Business communication contexts and controversies

business communication
contexts and controversies



les hanson

darryl hammond

red river college

red river college
university of manitoba
university of winnipeg

business communication
contexts and controversies

Pearson Canada
Toronto


Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Hanson, Les, 1956–
Business communication: contexts and controversies / Les Hanson, Darryl Hammond. — 1st ed.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-13-814498-2
1. Business communication—Textbooks.
I. Hammond, Darryl, 1964– II. Title.
HF5718.H35 2010

651.7

C2009-904828-0

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Brief Contents
PART 1 Foundations
1

Business Communication in the Twenty-First Century

2

Ideas: Planning the Writing Process

3

Words: Looking at Your Language

4

Media: Choosing Your Channel

5

Intercultural Communication

1

27
52

79
101

PART 2 Routine Communications
6

Meetings

7

Oral Presentations: The Counterintuitive Speaker

8

Writing Routine Letters, Memos, and Emails

9

Writing Persuasive Messages

10

116
137

170

211

Dealing with Negative Information

232

PART 3 Longer Documents
11

Writing Instructions, Explanations, and Definitions

12

Preparing to Write Proposals,
Reports, and Electronic Presentations

13

Writing Proposals and Reports

14

Writing Business Plans

257

280

306

348

PART 4 Employment
15

Writing Resumés

16

Networking, Developing Effective References,
and Succeeding in Employment Interviews
393

17

Interpersonal Communication: Surviving Life on the Cube Farm

Appendix

366

Grammar, Punctuation, and Plain English

449

423



Contents
Issues in Communication boxes
Preface xvii
About the Authors xxiii
About the Contributors xxiv

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING

xv

Planning Routine Documents

THREE-POINT PLANNING

32

32

Establish Your Purpose for Writing 32
Analyze the Audience 34
Obtain and Organize Your Information 35
Working with Others
36
Organizing with Outlines 41
Organization in Action: Getting Your
Information in Order 43

PART 1 Foundations
Business Communication
in the Twenty-First
Century 1

1

CHANGING COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

31

2

THE WRITING PROCESS IN ACTION

Hard Skills and Soft Skills
7
How Business Communication Differs from
High School English
7

Set Objectives for Yourself
45
Expect to Make Mistakes
45
Feel Free to Shift between Sections
Set Your Work Aside When
It Is Complete 45
Edit Your Work 45

Proofread Your Work
46

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

WRITING TEMPLATES

Issues in Communication:
BlackBerry or Crackberry?

3

WHY STUDY COMMUNICATION?

5

9

COMMUNICATING IN THE TWENTY-FIRST
CENTURY
16
Text Messaging 17
Living with PDAs
19
Multi-tasking: The New Normal

Planning
2 Ideas:
the Writing Process
THE COST OF POOR PLANNING

Issues in Communication:
Banning the Bags
29

28

48

Chapter Summary 48
Thinking and Writing Exercises
49
Writing Skills Checkup: Point of View Shift

51

Looking at Your
3 Words:
Language

20

Chapter Summary 24
Thinking and Writing Exercises
24
Writing Skills Checkup: Sentence Errors

45

46

Commercially Produced Templates
The Limitations of Templates
48

Ideas
10
Words
11
Media 13

44

52

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT WORDS
26

27

Issues in Communication:
New Words at Work: From Blogs to Bandwidth

53

53

STANDARD ENGLISH: USING DICTIONARIES
AND STYLE GUIDES
56
Literal Meanings: Denotation 56

Deciding Which Words Are Appropriate
Connotation: Emotional Meanings 58

57


x

Contents

USING THE APPROPRIATE STYLE AND TONE
Informal Style 59
Academic Style
59
Business Style
59
The Impact of Tone

58

THE NEW CHANNELS

96

Privacy and the New Media

Chapter Summary 98
Thinking and Writing Exercises
98
Writing Skills Checkup:

Apostrophes and Possessives
100

60

STREAMLINING YOUR WRITING

63

Avoid Wordiness 64
Avoid Redundant Words and Wordy
Expressions
64
Avoid Outdated and Bureaucratic
Expressions
64
Use Caution with Business Jargon
67
Use Simple Verbs 67
Use Specific Words
68
Use Content and Function Words Properly

