Business Communication: Digital Channels, Routine, Negative Messages, and Reports

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering digital communication channels, compositional modes, routine and positive messages, negative message strategies, and business report and proposal planning.

Major Digital Channels for Business Communication

The core channels used for business communication, including social networks, email, business messaging, blogging and microblogging, podcasting, web content, wikis, and video.

Compositional Modes for Digital Media

The range of expression formats available for digital content, consisting of conversations, comments and critiques, orientations, summaries, reference materials, narratives, teasers, status updates and announcements, and tutorials and FAQs.

Emojis

Visual icons (such as a smiley face or clapping hands) used to convey the emotional tone of a message, typically considered appropriate only for casual business communication rather than formal or external audiences.

Business Messaging

A brief digital communication channel that offers more benefits than email but requires proper tone, careful use of acronyms, adherence to security policies, and avoiding lengthy, complex, or multi-threaded exchanges.

Social Networking Platforms (in Business)

Digital platforms used by companies to integrate and expand workforces, foster collaboration, build communities, socialize with stakeholders, support customers, and understand target markets.

Blogging

An online publishing system that is easier to personalize than conventional websites and focuses on three core elements: a target audience, the blog purpose, and the scope of the blog.

Microblogging

A variation on blogging in which messages are sharply restricted to specific character counts.

Podcasting

The process of recording audio and sometimes video files and distributing them online as part of a channel of related content.

Routine Messages

The two primary categories of standard business communications: routine requests that ask for information from another party, and various routine and positive messages.

Routine Request

A message structured with an opening, body, and closing that asks for information or specific action, asks for recommendations, or makes claims and requests adjustments.

Claim

A formal complaint made in response to dissatisfaction over a product or service.

Adjustment

The formal settlement of a claim.

Strategy for Routine and Positive Messages

A three-part message organization sequence: 1) Open with the main idea, 2) Provide necessary details and explanation, and 3) End with a courteous close.

Three-Step Writing Process for Negative Messages

The structured procedure followed when composing bad-news messages: planning a negative message, writing negative messages, and completing negative messages.

Direct Approach for Negative Messages

An organizational pattern that opens with a clear statement of the bad news, provides reasons and additional information, and closes on a respectful note.

Indirect Approach for Negative Messages

An organizational pattern that opens with a buffer, provides reasons and additional information, and closes on a respectful note.

Buffer

A neutral, non-conversational statement that establishes common ground with the reader in an indirect negative message.

Negative Employment Messages

Adverse personnel communications, including refusing recommendation and reference requests, refusing social networking recommendations, rejecting job applications, giving negative performance reviews, and terminating employment.

In-Person Delivery

The preferred and most effective method for delivering bad news directly to employees.

Apology Message Timing

A critical decision criterion in business messaging stipulating that an apology needs to be delivered quickly.

Informational Report

A report that offers data, facts, feedback, and other types of information without providing analysis or recommendations.

Analytical Report

A report that offers both information and analysis, and can also include recommendations.

Proposal

A specialized report category that combines information delivery with persuasive communication.

Statement of Purpose

A statement that explains the reason for preparing a report and presents an overview of the content of the report.

Process of Proposal Writing

The sequential workflow of proposal creation: gathering information, selecting the right combination of media and channels, and organizing information.

Problem Statement

A statement defining the purpose of the research, the guidelines set, and the objective to achieve at the conclusion of the report.

Causation (in Business Reports)

A cause-effect relationship demonstrated in a report where one factor directly causes the other to happen.

Qualities of a Good Report

The key attributes of an effective report: supported with reliable data, exhibits good planning, reveals research findings, establishes causation, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations.