Off and Running

You are now ready to put what you have learned from this book into practice. Use this section as a review guide:

CHAPTER 1.
COMMUNICATING CLEARLY IN WRITING

• The ability to write well is essential to advancing your managerial career.
• Research and planning is the first step to crafting a well-written message.
• Whether you are writing a brief e-mail or formal business report, correct grammar, accurate language, and good manners are critical.
• Clarity and simplicity are the cornerstone of good writing. Buzzwords and jargon should be eliminated.
• Understanding whom you are writing for and why you are writing—to inform or to persuade—helps target written communications more effectively.
• Revising and editing are the last—but most crucial—steps in the writing process.

CHAPTER 2.
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

• Business e-mails should be treated with the same care as other forms of written communication: attention to details and grammar is paramount.
• The rules of e-mail etiquette are simple: be courteous, reply to e-mails promptly, err on the side of a formal tone, limit use of abbreviations, double-check spelling of recipients and their addresses.
• E-mail and instant messaging should be used only for company business; employees should be discouraged from sending and receiving personal or inappropriate e-mails at work.

CHAPTER 3.
PRECISION ON PAPER

• Internal memorandums, or memos, are brief documents used to impart information within a select group of people.
• Memos consist of a heading—date, recipients, sender, and subject line—and a body of text.
• All business letters are formal by nature and are generally written either to notify, request, respond, or persuade.
• An effective business letter is well structured—with a proper greeting, body of text and closing—and correctly formatted (either in block format or modified block format).
• Reports are formal, lengthy documents drafted to inform readers, apprise them of a current situation, or recommend actions.
• A credible report is characterized by objectivity and reliance on facts.
• Recorded meeting minutes should be free of persuasion, opinion, or analysis, and should be accurate, succinct, and straightforward.

CHAPTER 4.
ORAL COMMUNICATION

• It is essential for managers to cultivate good speaking skills.
• Nonverbal cues, such as your gestures, facial expressions, and posture, express what your words might not.
• The best form of nonverbal communication is to listen attentively.
• At no time are communication skills more critical than when you are giving feedback to an employee.
• Answering the phone and leaving voice-mail messages requires politeness and professionalism at all times.
• The key to oral presentations is thorough preparation. Write, revise, and practice your script.