SENSITIVITY 101:
AVOIDING BIASED LANGUAGE
Gender
70
Age
71
Race, Religion, and Ethnicity

Disability
73

5 Intercultural
Communication

101

LIVING IN THE GLOBAL VILLAGE

102

Issues in Communication:
Men and Women as Different Cultures
68

CULTURAL BALANCING ACTS

102

104

High-Context and Low-Context Cultures
105
The Needs of the Many and the Needs
of the One
106
Listening to Cultural Narratives 107
Non-verbal Aspects of Communication
109

69

72

Chapter Summary 113
Thinking and Writing Exercises
114
Writing Skills Checkup: Capitalization

Chapter Summary

75
Thinking and Writing Exercises
76
Writing Skills Checkup:
Frequently Confused Words
78

79

6 Meetings

80

81

WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE MEETINGS
SUCCEED
119

88

Formal Communication 89
Informal Communication 93

ONE-TO-ONE, ONE-TO-MANY, AND MANY-TOMANY CHANNELS
94
One-to-One Communication 94
One-to-Many Communication 95
Many-to-Many Communication
95

117

Issues in Communication:
The Obama Visit 118

Verbal Communication
82
Written Communication 86

FORMAL VERSUS INFORMAL CHANNELS

116

SIMPLE MEETINGS CAN BE COMPLEX

Issues in Communication:
Viral Marketing 80

VERBAL VERSUS WRITTEN CHANNELS

115

PART 2 Routine
Communications

Choosing Your
4 Media:
Channel
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHANNEL

96

The Organizer
119
The Chairperson
120
The Timekeeper
121
The Minute Taker
122
The Attendees
123

PREPARING TO HOLD A MEETING
What Is the Purpose? 125
Who to Invite? 125
What Is on the Agenda? 125

124


Contents

THE ACTUAL MEETING

Starting
128
Keeping Everyone Focused
Closing Actions
130

AFTER THE MEETING

Props
164
PowerPoint that Respects the Audience 165
Figuring Out What to Wear 165
Three Final Tips on Your Delivery . . .
and on Practising in front of Your Dog 167

128
129

131

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

133

VIRTUAL MEETINGS

133

Chapter Summary 135
Thinking and Writing Exercises
135
Writing Skills Checkup: Writing Minutes

Chapter Summary 168
Thinking and Speaking Exercises
168
Writing Skills Checkup: Adjectives and Adverbs

137
138

HOW TO USE THE COUNTERINTUITIVE
APPROACH
141
141

Approach in Your Own Presentations
141
Always Do What You Are Afraid to Do 143
Remember the Key Words: Content and
Connection
144
148

You Need to Know
149
Connecting: Your Ego May Be Getting
in the Way 150
Concrete Tips to Help You Get Started

THE BODY

151

Issues in Communication:
The Dream of the Paperless Office

171

Considering Message Outcomes

THE CONCLUSION
THE LITTLE EXTRAS
164

162
164

175

176

Choosing Email and Memos 177

Beginnings and Endings for All Messages
181
Applying a Pattern to Your Writing
183
Lists in Documents 185
Choosing between Letters and Email
187
Last Word on Memos 196

EMAIL ETIQUETTE

196

Chapter Summary 200
Thinking and Writing Exercises
201
Writing Skills Checkup:
Using Numbers in Business Writing

209

Persuasive
9 Writing
Messages
211

154

Find Your Own Voice
154

Involve the Audience 158
Everyone Has a Perfect Personality
159
Repetition Can Be Good 159
Learn to Love the Audience from Hell
(They’re Not Leaving Anytime Soon) 160

Movement

171

STRATEGIES FOR WRITING ROUTINE
MESSAGES
177

Issues in Communication:
“PowerPoint Is Evil”
138

THE INTRODUCTION

THE COST OF COMMUNICATION

THE PURPOSE OF ROUTINE MESSAGES

THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO KNOW

PREPARATION

Routine Letters,

8 Writing
Memos, and Emails
170

136

Presentations:
7 Oral
The Counterintuitive
Speaker

169

MAKE ANYONE DO ANYTHING

212

Issues in Communication:
The Nag Factor 213

KNOW YOUR OBJECTIVE

214

What, Specifically, Do You Want
to Happen?
214

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

215

Who, Specifically, Are You Asking?

