Professionalism is the quality of performing at the highest possible level and conducting oneself with confidence, purpose, and pride. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content. The most highly touted recruit in Gonzaga history needed no. We want to wood craft stores spokane logo our warmest appreciation to the devoted professionals at Pearson Higher Education for spokanw commitment to producing high-value, student-focused texts, including Tim Bozik, president; Stephanie Wall, editor-in-chief; Maggie Moylan, direc- tor of marketing; Emily Tamburri, acquisitions editor; Denise Weiss, program manager; Nicole Suddeth, project manager; and Jeff Holcomb, senior managing editor of produc- tion. This felt a little bit like drowning, woodd mercifully, lasted for spokaane a few seconds. What wood craft stores spokane logo do you need?

Besides the menu, which in its former iteration showcased Northwest-centric dishes like a popular crispy Washington steelhead entree, the other big change Hegsted made through the introduction of Baba was longer operating hours.

As Wandering Table, the restaurant served dinner only, opening late in the afternoon. Baba, meanwhile, is open all day starting at 9 am, and introduces a brunch menu served daily from 9. The good news, however, is that these local troops will be setting up tables for in-person sales at area grocery stores starting March Sales at dozens of those locations and online continue through April Girl Scouts can also still share personalized sales.

Cookie orders placed online can be shipped for a fee, but an option for free local delivery may also be offered, depending on the troop, says Renee Smock, chief operating officer of GSEWNI. Unlike last year, when the threat of COVID halted nearly all in-person interactions throughout spring, Girl Scouts across the region will once again be able to sell cookies outside dozens of local grocery stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, Super 1 Foods, Rosauers and Walmart.

In-person sales run March 26 to April A third way to get cookies, also new this year, is via the delivery platform Grubhub, Smock says, adding that this feature is available for select areas. About local troops are participating in cookie sales this year. More than 16, cookies have been donated toward these efforts already this year, Newberry says. It was only the second feature by year-old British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, and it immediately established his trademark obsessions with high-concept genre deviations and time-twisting storytelling devices.

This is, of course, entirely subjective, because everyone has their own favorite Nolan joint. For rent on Amazon Prime and Google Play. The capper on the Dark Knight trilogy is easily the least of the three, overstuffed and sometimes awkwardly plotted. Streaming on HBO Max. It holds up relatively well, too, establishing a bustling, hardscrabble world that piqued our interest for more.

Streaming on Amazon Prime. Streaming on Netflix. Streaming on Hoopla, Kanopy and Tubi. On a purely primitive level, Dunkirk is also a tightly wound ticking-clock thriller, with three concurrent timelines that converge and overlap and sometimes fold in on each other. The Dark Knight is arguably still the high water mark of the now-ubiquitous superhero genre, expanding the themes of its predecessor into a portrait of a city coming apart at the seams.

Sure, it might run on a little long maybe Nolan should have saved Two Face for another sequel , but it remains gripping and risky more than a decade later. Streaming on HBO Max n. He was Comments have been edited and condensed for clarity. We decided to start a band, a branch off of his solo project, and to make it more of me and him co-writing.

It was just the two of us at that point. We were still young, 19 or somewhere around there, and we started playing gigs at the Empyrean. We rented a house by North Central High School, and we wrote those albums there. Back then, we were just kind of young, angsty party kids. At first Henry was a little intimidating. In his younger years, he was super talented and he would try to dress like young Bob Dylan. But he was so kind to me, and we became best friends because of writing music together.

He was just an encouraging guy, and he loved music. It was a naturally positive atmosphere when we would write, even though most of the music was very down,.

It was kind of like a dream. It shaped me into who I am today, for sure. You know, I wish I had more time with him, obviously. But I feel very lucky to even have been a part of his life and his music. I think I first met him and saw him play when he joined Oil of Angels, and he was just out of high school. But everyone thought he was the coolest, and he had so much style and a vibe as a musician.

I had done a handful of tours with my brother backing me up, and I was putting out this album that was more like a full band kind of album. These were the Empyrean days, and Henry and Vaughn were up to nothing really. As far as us just hanging out and playing music, it was super fun. DSL was the last band that played at the Bartlett. Henry had a very specific style. His music was jarringly dark, and it definitely hits you in a certain spot that not a lot of other stuff does. I think he just innately had all those things in his toolbelt.

I joined Dead Serious Lovers shortly after they released their first album. Being in the music scene all those years ago, I was definitely aware of Henry. A lot of his songwriting was kind of moody or sad, and I think it really connected with a lot of people. I certainly connected with it. We had great chemistry on stage. It was unspoken, but you just know what each other is doing, and he and I had that special something.

What inspired me the most about Henry was his ability to tell his truth through his music. I feel like a lot of people write with others in mind. I never felt that with him. Whatever he said was his truth and expression. A reflection of his condition, pain and suffering. I felt like it was something he needed to do. I felt like we may have shared that feeling but never discussed it. It was always about comedy.

I think he saved that for the stage. And whatever he put out really rubbed off on me. Never before or never again will I be that high from just playing music. I really looked up to Henry, and having his respect in any shape or form always made me feel special.

That music required that I put my whole heart into it, and whether it was good or not, I hope he knows I gave it everything I had because that was exactly what he was doing. While the full artist lineup has yet to be announced, grunge icons Pearl Jam above will be present by way of neverbefore-seen concert footage.

Virtual admission for the event is free, but donations are gladly accepted. Submit events online at Inlander. We need the details one week prior to our publication date. First Ave. A production more than a year in the making will look a little different due to COVID, but nothing can affect the powerful story told with Considering Matthew Shepard.

The Grammy-winning three-part oratorio was being prepped for a production this time a year ago by the Gonzaga music department, and it was one of the first events forced to cancel when the pandemic shutdown hit. The Gonzaga Chamber Chorus, as well as members of local choir Kantorei, will join together masked and distanced on stage for a performance livestreamed to the world beyond campus.

Seattle-based performance group Living Voices brings history to life by blending live theater with multimedia elements to tell the stories of real people and events across the greater Pacific Northwest.

Northwest Passages follows members of the Berg family as they establish a residence in the mill town of Preston. Though they celebrate both Swedish and American holidays and traditions, they still face prejudice as immigrants. Protagonist Julia eventually travels the region as a nurse, interacting with other immigrants and local Native tribes being forced to assimilate to White society.

Julia also lives through the Spanish flu pandemic; current audiences can surely relate. Dreaming of the ideal post-pandemic vacation? As a travel enthusiast, Steves measures his success in memorable trips and actively encourages Americans to broaden their perspective through travel.

Steves spends a portion of each year in Europe, where he makes new traveling discoveries, researches guidebooks, refines his tour program and films for his TV show. During the Spokane broadcast event, Steves will share his traveling advice and expertise, discuss current COVIDrelated travel issues, reflect on past trips and share his future plans.

Boyle creates mixedmedia drawings and installations of public memories associated with passing through particular landscapes. Her work is based in the interactions and interconnectedness of people and the natural world. This exhibition was inspired by the Chihuahuan desert in northern New Mexico where the White Sands National Monument is located in the middle of a former U.

The exhibition is accompanied by a lecture from Boyle April 7 via Zoom. Considering March Madness was one of the first casualties of COVID a year ago, the fact it looks like college basketball fans will get to spend the next three weeks wallowing in hour days of hoops viewing is reason to celebrate.

