COMM201 PSW - Week 5

Communications 1
COMM201
SEMESTER 1 - WEEK 5
Alireza (Vincent) Vaseghi

Instructor – Personal Support Worker Program
alireza.vaseghi@flemingcollegetoronto.ca
Guffey and Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 12th Edition. © 2023 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or
posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 2
3-1
Drafting Workplace Messages Begins With
Research
3-1 Drafting Workplace Messages Begins With
Research (1 of 9)
• The faster you can articulate your ideas and the more efficiently you can explain
what needs to be said, the more successful and content you will be in your
career.
• Being able to write efficiently and clearly is also critical to promotions.
• The 3-x-3 writing process guides you through the steps necessary to write
confidently, but more important, clearly.
Research (2 of 9)
The 3-x-3 Writing Process

Prewriting Drafting Revising
• Analyze: Decide on the • Research: Gather • Edit: Strive for
message purpose. background data by parallelism, clarity,
searching files and the conciseness, and
• Anticipate: How will the Internet. readability.
audience receive this
message? • Organize: Arrange • Proofread: Check
direct messages with carefully for errors.
• Adapt: Think about the big idea first.
techniques to present • Evaluate: Will this
this message most • Draft: Prepare the first message achieve your
effectively. draft. purpose?
Research (3 of 9)
The Writing Process Begins With Background Information

• No savvy businessperson would begin drafting a message before gathering
background information or conducting research.
• Research simply means collecting information about a topic.
• Information collected through research helps you shape your the sender’s
message.
Research (4 of 9)
• Thoughtful writers collect information that answers several questions:
− What does the receiver need to know about this topic?
− What is the receiver to do?
− How is the receiver to do it?
− When must the receiver do it?
− What will happen if the receiver doesn’t do it?
Research (5 of 9)
Informal Research
• Many routine tasks—such as drafting e-mails, memos, letters, informational reports,

and oral presentations—require information that you can collect informally.
• The following techniques are useful in informal research:

− Search your company’s files.
− Talk with the boss.
− Interview the target audience.
− Create an informal survey.
− Brainstorm for ideas.
Research (6 of 9)
Formal Research
• Information for long reports and proposals may be obtained through formal
research using primary or secondary sources.
• Primary sources:
− Primary data come from firsthand experience.
− This information might be generated from surveys, interviews, observation,
and experimentation.
Research (7 of 9)
• Secondary sources:
− Secondary data come from reading what others have experienced or
observed and written about.
− Books, magazines, journals, and online resources are all considered
secondary sources.
− Most writers conducting research begin with secondary sources.
Research (8 of 9)
• Traditionally, teams have generated ideas by brainstorming, the spontaneous
contribution of ideas by team members.
− A facilitator records these ideas.
− The emphasis is on quantity, not quality.
− Judgment is discouraged because the goal is to think freely.
− Critics charge that the practice may enable one noisy extrovert to dominate
the conversation.
Research (9 of 9)
• Mind mapping is a process for generating and sorting ideas.
− Mind mapping emphasizes visual concepts, beginning with a single concept
drawn as an image in the center of a blank page.
− Associated words and images branch out treelike showing the relationship
between the ideas and the central concept.
• What idea-generating method works for you?
4-1
Revising: Applying Phase 3 of the Writing
Process
4-1 Revising: Applying Phase 3 of the Writing
Process (1 of 7)
The final phase of the 3-x-3 writing process focuses on editing, proofreading, and
evaluating.
• Editing means improving the content and sentence structure of a message.
• Proofreading involves correcting its grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and
mechanics of a message.
• Evaluating is the process of analyzing whether a message achieves its
purpose.
Process (2 of 7)
Rarely is the first or even second version of a message satisfactory.
• The revision stage is your chance to make sure a message says what you mean
and makes you look good.
• Whether you revise immediately or after a break, you will want to examine your
message critically, improving its conciseness, clarity, and readability.
Process (3 of 7)
Revising for Conciseness

• Concise messages save reading time and, thus, money.
• Messages that are written directly and efficiently are easier to read and
comprehend.
• In the revision process, look for shorter ways to say what you mean.
Process (4 of 7)
• Your writing will be more concise if you:

− Slash wordy expressions.
§ For example, notice the wordiness in this sentence: "In view of the fact
that sales are booming, in all probability profits will increase."
§ It could be said more concisely: "Because sales are booming, profits will
probably increase."
− Purge long lead-ins.
§ Long lead-ins are sentence introductions that contain unnecessary
words.
Process (5 of 7)
− Drop fillers.
•Unnecessary fillers are expressions such as “there is/are” or “it
is/was” that often delay getting to the point of the sentence.
− Reject redundancies.
§ Redundancies are expressions that repeat meaning or include
unnecessary words.
− Eliminate empty words.
§ Be alert to these empty words and phrases: case, degree, the fact that,
factor, instance, nature, and quality.
Process (6 of 7)
Writing Concise Social Media Messages

• Microblogging refers to short messages exchanged on social media networks
such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
• Regardless of the short messaging platform, conciseness is critical.
• Your messages must be short—without straying too far from conventional
spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Process (7 of 7)
• Your short messages will be most effective if you follow these tips:
− Include only main ideas focused on useful information.
− Choose descriptive but short words.
− Personalize message if possible.
− Use hashtags so that tweets are categorized around topics and easier to
find.
− Be prepared to draft several versions striving for conciseness, clarity, and,
yes, correctness.
Knowledge Check 1
True or False:
1. Editing involves correcting its grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and

mechanics.
2. Proofreading means improving the content and sentence structure of your
message.
3. Long lead-ins are necessary introductory words.
4. Redundancies are expressions that repeat meaning or include unnecessary
words.
4-5
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Message
4-5 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Message
(1 of 2)
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a message, try asking these questions.