215

xi


xii

Contents

AID FROM AIDA

Presenting Bad News Indirectly

216

Attention 216
Interest 217
Desire 218
Action 218

INDIRECT FORMULA FOR PRESENTING
BAD NEWS
244

USE THE RIGHT CLOSE

Identifying the Positive Aspects of Negative
Information
244
Putting the Indirect Formula into Practice 245

219

Presumptive Close 219
Alternative Close
219
Conditional Close
219

Chapter Summary 249
Thinking and Writing Exercises
250
Writing Skills Checkup: Active and Passive Voices

CRAFT A MESSAGE THAT APPEALS TO BOTH
LOGIC AND EMOTION
220

TYPES OF PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

Instructions,
11 Writing
Explanations, and

222

Simple Request 222
Requests for Action
223
Complaints 224
Sales Messages
225
Fundraising Messages 227

Reciprocity
Consistency

Definitions

TYPES OF INSTRUCTIONS

228
229

WRITING INSTRUCTIONS

233
233

WRITING EXPLANATIONS

Issues in Communication:
Sorry about That 234

GIVING BAD NEWS OR REJECTING
REQUESTS

240
Presenting Bad News Directly

235

242

240

268

272

Guidebook 272
Readers Select
272

WRITING DEFINITIONS

240

Direct Formula for Resolving Complaints

262

Planning 262
Structure
264
Testing the Completed Instructions
The Principles of Writing Clear

Instructions
269

232

RECEIVING VALID COMPLAINTS

258

Product Focus
261
User Focus 262

with Negative
10 Dealing
Information

Choosing the Medium for the Message
Thinking Big
237
Tone
238
Formula for Making Complaints 238

258

Issues in Communication:
Lawsuits, Safety Warnings,
and Hazardous Coffee 259

Chapter Summary 229
Thinking and Writing Exercises
230
Writing Skills Checkup: Pronoun Case 231

MAKING COMPLAINTS

257

THE NEED FOR GOOD INSTRUCTIONS

228

THE VALUE OF BAD NEWS

255

PART 3 Longer
Documents

Logical Appeal
220
Emotional Appeal
221

CLICK, WHIRR

243

272

Importance
273
Special Needs for Business Definitions
Tips for Writing Effective Definitions

274
275

Chapter Summary 276
Thinking and Writing Exercises
276
Writing Skills Checkup:
Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms

278


Contents

12

REPORTS: FORMAL AND INFORMAL

Preparing to Write
Proposals, Reports,
and Electronic
Presentations 280
MANAGING INFORMATION

281

Issues in Communication:
The World according to Wiki and Wikipedia

TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

281

282

PRIMARY VERSUS SECONDARY RESEARCH

283

Primary Research
283
Secondary Research
283

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Tables, Graphs, and Other Visuals
in Reports 289
PowerPoint Slides 294

298

Chapter Summary 303
Thinking and Writing Exercises

303
Writing Skills Checkup: Subject–Verb Agreement

Proposals
13 Writing
and Reports

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING

349

WHY WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN?

349

304

307

352

Executive Summary
352
Overview of the Business
353
Description of the Products
and Services 355
Overview of the Industry
356
Marketing Strategy

357
Description of Management and Staff
Implementation Plan 360
Financial Plan 361

PART 4 Employment

307

Writing Process for All Proposals
Issues in Communication:
The Art of Misgiving, Corporate Style

15 Writing Resumés

307
308

Solicited and Unsolicited Proposals
311
The Request for Proposal (RFP) 312
Proposal Responding to an RFP 314
Unsolicited Proposals 315

FINDING YOUR CAREER
WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT
Issues in Communication:
Surfing for a Job 368

367

368

348

349

Chapter Summary 362
Thinking and Writing Exercises
363
Writing Skills Checkup: Commas
364

306

PROPOSALS

Chapter Summary 345
Thinking and Writing Exercises
345
Writing Skills Checkup:
Colons and Semicolons
346

STRUCTURE OF A BUSINESS PLAN

297

READY, SET, . . .