Meanwhile, Ferris High grad Wayne Tinkle is coach at Oregon State, which made a surprising run to win the Pac conference tournament. A lot, actually. Every team, year after year, tends to make a pretty strong case. Those never-been-done accomplishments started way back in November, when the Zags were tabbed as the preseason No. Gonzaga had been No.

Last year they spent four weeks there, and the previous year they lasted for five. Gonzaga had never been No. This year, they sat in.

As is typical, the Zags scheduled aggressively during the nonconference portion of their season. This year, though, they set themselves up for a run through the gantlet. Over their first seven games the Zags faced four teams ranked in the AP poll. Third-ranked Iowa lost by 11, and the defensive juggernaut of No. From there it was on to conference play, and as usual the Zags ran through the West Coast Conference with ease.

For the sixth time in program history, Gonzaga ended its regular season unblemished in league play, and for the second time did so by winning every game by 10 points or more. This year there would be no such slip-up. Gonzaga was tested by BYU in the title game but ultimately won by That run of absolute dominance led some, including Coach Few, to wonder if the Zags would benefit from a loss, or at the very least a challenge.

We need this, and we need to hit it head on. They once again became the best team in the country, and among the best the sport has ever seen. According to statistician Ken Pomeroy, the Wildcats that season had an adjusted efficiency margin of plus Long known for its offensive prowess, and this year is no different, the Zags have become a well-rounded machine on both sides of the ball.

Pomeroy ranks them first nationally in offensive efficiency, but also 12th nationally in defensive efficiency. For this squad, those two numbers are fundamentally linked. The Zags play fast. Even for the players. Indiana was the last team to make it through a season unscathed, in As the overall No.

It was the deadline for players to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft and return to college. Two days before their first game of the season the Zags got news from the NCAA that Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard would be eligible to play immediately, no redshirt season required. Gonzaga had already been pegged as the top team in the country.

As the season progressed, Nembhard eventually won a starting spot and earned second team allWest Coast Conference honors. After forcing a turnover in transition, Anton Watson got the ball to Joel Ayayi, who threw up a lob that Jalen Suggs emphatically dunked home. The most highly touted recruit in Gonzaga history needed no. Suggs put up 24 points and eight assists in his collegiate debut against the sixth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in a marquee midday matchup televised nationally on Fox.

COVID hit the program almost immediately, and after just three games the Zags had to hit the pause button. For 17 days in December the Zags were sidelined. No games, and almost no practice. Their first challenge after that layoff would be national player of the year favorite Luka Garza and his thirdranked Iowa Hawkeyes. Gonzaga won In the months since, programs around the country have had to hit pause just like Gonzaga, and most have stumbled in their return to the court. Gonzaga, though, showed itself to be on a different level by blitzing one of the best teams in the country.

Gonzaga wrapped up an undefeated regular season for the first time in program history with a win over Loyola Marymount on Feb. There was no fanfare and no celebration. It was business as usual despite the historic accomplishment.

Ten days later, when they staged an incredible comeback against BYU in the WCC Tournament final in which they trailed by 14 points before winning by 10, the scene was very different. After two months of demolishing every team to cross their path, the Zags finally had an iron-sharpening-iron moment. First up for Gonzaga? The winner will be the 16 seed and looking to become only the second 16 to ever win an NCAA tournament game.

Neither squad is in the same league as Gonzaga this year, but both could be dangerous. Oklahoma has a tourney-experienced coach in Lon Kruger and boasts wins this year against Alabama, Kansas and West Virginia twice — all teams seeded 3 or higher in the tournament. Missouri has wins against tourney teams Oregon, Illinois, Wichita State and Alabama on its resume, but stumbled to end the season, going their last nine games. Neither the Sooners nor the Tigers should keep the Zags out of the Sweet 16, but stranger things have happened.

This program long element: senior leadership. Last season she was named WCC Player of the participant, for well over a decade. Those three seniors have helped put together yet anGonzaga opened the year ranked No.

We have a lot of really good players on our team. With a bit of added motivation, too. Last The Zags rode that depth to a record and WCC year, the Gonzaga men and women were likely to play early regular season title, but it was most obvious in the WCC round games here in Spokane, but the pandemic abruptly Tournament championship game against BYU after a handbrought the season to an end barely a week before that ful of players came down with food poisoning the night could happen.

Anyone payan off day, for us we can find says. Not against Top 10 teams. Showing resilience. Relying on team chemistry to forge success. They put recent failures in the conference championship games of and behind them. A year later, and with another year of experience, the team won its third conference tournament title , and first under Legans.

Kim Aiken Jr. This team is loaded and could surprise in March Madness. The Great Dine Out kicks off during a warm spring weekend, with a lasting recovery in sight for the hospitality industry. Right now, things do look really good for [the. A few miles north, a neighborhood eatery in Emerson-Garfield celebrated its first weekend back open after a rather long hiatus.

The Great Dine Out runs through March Learn more about the event supporting local restaurants in the following pages and also online at Inlander. With capacities tight, getting a reservation is more important than ever. You can always call, but during the pandemic more restaurants have added online ordering systems they prefer you use. Most restaurants offer the ability to choose your pickup or delivery time, so place your order early enough to give them time. Official Event Guide.

The Great Dine Out is made possible through the collaborative spirit and support of the following regional and local credit unions and banks. The official event guide is your best resource to make the most of the Great Dine Out. For more info, visit coronavirus.

Idaho is in Phase 3, and guests can dine in but must be seated except when they are entering or leaving. For more info, visit rebound. Here are some basic guidelines for tipping from emilypost. For convenience alone, delivery is a great option, and there are many vendors that can bring the best food in town right to your door. In fact, there is one local delivery service, Treehouse. You will pay a fee for delivery — but it costs restaurants, too.

Restaurants want you to buy their food however you like, but by just picking up your order as takeout, the restaurant gets to keep more of your money. So if you love the restaurant, but want something else, just take a peek and choose whatever looks best to you. For different reasons, not every restaurant was able to participate in the Great Dine Out.

The efforts of so many local diners have been crucial in helping local restaurants get through the past year. The Great Dine Out is another chance to pitch in, but the need continues, in the weeks and months ahead, you can buy a gift card to use later or to give to a friend.

You can make a regular habit of takeout. And if you can, tip generously. The Great Dine Out is made possible by a one-of-a-kind partnership between the Inlander and the fourteen local banks and credit unions on these pages.

All the partners have been enjoying delicous meals from our local restaurants, so we decided to ask:. The ingredient mix will get you addicted to sushi.

Think of a loaded potato and a pizza having a baby - This is a party in your mouth! Kim always goes the extra mile to make delicious food. My must have is the Las Vegas roll! The staff are amazing, so friendly and genuinely want you to have a good time. Their food, atmosphere and service is amazing! The atmosphere is warm and cozy and the staff was attentive and super friendly.

The food is absolutely delicious. I love the Spinach Enchiladas. I go to see the 4-legged friends but stay for the BYOB burger and sweet potato fries. The owner, Mama Jeannie, is so down-to-earth. All day, every day! The scallops are great, and they are paired with a butternut squash caponata that is fantastic. I keep going back for more! Oh, and be ready to sing Oh Danny Boy!

