UNIT 1 LAYING COMMUNICATION FOUNDATIONS 1 1 Building Your Career Success With Communication Skills 2
Expand Your Learning With These Bonus Resources! 23 InfoTrac College Edition 23 Activities and Cases 23 Video Resources 26 Career Success Starts With Communication Foundations 27 Erasing Stereotypes: Zubi Advertising 27 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 27 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 28 Communication Workshop: Technology Using Job Boards to Learn About Employment Possibilities in Your Field 29
The Importance of Communication Skills to Your Career 2 Examining the Communication Process 8 Developing Better Listening Skills 9 Improving Your Nonverbal Communication Skills 12 Understanding How Culture Affects Communication 15 Capitalizing on Workforce Diversity 18 Summing Up and Looking Forward 21 Critical Thinking 21 Chapter Review 21
UNIT 2 THE WRITING PROCESS 31 2 Creating Business Messages 32 The Basics of Business Writing 32 The Writing Process for Business Messages and Oral Presentations 33 Analyzing the Purpose and the Audience 35 Anticipating the Audience 37 Adapting to the Task and Audience 38 Technology Improves Your Business Writing 46 Summing Up and Looking Forward 47 Critical Thinking 47 Chapter Review 47 Expand Your Learning With These Bonus Resources! 49 Writing Improvement Exercises 49 Activity 52 Video Resource 52 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 52 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 53 Communication Workshop: Career Skills Sharpening Your Skills for Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making 54
3 Improving Writing Techniques 56 Researching to Collect Needed Information 56 Organizing to Show Relationships 58
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Writing Effective Sentences 61 Improving Writing Techniques 63 Striving for Paragraph Coherence 68 Composing the First Draft 69 Summing Up and Looking Forward 70 Critical Thinking 70 Chapter Review 70 Expand Your Learning With These Bonus Resources! 71 Writing Improvement Exercises 72 Activity 76 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 76 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 77 Communication Workshop: Ethics Using Ethical Tools to Help You Do the Right Thing 78
4 Revising and Proofreading Business Messages 80 Understanding the Process of Revision 80 Concise Wording 81 Understanding the Process of Proofreading 87 Summing Up and Looking Forward 89 Critical Thinking 89 Contents
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Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 94 Communication Workshop: Technology Using Word’s Track Changes and Comment Features to Edit and Revise Documents 95
Chapter Review 89 Writing Improvement Exercises 90 Activity 93 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 93
UNIT 3 CORRESPONDING AT WORK 97 5 E-Mail and Memorandums 98 Applying the Writing Process to Produce Effective E-Mail Messages and Memos 98 Analyzing the Structure and Format of E-Mail Messages and Memos 101 Using E-Mail Smartly and Safely 107 Writing Information and Procedure E-Mail Messages and Memos 112 Writing Request and Reply E-Mail Messages and Memos 114 Summing Up and Looking Forward 116 Critical Thinking 116 Chapter Review 117 Writing Improvement Exercises 118 Writing Coach—Request E-Mail 120 Writing Improvement Cases 122 Activities and Cases 124 Video Resources: Smart E-Mail Messages and Memos Advance Your Career 129 Innovation, Learning, and Communication: A Study of Yahoo 129 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 130 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 131 Communication Workshop: Ethics Whose Computer Is It Anyway? 132
6 Direct Letters and Goodwill Messages 134 Writing Effective Direct Business Letters 134 Direct Requests for Information and Action 135 Direct Claims 137 Replies to Information Requests 140 Adjustment Letters 141 Letters of Recommendation 146 Writing Winning Goodwill Messages 149 Summing Up and Looking Forward 152 Critical Thinking 152 Chapter Review 152 Writing Improvement Exercises 153 Writing Coach—Direct Request Letter 156 Writing Improvement Cases 158 Activities and Cases 160
Video Resources: Social Responsibility and Communication: Ben & Jerry’s 167 MeetingsAmerica 167 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 168 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 169 Communication Workshop: Career Skills Dr. Guffey’s Guide to Business Etiquette and Workplace Manners 170
7 Persuasive Messages 172 Persuasive Requests 172 Crafting Winning Sales Letters 179 Summing Up and Looking Forward 184 Critical Thinking 184 Chapter Review 185 Writing Coach—Favor Request 186 Writing Improvement Exercises 188 Writing Improvement Cases 189 Activities and Cases 190 Video Resource: Persuasion and Profitability: World Gym 196 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 196 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 198 Communication Workshop: Ethics Making Sure Your Sales Letters Are Legal 199
