DEL RIO INDUSTRIAL CONSULTANTS
11.17 Leaving a professional Voice Mail Message
Voice mail messages can be very effective communication tools as long as they are professional and make responding to them easy.
Your task. If your instructor allows, call his or her office number after hours or within a specified time frame. Plan what you will say; if needed, jot down a few notes. Leave a professional voice mail message as described in this chapter. Start by introducing yourself by name, then give your telephone number, and finally, leave a brief message about something you discussed in class, read in the chapter, or want the instructor to know about you. Speak slowly, loudly enough, and clearly, so that your instructor won’t need to replay your message.
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup—11
Other punctuation
Although this checkup concentrates on Sections 2.23–2.29 in the Grammar/Mechanics Handbook, you may also refer to other punc- tuation principles. Insert any necessary punctuation and change any incorrect punctuation. In the space provided, indicate the num- ber of changes you make and record the number of the G/M principle(s) illustrated. Count each mark separately; for example, a set of parentheses counts as 2. If you make no changes, write 0. Use the underscore to show italics. When you finish, compare your responses with those provided at the end of the book. If your responses differ, study carefully the specific principles shown in parentheses.
example (De-emphasize) Current sales projections see page 11 in the attached report indicate a profitable year ahead.
1. (Emphasize) Three outstanding employees Santiago Wilson, Rae Thomas, and Charles Stoop will receive bonuses.
2. Will you please Jonathon complete your assignment by six o’clock?
3. To determine whether to spell e-mail with or without the hyphen be sure to consult our company style sheet.
4. Cargill, Koch Industries, and Bechtel these are the most profitable private companies in America.
5. (De-emphasize) Today’s employers regularly conduct three kinds of background checks drug, credit, and criminal before hiring employees.
6. Was it Warren Buffet who said “The rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield
7. Did you see the article titled Wireless Riches From Serving the Poor that appeared in The New York Times 8. (Emphasize) Three cities considered the best places in the world to live Vienna, Zurich, and Geneva are
all in Europe.
9. Did you send invitations to Dr Lisa Uhl, Ms Ginger Ortiz, and Mr Orrin T Tapia
10. Our instructor recommended the chapter titled The Almost Perfect Meeting that appeared in Emily Post’s book called The Etiquette Advantage in Business.
11. Incredible Did you see the price of gold today
12. Susan wondered what keywords would attract the most clicks in her Google ad?
13. The owner of Smash Party Entertainment found that the best keyword for her online ad business was party.
14. Is the reception scheduled to begin at 6 pm
15. The term autoregressive is defined as using past data to predict future data.
2 (2.27) (
^ )
^
As the employee with the best communication skills, you are frequently asked to edit messages. The following meeting minutes have problems with grammar, punctuation, wordiness, spelling, proofreading, apostrophes, sentence structure, and other writing tech- niques you have studied. You may either (a) use standard proofreading marks (see Appendix B) to correct the errors here or (b) down- load the document from www.cengagebrain.com and revise at your computer. Study the guidelines in the Grammar/Mechanics Handbook to sharpen your skills.
editing Challenge—11
© Cengage Learning 2013
Mountain View Parks and Recreation Board
Board Room, City Hall, 10 Main Street, Mountin View, Colorado October 29, 201x
Present: Scott Almquist, Sue Hjortsberg, Bob Taft, Shirley Bailey, Michelle Esteban, Terri Rogers, David Kazanis
Absent: Kathie Muratore
The meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm in the evening by Vice Chair Michelle Esteban.
Minutes from the September 28thmeeting was read and approved.
Old Business
Manager Scott Almquist reported that a ten thousand dollar gift from the Partners of Parks &
Recreation, Inc., had been recieved. The gift according to the donors request will be used for renovation of the Community Center. Bids were coming in considerable higher then antici- pated, however, Mr. Almquist is confident that the project will move foreward on schedule.
Sue Hjortsberg reported on her research into municipal park festivitys. She reccomended that Board members read an article titled Guide to Park Celebrations which appeared in the July issue of Park Management.
New Business
Discussion was held in a matter related to a donation request from Plains Real Estate Co., Inc. This donation involves three lots on Rancho Street, see pages 2-4 of your board packet.
Because these lots is near Buffalo park Bob Taft stated that he couldn't hardly see any value in adding another “small tot” park to that area.
MOTION: To deny request from Plans Real Estate Co, Inc., to donate 3 lots on Rancho Street for Park purposes. (Taft/Bailey). Passed unanimously.
