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CHAPTER 5

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL
CONTEXT

Business Communication and the


Technology Context

Why Managing Information within Organizations?

The growth of information technology over the past 30 years has


transformed the way business is transacted throughout the world.

Information technology is also changing the conventions of written


communication, favoring more direct and informal style and
promoting more collaborative types of communication.

Internationally, the instantaneous availability of information has


communicated and influenced social, political, and economic event.

Each day throughout the world, more than $1 trillion is transferred


electronically, and more than $300 billion by foreign exchange
transfer.

History of Technological Development

Understanding Internet

The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the
stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities

Between 1961to 1965, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)


started to research sharing information in small, phone-linked networks.
This was the beginning of development of Internet.

In 1991, World-Wide Web was introduced, developed by


Mr. Tim Berners-Lee, with assistance from Robert Caillau

The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world


like nothing before.

The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism


for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and
interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for
geographic location.

The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the


benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and
development of information infrastructure.

Email
Email and the technologies it has generated are
changing the landscape of business
communication. The distinguished features of
email are:
More readily available
Interoperable between systems
Available world-wide
Inexpensive
Much better known reached a critical mass where
one can expect others to have an email address
Much easier to use

Email Etiquettes

Watch your tone: Avoid being too casual

Be concise: Long, rambling messages are ineffective

Send a message only when there is something very important to


say

Forward the email to appropriate address if you are not the intended
audience

Be polite. Do not provoke, insult or comment too much about


something that is irrelevant and tasteless.

Other Communication Technologies


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Voice Mail
Groupware
CD-ROM Databases
Teleconferences
Faxes

Voice Mail
Voice mail has become popular in many offices
because it eliminates telephone tag
It records a message in a computer disk for later
retrieval by the receiver
When an incoming call is not answered, the system
guides the caller how to record the message.
The receiver then either listen to the recorded
message upon returning to the office or access the
message via telephone.

Groupware
Groupware allows supervisor to manage workflow of a
department via computer
It allows several people to use software at the same
time to create documents, keep track of projects, route
messages, and manage deadlines.
Groupware enables a supervisor to manage workflow via
individual computers instead of physically moving people
from place to place or having face to face meetings.

Business Communication and the


Technology Context
CD-ROM Databases
Compact Disk-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) are very popular data
storage device.

It is a powerful tool for putting masses of information in a form that is


easy to digest.

Some kinds of information typically found on CD-ROMS are


encyclopedia, dictionaries, telephone directories, and articles and
abstracts on various subjects.

Multimedia applications, including video, audio, graphics, and text,


are making CD-ROMs storage of information essential.

Teleconference
Teleconferencing is the emerging technology that
allows group of people not only talk with each other but
also see their video images.
Currently video conferencing has problems such as
high price tag and poor quality video images on the
computer screen.
The technology is, however, continuously being
improved with the aid of special software and
powerful microprocessors.

Business Communication and the


Technology Context
Faxes
A facsimile machine scans a printed page, converts it to a signal,
and transmits the signal over telephone line to a receiving fax
machine.
The oldest type of machines had to be connected to a machine of the
same type. Todays fax machines do not require the same kind of
machine at the receiving end, and they can transmit a page in less than
1 minute.
The newest fax machines use digital transmission, which makes it
possible to use computer program as a receiver. And these new
machines are much faster than previous generation machines.

Managing Information Outside


Organization
News organizations are responsible for
most of our knowledge of what goes on
in the world

Managing the News Media


What we refer to as the media are simply channel of information,
everything from newspapers, radio, television, magazines, journals, and
newsletters.
News is generally characterized into two types: Hard News vs. Soft
News.
Hard News is out of ordinary, is timely, and is most often public needs to
know. Plane crashes and fires are hard news.
Soft News stories are timeless; that is they can be used within a wider
framework of time, and most often they have a positive rather than a negative
slant.

Within business organizations, hard news includes such things as annual


meetings results, quarterly earnings or announcements of a new product.
Soft news includes material that can inform or educate readers or viewers
about company, its vision in the world, and its community activities.

Managing Corporate News


Tools for communicating to the media
includes:
Press Releases
Interviews
Conferences
Op-Ed Pieces
Letters to the Editor
Talk Show

Press Release
A press release is an information memo
from your organization to the news media
to get your message to the public.

Interviews
The pitfalls of interviewing can be avoided
by careful preparation and knowledge.

Conferences
Press conference are often the result of a
crisis; however ,you handle them the
same way you handle the other forms of
communication: with careful preparation.

Op-Ed Pieces
Opinion articles by private organizations
can often be found opposite the editorial
page in newspapers.

Letter to Editor
Letter to the editor must be short, clearly
written, and signed.
Many letters are written to:
Clarify an issue
Refute a charge
Correct a mistake
Point out needed change
Offer an opinion
Or, react to the situation

Talk Shows
Call-in talk shows, whether on radio or
television can offer your organization
channel for communicating your message
to the public.
Talk shows are, however, less predictable
than any other kind of media.

Managing Information Through


Company Spokespersons
Companies often select one person to be the main
spokesperson.
This strategy allows for a consistent answer, a single
contact, and a decrease in response variance.
The spokesperson should be a:
Knowledgeable about the companys overall objectives and
strategies.
Well-prepared to speak on issues under consideration.
Comfortable speaking in public and to groups and fielding
questions deftly.
Assured of full confidence of the companys management

News Media Interview


Preparation: The Key to a Good Interview
1. Ask about the subject of the interview, the time, what is
needed, and the deadline.
2. Write out some brief, positive points about your
program/project/event.
3. Anticipate likely questions beforehand, so plan answers. If
possible, rehearse answers.
4. For newspaper reporters, background literature is
welcomed from the interviewer(s).
5. For a surprise interview situation, take a few minutes to plan
message.
6. For a surprise telephone call interview, call right backafter
planning an appropriate message/response.

News Media Interview


The Interview
1. Answer questionsand bridge to positive points.
2. Be confident; youre the expert in the interview!
3. Avoid speculation and hypotheticals; it may lead to being misquoted.
4. Avoid technical terms, jargons, and acronyms; only people who are familiar with your program are
familiar with your terms.
5. Do not say no comment. If you cannot answer, explain why.
6. Do not be afraid to say, I dont knowbut I will find out for you.
7 For TV keep your answers to 20 seconds or less.
i. Keep your eyes on the interviewer.
ii. Do not fill dead airtimeits not your responsibility.
iii. Be honest.
iv. Assert Yourself!

Managing Crises
Communication
How company manages the crises can

have a long-term effect on profits.


Now organizations have developed crises
contingency plans.
Organizations have permanent recognized
crisis team designated to handle the
public and the media in the event of a
crisis or to handle the negative news.

Managing Crises
Communication
Part

of this strategy is to cultivate


relationships with the media during ordinary
periods so that if the crises occurs, the
company has a point of contact.
It takes time to position yourself as a credible
person in the eyes of media but this credibility
is necessary when a crisis strikes.
Being prepared is the key to success.

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