8 Negative Messages 201 Strategies for Delivering Bad News 201 Techniques for Delivering Bad News Sensitively 205 Refusing Routine Requests and Claims 210 Breaking Bad News to Customers 213 Breaking Bad News to Employees 217 Ethics and the Indirect Strategy 218 Summing Up and Looking Forward 220 Critical Thinking 220 Chapter Review 220 Writing Improvement Exercises 221 Writing Improvement Cases 223 Writing Coach—Refusing a Favor Request 224 Activities and Cases 227
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Communication Workshop: Multicultural Issues Presenting Bad News in Other Cultures 236
Video Resource: Negative News: DawnSign Press 233 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 234 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 235
UNIT 4 REPORTING WORKPLACE DATA 237 9 Informal Reports 238
10 Proposals and Formal Reports 267
Understanding Report Basics 239 Guidelines for Developing Informal Reports 243 Six Kinds of Informal Reports 248 Information Reports 249 Progress Reports 249 Justification/Recommendation Reports 251 Feasibility Reports 253 Minutes of Meetings 254 Summaries 255 Summing Up and Looking Forward 257 Critical Thinking 257 Chapter Review 257 Writing Improvement Exercises 259 Activities and Cases 259 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 263 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 264 Communication Workshop: Collaboration Laying the Groundwork for Team Writing Projects 265
Understanding Business Proposals 267 Informal Proposals 268 Formal Proposals 272 Preparing to Write Formal Reports 272 Researching Secondary Data 273 Generating Primary Data 276 Documenting Data 278 Organizing and Outlining Data 280 Illustrating Data 283 Presenting the Final Report 290 Summing Up and Looking Forward 302 Critical Thinking 302 Chapter Review 302 Activities and Cases 304 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 311 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 312 Communication Workshop: Technology Trash or Treasure: Assessing the Quality of Web Documents 313
UNIT 5 DEVELOPING SPEAKING AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS 315 11 Communicating in Person, in Meetings, by Telephone, and Digitally 316 Improving Face-to-Face Workplace Communication 317 Planning and Participating in Productive Business and Professional Meetings 322 Improving Telephone, Cell Phone, and Voice Mail Skills 328 Other Digital Communication Tools in the Workplace 333 Summing Up and Looking Forward 335 Critical Thinking 335 Chapter Review 336 Activities and Cases 337 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 340 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 341 Communication Workshop: Career Skills Eight Steps to Resolving Workplace Conflicts 342
12 Making Effective and Professional Oral Presentations 344 Getting Ready for an Oral Presentation 345 Organizing Content for a Powerful Impact 347 How the Best Speakers Build Audience Rapport 351 Planning Visual Aids 353 Designing an Impressive Multimedia Presentation 355 Polishing Your Delivery and Following Up 361 Adapting to International and Cross-Cultural Audiences 365 Summing Up and Looking Forward 366 Critical Thinking 366 Chapter Review 367 Activities and Cases 368 Video Resource: Effective On-the-Job Presentations 371 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 371 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 372 Communication Workshop: Collaboration Techniques for Taking Part in Effective and Professional Team Presentations 373
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UNIT 6 COMMUNICATING FOR EMPLOYMENT 375 13 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Letters 376 Preparing for Employment 376 The Persuasive Résumé 383 Optimizing Your Résumé for Today’s Technologies 396 Applying the Final Touches to Your Résumé 400 The Persuasive Cover Letter 403 Summing Up and Looking Forward 409 Critical Thinking 409 Chapter Review 410 Writing Improvement Cases 411 Activities and Cases 413 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 415 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 416 Communication Workshop: Career Skills Network Your Way to a Job in the Hidden Market 417
14 Employment Interviewing and Follow-Up Messages 419 Types of Employment Interviews 420 Before the Interview 422 On the Day of Your Interview 425 During the Interview 427 Closing the Interview 435 After the Interview 436
Other Employment Letters and Documents 439 Summing Up and Looking Forward 442 Critical Thinking 442 Chapter Review 442 Activities and Cases 444 Video Resource: Sharpening Your Interview Skills 448 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup—Punctuation Review 448 Grammar/Mechanics Challenge 450 Communication Workshop: Career Skills Let’s Talk Money: Negotiating a Salary 451
Appendix A Reference Guide to Document Formats A-1 Appendix B InSite Correction Symbols and Proofreading Marks A-13 Appendix C Documentation Formats A-16 Grammar/Mechanics Handbook GM-1 Key to Grammar/Mechanics Checkups K-1 Endnotes N-1 Index I-1