− Is it polished and clear enough to convince the reader that you are worth
listening to?
− How successful will this message be?
− Does it say what you want it to?
− Will it achieve its purpose?
− How will you know whether it succeeds?
4-5 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Message
(2 of 2)
The best way to judge the success of your communication is through feedback.
• Encourage the receiver to respond to your message.
• Use their feedback to modify future efforts and improve your communication
technique.
5-4
Telling Stories with Blogs and News Sites
5-4 Telling Stories with Blogs and News Sites (1 of 8)
• A blog is a website or social media platform with journal entries usually written
by one person with comments added by others.
• Businesses use blogs to:
− Keep customers, employees, and the public informed
− Accumulate a far-flung, vast audience
− Shape the brand story in a longer narrative form
• Commercial banks, specialty retailers, semiconductors and electronics makers,
gas and electric utilities, and pharmaceuticals are the sectors most likely to
embrace blogs.
How Companies Tell Stories

• Companies use blogs for public relations, customer relations, market research,
internal communication, online community building, and recruiting.
• Internal blogs accessible to employees on a corporate intranet serve as
information hubs, encourage discussion, create a sense of community, and
foster engagement.
Public Relations and Customer Relations

• Blogs provide up-to-date company information to the media, employees, and
the public.
• Influencers, influential plugged-in opinion leaders who boast large online
audiences and followers, are invited by retailers to create a profile and blog on
its platform.
• Brand ambassadors are influential online opinion-leaders who are powerful
product champions. They evangelize, or advocate for brands and services in
exchange for compensation and perks.
Engagement and Viral Marketing

• The engagement aspect of blogging appears to be waning.
• Marketers hope their messages will be picked up by brand advocates or
influencers and go viral.
• Viral marketing refers to the rapid spread of messages online, much like the
spread of infectious diseases.
• Large companies employ social media experts and marketers who scrutinize
social media for information about their organizations and products.
Online Communities
• Company blogs can help create loyal followers who want to keep informed
about company events, product updates, offers, freebies, and other news.
Internal Communication and Recruiting

• Internally, blogs can be used to:
− Keep virtual teams on track and share updates on the road
− Help build communities
− Prompt the sharing of expertise
− Stimulate employee involvement
• Internal corporate blogs serve as searchable archives of company knowledge.

• Public-facing blogs mirror the company culture and help recruit potential
employees.
• As blogs mature, fewer encourage commentary, or they require registering and
logging in behind corporate firewalls.
Mastering Blogging: Seven Tips

1. Craft a catchy but concise title.
2. Ace the opening paragraph.
3. Provide details in the body.
4. Consider visuals.
5. Include a call to action.
6. Edit and proofread.
7. Respond to posts respectfully.
Knowledge Check 2
Fill in the Blank:
1. A ________________ is a website or social media platform with generally

well-crafted articles or commentaries on a variety of topics.
2. ________________ are loyal fans with a large social media following.
3. ________________ refers to the rapid spread of messages online, much like
the spread of infectious diseases.
4. ________________ mirror the company culture and help recruit potential
employees.
5-5
Navigating Social Networking for Business
5-5 Navigating Social Networking for Business
(1 of 15)
• Social media enable businesses to:

