1Diploma in Management Studies
Business Communication
COM2107
Lecture 5 - Planning Business Messages
• Writing Process
• Analyse the Situation
• Gathering Information
• Medium and Channels
• Organizing the Message
Reference Text: Module Book Session 5
2Learning Outcomes
After this lecture, students should be able to:
Describe the three-steps writing process.
Explain how to analyze the situation when planning
a message.
Describe the techniques for gathering information.
Describe the medium and channels.
Explain why good organization of the message is
important.
3Three Steps Writing Process
Planning Writing Completing
Situation Adopt to
Audience
Revision
Information Delivery
Medium Complete the
message
Preparation
Organization Confidence
l i i i l i
it ti t t the
i
i e
I f r ti Produce
i l t t

roofread
r i ti Distr bute
4Planning Business Messages
Analyze Situation
Define Purpose
1. C_______ or P________ Outcome
2. R_________ Business Goal
3. Right T_______ for Audience
4. Acceptability
• Organization’s objectives and Policies
• Laws apply to the industry
5Planning Business Messages
Analyze Situation
Develop Audience Profile
1. Identify the Primary Audience
2. Determine Audience Size
3. Determine Geographical Distribution
4. Gauge Audience’s Understanding
5. Identify Audience Expectations
6. Forecast Probable Audience Reaction
6Planning Business Messages
Gather Information
Techniques to Research Efforts
1. Consider Audience’s P___________
2. L________ to the Community
3. Read Company’s R______ and Documents
4. T______ with Colleagues or Customers
5. A___ Audience for Input
6. U______ Audience Needs
7Planning Business Messages
Medium and Channels
Best Combination
Examples of Media form and Channel System
Media : Form of a message
takes
Channel : System used to
delivery message
Oral – Speech, Radio,
Presentation
Digital – Social Media, Email,
Blogging
Written – Letter, Report, Memo, Non-Digital – Newspaper,
Magazines, Journals,
Publication, Financial Reports Visual – Animation, Video,
Photos
8Planning Business Messages
Medium and Channels
Factors to Consider
1. R______ in Delivery
2. S______ and Formality
3. M______ Limitations
4. U______ of Message
5. S______ and Privacy
6. A______ Preferences
9Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
A writer with Good organization skills
establishes good reputation as:
• Clear thinker
• Care about audience
In turn, audience will be
• Attentive
• Receptive
10
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Good Organization
Good organization helps audience:
1. U________ the message
2. A________ the message
3. S________ Time reading
11
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Limit the Scope
The Scope
• Range information
• Detail presented
The Overall Length
• Pre-set limit from the report requirement instruction,
• State of technology
• Time frame over a period of research time or
speaker’ time slots during a seminar.
12
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Limit the Scope
1. R________ information
2. Convey m______ idea efficiently
3. Set audience’s e_________
4. Justify any s__________
5. R______ research representation of the
report findings.
13
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Define Main Idea
The overall subject is the topic
of the message.
The main idea is the specific
statement about the topic.
14
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Long Report Presentation
Techniques to Creative Ideas
1. B_________
2. 5____ and 1____
3. Q_______ and A_____ Chain
4. S________
5. M____ M_______
15
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Techniques to Creative Ideas
Brainstorming
• Helpful when thinking as individual or in groups.
• Think aloud and list out all ideas and questions
without stopping to criticize or organize.
• Look for patterns and connections to identify the
main idea and the groups of supporting ideas.
16
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Techniques to Creative Ideas
5Ws and 1H approach
• Ask who, what, when, why and how
questions
• Narrow down massive information
• Organize it into individuals, subject, time,
reason and location
17
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Techniques to Creative Ideas
Questions and Answer Chain
1. Start with a key question audience have
2. Work back toward your message
3. Each answer leads to a new question
4. Until the relevant information surface
18
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Techniques to Creative Ideas
Mind Mapping
• Graphical method to host ideas.
• Starting with a main idea and then,
• Branching out to connect every other related
idea that comes to mind.
19
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Techniques to Creative Ideas
Storytelling
• Effective way to build audience’s interest.
• Help audience personalize the message to
understand causes and consequences.
• Identify ways to scale down the main idea
into a single, concise message.
20
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Direct Approach
When the audience is likely to be receptive to
the message, use direct approach.
1. Start with the main idea,
2. Support with sound reasoning,
3. Conclusion and recommendations,
4. Supporting evidence and examples.
21
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Indirect Approach
When the audience is likely to be skeptical and
resistant to message, use indirect approach to
build the main idea in a logical, sensitive way.
1. Withhold the main idea until..
2. Logical persuading reasoning is..
3. Built up with evidence and examples.
22
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Outline Content
• Always begin with outlining the content
before hitting straight into writing the
message with massive information.
• This may take some time and effort in the
beginning but can certainly save time and
effort in the composing and revising stages.
23
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Outline Content
Start with the main idea
• To establish the goals and general strategy of the message,
and it summarises what the audience should to do, think, feel
and respond after receiving the message; and why it makes
sense for the audience to do so.
• Everything in your message should either support the main idea
or explain its implications
• If using indirect approach, the main idea will appear toward the
end of the message, only after logical persuading reasoning is
built up with evidence and examples.
24
Planning Business Messages
Organize the Message
Outline Content
State the major points
• Present the major points that clarify and explain ideas in more
concrete terms.
• If the goal is to inform with factual material, the major points
may be based on something physical or financial that is
measurable or envision.
Provide example and evidence
• Use evidence and examples to strengthen the main idea in
strong position.
25
Tutorial Questions
This section covers the 6 review questions
in the SIM Module Book Business
Communication Session 5.
Comprises:
• 5 Multiple Choice Questions and;
• 1 report writing.