An early menu standout there has been the. Because we are, and it feels good to be doing what I love, and being back in my element. And of course to see my employees — they are like family. Join us for the Great Dine Out! Purchases at qualifying merchants only.

See stcu. Bonus points promotion runs March 12 through March 27, Reward points typically awarded within three business days after your qualifying transaction posts to your account. Earned points on purchases never expire, with at least one purchase every 24 months.

Bonus points expire one year from date awarded. Co-owner Gabe Wood says the restaurant is highlighting three of its bestselling, signature dishes for the Great Dine Out. So in addition to lots of flavorful signature rolls passing by on the conveyor belt which is temporarily offline , the menu also features Korean classics like bi bim bap and bul go gi.

These items. Our bento box comes with a variety of choices [shrimp tempura, gyoza, California roll, nigiri sushi, salad, rice], all for one price. Our Black Pearl roll is topped with all sorts of fish [tuna, salmon, yellowtail, red snapper, crabmeat] and our special sauces, which makes the roll delicious and fresh. And our Jane Roll [shrimp tempura, spicy crabmeat and tuna] will satisfy your crunchy, spicy cravings.

What was your plan last year, and how did it evolve? After shutting down, we only allowed takeout, but after a while we partnered with DoorDash, UberEats and GrubHub for delivery services.

Ever since we used these. Our house made donuts are crafted from locally sourced Flour Farm and frosted with seasonally inspired flavors. We are short-staffed due to the COVID restrictions so food preparation may take a little longer than usual. Even after switching to takeout and delivery only, it still kept our restaurant very busy.

Our customers have shown gratitude, appreciation and support for our business, and we are very grateful. We have been seeing more familiar customers from pre-COVID days, and we have also noticed there are new faces too, which also makes us very happy. How did that affect the family?

For the last question, before COVID hit, our restaurant was open seven days a week, which was exhausting. Now, we rest on Wednesdays, which allows us to spend more time at home and with each other. After removing dine-in from our restaurant, this gave us more time to garden and plant more outside at home, and allowed us to adopt two pet bunnies: Mocha and Vince. Fans of Rock City Thai pizza can also enjoy the popular pie fresh at home with a take-and-bake version.

Rock City Thai pizza fanatics can also now enjoy the popular pie fresh at home with a take-and-bake version. Choice top sirloin, spaghetti with your choice of homemade sauce, garlic bread, soup or salad, and spumoni. Homemade baked penne, with green and red peppers, Italian sausage, and mozzarella cheese baked to perfection. All of our meats and veggies are cut daily, as well as our ingredients are very fresh, and we have our bakery at our Hayden location, so all our bread is baked fresh daily.

We have been following the recommen-. We already had a very diligent sanitation routine in place, but we did remove some tables and added staff to help seat people and sanitize more efficiently. The plans have been the same for all three locations. This was the perfect opportunity to start delivery and curbside pickup, and we are going to keep it going! For the most part, the customers have been awesome!

Dartford Dr. One of the keys is how slow the process is. It cannot be rushed. Co-owners Abe Fox, Eddie Gulberg and Jon Green patterned Wooden City Spokane after their original Tacoma eatery of the same name, offering upscale pub food like wood-fired pizza, small plates and tasty sandwiches in the historic and genuinely handsome Genesee Building on Riverside Avenue. This dish does a really great job of capturing what Wooden City is all about — high quality ingredients prepared with the utmost attention to detail but served in a comforting way.

Elevated yet approachable. At times it felt like we were adapting the model on a daily basis. It was a blessing in disguise to open to 50 percent capacity back in August []. However, the three-month shutdown from November-February was brutal. The pandemic forced us to work on our online ordering platform, be more dynamic on social media and create a lot of new recipes and dishes that work better for carryout.

Our Tacoma [location] has had the advantage in the sense that we were more established there before the pandemic. We also are blessed to have more access to outdoor dining in Tacoma.

On the flip side, our Spokane space is much bigger, so we can still do decent covers with the occupancy limitations.

Fourth St. Main Ave. Inlander Community Centers are updated every week with new community-focused guides, newspapers and magazines. Customers have the choice of two house-made sausages from its rotating menu, served with mashed potatoes, brown gravy and onion marmalade. From there, the flavor possibilities are endless.

The couple hope that by showcasing their take on bangers and mash during the Great Dine Out they can introduce more local diners to the British classic, among the many other traditional pub eats on the menu, from crispy fish and chips to hearty pot pies. I would say the significance of the flavor profiles are really indicative of Sichuan cuisine.

A Midtown Eatery. The pit north of Broadway avenue is in the middle of a rail yard; the pit south of Broadway avenue by the fairgrounds appears to have barrels or waste in it; the pit at Broadway and i90 is deep, the new pit on Sullivan in the valley borders the river. All of these pits have direct input to the aquifer; when it rains toxic water cascades into these pits from surrounding areas, directly into the aquifer. There was a policy that said once a pit was no longer producing it has to be reclaimed.

Recently the policy has been changed so the owner only has to fence it off and leave the pits for wildlife access. Someone got a major financial break with this change, and the aquifer is still being polluted. Maybe you could investigate these pits and why the policy was changed. You welcomed that guest into your home, and then started getting louder Do you see the irony in your words? Your door was open. We heard you. Those are the start to that fix. There is good help. Use it. Hang in there.

No one should be screamed at, unless in warning. We are quietly suggesting you try the calm. Earlier than later. Sparkly earrings, a red scarf, black gloves, long dark hair. In a booth. You loved the opening act. You left when the first glass broke. I walked out with friends to breathe.

I realized as you walked away, you used to sing and play at Tuesday jams. Come back!! I left a message for you at the business where you stopped that night to look in the window. I hope you find me. Maybe you took my breath away. It made me really happy you came. Our friendship is new and the time spent hanging out with you has been great. You showed me something unknowing to me. I realized I had feelings for you. I just want you to understand no matter what you think, that I will try my best to be a better person than I was yesterday.

I would of never dated you back then. We met several times thru our lives, saying hello. You had a girlfriend, 2 kids, and I was dating someone with 2 kids also. Then the best day of my life came and there you were with my brother going to the jail to get your right shoe I am so happy I ran into you there.

We finally hung out, bbqed, had a few drinks, n we started dating. You worked out of town which sucked so bad for me. Then we. You my sweet sugarballs are the love of my life. You complete me. We have had our ups n downs but no matter what I will always love you.

You are my knight in shining king. You are so precious to me I love you and want you in my life for the rest of my life love always sugar tits. I was there for about 40 minutes while making repairs and Launch Powersports sent a pair of representatives to make sure I was OK. Instead of complaining about my truck blocking their business, they offered their mechanics and miscellaneous parts if I needed them to get back on the road.

Launch Powersports has restored my faith in humanity. You are a Class Act! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your efforts are noticed and much appreciated. Keep up the good work!

To the beautiful young woman at Rite-Aid on March 12 who told. Visit Inlander. On Thursday I. Bless you. I watched as a plethora of people congregated too closely together. Please, Spokane Public Health authories, you must know about these violations. Please, shut them down! The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

Now on Inlander. Red State, Green State? Every weekday during the school year, we offer fresh lecture content and provide a wide range of research and teaching tools on the website, including a custom web search function that we created ex- pressly for business communication research.

