Talking, Listening, & Writing for Success
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Talking, Listening, & Writing for Success

The Not-so-Secret Keys

Sharon Massen, Phd

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eBook - ePub

Talking, Listening, & Writing for Success

The Not-so-Secret Keys

Sharon Massen, Phd

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About This Book

About the book:

Dr. Massen asks the readers of this book how they go about communicating in their daily lives: do they find themselves puzzled by how to talk with others on and off the job? Do they find that being asked to speak in front of a group brings horrors and nightmares of "Oh gosh, how can I do this? I don't like to speak in front of others at all—and you want me to speak in front of my co-workers and give them help on their work assignments? Seriously?" Do they find themselves saying, "What did you say?" "I did not hear you; can you speak louder?" Is listening a key skill that has been lost to open the door to effective listening?

Do people find that the keys to the doors to success in writing for personal and business uses a silent key they continue to search for?Think of this book as your Locksmith: it can open the doors to talking, listening, and writing: READ ON and use those keys!

About the author:

Sharon Massen is a well-known educator, speaker, and developer of business communication materials. She is a professor of business and professional communication and professional identities at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio, where she has been a faculty member since 2002. She is the author of a book on telephone and voice mail techniques, and the author of numerous chapters and materials in other publications. Sharon was honored by Franklin University graduating students by presenting her the prestigious Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award for her significant contributions to graduating seniors' educational accomplishments in communication in 2014.

Dr. Massen has taught at the international level as well as at the college and high school levels. She is the developer of a business education program in a state prison that gave the inmates quality business education in various business courses.

Sharon sees the value of knowing how to select the appropriate communication mode and techniques in order to communicate clearly and correctly in business today; she practices those techniques every day as she works with others to hone their communication skills.