325

Issues in Communication:
Tiny Loans Become a Huge Success

PREPARING TO USE YOUR RESEARCH:
THINK VISUALLY
289

What (and What Not) to Reference
Types of References
299

Informational Report and Memo
Format 324
Analytical Report in Letter Format
Formal Reports
329
Information Reports 338
Analytical Reports 343
Background Reports
344
Operating Documents:
Policies and Procedures 344

14 Writing Business Plans

284

The Library 284
Online Research 284

Journal Databases 287

REFERENCING

317

366

360

xiii


xiv Contents
BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE RESUMÉ
One Size Does Not Fit All
What to Watch For 374

RESUMÉ STYLES

Closing Strongly 418
Following Up
418

370

372

Chapter Summary 420
Thinking and Writing Exercises

421
Writing Skills Checkup: Pronoun References

375

Chronological Resumés
377
Functional Resumés
379
Hybrid Resumés
382
Web-Based Resumés 382
Employment Portfolios and Eportfolios

LETTERS THAT CAN GET YOU WORK
The Prospecting Letter
386
Letters about Advertised Positions
Chapter Summary 390
Thinking and Writing Exercises
391
Writing Skills Checkup: Parallel Structure

17 Interpersonal
Communication:
384

385

394

395

402

402

Increasing Your EQ

432

432

COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO EARN
THE COOPERATION OF OTHER PEOPLE
433
IN THE OFFICE

Tips for Using Office Telephones
Cellphone Etiquette 439

CUBICLE ETIQUETTE

438

439

409

Common-Sense Guidelines

411

Chapter Summary 445
Thinking and Writing Exercises
445
Writing Skills Checkup:
Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers 448

411

THE DAY OF THE INTERVIEW

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

COMMUNICATING BY PHONE AT WORK

397

INTERVIEWS: WHAT TO PREPARE FOR

Choosing Good References

Assertiveness Rights and Responsibilities
428
Strategies for Disagreeing Assertively 428
Techniques for Being Assertive 430

Communicating with Your Boss
433
Fitting into Your Boss’s Plans

434
Communicating with Frontline Workers

Issues in Communication:
Drugs and the Workplace 395

REFERENCES

425

Issues in Communication:
Workplace Bullying 425

391

NETWORKING AND THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET

Understanding the Process
Interview Formats
406
Preparing for an Interview
Looking Good 410

424

COMMUNICATING ASSERTIVELY

Succeeding in Employment
Interviews 393

Taking Action
397
Building a Career Network

Surviving Life on the Cube
Farm 423
THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT

386

Developing
16 Networking,
Effective References, and

FINDING THE BEST OF THE BUNCH

421

413

Arriving for the Interview
414
Performing Well in the Interview
414
Starting the Interview
414
Answering Common Interview Questions 415
Staying on Track 415
Asking Questions during the Interview 417
Discussing Paycheques 417

439

Appendix: Grammar,
Punctuation, and Plain
English 449
Endnotes
479
Credits 487
Index
489

436
438


ISSUES
in Communication

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 10

BlackBerry or Crackberry?

Sorry about That

3

CHAPTER 2

234

CHAPTER 11

Banning the Bags

Lawsuits, Safety Warnings, and
Hazardous Coffee 259

29

CHAPTER 3

New Words at Work:
From Blogs to Bandwidth

CHAPTER 12

The World according to Wiki
and Wikipedia 281

53

CHAPTER 4

Viral Marketing

CHAPTER 13

80

The Art of Misgiving, Corporate Style

308

CHAPTER 5

Men and Women as Different Cultures

102

CHAPTER 14

Tiny Loans Become a Huge Success
CHAPTER 6

The Obama Visit

CHAPTER 15

118

Surfing for a Job

368

CHAPTER 7

“PowerPoint Is Evil”

