Successful Communications

Written for my final assessment for my “business communication” course in University of British Columbia – Published by The-Artifice magazine, Sweden

Scientific evidence shows that communication changed the world. 1 2 Communication affected religions. Communication caused success or betrayal for political leaders over the course of history. Communication is embedded in all the six core human needs, especially in need for love and connection, growth, and contribution. Even when people want to buy some food they have to communicate.

Everyone has a specific purpose to communicate. People transfer some information to each other through communications. These communications may have a high or a low impact on the others. When people fully understand a topic and the communication raises their emotions, obviously the communication has made a high impact on these individuals. This higher impact helps the communicator to better achieve what the communicator wants from the purpose of communication. Subsequently, people would obey what is requested, and what is requested is the purpose of communication.

Try to know the audience. Audience analysis helps one chose how to write for a specific group of audiences. Audience analysis helps one deliver a presentation in an appropriate manner. Audience analysis consists of assessing the audience to make sure the information provided to them is at the appropriate level. It involves identifying the audience and adapting a speech to their interests, level of understanding, attitudes, and beliefs.

Following the audience analysis, try to chose appropriate channels of communication relevant to the purpose. These channels may be including face-to-face communications channels, broadcast media communications channels (TV, and radio), mobile communications channels (SMS, and direct calls), electronic communications channels (email, facebook, and twitter), and written communications channels (letters, and proposals). Face-to-face communication methods come from nomadic civilizations and the Old World era, meanwhile television and internet are just getting considered as the innovations of the 20th century.

After you chose the appropriate communication channel, then you shall chose a suitable communication structure for each of the channels.

Try to master a few or all of the writing structures, and then write appropriately regarding with the purpose. These writing structures would be including chronological (discussing things in order), cause and effect (explaining a cause and its results), problem and solution (presenting a problem and offering a solution), compare and contrast (discussing similarities and differences), categorical or classification-division (sorting information into topics and categories), etc.

Never forget the issue that anxiety affects people’s communication performance, and they must try to come over the anxiety to make better communications. Having control over anxiety depends on many internal and external factors, such as the individual’s own abilities, and the environment.

Use the 5W&H technique to organize a speech for a specific group of audience. The 5W&H technique consists of five Ws and an H questions. You may use these questions in regard with organizing a speech, or try to answer these questions in the lead paragraph of the writing.

These questions are including:

Who is involved? Who is affected? Who will benefit? Who will be harmed?

What happened? What is your topic narrowed down in a simple phrase/sentence? What does your topic involve? What is your topic similar to / different from? What might be affected/changed by your topic?

When does/did/will/should the speech take place? Does when the speech takes place affect the topic?

Where does/did/will/should the speech take place? Does it matter where the speech takes place? Or if you are trying to answer this question in the lead paragraph, then where does the event or the story that we are writing about took place?

Why do certain things happen? Why is this topic matter?

How did the speech happen? How does this topic function? How did this topic come to be? How those are involved affected? Or if you are trying to answer this question in the lead paragraph, then for example how did the story happen?

It is not always applicable for the communicator to consider each of the five Ws and an H questions, in a paragraph.

Here it is a simple example of answering these questions in the first paragraph:

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (who) of West Virginia (where) somehow but better than others depicted the real zombie story behind March for Our Lives (what), and the bring kids back home slogan (what).

The communicator shall employ plain English. Communication is not about sounding smart. Communication is about getting a message across to the audience and eliciting action. Warren Buffett the world’s wealthiest business magnet, and George Orwell the famous author of Animal Farm and 1984, both advocate writing as simple as possible and with clarity. George Orwell emphasis on this issue on “Politics and the English Language”, and Warren Buffett has dedicated a preface about this for a handbook called “A Plain English Handbook”. 3

Try to stimulate the emotions of the audience, but write objectively. Being objective would be understood and abstracted as not being influenced by personal feelings. Producing an emotional appeal requires an understanding of your audience and what may strike their emotions the most. An effective way to create emotional appeal is to use words that have a lot of pathos associated with them. 4

Deliver the speech with confidence.

And try to start and end memorably.

Important factors for a better communication are including: The volume, expression and eye contact, enunciation, tone, speed, breath, controlling your environment, and managerial presence.