Take advantage of the newsfeeds to get late-breaking news in headlines with concise summaries. You can scan incoming items in a matter of seconds and simply click through to read the full articles that interest you.

All articles and accompanying multimedia re- sources are categorized by topic and chapter for easy retrieval at any time. Each content update is classified by the type of media featured: in- teractive website, infographic, article, video, podcast, PowerPoint, or PDF. Articles discuss a wide variety of subjects, including new topics instructors should be teaching their students, resources instructors can use in their classes, solutions to common teaching challenges, and great examples and activities instructors can use in class.

Integrity, excellence, and responsiveness are our hallmarks. That means providing you with textbooks that are academically sound, creative, timely, and sensitive to instructor and student needs. As an adopter of Excellence in Business Communication, you are invited to use our Email Hotline [email protected] if you ever have a ques- tion or concern related to the text or its supplements. At the Instructor Resource Center, www. If assistance is needed, our dedicated technical support team is ready to help with the media supplements that accompany this text.

For Students: How This Course Will Help You No matter what profession you want to pursue, the ability to communicate will be an essential skill—and a skill that employers expect you to have when you enter the workforce.

This course introduces you to the fundamental principles of business communication and gives you the opportunity to develop your communication skills. Few courses can offer the three-for-the-price-of-one value you get from a business communication class. Check out these benefits:. The communication skills you learn in this class can help you in every other course you take in college.

You can reduce the stress of searching for a job and stand out from the competition. Every activity in the job-search process relies on commu- nication.

After you get that great job, the time and energy you have invested in this course will continue to yield benefits year after year.

They will observe your interactions with col- leagues, customers, and business partners. The good news: Every insight you gain and every skill you develop in this course will help you shine in your career. Although this course explores a wide range of message types and appears to cover quite a lot of territory, the underlying structure of the course is actually rather simple. With feedback and reinforcement from your instructor and your classmates, your confidence will grow and the work will become easier and more enjoyable.

The following sections offer advice on approaching each assignment, using your text- book, and taking advantage of some other helpful resources. In the spirit of practice and improvement, you will have a number of writing and possibly speaking assignments throughout this course.

These suggestions will help you produce better results with less effort:. Everybody feels that way when first learning business. Keeping three points in mind will help.

First, every project can be broken down into a series of small, manageable tasks. Second, remind yourself that you have the skills you need in order to accomplish each task. Third, if you feel panic creeping up on you, take a break and regain your per- spective.

A common mistake writers make is trying to orga- nize and express their ideas while simultaneously worrying about audience reactions, grammar, spelling, formatting, page design, and a dozen other factors.

Fight the temp- tation to do everything at once; otherwise, your frustration will soar and your pro- ductivity will plummet. Concentrate on the organization of your ideas first, then the way you express those ideas, and then the presentation and production of your messages. Following the three-step writing process is an ideal way to focus on one task at a time in a logical sequence. As with every other school project, putting things off to the last minute creates unnecessary stress.

Writing and speaking projects in particular are much easier if you tackle them in small stages with breaks in be- tween, rather than trying to get everything done in one frantic blast. Moreover, there will be instances when you simply get stuck on a project, and the best thing to do is walk away and give your mind a break. Resist the urge to dive in and start writing without a plan. Ponder the assignment for a while, consider the vari- ous approaches you might take, and think carefully about your objectives before you start writing.

This process has been developed and refined by professional writers with decades of experience and thousands of projects ranging from short blog posts to page textbooks. It works, so take advantage of it. This textbook offers dozens of realistic examples of business messages, many with notes along the sides that explain strong and weak points.

Study these documents and any other examples that your instructor provides. Finally, learn from the feedback you get from your instruc- tor and from other students.

View every bit of feedback as an opportunity to improve. This book and its accompanying online resources introduce you to the key concepts in business communication while helping you develop essential skills.

As you read each chapter, start by studying the learning objectives. As you work your way through the chapter, compare the advice given with the various examples, both the brief in-text examples and the stand-alone model documents.

Also, keep an eye out for the Real-Time Updates elements in each chapter. The authors have selected these videos, podcasts, presentations, and other online media to provide informa- tive and entertaining enhancements to the text material. If your instructor assigns these activities, follow the instructions in the text to locate the correct online f iles. In addition to the 16 chapters of the text itself, here are some special features that will help you succeed in the course and on the job:.

The Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage see page is a convenient reference of essential business English. Plus, at strategic points in every chapter, you will be directed to the Real-Time Updates website to get the latest information about specific subjects. About the Authors Courtland L. Thill have been leading textbook authors for more than two decades, introducing millions of students to the fields of business and business communication.

Their award-winning texts are distinguished by proven pedagogical fea- tures, extensive selections of contemporary case studies, hundreds of real-life examples, engaging writing, thorough research, and the unique integration of print and electronic resources. Allen Paul Distinguished Chair. Thill is a prominent communications consultant who has worked with organizations ranging from Fortune multinationals to entrepreneurial start-ups.

He formerly held positions with Pacific Bell and Texaco. Both were recently awarded proclamations from the Governor of Massachusetts for their lifelong contributions to education and for their commitment to the summer youth baseball program that is sponsored by the Boston Red Sox.

Acknowledgments The 12th Edition of Excellence in Business Communication reflects the professional experi- ence of a large team of contributors and advisors. We express our thanks to the many individuals whose valuable suggestions and constructive comments influenced the suc- cess of this book.

Thank you to the following professors: Lydia E. Collins, Northern Arizona University; M. Smith, Fresno City College;. Young, Orangeburg—Calhoun Technical College.

Schanne, Eastern Michigan University. We wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to our many friends, acquaintances, and business as- sociates who provided materials or agreed to be interviewed so that we could bring the real world into the classroom.

A very special acknowledgment goes to George Dovel, whose superb writing skills, distinguished background, and wealth of business experience assured this project of clar- ity and completeness.

Also, recognition and thanks to Jackie Estrada for her outstanding skills and excellent attention to details. We also feel it is important to acknowledge and thank the Association for Business Communication, an organization whose meetings and publications provide a valuable fo- rum for the exchange of ideas and for professional growth. In addition, we would like to thank Danielle Scane of Orange Coast College and Susan Schanne of Eastern Michigan University for their assistance in preparing supplements for this new edition.

We want to extend our warmest appreciation to the devoted professionals at Pearson Higher Education for their commitment to producing high-value, student-focused texts, including Tim Bozik, president; Stephanie Wall, editor-in-chief; Maggie Moylan, direc- tor of marketing; Emily Tamburri, acquisitions editor; Denise Weiss, program manager; Nicole Suddeth, project manager; and Jeff Holcomb, senior managing editor of produc- tion.

We are also grateful to Heather Johnson of Integra. Pearson Education wishes to acknowledge and thank the following people for their work on the Global Edition:. Check out the cutting edge of business communication 52 The mobile revolution by the numbers 64 Guidelines for trouble-free blogging 75 Looking for jobs at diversity-minded companies?

How to keep small battles from escalating into big ones 89 Tips for proofing your papers Expert tips for successful phone interviews Whatever happened to live conversation?

Dig deep into audience needs with this planning tool Get detailed advice on using bias-free language Smart advice for brainstorming sessions Get helpful tips on creating an outline for any project Exploring the potential of wearable technologies Take a few minutes to read it while you think about the career you hope to create for yourself.