Discussion was held about proposed bonuses in view of the fact that the budget has been cut. Should the planned bonuses for three outstanding gardeners: Hector Valdez, Heather York, and Juan Rio, be postponed. The matter was tabled untill the next meeting.
Board members discussed the facility fee schedule for community use. David Kazanis sug- gested that fees should not be charged for Senior or Youth programs held in Mountain View facilitys but he thought that fees for adult sport's and fitness programs would need to be increase to cover added expenses.
MOTION: To increase fees for adult sport's and fitness programs held in Mountain View Park and Recreation District facilities. (Kazanis/Rogers). Failed 2-5.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjorned at 8:35 pm. The next meeting of the Mountain View Parks and Recreation Board will be held November 28that the City Hall Board Room.
Respectfully submitted,
C a r e e r s k i l l s
Communication Workshop
dr. Guffey’s Guide to Business etiquette and Workplace Manners
Etiquette, civility, and goodwill efforts may seem out of place in today’s fast-paced, high-tech offices. However, etiquette and courtesy are more important than ever if diverse employees want to work cooperatively and maximize productivity and workflow. Many organizations recognize that good manners are good for business. Some colleges and universities offer management pro- grams that include a short course in manners. Companies are also conducting manners seminars for trainees and veteran managers. Why is politeness regaining legitimacy as a leadership tool?
Primarily because courtesy works.
Good manners convey a positive image of an organization. We like to do business with people who show respect and treat others civilly. People also like to work in an environment that is pleasant. Considering how much time is spent at work, wouldn’t an agreeable environment be preferable to one in which people are rude and uncivil?
You can brush up your workplace etiquette skills online at Dr. Guffey’s Guide to Business Etiquette and Workplace Manners (www.cengagebrain.com). Of interest to both workplace new- comers and veterans, this guide covers the following topics:
Professional Image
Introductions and Greetings Networking Manners General Workplace Manners Coping With Cubicles Interacting With Superiors Managers’ Manners Business Meetings Business Gifts
Business Cards
Dealing With Angry Customers Telephone Manners
Cell Phone Etiquette E-Mail Etiquette
Gender-Neutral Etiquette Business Dining
Avoiding Social Blunders When Abroad
To gauge your current level of knowledge of business etiquette, take the preview quiz at www.cengagebrain.com. Then, study all 17 business etiquette topics. These easy-to-read topics are arranged in bulleted lists of dos and don’ts. After you complete this etiquette module, your instructor may test your comprehension by giving a series of posttests.
Career application. As manager at OfficeTemps, a company specializing in employment placement and human resources information, you received a request from a reporter. She is preparing an article for a national news organization about how workplace etiquette is changing in today’s high-tech environment. The reporter asks for any other information you can share with her regarding her topic, “Information Age Etiquette.”
Her letter lists the following questions:
• Are etiquette and workplace manners still important in today’s fast-paced Information Age work environment? Why or why not?
• Do workers need help in developing good business manners? Why or why not?
• Are the rules of office conduct changing? If so, how?
• What advice can you give about gender-neutral etiquette?
• What special manners do people working in shared workspaces need to observe?
Your task. In teams or individually, prepare an information response letter addressed to Ms.
Lindsey Ann Evans, National Press Association, 443 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10024. Use the data you learned in this workshop. Conduct additional Web research if you wish. Remember that you will be quoted in her newspaper article, so make it interesting!
1 Pearson, C., & Porath, C. (2009). The cost of bad behavior: How incivility is damaging your business and what to do about it. New York, NY: Portfolio/Penguin.
2 Buhler, P. M. (2003, April 1). Managing in the new millennium; workplace civility: Has it fallen by the wayside? Supervision. Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management/513719-1.html
3 Wikipedia: Civility. (2011, January 6). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Civility
4 Johnson, D. (1988–2006). Dine like a diplomat. Seminar Script. The Protocol School of Washington, Columbia, South Carolina.
5 Albrecht, K. (2005). Social intelligence: The new science of success. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, p. 3.
6 Cited in Johnson, D. (1995-2005). Outclass the competition—Business etiquette. The Protocol School of Washington, Columbia, South Carolina.
