Communication in the Workplace

1. A. What strategies can you use to ensure ease of reading in your emails and other digital communications?
B. What strategies can you use to show respect for the time of others?
C. Explain the neutrality effect and negativity effect in digital communications.

Email and Social Media for Business Communications

2. Compare the less-effective and more-effective emails in Figures 7.1 and 7.2 in the following ways:
A. Analyze the writing for each email based on tone, style, or design.
B. Evaluate them based on three principles for effective emails from this chapter.

Routine Messages

3. Assume you lost your temper when discussing a group project with one of your classmates. You left the meeting early because you were frustrated that your classmate insisted on doing everything his way. You still feel that he is dominating the project, but your behavior was inappropriate. Write an apology to your classmate in a way that repairs some of the damage between the two of you and allows the group to work more effectively together.

Persuasive Messages

4. Analyze the Better Horizons flyer ( Figure 9.6 ) in the following ways:
A. Which psychological tools of influence (consistency, reciprocation, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity) does it use? Provide examples.
B. What emotional appeals are used? What about logical appeals? Would you consider this messages as catering more to emotion or logic? Explain.
C. Do you consider this message warm and inviting?
D. Do you consider this sales message plausible?
E. Do you consider this sales message respectful?
F. Do you trust this message?
G. What are two changes you think could be made to improve its effectiveness?

5. Assume you own a computer retail store located near your campus (give the store any name you want). You have sold fewer PCs in recent years due to the strong demand for Macs among university students. You will write a sales letter to reach all student housing units. Your goal is to encourage students to purchase PCs at your store. You can do online research to help you contrast PCs with Macs and identify pricing levels. In the sales letter, attempt to show students the advantages of PCs compared to Macs and get them to take specific steps to learn more about or even purchase a PC at your store.