Even as the U. As companies around the world try to gain competitive advantages and cost efficiencies, employment patterns will vary from industry to industry and region to region.

The ups and downs of the economic cycle are not the only dynamic elements that will affect your career, however. The nature of employment itself is changing, with a grow- ing number of independent workers and loosely structured virtual organizations that engage these workers for individual projects or short-term contracts, rather than hiring employ- ees.

In fact, one recent study predicted that independent workers will outnumber conven- tional employees in the United States by Are you comfortable working on your own? Independent workers have become an important part of the global workforce. This new model of work offers some compelling advantages for workers and com- panies alike. Companies can lower their f ixed costs, adapt more easily to economic fluc- tuations and competitive moves, and get access to specialized talent for specif ic project needs.

On the other hand, this new approach also presents some significant challenges for all parties. These flexibilities and freedoms can create more complexity for workers and man- agers, diminished loyalties on both sides, uncertainty about the future, issues with skill development and training, and problems with accountability and liability.

These changes could affect you even if you pursue traditional employment throughout your career. And the availability of more independent workers in the talent marketplace gives employers more options and more leverage, so full-time employees may find themselves competing against freelancers, at least indirectly. As you navigate this uncertain future, keep two vital points in mind. Explore all your options and have a plan, but be prepared to change course as opportunities and threats appear on the horizon.

The era of lifetime employment, in which an employee committed to one company for life with the understanding it would return the loyalty, is long gone. Maintaining a stable workforce can improve practically every aspect of business perfor- mance, yet many employers want the flexibility to shrink and expand payrolls as business conditions change. Employers obviously want to attract the best talent, but the best talent is more expensive and more vulnerable to offers from competitors, so there are always financial trade-offs to consider.

Employers also struggle with the ups and downs of the economy. When unemploy- ment is low, the balance of power shifts to employees, and employers have to compete in order to attract and keep top talent. When unemployment is high, the power shifts back to employers, who can afford to be more selective and less accommodating. In other words, pay attention to the economy; at times you can be more aggressive in your demands, but at other times you need to be more accommodating.

Companies view employment as a complex business decision with lots of variables to consider. To make the most of your potential, regardless of the career path you pursue, you need to view employment in the same way.

Given the complex forces in the contemporary workplace and the unrelenting pressure of global competition, what are employers looking for in the candidates they hire? The short answer: a lot. The closer you can present yourself as the ideal candidate, the better your chances of getting a crack at the most exciting opportunities. Specific expectations vary by profession and position, of course, but virtually all employers look for the following general skills and attributes Communication is listed first because it is far and away the most commonly mentioned skill set when employers are asked about what they look for in employees.

Improving your communication skills will help in every aspect of your professional life. Learn to work with others and help them succeed as you succeed. Successful employers tend to be responsive to diverse workforces, markets, and communities, and they look for employees with the same outlook. Employers want people who know how to identify information needs, find the necessary data, convert the data into useful knowledge, and make sound decisions.

Your ability to plan proj- ects and manage the time and resources available to you will make a big difference on the job. Stuff happens, as they say. Employees who can roll with the punches and adapt to changing business priorities and circumstances will go fur- ther and be happier than employees who resist change.

Professionalism is the quality of performing at the highest possible level and conducting oneself with confidence, purpose, and pride. Economic necessities and the vagaries of the marketplace will influence much of what hap- pens in your career, of course, and you may not always have the opportunity to do the kind of work you would really like to do. Doing so will give you a better idea of where you want to be eventually, and you can use those insights to learn and grow your way toward that ideal situation.

Consider these questions:. Research occupations that interest you. Find out what people really do every day. Ask friends, relatives, alumni from your school, and contacts in your social networks. Read interviews with people in various profes- sions to get a sense of what their careers are like.

Consider how much independence you want on the job, how much variety you like, and whether you prefer to work with products, machines, people, ideas, figures, or some combination thereof.

For instance, many high-paying jobs involve a lot of stress, sacrifices of time with family and friends, and frequent travel or relocation. If location, lifestyle, intriguing work, or other factors are more important to you, you may well have to sacrifice some level of pay to achieve them. For example, do you want to pur- sue a career specialty such as finance or manufacturing, or do you want to gain experi- ence in multiple areas with an eye toward upper management?

Would you be happy in a formal hierarchy with clear reporting relationships? Or do you prefer less structure? Teamwork or individualism? Do you like a competitive environment?

Filling out the assessment in Table 1 might help you get a clearer picture of the nature of work you would like to pursue in your career. Knowing what you want to do is one thing. Knowing what a company is willing to pay you to do is another thing entirely. You may already have a good idea of what you can offer em- ployers. If not, some brainstorming can help you identify your skills, interests, and char- acteristics.

For example, leadership skills, speaking ability, and artistic talent may have helped you coordinate a successful class project. As you analyze your achievements, you may well begin to recognize a pattern of skills. Which of them might be valuable to potential em- ployers? Next, look at your educational preparation, work experience, and extracurricular activities. What do your knowledge and experience qualify you to do?

What have you learned from volunteer work or class projects that could benefit you on the job? Have you held any offices, won any awards or scholarships, mastered a second language? What skills have you developed in nonbusiness situations that could transfer to a busi- ness position?

I want to work for a large organization. I want to work for a nonprofit organization. I want to work for a small business. I want to work for a service business. I want to start or buy a business someday.

I want regular, predictable work hours. I want to work in a city location. I want to work in a small town or suburb. I want to work in another country. I want to work in a structured environment. I want to avoid risk as much as possible. I want to become a high-level corporate manager. Take stock of your personal characteristics.

Are you aggressive, a born leader? Or would you rather follow? Are you outgoing, articulate, great with people? Or do you prefer working alone? Make a list of what you believe are your four or five most important quali- ties.

Ask a relative or friend to rate your traits as well. Many campuses administer a variety of tests that can help you identify interests, aptitudes, and personality traits. First, look for volunteer projects, temporary jobs, freelance work, or internships that will help expand your experience base and skill set. Also consider applying your talents to crowdsourcing projects, in which companies and nonprofit organizations invite the public to contribute solutions to various challenges.

These opportunities help you gain valuable experience and relevant contacts, provide you with important references and work samples for your employment portfolio, and help you establish your personal brand see the following sections. Second, learn more about the industry or industries in which you want to work and stay on top of new developments. Join networks of professional colleagues and friends who can help you keep up with trends and events.

Many professional societies have stu- dent chapters or offer students discounted memberships. Take courses and pursue other educational or life experiences that would be difficult while working full time. Simply create and maintain an employment portfolio, which is a collection of projects that demonstrate your skills and knowledge. You can create a print portfolio and an e-portfo- lio; both can help with your career effort.

A print portfolio gives you something tangible to bring to interviews, and it lets you collect project results that might not be easy to show online, such as a handsomely bound report. An e-portfolio is a multimedia presentation of your skills and experiences.

If you have set up a lifestream a real-time aggregation of your content creation, online inter- ests, and social media interactions that is professionally focused, consider adding that to your e-portfolio. These items will make particularly good samples of not only your communication skills but also your ability to understand and solve business- related challenges. Moreover, you can continue to refine and expand your portfolio throughout your career; many professionals use e-portfolios to advertise their services.