CHAPTER 16

138

Drugs and the Workplace
CHAPTER 8

The Dream of the Paperless Office

171

CHAPTER 17

Workplace Bullying
CHAPTER 9

The Nag Factor

213

425

395

349



Preface

We had reservations about writing a new textbook
when we were first approached with the idea because
there are many good business communication textbooks on the market. Before we agreed to the project,
we had to assure ourselves that there was a genuine
need for a new book.
Having taught the subject for many years, we have
read dozens of business communication textbooks.
We looked again at many of these and made lists of the
problems that we (and our students) had found with
them. Some included profiles of business leaders or
companies that we had found boring. Others included
exercises that required little thought or imagination or
ones that required students to “make up additional details when necessary.” Some books ignored emerging
areas of communication such as the use of smart
phones. In others, email seemed to be tacked on as if it
were a recent innovation. We noted that students were
distracted by grammar exercises that dealt with multiple kinds of problems. Some books placed too much
emphasis on having students memorize obscure details rather than helping them to write clearly.
We were convinced.
Business Communication: Contexts and Controversies
overcomes these problems by
■
■
■
■
■
■

allowing students to relate information in the
book to real-world situations

including interesting assignments
providing provocative discussion questions
promoting active learning
illustrating some explanations with humorous
examples
using simple explanations

FEATURES
Business Communication: Contexts and Controversies
includes a number of features that are not found in

other textbooks or that offer improvements over those
found in existing books.
Up-to-date Coverage of Communication Technology.
Social networking, texting, cell phone etiquette, viral
marketing, and multi-tasking are just some of the
topics that have been included because of the influence that technology has had on communication.
Issues in Communication. Each chapter includes an
“issue in communication” that illustrates a real-life
situation relating to the topic of the chapter. The
chapter on business plans describes a unique business idea that won a Nobel Prize, for example, while
the chapter on writing routine messages describes
attempts to promote a paperless office. Each Issue in
Communication box includes questions that are
intended to promote discussion.
Business Plans. Business Communication: Contexts
and Controversies includes a chapter that provides an
introduction to the writing of business plans—a task
that will be faced by many business students before
(and after) they graduate.

Instruction Manuals. While guides for writing instructions are frequently found in technical communication books, an increased reliance on computers
and other hi-tech devices means that more and more
people in business are being called upon to explain
things to other people. Most of Chapter 11 (Writing
Instructions, Explanations, and Definitions) deals with
different aspects of instruction manuals.
Behavioural Interviews. While behaviour-based
interviewing has been a key tool of human resources
departments for years, most communication textbooks have ignored the topic or given it only limited
coverage. Business Communication: Contexts and
Controversies provides detailed advice to people on
preparing for this type of employment interview.
Take It Further. While many textbooks contain sidebars summarizing the key points found on each page,


xviii Preface
Business Communication: Contexts and Controversies
sidebars contain interesting tidbits of information that
are not included in the body of the text. Each sidebar
ends with a provocative question intended to promote
discussion of the material found in the chapter.
Thinking and Writing Exercises. The writing assignments included in the chapters dealing with letters and emails are much more detailed than those
found in other textbooks. Just as real-life writing requires people to make decisions about what information to include, many of these exercises require
students to sort extra information to find the details
that need to be included in their final submissions.
Writing Skills Checkup. Unlike the writing improvement exercises found in most textbooks, those in
Business Communication: Contexts and Controversies
deal with a single topic in each chapter, along with a
brief explanation of the guiding principles behind it.
This allows students (and instructors) to concentrate

on a single language-use problem at a time without
getting distracted by other types of errors.

ORGANIZATION
Part 1 Foundations
Foundations is made up of five chapters that provide
students with the principles on which all business
communications are based:
Chapter 1, “Business Communication in the
Twenty-First Century,” the book’s introductory
chapter, looks at some of the ways that business communication has changed in recent years. It uses these
to explain the book’s premise that communication
involves the interaction of ideas, words, and media.
Chapter 2, “Ideas: Planning the Writing Process”
emphasizes the need to plan all types of business communication based on the purpose of the document
and the audience for whom it is intended. It provides
instruction on brainstorming and sample outlines.
Chapter 3, “Words: Looking at Your Language”
explores the impact of the words we use in business.
It explains the need for simplicity in language and
discusses how euphemisms can sometimes be used
(or abused). The chapter contains detailed guidelines
on the use of non-discriminatory terminology along
with examples from current Canadian usage.

