalls to Avoid
Business communication in organizations and the team environment is sometimes unsuccessful due to a set of common mistakes. These pitfalls most commonly occur from poor understanding and preparation. There are several pitfalls common in business communication; a few of the most frequent are not ensuring clear and concise delivery, not identifying action items and things to remember, not providing clear channels for feedback, and not knowing and understanding your audience. Falling victim to these create disconnect in business communication.
1. Verbosity in attempt to achieve clarity
A common pitfall with direct and concise communication is to attempt to clarify your message with long detailed anecdotes, or examples. Often these stories require clarification of their own adding unnecessary wordiness to the intended message. This can confuse the audience, leaving them more focused on the story instead of focusing on the original message that the story was intended to clarify.
Another common mistake that can serve as a pitfall to delivering a clear message is the use of jargon. The ubiquitous business speak is a leftover from the eighties and has no place in any communication. Its whole purpose is to obscure meaning and make the person using it look clever at the other person’s expense. It is also needlessly verbose. The communicator should always understand the level of their intended audience, before delivering a message. If the audience is unable to understand specific terms it is better to use a simpler, more direct, statements than leave the audience focused on the terms they don't understand.
Failing to be clear and concise with communications within individual teams can lead to misunderstanding and confusion over specific points and ideas. This confusion can lead to increased cost to the organization from missed deadlines and rework. As these stresses build and grow team moral will start to suffer and can erode the future effectiveness of the team and organization as a whole.
Taking the time to understand and to tailor your message to the needs of your audience will lead to more efficient communications by keeping your audience focused on the important message, as well as help avoid miscommunications.
2. Action Items
As we continue to move forward in mastering high level business communication, one area that can be a saving grace is identifying action items. Action items can work as an outline to structure what you are communicating, dictating instruction, flow and timing. Such items are used to inform the audience or listeners on key components of what needs to be done, who need to do it, and when it needs to be done.
If the opposite happens and an individual or team does not prepare or emphasize action items they could experience some communication pitfalls. Known pitfalls due to lack of action items can be: * Useless content * Poor time management * The receiver not knowing direction
Useless content can totally confuse your listeners and directly affect management of time. Without action items it is almost impossible to address or summarize your key points.
To avoid such pitfalls a team or individual could prepare by creating an outline of set action items. Put the items in an order of importance or flow and work in supporting content. This will help keep your content concise; help manage your timelines and lastly give you points to summarize at the end or in closing.
3. Lack of Feedback
It is important to monitor effectiveness by asking for feedback in our written communications with regard to teaming. Among all of the pitfalls to effective communication, lack of feedback can be one of the most detrimental to teaming and overall business communications. As stated in the article, Barriers to Effective Communication, “feedback is one of the best tools to improve business communication; yet, it is also one of the most underused and misused communication skills” used today. Giving feedback is a skill that must be developed and as with other skills. This can create a lot of work to properly develop and deliver sound and constructive feedback in a team setting. Baht, Nell and Zhu report in their article, A Cross Cultural Study of Communication Strategies for Building Business Relationships, that some cultures inhibit feedback by unspoken gestures and to the contrary other cultures nurture and respect feedback and see it as an “absolute” necessity to build strong business communications skills. It is important in any form of business communication that an author summarize their writing to be sure that feedback is, depending on the situation; invited, accepted, warranted or even required. In some cases, it can even be made clear that feedback is expected, directly called out, or the some cases require the feedback; give a definitive timeline for when the feedback is expected. Grayson stated “Feedback creates a chance for staff, managers, and customers to let the business owner know when the group endorses a policy, marketing approach or business philosophy.” If team members aren’t able to give clear and concise feedback to provide an open flow of communication the effects can create unproductive communications moving forward. Part of giving effective feedback is also creating a culture where feedback is viewed positively within an organization or a team. Quite simply, if a reader does not give feedback, the author does not know if the communication was effective of not. In turn, if the sender does not receive the feedback then there is no sense as if the message was well received if received at all. Feedback creates a chance for the reader to let the originator or team know how well the message was received Verbal comments/replies such as “thank you”, “got it”, or even “I will have to get back to you” will in let the sender know that the communication was acknowledged and this is the first step in effective communication. Feedback can be simply a requested response within a timely manner or a statement of acknowledgement that a further response will be coming at later point in time.
Many times feedback will be positive and can take the form of verbal comments, regular and e-mail letters or concrete actions. Typically positive feedback is well accepted and lets the original communicator know that they are on the right track or to continue with what they are doing Many times the feedback will be negative. Understanding where this feedback is coming from will often help business professionals and team members understand the motivation and meaning of the feedback. In this case, constructive feedback models are recommended and necessary. If positive feedback is not present a breakdown of communication is inevitable. Sometimes a more formal approach to feedback such as BET and BEAR by Harms and Roebuck can be used. They argue that “Feedback aligns the workplace behavior with the overall goals of the team or organization.” Whether it is written or verbal; in person or afar, properly enacted feedback helps to keep lines of communication open, create a sense of collaboration and create clarity of objectives.
4. Knowing your audience
When preparing to communicate a common pitfall is not knowing your audience- those whom you will communicate with. The demographics of your audience are essential and not knowing will decrease communication effectiveness. Many facilitators do not modify their presentation pertaining to their audience, failure to prepare is detrimental. If you are presenting to a group of professionals in their area of expertise, then the complexity of the subject is very important. You want to make sure you present advanced concepts. They will comprehend the message you are trying to deliver. If your audience is not familiar with the subject, then it is important to make it simple and understandable. Your words and images should reflect your audience’s goals and challenges. Connect your information or solution to your audience’s needs.
Key things to consider: * Who are we talking to? * What are their expectations? * How can we best communicate with our audience?
Keeping in mind the 3 key questions will better help you connect with your audience. These elements of communication will avoid a boring, confused, and pointless communication and will keep your team prepared.

Remember, “Communication…is the lifeblood of an organization. There is a need for communication in each and every organization. Without communication, an organization will not be able to conduct its activities and achieve its goal.” (Hanumantharao) Ask yourself before you begin communications: Who? What? When? Why? And How? Be clear, concise and correct. Know what you want in return. Ask for feedback and monitor your results. Watch for and do your best to avoid the associated pitfalls. This recipe will ensure you and your team and organization success!

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Appendix (Speaker Evaluation Forms)