However, you must check with em- ployers before including any items that you created while you were an employee, and check with clients before including any work products anything you wrote, designed, programmed, and so on they purchased from you.

For each item you add to your portfolio, write a brief description that helps other peo- ple understand the meaning and significance of the project. Include such items as these:. Why did you undertake this project? Was it a school project, a work as- signment, or something you did on your own initiative?

If you worked with others, be sure to mention that and discuss team. For instance, if you led the team or worked with others long distance as a virtual team, point that out. Sometimes the most impressive thing about a project is the time or bud- get constraints under which it was created.

For example, if you wrote a letter soliciting donations for a charitable cause, how much money did you raise? If appropriate, describe what you learned during the course of the project. Also, if you have anything embarrassing on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site, remove it immediately.

To get started, first check with the career center at your college; many schools offer e-portfolio systems for their students. Some schools now require e-portfolios, so you may already be building one. Products and companies have brands that represent collections of certain attributes, such as the safety emphasis of Volvo cars, the performance emphasis of BMW, or the luxury emphasis of Cadillac.

Similarly, when people who know you think about you, they have a particular set of qualities in mind based on your professionalism, your priorities, and the various skills and attributes you have developed over the years.

Perhaps without even being conscious of it, you have created a personal brand for yourself. As you plan the next stage of your career, start managing your personal brand deliberately. You can learn more about personal branding from the sources listed in Table 2, and you will have multiple opportunities to plan and refine your personal brand during this course.

To get you started, here are the basics of a successful personal branding strategy Every good story has dramatic tension that pulls readers in and makes them wonder what will happen next.

Where is your story going next? Chapter 15 of- fers more on this personal brand-building approach. Volvos, BMWs, and Cadillacs can all get you from Point A to Point B in safety, comfort, and style, but each brand emphasizes some attributes more than others to create a specific image in the minds of potential buyers.

Similarly, you want to be seen as something more than just an accountant, a supervisor, a salesperson. What will your theme be? Brilliant strategist? Hard-nosed, get-it-done tactician?

Technical guru? Problem solver? Creative genius? Inspirational leader? Malone, Robert J. Courtland L. Thill, Business in Action, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N. Nancy M. Jeffrey R. Major corporations spread the word about their brands with multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns.

You can promote your brand for free or close to it. You build your brand by connecting with like- minded people, sharing information, demonstrating skills and knowledge, and helping others succeed. When you promote a brand, you make a promise—a promise that whoever buys that brand will get the benefits you are promoting.

All of this planning and communication is of no value if you fail to deliver on the promises your branding efforts make. Conversely, when you deliver quality results time after time, your talents and professionalism will speak for you.

As a final note, be sure to use all the job search tools and resources available to you. A variety of apps and websites can help you find jobs, practice interviewing, and build your professional network see Figure P1. Figure P1 Mobile Recruiting Apps Make sure to explore the wide variety of mobile apps and online resources to help you during your career planning and job search.

No other skill can help your career in as many ways as communication. Discover what business communication is all about, why communication skills are essential to your career, how social and mobile technologies are revolutionizing business.

Socializing the Customer Service Experience If you have ever worked in retail, customer service, or a similar job, you know what a challenge it can be to make sure each customer has a great experience with your company.

Imagine the challenge of keeping 25 million customers happy. As a relatively new airline, taking its first flight in , JetBlue has always tried to differentiate itself from the older carriers in the business. A great example is its pioneering use of Twitter as a customer service platform. JetBlue joined Twitter in , only a year after the microblogging service launched and well before most companies were aware of its potential for business communication. The company views its website as the central hub of its online presence, but social media the company is quite active on Facebook as well provide a vital connection between customers and the website.

In fact, digital communica- tion of all forms is so important that the company considers itself a digital brand. The airline was also one of the first companies to truly get the social part of social media—that Twitter and other systems were about more than just pushing information outward.

Morgan Johnstone, the JetBlue communications staffer who got the. Explain the importance of effective communication to your career and to the companies where you will work. Describe the communication process model and the ways social media are changing the nature of business communication.

Define ethics, explain the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse, and list six guidelines for making ethical communication choices. He wanted to hear what people were saying about the company, whether it was plea for help dur- ing travel, a compliment for a company employee, or even an unpleasant criticism. This interaction became so valuable to the company that it now has more than two dozen Twitter agents all ready to interact in real time with the nearly 2 million travel- ers who follow the company.

They answer questions, resolve problems and complaints, and even rebook flights on the spot if needed. The company is considering adding such nifty features as augmented reality, which would let travel- ers hold up their smartphones in airports to see where rest- rooms, coffee shops, gates, and other vital facilities are located. However the company innovates as it moves forward, its focus will be on using digital, social, and mobile communication to make sure customers have the best possible experience.

The essence of communication is sharing—provid- ing data, information, insights, and inspiration in an exchange that benefits both you and the people with whom you are communicating. This section outlines the many ways in which good communication skills are critical for your career and for any company you join.

Some jobs, such as sales and customer support, are primarily about communicating. In fields such as engineering or fi- nance, you often need to share complex ideas with executives, customers, and colleagues, and your ability to connect with people outside your field can be as important as your technical expertise. If you have the entrepreneurial urge, you will need to communicate with a wide range of audiences—from investors, bankers, and government regulators to employees, customers, and business partners.

The changing nature of employment is putting new pressure on communication skills, too. Many companies now supplement their permanent workforces with inde- pendent contractors who are brought on for a short period or even just a single project. Chances are you will spend some of your career as one of these independent freelancers, working without the support network that an established company environment pro- vides. Communication is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers.

If you launch a company or move into an executive role in an existing organization, you can expect communication to consume the majority of your time.

In fact, improving your communication skills may be the single most important step you can take in your career. The world is full of good marketing strategists, good accoun- tants, good engineers, and good attorneys—but it is not full of good communicators. Figure 1. In the middle exchange, the sender and receiver negotiate the meaning by discussing the situation. The negotiated meaning is that everything is fine so far, but the risk of a schedule slip is now higher than it was before.

In the bottom exchange, the receiver has a negative emotional reaction to the word think and as a result creates her own meaning—that everything probably is not fine, despite what the sender says. This Pinterest board created by the authors highlights some of the most important changes taking place in the field of business communication. Aside from the personal benefits, communication should be important to you because it is important to your company.

Effective communication helps businesses in numerous ways. It provides5. Use concrete language, specific detail, and information that is clear, convincing, accurate, and ethical. Even when an opinion is called for, present compelling evidence to support your conclusion. Craft messages to generate a specific response from a specific audience. When appropriate, clearly state what you expect from audience members or what you can do for them. Show your readers precisely how they will benefit by responding the way you want them to re- spond to your message.

Keep these five important characteristics in mind as you compare the ineffective and effective versions of the message in Figure 1. A good place to start is to consider what it means to be a professional. Professionalism is the quality of performing at a high level and conducting oneself with purpose and pride. It means doing more than putting in the hours and collecting a paycheck: True professionals go beyond minimum expectations and commit to making meaningful contributions.

Professionalism can be broken down into six distinct traits: striving to excel, being dependable and accountable, being a team player, demonstrating a sense of etiquette, making ethical decisions, and maintaining a positive outlook see Figure 1.