Chapter 4, “Media: Choosing Your Channel,”
compares the features of various oral and written
communication channels to help students choose the
most appropriate medium for their messages. In addition to the traditional tools for business communication, it includes sections dealing with some of the
newer forms of communication to emerge, such as

blogs, social networking, and viral marketing.
Chapter 5, “Intercultural Communication,” explores the impact that culture has on business communication. In a world that has been made smaller
by cheaper and faster forms of communication, the
chapter shows how the cultural background of an
audience can affect how messages are received.

Part 2 Routine Communications
Routine Communications consists of five chapters
that concentrate on the forms of communication
that take place every day in most places of business.
Chapter 6, “Meetings,” explains how to plan
meetings to make the most effective use of time. It
explains the various duties that people can expect to
perform during a meeting and shows people how
they can contribute to the success of a meeting.
Chapter 7, “Oral Presentations: The Counterintuitive Speaker,” provides readers with ways to give
speeches and presentations that capture the attention
of the audience and present them with memorable
information. It also explains how to prepare visual
aids that enhance a presentation instead of boring
the audience.
Chapter 8, “Writing Routine Letters, Memos,
and Emails,” looks at the mainstay of most office
communications—email—and explains how to write
messages that begin with a central idea and include
all necessary details. It shows how the same principles should also be applied to letters and memos.
Examples of good and bad communication are provided throughout the chapter.
Chapter 9, “Writing Persuasive Messages,” identifies different types of situations where persuasion
is necessary and then provides a range of strategies
for convincing an audience. It discusses the merits

of emotional and logical appeals and provides
examples of how they can be applied to business
communication.
Chapter 10, “Dealing with Negative Information,”
provides strategies for dealing with some aspects of


Preface

communication that many people find uncomfortable: making complaints, answering complaints, and
making apologies. It explains how bad news can be
used effectively and shows techniques for retaining
the goodwill of clients under difficult circumstances.

Part 3 Longer Documents
Longer Documents includes four chapters that deal
with writing detailed documents.
Chapter 11, “Writing Instructions, Explanations,
and Definitions,” demonstrates the need for people
to write explanations that are based on the needs of
their readers. It explains how to deal with technical
language and to write instructions that people will
actually understand.
Chapter 12, “Preparing to Write Proposals,
Reports, and Electronic Presentations,” examines the
initial processes needed to write effective reports and
proposals. It covers different types of research and
search techniques, proper referencing, and the best
methods for presenting results visually.
Chapter 13, “Writing Proposals and Reports,” describes strategies for presenting solicited and unsolicited proposals and examines informational and

analytical reports. It shows how to assemble various
parts of a report including graphs, tables, and other
visual aids, and includes examples of completed reports and proposals.
Chapter 14, “Writing Business Plans,” deals with
one of the most important (and detailed) documents
that any entrepreneur will ever create. It describes the
various sections that go into a typical business plan and
explains how to present the information that most investors will require before approving the plan.

Part 4 Employment
Employment consists of three chapters intended to
help students apply for jobs and keep them.
Chapter 15, “Writing Resumés,” provides guidelines for preparing several types of resumés, including online applications, as well as for writing
persuasive application letters. It includes examples of
all of these documents.
Chapter 16, “Networking, Developing Effective
References, and Succeeding in Employment Interviews,” discusses developing a career network to help

with successful job searches. It not only contains
advice on obtaining interviews and answering common interview questions but also deals extensively
with performing well during behavioural interviews.
Chapter 17, “Interpersonal Communication:
Surviving Life on the Cube Farm,” is based on the
principle that students must have the interpersonal
communication skills that will allow them to keep
that important first position. It includes sections on
office etiquette, emotional intelligence, and dealing
with frontline workers.

Appendix

“Grammar, Punctuation, and Plain English” teaches
and reviews the basic concepts of grammar while
employing humour and interesting visuals.