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Information

Year
2017
ISBN
9780999323274
Writing Business Letters for Success
Business letters go to someone at a business
Personal letters are more informal and go from one person to another who may be a family member, a friend, or a business person writing informally to a customer or client who has been with the company a few days or years. Business letters may be internal to employees of the organization or external-one company to another company or to a customer.
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Business letters follow a standard format—to depart from that standard format and style may cause the receiver to be confused or suspect the person writing it is not professional or business oriented. Therefore, the receiver may discount the document as of no value or limited value. The format, tone, and the message of either type of letter must be appropriate. A business may choose to use block style or modified block style for its letters, memos, and emails. An individual may select block or modified block style for his or her correspondence as well.
Business letters are often received by another busy person; the letters must be clear, succinct, and get to the point quickly without wasting the receiver’s time. See Figure 1 for a letter of application showing proper format and style.
Letters can be written using the direct approach-state the purpose and address any issues or information clearly.
See Figure 2 for modified block style; an invitation letter.
If the information in the letter is negative or bad news, use the indirect approach-start the letter cordially without going into the negative or bad news at first. Lead into the negative or bad news by stating the reasons why the negative or bad news must be what it is/the receiver may not like the information but the goal of the indirect letter is to explain it so that the reader understands why the message is what it is.
A business letter may be written using the company’s letterhead paper. In any case, check the letter for the names, title, address, or any other information the Postal authorities may want the letter or envelope to contain. The letterhead paper can be ordered from an office supply store or the company may have its own design group and printer to do the letterhead paper. You would probably want the envelopes to have the company name and address in the return address spot (the top left side of the envelope). The company would also want to have the Memorandum form paper printed with the word Memo or Memorandum or Interoffice Memorandum at the top, centered about an inch from the top. The Memo paper may be a full sheet (8 Âœ X 11) as the letterhead paper or the Memo could be a half page, depending on the company’s usage style. A memo is an internal communication document and therefore is used to correspond with members of the same organization, although they do not have to be in the same city nor even the same state or country. (See Figure 3 Memorandum) The plain letterhead paper may also be used for the second page paper of a two-page document; the second page is rarely printed on letterhead paper.
118 Anytime Street
North City, OH 43612-0118
June 7, 2017
Mr. Samuel Receiver, CEO
North City Manufacturing
312 Eastside Avenue
North City, OH 43819-0312
Dear Mr. Receiver
Your advertisement for an office specialist on your Website gives me the opportunity to contact you. Please consider this letter and my attached résumé as the first part of the application for this position.
The requirements for the office specialist match the skill set that I will bring, along with two years’ experience as an office assistant at North City College. My degree which focused on office management is now complete, and I was graduated in August with an MS Degree in Administrative Management from North City College. My bachelor’s degree from North Fork College in Charlotte, North Carolina was completed in 2013 with a major in communication. I have exhibited my professional skills by successfully managing an office which had 12 departments that I supported in their administrative office paperwork as well as handling the incoming calls to the department.
I am available for an interview at your convenience. Please contact me by telephone at 513-555-1212 or by email at [email protected] and I will respond promptly.
Sincerely
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Betty Name
Attachment
Figure 1. Block style Letter of Application. Letter uses open punctuation (no punctuation after the salutation or the complimentary close). The résumé is to be attached if sent email but it could be mailed and the résumé would be enclosed.
The salutation of the letter greets the receiver appropriately. Be sure to check the salutation as it needs to be appropriate for the letter it is being addressed to and sent for action.
A typical salutation in a business letter may be:
Dear Mrs. Brown
Dear Mr. Brown
Dear Ms. Jones
Dear Mr. Jones
Ladies & Gentlemen (if you do not know the name of a person to address)
On occasions in which you know the receiver and have previously used or received a message using the person’s first name, then you can address the receiver as:
Dear Mary or
Dear Tom
Write using words the reader (receiver) will understand. Business jargon may be used only with a receiver who will understand typical business jargon-words or phrases pertinent to a particular business or subject matter of the letter.
Slang expressions or curse words, or any offensive vocabulary are generally not appropriate in business writing.
If appropriate, end the letter with the request for action. A letter may also be in answer to a request for information and therefore the letter should give the requested information and close cordially with a general statement such as “Should you require additional information, please let me know.”
A personal letter as mentioned earlier is usually written to a family member, friend, or an acquaintance. This type of letter is usually more informal than a business letter to inform the reader of an event or other occasion. Personal letters may end with a complimentary close such as Sincerely, Best regards, Best, or a term of endearment such as Love with the first name of the sender following the closing. Most business or personal letters today are typed using 20-pound bond stationery in white or a neutral color such as beige. Some types of business, however, are geared to be more colorful and splashy; so a more festive look may be good for that letterhead paper.
All documents need a date to fix responsibility in a business letter in case a request asking for something is received as:
Please return the enclosed card by October 20. The date in a business or personal letter is usually written in full as October 25, 2016 (see the example below).
A business letter often has a subject or reference line after the salutation to alert the reader to the topic of the letter (see Figure 2).
Letters are written using a standard format such as a block style (see Figure 1) or a modified block style (see Figure 2). Letters have single-spaced paragraphs with a double space (one blank line) between paragraphs. A one-inch left, right, and bottom margin is usually standard. The top margin may be one to two inches. The top space may have the letterhead information (the name and company address, telephone(s), fax number(s), or other information as determined by the organization) with a top margin of an inch or more from the top of the page. You would want to space down below the end of the letterhead to place the date on a line by itself in either block or modified (the date in modified block will start at the center of the paper or 5 spaces to the left of center).
The letter content is then begun a double space or slightly more if the letter content is going to be very short. If there is no letterhead, the letter is begun with the writer’s return address, street address, and date, as the following, for example:
112 Worth Avenue
Columbus, OH 43216
September 25, 2016
followed by the salutation.
The Soy Company
3242 Soy Boulevard
Avon, OH 55831
440-555-1212
June 19, 2017
Jones Manufacturing
P. O. Box 35667
Gahanna, OH 43867
Ladies and Gentlemen:
RE: Open House and Exhibit
We will be holding an open house next month on July 10 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. to showcase the new collection of prized marble figurines. These lovely groupings were honored at the Larry Exhibit on May 25.
You are cordially invited to come to visit the plant and to see the prized great global statues of the famous in history. The statues are all beautifully adorned in precious gemstones and gold, fit for the collections of the many who adore this time period.
The Exhibit will be the star of the evening with the speakers being those whose lovely art was used on several of the figures. We will be excited to have you with us for the event. A reception will be from 5 to 6 p.m.; you are invited to come and visit with the authors and others.
Please RSVP to the number above by June 30. A card is enclosed for your use in sending us your acceptance. We look forward to greeting you and to having the honor of your visit to our plant.
Sincerely,
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Jim Soy, CEO
Enclosure
Figure 2. A modified block style letter with mixed punctuation. It could have indented paragraphs or block paragraphs as shown.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Henry Two Books
FROM: Betty Locks
DATE: October 1, 2016
SUBJECT: Garden Show
The Garden Show will be seeking volunteers from the Garden Club Association to work our Garden Expo on December 10 through 23. You have done such a great job for us in the past, of course we want you and your team back this year.
The schedule will be given to everyone on November 30 at our Meet & Greet, which will also include dinner and prizes. This event will be in Room 332 at the Garden Expo on Tenth Avenue. Please send us the usual list of participants so that we can make name badges for your team. The Sky Club will also be invited as last year so they will make a good addition to the group.
If you have questions, send me an email or drop by Room 330 for a coffee and discussion.
Figure 3. A Memorandum example.
The body content of the letter consists of paragraphs which are single spaced with a double space between paragraphs, as shown in the example. Most companies have a preferred company style which is shown and explained in the Office Manual, if the company has one. Many companies have them so ask about one if you are new to the office. D...

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