A key message to glean from Figure 1. For example, to be a team player, you have to be able to collaborate, resolve conflicts, and interact with a wide variety of personalities. However, review the blue annotations to see just how many problems the message really has. This section offers a brief look at the skills employers will expect you to have, the nature of communication in an organizational environment, and the importance of adopting an audience-centered approach. Fortunately, the skills employers expect from you are the same skills that will help you advance in your career Successful professionals continue to hone communication skills throughout their careers.

In addition to having the proper skills, you need to learn how to apply those skills in the business environment, which can be quite different from the social and scholastic environ- ments you are accustomed to. Throughout the formal network, information flows in three directions. Downward communication flows from executives to employees, conveying executive decisions and providing information that helps employ- ees do their jobs.

Upward communication flows from employees to executives, providing insight into problems, trends, opportunities, grievances, and performance, thus allowing executives to solve problems and make intelligent decisions. Horizontal communication flows between departments to help employees share information, coordinate tasks, and solve complex problems.

Every organization also has an informal communication network, often referred to as the grapevine or the rumor mill, which encompasses all communication that occurs outside the formal network.

In fact, the inherent limitations of formal communication networks helped spur the growth of social media in the business environment. An audience-centered approach involves understanding and respecting the members of your audience and making every effort to get your message across in a way that is mean- ingful to them. An audience-centered approach involves understanding, respect- ing, and meeting the needs of your audience members.

It means acknowl- edging that things may be difficult but then buckling down and getting the job done anyway. It means no whining and no slacking off, even when the going gets tough. We live in an imperfect world, no question; jobs can be boring or difficult, customers can be unpleasant, and bosses can be unreason- able. Your energy, positive or negative, is contagious.

Personal demeanor is, therefore, a vital element of workplace harmony. No one expects or wants you to be artificially upbeat and bubbly every second of the day, but one negative personality can make an entire office miserable and unproductive.

Every person in a company has a responsibility to contribute to a positive, energetic work environment. This ability to relate to the needs of others is a key part of emotional intelligence, which is widely consid- ered to be a vital characteristic of successful managers and leaders.

A vital element of audience-centered communication is etiquette, the expected norms of behavior in any particular situation. The more you understand such expectations, the better chance you have of avoiding career-damaging mistakes. The principles of etiquette discussed in Chapter 2 will help you communicate with an audience-centered approach in a variety of business settings. Messages can get lost or sim- ply ignored. The receiver of a message can interpret it in ways the sender never imagined.

In fact, two people receiving the same information can reach different conclusions about what it means. Fortunately, by understanding communication as a process with distinct steps, you can improve the odds that your messages will reach their intended audiences and produce their intended effects. This section explores the communication process in two stages: first by following a message from one sender to one receiver in the basic communication model and then by expanding on that approach with multiple messages and participants in the social communication model.

Messages can flow upward from a lower-level employee to a higher-level employee , downward from a higher-level employee to a lower-level employee , and horizontally across the organization, between employees at the same or similar levels. By viewing communication as a process Figure 1. Many variations on this process model exist, but these eight steps provide a practical overview:. Whether a communication effort will ultimately be effective starts right here and depends on the nature of the idea and the motivation for send- ing it.

For example, if your motivation is to offer a solution to a problem, you have a better chance of crafting a meaningful message than if your motivation is merely to complain about a problem.

Much of the focus of this course is on developing the skills needed to successfully encode your ideas into effective messages. With the appropri- ate message to express an idea, the sender now needs a communication medium to present that message to the intended audience. To update your boss on the status of a project, for instance, you might have a dozen or more media choices, from a phone call to an instant message to a slideshow presentation.

Just as technology continues to increase the number of media options at your disposal, it continues to provide new communication channels you can use to transmit your messages.

The distinction be- tween medium and channel can get a bit murky, but think of the medium as the form a message takes such as a Twitter update and the channel as the system used to deliver the message such as a mobile phone. If the channel functions properly, the mes- sage reaches its intended audience.

However, mere arrival at the destination is no guarantee that the message will be noticed or understood correctly. After a message is received, the receiver needs to extract the idea from the message, a step known as decoding.

By crafting messages in ways that show the benefits of responding, senders can increase the chances that recipients will respond in positive ways. Viewing communication as a pro- cess helps you identify steps you can take to improve your success as a communicator.

The medium is the form a message takes and the channel is the system used to deliver the message. In addition to responding or not responding to the message, audience members may give feedback that helps the sender evaluate the effectiveness of the communication effort. Feedback can be verbal using written or spoken words , nonverbal using gestures, facial expressions, or other signals , or both. Just like the original message, however, this feedback from the receiver also needs to be decoded carefully.

A smile, for example, can have many meanings. The following sections take a closer look at two important aspects of the process: environmental barriers that can block or distort messages and the steps audiences take to receive, decode, and respond to messages. These barriers include noise and distractions, competing mes- sages, filters, and channel breakdowns:.

External distractions range from uncomfortable meeting rooms to computer screens cluttered with instant messages and reminders popping up all over the place.

Internal distractions are thoughts and emotions that prevent audiences from focusing on incoming messages. The common habit of multitasking—attempting more than one task at a time—is practically guaranteed to create communication dis- tractions. In most cases, you must compete with other messages that are trying to reach your audience at the same time. Messages can be blocked or distorted by f ilters, any human or technological interventions between the sender and the receiver.

Filtering can be both intentional such as automatically filing incoming messages based on sender or content or un- intentional such as an overly aggressive spam filter that deletes legitimate emails. As mentioned previously, the structure and culture of an organization can also inhibit the flow of vital messages.

And, in some cases, the people or companies you rely on to deliver your message can distort it or filter it to meet their own needs. Sometimes the channel simply breaks down and fails to deliver your message at all. A colleague you were counting on to deliver a message to your boss might have forgotten to do so, or a computer server might have crashed and prevented your blog from updating.

Everyone in an organization can help minimize barriers and distractions. As a commu- nicator, try to be aware of any barriers that could prevent your messages from reaching their intended audiences. As a manager, keep an eye out for any organizational barriers that could be inhibiting the flow of information.

In any situation, a small dose of common sense and courtesy goes a long way. Turn off that mobile phone before you step into a meeting. Be sensitive to personal differences, too; for in- stance, some people enjoy working with music on, but music is a huge distraction for others. Finally, take steps to insulate yourself from distractions. Instead, set aside time to attend to messages all at once so that you can focus the rest of the time. Understanding how audiences receive, decode, and respond to messages will help you create more effective messages.

How Audiences Receive Messages For an audience member to receive a message, three events need to occur: The receiver has to sense the presence of a message, select it from all the other messages clamoring for attention, and perceive it as an actual message as opposed to random, pointless noise. They are inundated with so many messages and so much noise that they can miss or ignore many of the mes- sages intended for them.

Through this course, you will learn a variety of techniques to craft messages that get noticed. In general, follow these five principles to increase your chances of success:. Deliver messages using the media and chan- nels that the audience expects. Of course, sometimes going against expectations can stimulate audience attention, which is why advertisers sometimes do wacky and creative things to get noticed.

However, for most business communication efforts, following the expectations of your audience is the most eff icient way to get your message across. Use words, images, and designs that are familiar to your audience. Make sure your messages speak to the audience by clearly ad- dressing their wants and needs—not yours.