− Connect with customers and employees
− Share company news
− Promote goods and services
− Exchange ideas
(2 of 15)
Tapping into Social Media
• 72 percent of American adults use some type of social media.
• 85 percent of millennials (those born 1981–1996) use social media.
• 93 percent of millennials own smartphones.
• Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce (35 percent).
(3 of 15)
The Most Popular Social Media and Percentage of American Followers
− YouTube: 73 percent
− Facebook: 69 percent
− Instagram: 37 percent
− Pinterest: 28 percent
− LinkedIn: 27 percent
− Snapchat: 24 percent
− Twitter: 22 percent
− WhatsApp: 20 percent
(4 of 15)
The Most Popular Social Media Used by Fortune 500 Companies
− Facebook: 95 percent
− Twitter: 96 percent
− YouTube: 90 percent
− Instagram: 73 percent
− Because of its popularity with 14 to 26-year-old, advertisers are starting to
use TikTok.
(5 of 15)
Enterprise Social Networking
• Enterprise social networking mirrors social media sites but is securely located
behind corporate firewalls.
• The platforms promise seamless networking away from e-mail, connecting
workers one-on-one, in small teams, and across the entire company in one
secure environment.
(6 of 15)
• Many platforms combine an array of functions, such as:
− Project management
− Up-to-the-minute microblogging updates across the network
− Profiles of people in the organization
− Collaborative space
− Crowdsourcing tools
− Blogging
− Task management
− Content storage and forums
(7 of 15)
• Enterprise Social Networking platforms enable companies to:
− Quickly respond to disasters and prepare for future disaster needs.
− Use social analytics to track grievances posted on social media in order to
respond quickly, restoring goodwill.
− Match up and connect off-site employees.
− Conduct virtual meetings.
− Exchange instant messages to quickly resolve problems.
− Participate in enterprise social networking to contribute creative ideas.
− Invite employee input to effect change and solve business problems.
(8 of 15)
Social Media and Risk Management
• Public-facing social networks can lead to lost productivity, reputational damage,
and legal issues (e.g., violations of privacy laws, workplace harassment, and
defamation).
• Hackers may deliver malware through Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram
by hijacking accounts
• To minimize risk, companies rely on social media policies, approve and oversee
employees’ use of social media, and mandate training.
• The best advice to workers is to follow company policies.
(9 of 15)
DOs DON’Ts
• Learn your company’s rules. • Don’t spread rumors, gossip, and negative
defamatory comments.
• Avoid sending personal e-mail, instant
messages, or texts from work. • Don’t download and share cartoons, video clips,
photos, and art.
• Separate work and personal data. • Don’t open unfamiliar attachments.
• Be careful when blogging, tweeting, or posting • Don’t download free software and utilities to
on social networking sites. company machines.
• Keep sensitive information private. • Don’t store your music and photos on a company
machine (or server) and don’t watch streaming
• Avoid pornography, sexually explicit jokes, or videos.
inappropriate screen savers.
• Don’t share files and avoid file-sharing services.
(10 of 15)
The Dark Side of Technology and Social Media
• Privacy Fears:
− Location services in most apps allow users to be tracked.
− Our personal data ends up in the cloud, where it exists indefinitely and
where it can be hacked, viewed by unauthorized personnel, or sold to
advertisers.
− Sometimes our personal data ends up on the dark web, the black market of
the Internet, a mostly illicit network of websites that cannot be accessed by
standard search engines and browsers.
− Sensitive financial information and our medical data are stored in networks
that are frequently breached.
(11 of 15)
• Disinformation and Election Tampering:
− More than 90 percent of users access their news online; some 50 to 68
percent of them rely solely on social media.
− Online, people tend to seek out echo chambers (online communities of like-
minded people who embrace narratives confirming their existing views),
resulting in polarization.
− Disinformation, (false news stories, doctored narratives, and propaganda
spread on social media to confuse and incite the public), confuse the public.
− Foreign agents use large bot armies to disseminate fake news stories on
social media and incite conflict to deepen sharp divisions among the
American public.
(12 of 15)
• Deepfakes, Doctored Videos:
− A post-truth era; “circumstances in which objective facts are less influential
in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
− Advances in AI could soon make creating deepfakes (doctored video
footage that makes people seem to say or do something they did not do) a
lot easier, permitting ever more sophisticated disinformation.
− Such tampering could be weaponized before an election or might threaten
national security.
(13 of 15)
• Incivility, Trolling, and Cyberbullying:
− Trolls are social media users who fake their identity, provoke arguments,
and disrupt discussions.
− Users face threats of violence, doxxing (a form of bullying committed with
digital devices aimed at scaring, angering, or shaming victims), and troll
armies bent on silencing others.
− Cyberbullying, a form of bullying committed with digital devices aimed at
scaring, angering, or shaming victims, persistent messaging, and other
digital nastiness, has driven victims, many of them teenagers, to despair.
(14 of 15)
• Data Security:
− Spyware
− Ransomware attacks
− Phishing
− Data breaches
− Romance scammers on dating sites
− Fake bot accounts
− Hacking of connected security networks
− Vulnerabilities in smart speakers and connected cars
(15 of 15)
• The average total cost of a data breach stands at $3.9 million.
• In the most recent year, an average 25,575 records were compromised per
breach, and it took 279 days on average to identify and contain the breach.
• Americans’ knowledge of digital topics, such as cybersecurity or the advertising
business model of social media companies, is inadequate.
• Adoption of VPNs is spreading, and growing concern has led to efforts to
introduce privacy protections.
Thank you!
FlemingCollegeToronto.ca

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Communications 1

Alireza (Vincent) Vaseghi

The 3-x-3 Writing Process

The Writing Process Begins With Background Information

• Many routine tasks—such as drafting e-mails, memos, letters, informational reports,

• The following techniques are useful in informal research:

Revising for Conciseness

• Your writing will be more concise if you:

Writing Concise Social Media Messages

1. Editing involves correcting its grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a message, try asking these questions.

How Companies Tell Stories

Public Relations and Customer Relations

Engagement and Viral Marketing

Internal Communication and Recruiting

• Internal corporate blogs serve as searchable archives of company knowledge.

Mastering Blogging: Seven Tips

Fill in the Blank:

1. A ________________ is a website or social media platform with generally

• Social media enable businesses to:

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