MyCanadianBusCommLab is a website that offers
videos, sample documents, and interactive exercises to improve communication skills. Throughout
the textbook, icons highlight material where
related activities or samples are available on
MyCanadianBusCommLab.
>

Explore dozens of Writing Samples,
from letters to emails to reports, that model effective
communication.
>
Practise Interactive Document Makeovers
provide practice in correcting ineffective communication; feedback guides students to understand the problems and find solutions.
Explore

STUDENT SUPPLEMENTS
MyCanadianBusCommLab This state-of-the-art,
interactive, and instructive solution for business
communication is designed to be used as a supplement
to a traditional lecture course or to completely administer an online course. See the opening pages of this text
for details. Visit www.mycanadianbuscommlab.ca.
MyCanadianBusCommLab includes a Pearson
eText, which gives students access to the text whenever
and wherever they have access to the internet. eText

xix

xx

Preface

pages look exactly like the printed text, offering
powerful new functionality for students and instructors. Users can create notes, highlight text in different
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enabling users to access videos, animations, or other
activities as they read.
A student access card for MyCanadianBusCommLab is packaged with every new copy of the
text. Access codes can also be purchased through
campus bookstores or through the website.
CourseSmart for Students. CourseSmart goes beyond
traditional expectations—providing instant, online
access to the textbooks and course materials you need
at an average savings of 50%. With instant access from
any computer and the ability to search your text, you’ll
find the content you need quickly, no matter where
you are. And with online tools like highlighting and
note-taking, you can save time and study efficiently.
See all the benefits at www.coursesmart.com/
students.

INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS
■

■

■

MyTest from Pearson Canada is a powerful assessment generation program that helps instructors easily create and print quizzes, tests, and
exams, as well as homework or practice handouts. Questions and tests can all be authored online, allowing instructors ultimate flexibility and
the ability to efficiently manage assessments at
anytime, from anywhere. To access MyTest please
go to www.pearsonmytest.com.
Instructor’s Manual provides chapter outlines,
suggested solutions to the exercises, and formatted
letters for the cases in the letter-writing chapters.
PowerPoint Presentations cover the key concepts in each chapter.

These instructor supplements are available for
download from a password-protected section of
Pearson Canada’s online catalogue (vig.pearsoned.ca).

Navigate to your book’s catalogue page to view a list of
those supplements that are available. See your local
sales representative for details and access.
CourseSmart for Instructors. CourseSmart goes beyond traditional expectations—providing instant,
online access to the textbooks and course materials
you need at a lower cost for students. And even as
students save money, you can save time and hassle
with a digital eTextbook that allows you to search
for the most relevant content at the very moment

you need it. Whether it’s evaluating textbooks or
creating lecture notes to help students with difficult
concepts, CourseSmart can make life a little easier.
See how when you visit www.coursesmart.com/
instructors.
Technology Specialists. Pearson’s Technology
Specialists work with faculty and campus course designers to ensure that Pearson technology products,
assessment tools, and online course materials are
tailored to meet your specific needs. This highly
qualified team is dedicated to helping schools take
full advantage of a wide range of educational resources, by assisting in the integration of a variety of
instructional materials and media formats.
Your local Pearson Canada sales representative can
provide you with more details on this service
program.
Please speak to your Pearson Canada sales representative for more information about these and other
ancillary materials.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We have many people to thank for making this book
a reality. First and foremost, this project would not
have been possible without the support of our families who waited patiently for the keyboard to become
quiet, sometimes late into the night, and did not
complain as home repairs went undone and social
events were missed.
Next, a thanks to our current colleagues and
past students, always a source of inspiration and
example. Finally, a heartfelt thank-you to our Pearson
team: David Le Gallais (Acquisitions Editor), Patti

Preface

Altridge (Senior Developmental Editor), Sö˘güt Güleç
(Managing Editor), Cheryl Cohen (Substantive
Editor), and Dawn Hunter (Copy Editor). Thank
you all.
We also want to thank the following conscientious and knowledgeable reviewers, listed below in
alphabetical order, whose suggestions have helped
shape this first edition of Business Communication:
Contexts and Controversies:
Denise Blay, Fanshawe College
Kathy Cocchio, Northern Alberta Institute
of Technology
Lyle Cruickshank, Concordia University
Lyndsay Dustan, Southern Alberta Institute
of Technology
Daniel Guo, Conestoga College
Dana Hansen, Humber College
Sharon Josephson, Okanagan College