And finally, active listening makes the communication more effective. Active listening requires that the listener fully concentrate, understand, respond and then remember what is being said. Pay attention, show that you’re listening, provide feedback, defer judgment, and respond appropriately. By active listening the communication between people would be improved since people would get more information. People would better understand what the others are saying, and also people would give a better response in an effective manner. Use the SOLER technique for active listening: “Squarely” face the audience (by doing this it shows you are involved), maintain “open posture” (this means not crossing arms and legs, and therefore it makes people feel engaged and welcome), “lean” toward the speaker (it shows you’re involved and listening to what they have to say), keep “eye contact” (your gaze shows that you’re listening and not distracted), and “relax” (it’s important to stay calm and avoid fidgeting when a person is talking to you to show you are focused).

Works Cited

JEFF GOINS, Communication Changes the World. ↩

How Communication Changes the World. University of Southern California, 2019. ↩

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A Plain English Handbook. August 1998. ↩

Written for my final assessment for my “business communication” course in University of British Columbia -- Published by The Writing Cooperative international community, Orlando, Florida, United States

Writing artistically, for getting succeeded in reaching a specific financial goal, relies on several important communication skills. These skills are including an appropriate use of active sentences, powerful action verbs, and using dependent clauses objectively. These skills, along several other skills, help everyone to make better communications in business.

1. Active Sentences

In active sentences the subject performs the action. But in passive sentences the subject receives the action. A sentence can either be an active sentence or a passive sentence. In business affairs usage of passive sentences is not reasonable wherever an active voice works. Look at the examples below.

Active sentence: We make the most comfortable cars.

Passive sentence: The most comfortable cars are being made by us.

George Orwell, the famous author of Animal Farm and 1984, advocates active sentences.

“Never use the passive where you can use the active” — from Politics and the English Language, by George Orwell

Active sentences are simple, clear, and easier to understand than the passive ones. Therefore they would have higher impacts on the audience. However sometimes passive sentences are appropriate for being used in a sentence. For example whenever people want to emphasis on an action rather than the actor or whenever people want to create an authoritative tone they use passives. The writer can also use passives to keep the subject and focus consistent throughout a passage, or be tactful not naming the actor, or describing a condition in which the actor is unknown or unimportant. Look at the sentences below.

Emphasis on the action: The book was written.

Authoritative tone: Visitors are not allowed after 10:00 p.m.

2. Powerful Action Verbs

Action verbs are verbs describing an action. In business communications people should deal with some action verbs regularly. And the main task of the writer is to artistically select the most appropriate and the most powerful ones. The writer’s main purpose of using “powerful” action verbs is to create a sense of collaboration and make affection on the audience. Look at the sentences below.

Sentence with a state verb: I know software.

Sentence with a powerful action verb: I develop software.

The action verb shows people what the subject of a sentence can do. In the sentence above, develop is an action verb. The action verbs are mostly used in job applicants’ work resumes to increase the chance of getting succeeded.

Here it is a few examples of the most important action verbs:

For communication skills: Addressed, corresponded, persuaded, publicized, and reconciled.

For organizational skills: Catalogued, executed, monitored, and operated.

For management skills: Consolidated, appointed, delegated, and established.

3. Using Dependent Clauses Objectively

Dependent clauses (for business communications) usually depict the key points of a specific communication. Dependent clauses make your writing more objective. Dependent clauses in business communication are usually sentences without performatives. For a business communication a person can either write a complete sentence or a dependent clause. Most sentences are complete but, on special occasions, dependent clauses make one succeeded in better communicating achieved skills. It helps individuals showing their abilities, or demonstrating achievements affectionately. Look at the examples below.

Complete sentence with a weak action verb: We (have) made the most comfortable cars of the last decade.

Complete sentence with a powerful action verb: We (have) designed the most comfortable cars of the last decade.

Objective, dependent clause, with a powerful action verb: Designed the most comfortable cars of the last decade.

These type of dependent clauses outline the most important potentials of an organization. Inside an appropriate column the writer can list and exhibit the companies key points using these objective, dependent clauses.

