Modules 8 & 13

Module 8 talks about Reader Benefits, which are the benefits or advantages that the reader gets by using your service, buying your products, following your policies or adopting your ideas.  The reader benefits are important in persuasive messages to show people why your message or idea is useful and should be adopted. You should think of what it is that motivates your audience, and then think of how the features of your product or idea might benefit the audience.  It is also important to use the benefits that you can develop the best, so that you are able to explain and persuade the reader why they should adopt your message.

Module 13 is about E-mail messages and Web writing.  It explains how technology is rapidly changing, and that we should expect to change the way that we communicate with it.  It is important to remember that e-mail messages can be read by your boss or forwarded by those who receive them, so be aware and careful of what you put in them.  Subject lines in e-mails need to be specific so that people do not skip over them thinking they are unimportant.  Social networking tools are also starting to become very popular in the business world, just remember to keep it professional and not to put anything on there that your boss may see that might get you into trouble. 

One thing that is very important from module 8, is that it is a great idea for you to brainstorm to come up with the best reader benefits.  It is not always obvious what the reader benefits might be, so if you brainstorm it will help you come up with multiple possibilities and give you a wider range to select from to pick the best benefits to include in your message.

Another important thing to remember that comes from module 13 is if you are angry, do not write an e-mail message because you are much more likely say something that you may regret, such as insulting someone or making threats that could get you in to trouble.  The best thing to do is wait until you have calmed down and then write it carefully, making sure to reread and edit before you send.

Modules 11 & 12

Module 11 is about negative messages.  If you write a negative message, you should only use a negative subject line if you think the reader may ignore the message because they do not think that the message is important.  Also, when you give a bad news message to a boss or other superior, you want to make the subject line that focuses on solving the problem.  Bad news letters to people outside of the organization should try to build goodwill, bad news letters to superiors should offer solutions not just report the problem, and bad news letters to peers and subordinates should try to get them involved in trying to help solve the problem.  In bad news letters, do not tell the reader that they cannot do something, instead word it in a way to show that a policy is being changed or some other way that is not as personal and blaming. Module 12 is about Persuasive Messages.  The two main persuasive strategies are the direct request pattern and the problem solving pattern.  Use the direct request pattern if the audience will do as you ask without resistance or you need a response only from the people who are willing to act.  Use a problem solving pattern when the audience is likely to object to your proposal, you need action from everyone, and you expect the logic to be more important than emotion in the final decision.  In the subject line, you should use the request, topic or question if you are using the direct request approach, otherwise use a reader benefit.

One thing that I thought was very important in module 11 was when writing a bad letter to someone outside of your company, I thought that it was a great idea for the writer to offer additional alternatives to the reader so that it can help to build goodwill and show the reader that even though the writer or company has bad news for them, they are still willing to offer assistance in whatever ways they can.

Something in module 12 that is very important is a way to help people overcome objections to a problem, such as how much time or money they may have to spend.  To overcome this, you can show them how little time they could expect to spend on the project/problem, and also show them what could be overcome and accomplished with the money they may spend, these will help to eliminate any fears they may have.

Modules 9 & 10

Module 9 discusses the formats for letters and memos.  It talks about block and modified block formats and the difference between the two.  It also talks about the other important parts of a letter or memo such as the salutation, complimentary closes, subject line and reference line.  It discusses letterheads which are preprinted paper that has the company name, logo, address, and phone number on it and how to go about using them in single page and multiple page letters.  This module also talks about how to create a professional image, to be aware of the culture of the business that you are working for and to make sure you follow that culture so that you fit in nicely and present yourself as a respectable individual.  It also discusses certain courtesy titles that you should use when addressing people in letters, so that you use the correct title and do not offend anyone.

Module 10 discusses informative and positive messages.  It says that even simple informative or good news messages include several primary and secondary purposes, such as to give information or good news to the reader, to build a good image of the writer and/or the writers organization, and so forth.  It discusses subject lines, which are important because they tell the reader what the message is about and why they should read it.  Subject lines should be specific so the reader is clear what the message holds, and it should be short, just 3 to 7 words.  When writing letters or memo's, you should insert reader benefits when you are presenting policies, if the stressing benefits presents readers' motives positively, or if some of the benefits may not be obvious.  Thank you notes will help create better relationships with people you work with and make them more willing to help you in the future. 

One thing that I found very interesting was in module 9 on creating a professional image.  I think that when you are new to a company or organization you should have a mentor in the workplace that can show the ropes so that you do not do something that might make you look bad.  That also would help you to get to know others that work there with you since they could introduce you to others or invite you out after work.

I also think that it is very important to know how to format a message or letter when there are multiple pages.  For instance it is very important to put a signature block on the second page and so forth so that you can make sure that the correct page is being placed in the envelope just in case you have printed out multiple letters or memos to different people and get them mixed up.

Web Page Analysis

The first Web Site that I visited was Amazon.com.  Amazon is a very simple looking Web Site, it has a simple banner at the top that has their Amazon logo on it, and below that is a search box that you can use to search the entire site for anything that you are wanting to shop for, and then down the left hand side of the page is a more general shopping guide, where you can select a genre such as books or movies that will take you to a page full of different books and movies that they offer for sale.  When you go to the homepage they also advertise for their own product the Kindle, but then below that is also a more custom selection based on what they think you would like to buy according to your recent purchase and browsing history, so it feels like they are catering to your likes and is a really good marketing strategy to get people to buy some things that they didn’t originally mean to purchase when they visit the Web Site.   Navigation throughout the site is very easy, and the load times are kept to a minimum by keeping away from large images that might slow down a computer.

