MKT 301 Final Exam UWL-Aaron Koepke

Context

External circumstances and forces that influence communication

Barrier

obstacle that gets in the way of effective communication

Transmission of messages

communications are more than an exchange of information

ie. developing new ideas, persuading others, learning

Complex process

source-> message-> sender-> medium-> encode->

receiver-> decode-> possible barrier (language barrier)-> feedback

Cognitive Conflict

Results from differences in understanding context and tasks. When worked through leads to better decisions and products.

Affective Confict

Results from differences in personalities and relationships. if unaddressed can lead to tension, stress, and dysfunctional work processing.

Cause of Cognitive Conflicts

competing goals, differences of opinion, faulty assumptions

Causes for Affective conflicts

relational issues, ego issues

Resolving Affective Conflict

Address emotional issues before work content

Resolving Cognitive issues

Avoid confrontations, accommodate of give in, compete to win, compromise, collaborate

Direct organization

arranging content in a message to present the main idea of the message before the supporting details. More effective

Indirect Organization

arranging content in a message to present the supporting details before the main idea. Less effective

Clarity

use easy to understand language, use words that/phrases that can't be interpreted differently.

-Avoid slang and cliches

-use small words/natural sounding language

Conciseness

avoid wordy frasses, eliminate fillers, no redundancies or repetitions

Types of Goodwill Messages

1. Thank you

2. Congratulations

3. Sympathy

4. FYI

ways to portray goodwill

expressing appreciation, offering help, using a "you" perspective, highlighting audience benefits.

Fallacy

a violation of logic reasoning that leads to a flawed argument

appeal to popular opinion

offering as evidence statements such as "everybody knows"

hasty generalization

drawing a conclusion from a sample that is either too small or does not represent the larger population

ignoring the burden of proof

stating a claim but providing no evidence to support it

false cause

assuming there is a cause and effect between two things without proving their relationship

false dillema

asserting that only two choices exist while ignoring other options

false analogy

supporting an idea by comparing it to something that is not complete

red herring

focusing on an irrelevant issue to draw away from central issue

ad hominem attack

attacking a person that disagrees with you rather than addressing the issues

Techniques for constructing logically sound arguments

What is your position?

What reasons support your decision?

What evidence supports your reasons?

- numerical data

-facts

-expert authority

-personal experience

-examples

strategies for softening the impact of bad news while maintaining honestly

Add a buffer, position good news ahead of bad news, subordinate the bad news, positive or neutral language, close the message positively

Persuasive proposal development

Articulate the problem need or opportunity, present a compelling recommendation with supporting details, identify the outcomes and benefits, establish feasibility and credibility, Request action,

types of business proposals

proposals for action or change, solicited sales proposals, unsolicited sales proposals, funding proposals

cover letter

who you are, what you are requesting, why the request is important, how it addresses the agency's mission, why you believe your project is feasible

Structure and components of business proposals

read RFPs carefully to identify content requirements, structure like a formal report, use proposal writing software to increase efficiency.

progress report

updates others on your status and indicates potential problems or issues

meeting minutes

written report of meetings summarizing the purpose of the meeting

trip reports

documents your activities to share what you accomplished or learned from a business trip

feasibility reports

analyzes whether a plan can be implemented as proposed

credibility in professional writing

-concise sentences

-write citations, text references, and reference list entries

Structuring formal reports

-organize the report in distinct sections

- design the report for your audience and purpose

-choose the best electronic format for online distribution

components of successful presentations

Purpose, audience, outcome of presentation

Purpose

do you want to audience to be informed, persuaded, instructed, or collaborate?

Audience

who is it?

What do they care about?

How will they benefit?

What do they already know?

outcome of presentation and audiences needs

-take the audience point of view

- address a problem, concern or need that they care about

- present a solution and highlight benefits

- lead audience to the outcome you intend

Effective resumes

education near top, chronological order, categories of skills, work experience

cover letters

specifies the position you're applying for, highlights your qualifications for that position, requests and interview

Cover letters continued

exemplify how you possess the traits you list by describing how you gained experience or mastered the skills.

become familiar with the company's website to learn about their mission and goals