Essentials of Business Communication, 12th Edition
By Mary Ellen Guffey and Dana Loewy
Contents:
Unit 1 Business Communication in the Information Age
1 Thriving in a Digital, Social, and Mobile Workplace 2
1-1 Succeeding With Twenty-First-Century Skills 2
1-2 Practicing Active Listening 10
1-3 Communicating Nonverbally 12
1-4 Understanding Culture and Communication 16
1-5 Ensuring Intercultural Effectiveness 20
Summary of Learning Outcomes 24
Key Terms 25
Chapter Review 26
Critical Thinking 26
Activities and Cases 26
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 1 32
Editing Challenge 1 34
Communication Workshop: Technology 35
Unit 2 The Writing Process in the Digital Era
2-1 Exploring the Communication Process 38
2-2 Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process to Business Messages 40
2-3 Analyzing the Purpose and Anticipating the Audience 43
2-4 Employing Expert Writing Techniques to Adapt to Your Audience 46
2-5 Improving the Tone and Clarity of a Message 49
Summary of Learning Outcomes 54
Key Terms 54
Chapter Review 55
Critical Thinking 55
Writing Improvement Exercises 55
Radical Rewrites 57
Activities 58
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 2 59
Editing Challenge 2 60
Communication Workshop: Career Skills 61
3 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages 62
3-1 Drafting Workplace Messages Begins With Research 62
3-2 Organizing Ideas to Show Relationships 65
3-3 Writing a First Draft With Powerful Sentences 68
3-4 Mastering Four Helpful Writing Techniques 71
3-5 Building Well-Organized Paragraphs 74
Summary of Learning Outcomes 76
Key Terms 77
Chapter Review 77
Critical Thinking 78
Writing Improvement Exercises 78
Radical Rewrites 81
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 3 82
Editing Challenge 3 84
Communication Workshop: Social Media 85
4 Revising Business Messages 86
4-1 Revising: Applying Phase 3 of the Writing Process 86
4-2 Ensuring Message Clarity 91
4-3 Improving Readability With Strategic Document Design 94
4-4 Catching Errors With Careful Proofreading 97
4-5 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Message 101
Summary of Learning Outcomes 101
Key Terms 102
Chapter Review 102
Critical Thinking 103
Writing Improvement Exercises 103
Radical Rewrites 106
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 4 107
Editing Challenge 4 108
Communication Workshop: Technology 109
Unit 3 Workplace Communication
5 Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media 112
5-1 Communicating in the Digital Age With E-Mails and Memos 112
5-2 Messaging and Texting at Work 120
5-3 Making Podcasts Work for Business 125
5-4 Telling Stories With Blogs and News Sites 128
5-5 Navigating Social Networking for Business 132
Summary of Learning Outcomes 138
Key Terms 139
Chapter Review 140
Critical Thinking 140
Writing Improvement Exercises 140
Radical Rewrites 142
Activities and Cases 144
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 5 148
Editing Challenge 5 150
Communication Workshop: Social Media 151
6 Positive and Neutral Messages 152
6-1 Routine E-Mails, Memos, and Letters 152
6-2 Typical Request, Response, and Instruction Messages 155
6-3 Direct Claims and Complaints 162
6-4 Adjustment Messages 166
6-5 Goodwill Messages 169
Summary of Learning Outcomes 173
Key Terms 174
Chapter Review 174
Critical Thinking 175
Writing Improvement Exercises 175
Radical Rewrites 176
Activities and Cases 179
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 6 186
Editing Challenge 6 187
Communication Workshop: Ethics 188
7 Bad-News Messages 189
7-1 Communicating Negative News Strategically 189
7-2 Examining Bad-News Strategies 190
7-3 Composing Effective Bad-News Messages 194
7-4 Refusing Typical Requests and Claims 199
7-5 Managing Bad News Within Organizations 205
Summary of Learning Outcomes 210
Key Terms 210
Chapter Review 211
Critical Thinking 211
Writing Improvement Exercises 211
Radical Rewrites 212
Activities and Cases 214
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 7 218
Editing Challenge 7 220
Communication Workshop: Intercultural Skills 221
8 Persuasive Messages 222
8-1 Understanding Persuasion in the Contemporary Workplace 222