7 Chismar, D. (2001). Vice and virtue in everyday (business) life. Journal of Business Ethics, 29, 169–176. doi: 10.1023/A:1006467631038
8 Hughes, T. (2008). Being a professional. Wordconstructions.com. Retrieved from http://www.wordconstructions.com/articles /business/professional.html; Grove, C., & Hallowell, W. (2002). The seven balancing acts of professional behavior in the United States: A cultural values perspective. Grovewell.com. Retrieved from http://www.grovewell.com/pub-usa-professional.html
9 Brent, P. (2006, November). Soft skills speak volumes. CA Magazine, 139, p. 112. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
10 Laff, M. (2006, December). Wanted: CFOs with communications skills. ASTD, 60(12), 20. Retrieved from http://store.astd.org
11 Martin, C. (2007, March 6). The importance of face-to-face communication at work. CIO.com. Retrieved from http://www.cio.com /article/29898/The_Importance_of_Face_to_Face_Communication_at_Work; Duke, S. (2001, Winter). E-mail: Essential in media relations, but no replacement for face-to-face communication. Public Relations Quarterly, p. 19.
12 Brenner, R. (2007, October 17). Virtual conflict. Point Lookout, Chaco Canyon Consulting. Retrieved from http://www.chacocanyon .com/pointlookout/071017.shtml; Drolet, A. L., & Morris, M. W. (2000, January). Rapport in conflict resolution: Accounting for how face-to-face contact fosters mutual cooperation in mixed-motive conflicts. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, p. 26.
13 Miculka, J. (1999). Speaking for success. Cincinnati: South-Western, p. 19.
14 Motivational and Inspirational Corner. (2005, June 27). Retrieved from http://www.motivational-inspirational-corner.com/getquote .html?startrow=11&categoryid=207
15 Burge, J. (2002, June). Telephone safety protocol for today. The National Public Accountant. FindArticles.com. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4325/is_2002_June/ai_n25049376
16 Smith, A. (2010, July 7). Mobile access 2010. Pew Internet. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.com/Reports/2010 /Mobile-Access-2010.aspx; Lanman, S. (2005, July 9). Mobile-phone users become a majority. San Francisco Chronicle, p. C1.
17 Smith, A. (2010, July 7). Mobile access 2010. Pew Internet. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.com/Reports/2010 /Mobile-Access-2010.aspx; Sidener, J. (2008, January 27). Cell phones taking on many roles, transforming market, generation.
SignOnSanDiego.com. Retrieved from http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080127-9999-1n27phone.html
18 Study: More cellular-only homes as Americans expand mobile media usage. (2009, December 21). Nielsen Wire. Retrieved from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/study-more-cellular-only-homes-as-americans-expand-mobile-media-usage;
Hockenberry, J., Adaora, U., & Colgan, J. (2008, May 20). For many Americans, cell phones are supplanting the landline. The Take Away. Retrieved from http://www.thetakeaway.org/2008/may/20/for-many-americans-cell-phones-are-supplanting-the-landline
19 Pearson, C. (2010, May 16). Sending a message that you don’t care. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
20 Xerox’ new design team: Customers. (2007, May 7). Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com /magazine/content/07_19/b4033087.htm
21 Glionna, J. M., & Choi, J. (2011, January 22). Apple grows on Samsung’s soil. Los Angeles Times, p. B3.
22 Brown, M. K., Huettner, B., & James-Tanny, C. (2007). Managing virtual teams: Getting the most of wikis, blogs, and other collaborative tools. Plano, TX: Wordware Publishing; Lipnack, J. & Stamps, J. (2000). Virtual teams: People working across boundaries with technol- ogy (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley, p. 18.
23 Kiger, P. J. (2006, September 25). Flexibility to the fullest: Throwing out the rules of work—Part 1 of 2. Workforce Management, 85(18), p. 1. See also Holland, K. (2006, December). When work time isn’t face time. The New York Times, p. BU 3.
24 Cutler, G. (2007, January–February). Mike leads his first virtual team. Research-Technology Management, 50(1), 66. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
25 Rey, J. (2010, June). Team building. Inc., 32(5), 68–71; Romando, R. (2006, November 9). Advantages of corporate team building.
Ezine Articles. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Advantages-of-Corporate-Team-Building&id=352961; Amason, A. C., Hochwarter, W. A., Thompson, K. R., & Harrison, A. W. (1995, Autumn). Conflict: An important dimension in successful manage- ment teams. Organizational Dynamics, 24(2), 1. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com; Romando, R. (2006, November 9).
Advantages of corporate team building. Ezine Articles. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Advantages-of-Corporate-Team- Building&id=352961
26 Ruffin, B. (2006, January). T.E.A.M. work: Technologists, educators, and media specialists collaborating. Library Media Connection, 24(4), p. 49. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
27 Pratt, E. L. (2010). Virtual teams in very small classes. In: R. Ubell (Ed.), Virtual teamwork: Mastering the art and practice of online learning and corporate collaboration. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, pp. 93–94; Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, K. (1994). The wisdom of teams.
