COMM 4170-01: Applied Organizational Communication

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COMM 4170-01Applied Organizational Communication

• Instructor Dan Lair
• Day Twenty Three Reports and Presentations
• November 15, 2005

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Todays Agenda

• Quiz
• Discussion of General Business Communication
  Principles
• Writing Reports
• Doing Presentations
• Discussion of Providing Feedback

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Communicating with Business Audiences General
Considerations

• Get to the point
• Keep it simple
• Talk to the appropriate level
• Show, dont tell
• Know when to use active/passive voice
• Use non-discriminatory language

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Communicating with Business Audiences Developing
a Professional Ethos

• To trust you, your readers must believe you are a
  competent person, a professional
• Make sure you get the information down correctly
• The data
• The names
• The spelling
• The grammar

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Writing the Report General Considerations

• Use Headings and Subheadings
• Avoid Overload
• Short paragraphs (7 lines)
• Bulleted and numbered lists
• Use a Consistent Style
• Add Visual Appeal
• Dont Overdo It

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Writing the ReportStructure/Template

• Front matter
• Cover memo
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Main Report
• Executive Summary
• Body
• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Recommendations
• Back Matter
• Works Cited
• Any relevant appendices

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Keys to Successful Business Presentations(adapted
from Fast Company, Feb/Mar 1997)

• Keep a persuasive element
• Know your audience
• First and last impressions count
• Keep it simple
• Make it a performance
• Have a backup plan
• Be prepared for conflict
• PRACTICE!

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Highlighting DeWines Recommendations

• Negative feedback is understood less
• Positive feedback needs to be specific
• Feedback should be impersonal
• Tailor feedback to the person
• Use humor, if appropriate
• Subtlety is often the best policy

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Discussion Anticipating Difficult Feedback
Issues in Group Projects.