Amazon makes good use of white space on their Web Site, which helps to keep the site from looking too cluttered and makes it easier for the viewer to find what they are looking for.  When you select a category to shop in such as movies, it uses headings and different font sizes and colors for subheadings to make it easier for you to go through the different genre's of movies to help you find what it is you may be looking for.

The audience for Amazon.com is pretty much everyone, from buyers to sellers.  You can buy or sell everything from new and used books and movies to clothes and tools, so you can find almost anything that you want on this web site and most of the things you find on here are often at discounted prices when compared to department stores or other stores that carry the items, making it very popular for purchasing gifts or other things that you may not need right at this moment and can afford to wait a few days for shipping.

The second Web Site that I visited was Ebay.com.  Ebay is also a very simple looking Web Site, using a white background with a small Ebay symbol at the top of the page.  It also has a very simple way of finding what you are shopping for by just typing it in to a search box that will then display all of the matches so you can buy.  After searching for the item that you are looking for, you can then sort the search list by a few different ways, including by price or by relevance.  It is very easy to set up a buyer/seller account and they have a great notification system to alert you whenever you do sell an item. 

The load times of the pages are also very short, and the Web Site is very easy to navigate thanks to the user friendly search engine and tabs on the left column for a more general search.  Headers of different fonts and sized help you to navigate through similar items to help you find things easier

Ebay is very similar to Amazon in that you can buy almost anything that you can think of on their web site, even cars and boats.  It attracts just about everyone as well because since a lot of the sellers on the site are individuals you can sometimes find very good deals that will help you save a lot of money.

Module 4 & 5

Module 4 is about the planning, writing, and revising of your document.  Planning is analyzing the problem, and gathering the information needed.  Writing is just putting that planning into words onto your paper or screen.  Revising is editing your work, having others look over it to give feedback, changing parts of the document to make it more efficient or adding or deleting parts.  Planning consists of brainstorming, freewriting, or clustering, which are all great ways to get your brain thinking to help come up with creative ideas.  Getting feedback from others is a great way to improve your work through revision, it  brings another perspective into the work that can help a document be more efficient.

Module 5 is about the design of documents.  This module explains how important it is to have well thought out and presented documents and gives examples of ways to do it such as the use of white space, headings, mix of paragraph lengths, etc.  Headings are important because they divide your letter into sections, and make it easy for the reader to navigate.  The module also discusses the different types of fonts that are available, and stresses that no more than two separate types of fonts should be used in the same document.  When preparing power point slides, you should use larger font, 44 or 50-point font instead of 11 or 12 such as in a regular business document.  On power points, you should also use bullet-point phrases instead of long sentences, and also only use clip art in a presentation if it is totally necessary and relevant.  This module also discusses Web page design, in a Web page, the opening screen is crucial, it must open quickly and be easy to navigate.

One thing that I found very interesting was in Module 5 on Web design.  I have found that the text book is correct, that usually if a Web page does not load within the first 15 seconds most people, including myself, will become frustrated and leave the site.  I also find that if a website is difficult to navigate then it will not become as popular and people will tend to shy away from it.  I experienced this a little when I attended Jefferson Community College.  I always thought that it was too difficult to navigate around their main web site and it became such a chore to ever get on there to find something about the schedule or even to find classes for the upcoming semester.

Another thing that I found to be very interesting were the ways to improve feedback.  You should tell the person that is reviewing your paper specific areas that you want comments on for parts of the document you are not so sure about.  Having someone help you revising it will also help to catch mistakes that the writer does not notice because they have read it as they understand it, which may not make sense to other people.

Modules 1 & 2

There are different types of communication, verbal and nonverbal.  Verbal uses words and can be face to face meetings or letters, emails, etc.  Nonverbal communication does not use words, it comes from either pictures, body language, or other things that do not involve words.  Business writing is much different than other types of writing.  The purpose is different, as well as the audience(who can be a person outside of the organization), information is probably new to whoever you are telling, and so forth.  There are three basic purposes to business communication, to inform, to request or persuade, and to build good will.  Employees with good communication and writing skills can help a company save money by knowing the best way to write to convey a message, and to get it right the first time to save time and money.    A message must be effective, it must be clear and correct.  Know your audience, your primary audience, secondary audience, initial audience, gatekeeper, and watchdog audience.  Make sure the message meets what the audience needs otherwise it will not be effective, it should be clear so that they can interpret it with ease and accuracy.  When communicating with someone, you should be aware of their knowledge, demographic factors, personality, values and beleifs, and past behavior.  When writing to an audience, use a style that is easy to understand and avoid words that may be offensive or arrogant.

One part of the reading that I find to be very useful is knowing the personality of the person that you are communicating with.  If you know this persons personality, it will help you to know the best way to communicate with them effectively, and it will also help you to avoid ways that you know that person looks down upon or does not like as much.  Another part of the reading that I thought was very useful was to know the organizations culture.  In order for you to fit into an organization, you must understand and usually follow the culture of those that you work with.  This will help you to have better relationships with coworkers, as well as possibly open up more advancement opportunities and help you be more happy in your workplace.