8-2 Planning and Writing Persuasive Requests 224
8-3 Writing Effective Persuasive Claims and Complaints 227
8-4 Crafting Persuasive Messages in Digital Age Organizations 229
8-5 Creating Effective Sales Messages in Print and Online 230
Summary of Learning Outcomes 240
Key Terms 241
Chapter Review 241
Critical Thinking 242
Writing Improvement Exercises 242
Radical Rewrites 243
Activities and Cases 245
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 8 252
Editing Challenge 8 254
Communication Workshop: Ethics 255
Unit 4 Business Reports and Proposals— Best Practices
9 Informal Reports 258
9-1 Writing Reports in the Digital Age 258
9-2 Formats and Heading Levels 262
9-3 Analyzing the Problem, Defining the Purpose, and Collecting Data 267
9-4 Preparing Short Informational Reports 269
9-5 Preparing Short Analytical Reports 275
Summary of Learning Outcomes 283
Key Terms 283
Chapter Review 284
Critical Thinking 284
Activities and Cases 284
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 9 288
Editing Challenge 9 290
Communication Workshop: Mastering Team Writing Projects 291
10 Proposals and Formal Reports 292
10-1 Crafting Winning Business Proposals 292
10-2 Preparing Formal Business Reports 297
10-3 Conducting Primary and Secondary Research 301
10-4 Documenting Information 308
10-5 Creating Meaningful Graphics 311
10-6 Assembling and Completing Formal Business Reports 316
Summary of Learning Outcomes 320
Key Terms 321
Chapter Review 321
Critical Thinking 322
Activities and Cases 322
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 10 328
Editing Challenge 10 330
Communication Workshop: Technology 331
Unit 5 Professionalism, Teamwork, Meetings, and Speaking Skills
11 Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Teamwork, and Meetings 334
11-1 Developing Professionalism and Business Etiquette Skills On-Site and Online 334
11-2 Communicating Face-to-Face on the Job 338
11-3 Following Telephone and Voice Mail Best Practices 343
11-4 Excelling in Professional Teams 347
11-5 Making the Most of Face-to-Face and Virtual Meetings 352
Summary of Learning Outcomes 359
Key Terms 360
Chapter Review 360
Critical Thinking 360
Activities and Cases 361
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 11 365
Editing Challenge 11 367
Communication Workshop: Career Skills 368
12 Business Presentations 369
12-1 Creating Effective Business Presentations 369
12-2 Organizing Presentations to Connect With Audiences 371
12-3 Understanding Contemporary Visual Aids 378
12-4 Preparing Engaging Multimedia Presentations 382
12-5 Refining Delivery, Rehearsing, and Performing Your Talk 387
Summary of Learning Outcomes 393
Key Terms 394
Chapter Review 394
Critical Thinking 394
Activities and Cases 394
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 12 400
Editing Challenge 12 402
Communication Workshop: Collaboration Is King 403
Unit 6 Employment Communication
13 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover Messages 406
13-1 Harnessing Technology in Today’s Challenging Job Market 406
13-2 Exploring the Open Job Market 410
13-3 Unlocking the Hidden Job Market 412
13-4 Customizing Your Résumé 417
13-5 Using Digital Tools to Fine-Tune Your Job Search 429
13-6 Cover Letters—Do They Still Matter? 434
Summary of Learning Outcomes 441
Key Terms 442
Chapter Review 443
Critical Thinking 443
Radical Rewrites 444
Activities and Cases 445
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 13 448
Editing Challenge 13 449
Communication Workshop: Ethics 450
14 Interviewing and Following Up 451
14-1 Sharpening Your Interview Skills 451
14-2 Before the Interview 454
14-3 During the Interview 459
14-4 After the Interview 471
14-5 Preparing Additional Employment Documents 474
Summary of Learning Outcomes 477
Key Terms 478
Chapter Review 478
Critical Thinking 479
Radical Rewrites 479
Activities and Cases 480
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 14 487
Editing Challenge 14 489
Communication Workshop: Career Skills 490
Appendixes
Appendix A Document Format Guide A-1
Appendix B Citation Formats B-1
Appendix C Correction Symbols and Proofreading Marks C-1
Appendix D Grammar/Mechanics Handbook D-1
End Matter
Notes N-1
Index I-1