New York: HarperBusiness, p. 45.
endnotes
28 Pratt, E. L. (2010). Virtual teams in very small classes. In: R. Ubell (Ed.), Virtual teamwork: Mastering the art and practice of online learn- ing and corporate collaboration. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, p. 93.
29 Holstein, W. J. (2008, May 30). Getting the most from management teams. BusinessWeek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek .com/managing/content/may2008/ca20080530_775110.htm?chan=search
30 Weiten, W. (2010). Psychology: Themes and variations (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage, pp. 74–75; Gale, S. F. (2006, July).
Common ground. PM Network, p. 48. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
31 Sharif, A., & Chmaytelli, M. (2010, April 11). Dubai forms a team to prepare medium-term finance plan. Bloomberg Businessweek.
Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.co.jp/apps/news?pid=90970900&sid=a5mvKBZqcMv8
32 Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, K. (1994). The wisdom of teams. New York: HarperBusiness, p. 50.
33 Quoted in Rothwell, J. D. (2010). In mixed company: Communicating in small groups and teams (7th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage, p. 261.
34 Dull meeting? I’d rather see the dentist. (2004, October 19). Personnel Today, p. 1. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
35 Maher, K. (2004, January 13). The jungle: Focus on recruitment, pay and getting ahead. The Wall Street Journal, p. B6.
36 Schechtman, M. quoted in Lancaster, H. (1998, May 26). Learning some ways to make meetings less awful. The Wall Street Journal, p. B1; Wuorio, J. (2010). Eight way to show speaking skills in a meeting. Microsoft Business. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft .com/business/en-us/resources/management/leadership-training/8-ways-to-show-speaking-skills-in-a-meeting.aspx#waystoshow speakingskillsinameeting
37 ThinkExist.com. Retrieved from http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/by_failing_to_prepare-you_are_preparing_to_fail/199949.html
38 Bruening, J. C. (1996, July). There’s good news about meetings. Managing Office Technology, pp. 24–25. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com
39 Lapowsky, I. (2010, June 9). How to start a volunteer program. Inc. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06 /volunteer-program.html
40 Imperato, G. (2007, December 19). You have to start meeting like this! FastCompany.com. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany .com/magazine/23/begeman.html
41 Schabacker, K. (1991, June). A short, snappy guide to meaningful meetings. Working Women, p. 73.
42 Hamilton, C., & Parker, C. (2001). Communicating for success(6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, pp. 311–312.
43 2007–2008 Corporate social responsibility report. Timberland.com. Retrieved from http://community.timberland.com /Reporting-Downloads; Marquis, C. (2003, July). Doing well and doing good. The New York Times,p. BU 2.
p. 331 Office Insider cited in Bosrock, R. M. (2005, October 5). Business forum: Good manners bring good results. Star Tribune.com.
Retrieved from http://www.startribune.com/business/11050361.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
p. 332 Office Insider cited in Chismar, D. (2001). Vice and virtue in everyday (business) life. Journal of Business Ethics, 29, 169–176. doi:
10.1023/A:1006467631038
p. 334 Office Insider from Tom Peters quoted in Begley, K. A. (2004). Face to face communication: Making human connections in a technology-driven world. NETg. Retrieved from http://www.axzopress.com/downloads/pdf/1560526998pv.pdf
p. 336 Office Insider cited in Johnson, D. (1988–2006). Dine like a diplomat. Seminar Script. The Protocol School of Washington.
Columbia, South Carolina.
p. 337 Office Insider based on Andrew Carnegie quoted in Johnson, D. (1988–2006). Dine like a diplomat. Seminar Script. The Protocol School of Washington. Columbia, South Carolina.
p. 344 Office Insider cited in Edmondson, G. (2006, October 16). The secret of BMW’s success. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005078.htm
p. 346 Office Insider based on Andrew Carnegie quoted in HeartQuotes: Quotes of the Heart. Retrieved from http://www . heartquotes.net/teamwork-quotes.html
p. 348 Office Insider quoted in Gantz, N. R. (2009). 101 Global leadership lessons for nurses. Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International, p. 278.
p. 351 Office Insider cited in Bates, S. (2011). “Running a meeting: Ten rookie mistakes and how to avoid them. Management Consulting News. Retrieved from http://www.managementconsultingnews.com/articles/bates_meeting.php
acknowledgments
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OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to
• Discuss two important first steps in preparing effective oral presentations.
• Explain the major elements of a presentation: the introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Identify techniques for gaining audience rapport, including using effective imagery, providing verbal signposts, and sending appropriate nonverbal messages.