People are inclined to notice messages that relate to their individual concerns. For the many messages delivered electronically these days, be sure to verify technological compatibility with your audience. Even well-crafted, well-intentioned communication efforts can fail at this stage because assigning meaning through decoding is a highly personal process that is influenced by culture, individual experience, learning and thinking styles, hopes, fears, and even temporary moods.

Cultural and personal beliefs and biases influence the meaning audiences get from mes- sages. Differences in language and usage also influence received meaning. By clarifying expectations and resolving po- tential ambiguities in your messages, you can minimize such uncertainties. In general, the. To actually receive a message, audience members need to sense it, select it, then perceive it as a message.

To improve the odds that your messages will be successfully per- ceived by your audience, pay close attention to expectations, ease of use, familiarity, empathy, and technical compatibility. Decoding is a complex process; receivers often extract different meanings from messages than senders attempt to encode in their messages.

Selective perception occurs when people ignore or distort incoming information to fit their precon- ceived notions of reality. Individual thinking styles are another important factor in message decoding. For example, someone who places a high value on objective analysis and clear logic might interpret a message differently than someone who values emotion or intuition reaching conclusions without using rational processes.

How Audiences Respond to Messages Your message has been delivered, received, and correctly decoded. Now what? Only if three events occur. First, the recipient has to remember the message long enough to act on it.

Simplifying greatly, memory works in several stages: Sensory memory momentarily captures incom- ing data from the senses; then, whatever the recipient pays attention to is transferred to short-term memory. Finally, the information needs to be retrieved when the recipient wants to act on it. Second, the recipient has to be able to respond as you wish. Obviously, if recipients simply cannot do what you want them to do, they will not respond according to your plan. Third, the recipient has to be motivated to respond.

For instance, a record company may or may not offer your band a contract, or your boss may or may not respond to your request for a raise. The basic model presented in Figure 1.

In a larger sense, it also helps represent the traditional nature of much business communication, which was primarily defined by a publishing or broadcast- ing mindset. Externally, a company issued carefully scripted messages to a mass audience that often had few options for responding to those messages or initiating messages of their own. Customers and other interested parties had few ways to connect with one another. However, in recent years, a variety of technologies have enabled and inspired a new approach to business communication.

In contrast to the publishing mindset, this social communication model is interactive, conversational, and usually open to all who wish to participate.

Audience members are no longer passive recipients of messages but active participants in a conversation. Social media have given customers and other stake- holders a voice they did not have in the past. And businesses are listening to that voice. In fact, one of the most common uses of social media among U. Instead of transmitting a fixed message, a sender in a social media environment initi- ates a conversation by asking a question or sharing valuable information. Information shared this way is often revised and reshaped by the web of participants as they forward it and comment on it.

People can add to it or take pieces from it, depending on their needs and interests. The social communication model offers many advantages, but it has a number of dis- advantages as well. Potential problems include information overload, fragmented attention, information security risks, distractions that hurt productivity, the need to monitor and re- spond to numerous conversational threads, and blurring of the line between personal and professional lives, which can make it difficult for people to disconnect from work.

Of course, no company, no matter how enthusiastically it embraces the social com- munication model, is going to be run as a club in which everyone has a say in every business matter. Instead, a hybrid approach is emerging in which some communications such as strategic plans and policy documents follow the traditional approach, whereas others such as project management updates and customer support messages follow the social model.

The conversational and interac- tive social communication model is revolutionizing business communication. The social communication model can increase the speed of communication, lower cost, improve access to expertise, and boost employee satisfaction.

For all their advantages, social me- dia tools also present a number of communication challenges. Companies recognize the value of integrating mobile technology, from communica- tion platforms to banking to retail. Mobile apps and communication systems can boost employee productivity, help companies form closer relationships with customers and business partners, and spur innovation in products and services see Figure 1.

Given the advantages and the rising expectations of employees and customers, firms on the leading edge of the mobile revolu- tion are working to integrate mobile technology through- out their organizations. For millions of people around the world, a mobile device is their primary way, if not their only way, to access the Internet.

Globally, roughly 80 percent of Internet users ac- cess the web at least some of the time with a mobile device. Mobile has become the primary communication tool for many business profes- sionals, including a majority of executives under age Mobile devices are rapidly taking over as the primary communica- tion platform for many business professionals. See how leading-edge companies are adapting to take advantage of mobile communication.

For example, note-taking apps such as Note Taker HD offer an easy and unobtrusive way to take notes during meetings, site visits, and other business functions.

Moreover, mobile phones—particularly smartphones— have become intensely personal devices in ways that PCs never did. As a result, mobile connectivity can start to resemble a continuous stream of conversations that never quite end, which influences the way busi- nesses need to interact with their stakeholders. If wearable technologies become mainstream devices, they will contribute even more to this shift in behaviors see Figure 1.

The parallels between social media and mobile communi- cation are striking: Both sets of technologies change the nature of communication, alter the relationships between senders and receivers, create opportunities as well as challenges, and force business professionals to hone new skills. In fact, much of the rise in social communication can be attributed to the connectivity made possible by mobile devices. Companies that work to understand and embrace mobile, both internally and externally, stand the best chance of capitalizing on this monumental shift in the way people communicate.

The rise of mobile communication has some obvious implications, such as the need for websites to be mobile friendly. However, device size and portability are only the most obvious changes. Just as with social media, the changes brought about by mobile go far deeper than the technology. The Uno Noteband incorporates Spritz speed-reading technology that makes it easier to read message content quickly. Will wearable technologies influence business and business communication?

These presentations explore the potential. Mobile changes the way people communicate, which has profound implications for virtually every aspect of business communication. Here are the most significant ways mobile technology is changing the practice of business communication:. As with social media, mobile connectivity can blur the boundaries between personal and professional time and space, prevent- ing people from fully disengaging from work during personal and family time.

On the other hand, it can give employees more flexibility to meet their personal and profes- sional obligations. Chapter 4 has more on this topic. The addition of location-aware content, such as facility maps and property information, enhances the mobile experience. For example, if the people in a decision- making meeting need more information, they can do the neces- sary research on the spot. People who grew up with mobile phones often expect to have the same level of connectivity as cus- tomers and as employees.

Collaboration and problem solving are two key areas where mobile connectivity can boost productivity by enabling real-time interaction and access to vital information. The mobile revolution complicates business communication in some ways, but it can enhance communication in many ways if done thoughtfully. In fact, many of the technologies you might use in your personal life, from microblogs to video games, are also used in business.

You will find technology discussed extensively throughout this book, with specific advice on using both common and emerging tools. However, anyone who has used advanced technology knows the benefits are not automatic. Poorly designed or inappropriately used technology can hinder communica- tion more than help. To communicate effectively, learn to keep technology in perspective, guard against information overload and information addiction, use technological tools productively, and disengage from the computer frequently to communicate in person.

Perhaps the single most important point to remember about technology is that it is simply a tool, a means by which you can accomplish certain tasks. Technology is an aid to inter- personal communication, not a replacement for it. The overuse or misuse of communication technology can lead to information overload, in which people receive more information than they can effectively process.

Information overload makes it difficult to discriminate between useful and useless information, lowers productivity, and amplifies employee stress both on the job and at home, even to the point of causing health and relationship problems. You often have some level of control over the number and types of messages you choose to receive.

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