Chris Legebow, St. Clair College
Diana Lohnes-Mitchell, Nova Scotia
Community College
Peter MacDonald, Seneca College of Applied
Arts and Technology
Marlene MacInnes, Cape Breton University
Peter C. Miller, Seneca College of Applied Arts
and Technology
Sonia Perna, Southern Alberta Institute

of Technology
Patricia A. Post, University of New Brunswick
Marion Ross, Georgian College
Rhonda Sandberg, George Brown College
David Thomson , University College of the
Fraser Valley
Katherine Woodward, Grant MacEwan University
Les Hanson
Darryl Hammond

xxi



About the Authors

Les Hanson has over 30 years’ experience teaching
in locations ranging from the highlands of Papua
New Guinea to fly-in communities in Northern
Manitoba. He has a Bachelor of Education degree
from the University of Manitoba and a Master of
Arts degree in community college education from
Central Michigan University. For the last 20 years, he
has taught business communication at Red River
College in Winnipeg. He recently assumed the position of coordinator in the Business Administration
and International Business programs. His current
academic interest is in the use of laptop computers
in education.
His personal interests include cross-country skiing, bicycling, and in-line skating, as well as auto
mechanics and home renovation. He continues to

live in Winnipeg with his wife and two children.

Darryl Hammond is a communications and marketing specialist with over 20 years of business managing and post-secondary teaching experience. Having
worked in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, he has gained a unique perspective of effective
business communications from many angles. After
building a successful career in senior management with
the provincial government, specializing in social marketing, Darryl opened Hammond Communications;
a marketing and communications firm with provincial and national accounts. In addition, Darryl began
teaching part time at the University of Manitoba and
later at the University of Winnipeg. More recently he
has turned a part-time teaching passion into a fulltime focus. Darryl now teaches business communications and management at Red River College. He also
continues teaching at Manitoba’s two universities in
the areas of social marketing, business administration, and economics. He is a contributing author in a
number of Pearson publications in the areas of business administration and communications. Darryl’s
hobbies include water-skiing, snowboarding, reading,
and music, which he enjoys with his wife and their
four children.


About the Contributors
James Swingle worked in the financial industry in
New York City for over 15 years, most recently as vice
president in charge of project management for
Reuters Consulting. In 2006, he moved to British
Columbia, where he lives with his wife and 14-monthold son. Mr. Swingle works as a trainer and consultant for industry. He has been an adjunct professor
at Pace University in New York City and at the
University of British Columbia—Okanagan. He currently teaches in the MBA and undergraduate business
programs at Thompson Rivers University.
James Swingle authored Chapter 4, “Media:
Choosing Your Channel”; Chapter 5, “Intercultural

Communication”; and Chapter 9,“Writing Persuasive
Messages.”
Joan Flaherty is a faculty member in the School of
Hospitality and Tourism Management at University
of Guelph, where she teaches communications to
both undergraduate and graduate students. With over
20 years’ teaching experience, she has been a frequent
speaker at educational conferences, including The
Teaching Professor Conference in the United States
and The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher

Education Conference in Canada. A profile of her
research interests and publications can be found at
www.htm.uoguelph.ca/joan-flaherty.shtml.
Joan Flaherty authored Chapter 7, “Oral
Presentations: The Counterintuitive Speaker.”
Kathryn Davis works in Red River College’s
Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program and has a background in technical writing,
technical editing, course development, and teaching. She teaches technical communication and facilitates MET’s co-operative education program as
well as freelancing and teaching courses for continuing education, distance education, and industry.
Kathy has a broad range of experience in producing
technical documentation for gas turbine engines,
telecommunications, hardware, software, military
equipment, HVAC, electronic and industrial instrumentation, CSA applications, ISO 9000, and
marketing and sales. Kathy is a senior member
of the local chapter of the Society for Technical
Communication (STC).
Kathryn Davis authored the Appendix,
“Grammar, Punctuation, and Plain English.”