• Discuss types of visual aids, including multimedia slides, handouts, overhead transparencies, and speaker’s notes.
• Explain how to design an impressive multimedia presentation, including adapting template and color schemes; organizing, composing, and editing your slideshow; rehearsing your talk; and keeping audiences engaged.
• Specify delivery techniques for use before, during, and after a presentation.
Business Presentations
Preparing Effective Oral Presentations
Perhaps you have admired the speaking skills of such well-known orators as moti- vational expert Anthony Robbins, self-help guru Zig Ziglar, and the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Few of us will ever talk to an audience of millions—whether face-to-face or aided by technology. We won’t be introducing a spectacular new product or motivating millions. At some point, however, all businesspeople have to inform others or sell an idea. Such information and persuasion are often conveyed in person and involve audiences of various sizes. If you are like most people, you have some apprehension when speaking in public. That’s normal. Good speakers are made, not born. The good news is that you can conquer the fear of public speaking and hone your skills with instruction and practice.
Speaking Skills and Your Career
Many future businesspeople fail to take advantage of opportunities in college
to develop speaking skills. However, such skills often play an important role in Effective speaking skills and career success go hand in hand.
a successful career. In fact, the No. 1 predictor of success and upward mobility, according to an AT&T and Stanford University study, is how much you enjoy public speaking and how effective you are at it.1 Speaking skills are useful at every career stage. You might, for example, have to make a sales pitch before customers or speak to a professional gathering. You might need to describe your company’s expansion plans to your banker, or you might need to persuade management to support your proposed marketing strategy.
As you have seen in Chapter 11, technical skills aren’t enough to guarantee success. Speaking skills rank very high on recruiters’ wish lists. In a recent survey of employers, spoken communication took the top spot as the most desirable
“soft skill” sought in job candidates. It even ranks above a strong work ethic, teamwork, analytical skills, and initiative.2 Another employer study reported that 70 percent of executives considered oral communication skills very important for high school graduates entering the job market; 82 percent for two-year college graduates, and a whopping 95 percent for four-year college graduates.3
This chapter prepares you to use speaking skills in making effective and pro- fessional oral presentations, whether alone or as part of a team. You will learn what to do before, during, and after your presentation; and how to design effective visual aids and multimedia presentations. For any presentation, you can reduce your fears and lay the foundation for a professional performance by focusing on five areas: preparation, organization, audience rapport, visual aids, and delivery.
Knowing Your Purpose
The most important part of your preparation is deciding what you want to accom- plish. Do you want to sell a health care program to a prospective client? Do you want to persuade management to increase the marketing budget? Do you want to inform customer service reps of three important ways to prevent miscommunica- tion? Whether your goal is to persuade or to inform, you must have a clear idea of where you are going. At the end of your presentation, what do you want your listeners to remember or do?
Nicholas Gilmore, a loan officer at First Fidelity Trust, faced such questions as he planned a talk for a class in small business management. (You can see the outline for his talk in Figure 12.3 on page 370.) Nicholas’s former business profes- sor had asked him to return to campus and give the class advice about borrowing money from banks in order to start new businesses. Because Nicholas knew so much about this topic, he found it difficult to extract a specific purpose state- ment for his presentation. After much thought he narrowed his purpose to this:
To inform potential entrepreneurs about three important factors that loan officers consider before granting start-up loans to launch small businesses. His entire presen- tation focused on ensuring that the class members understood and remembered three principal ideas.
Knowing Your Audience
A second key element in preparation is analyzing your audience, anticipating its reactions, and adjusting to its needs if necessary. Audiences may fall into four categories, as summarized in Figure 12.1. By anticipating your audience, you have a better idea of how to organize your presentation. A friendly audience, for example, will respond to humor and personal experiences. A neutral audi- ence requires an even, controlled delivery style. You would want to fill the talk with facts, statistics, and expert opinions. An uninterested audience that is forced to attend requires a brief presentation. Such an audience might respond best to humor, cartoons, colorful visuals, and startling statistics. A hostile audience demands a calm, controlled delivery style with objective data and expert opinion.
Whatever type of audience you will have, remember to plan your presentation so that it focuses on audience benefits. The members of your audience will want to know what’s in it for them.
Preparing for an oral presentation means identifying your purpose and understanding the audience.
Audience analysis issues include size, age, gender, experience, attitude, and expectations.
OffiCe insideR
“Presentation skills are a primary differentiator among you and your peers. Master your presentation skills, and become the master of your career options.”
—Andrew Dlugan, communication coach and public speaker