Written for my final assessment for my “business communication” course in University of British Columbia -- Published by The-Artifice magazine,  Sweden

What is the best literary work that you ever read? One of the earliest and most important texts in Old English is Beowulf. What made it as famous then as it is today and how it impacts the readers are important questions that need to be addressed. Beowulf has a dramatic writing style that manipulates the reader’s emotions. It’s the story of a great battle and a true hero. The protagonist; the titular Beowulf, comes to the aid of Hrothgar,King of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the monster Grendel. Beowulf is the greatest thane in history and as strong as 30 men. He is a noble Anglo-Saxon hero, and prince of the Geats. Since lineage passed from the father’s side, Beowulf is technically a Waegmunding, though he can claim descent from Hrethel. Beowulf becomes king upon his first cousin’s death, and he rules Geatland for 50 years. Finally Beowulf dies during the battle with the dragon. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves to be a wise and effective ruler. Beowulf leaves no heirs, so his kinsman Wiglaf becomes the next king.

Many years ago, I began writing for an online encyclopedia but, at first, my writings failed to get published. The first signs of improvement appeared slowly. There were many amazing articles about politics. After writing a few paragraphs in different articles in that encyclopedia, I found out there are some general rules that every writer must follow.

One of them is to write as simple as possible and with clarity. 1 Always use simple words, short sentences, and try to improve and clear the meaning of vague expressions. Avoid using complex sentences. Always use simple sentences consisting of one clause and try to write in an active voice. Check the grammatical structure. And have a good punctuation. The most successful articles are written using general, popular, simple, but highly professional words and clichés. Beowulfin form of a simple story with an outstanding narrative teaches a way of life.

Let’s review the first 3 terms which the Beowulf begins with:

So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by

and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.

We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns. 2

Review the writing structure. It’s written in simple terms. The texts give a notion to the kings of Danes, and princes’ heroic campaigns. Therefore it starts memorably, and it raises the emotion of people who like classic and heroic tales. It is a fiction story, based on the real events of that era and the kings of Danes. It’s written by a poetic style. This writing style helps the reader to follow the narrative easily and passionately. Beowulf is a great example of a successful work, and it’s a noble work from the old-world era, and we would learn a lot by reviewing its writing style.

Another example of simplicity in writing in Beowulf (including simple terms and application of active voice):

It was the end of their voyage and the Geats vaulted over the side, out on to the sand, and moored their ship. There was a clash of mail and a thresh of gear. They thanked God for that easy crossing on a calm sea.

There are three more general rules to follow to write a high impact manuscript that would be described through the remainder of this article below.

Avoiding biased language is the second general rule. When one writes biased information, the article loses its scientific credibility. The author’s point of view shall not affect what the author writes. 3 Also some authors assume that every individual is male. When the author doesn’t write free of the gender, race, age, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation the author’s writing would get considered as another form of biased writings too.

The other general rule is making reliable citations. 4 Without reliable citations and references, not only would your article lose much of its credibility, but it is also impossible that an article with weak citations would be published by a good publication. When one is looking for some resources to cite them in an article, the one shall consider the credibility of its publisher and the scientific experiences of its author.

And finally the fourth general rule is sharing compelling and valuable information. Without a piece of different information there would be no difference between your works with the others. For example there would be 100,000 of books available in a genre about a subject that a person have decided to write about. And this person knows nothing more than the other writers who have written about that subject, or even this person knows less. Few people would read what this person have written, and even this person would have serious complaints to find a publisher to share that work with someone.

It’s not necessary that I quote many paragraphs from Beowulf which share compelling and valuable information, but as one of the oldest literatures in English it is full of valuable information regarding the old-world, its people, and their rulers.

However drafting an impactful writing relies on a great understanding of different people’s psychology and their habits. Higher understanding of people contemplative system, imaginations, and how to impress or persuade people would increase chance of getting succeeded in writings. Your writing is not what you think it is, it would be what the other people think about. It is not what you may imagine in your mind, it is what the other people would imagine. Also your own writing habits could be inappropriate for a proposal. An author must establish a high impact and affectionate writing style first, and then improve it. You can review a high impact published article first. It would help you build your writing habits. There are four main types of writing. It’s including expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative writing. Scientific writings are almost informative. They are either expository or descriptive. Fiction writings usually are narrative. And when people write to have someone’s agreement they would write it in a persuasive format.

In conclusion, proposing an impactful and affectionate writing relies on raising the audience’s passion and attention with respect to several rules. There are four important rules to follow for creating a proposal. Simple writing helps the reader to follow the scripture easily, understand them well, and it shall create a vivid image of the subject into the reader’s imagination. Avoiding biased language makes the writing more credible. Reliable citations would support the author’s statements. And when there are lots of similar works available about a topic, then sharing compelling and valuable information would make your writing different, and help it stands out of the other works. However the author’s writing and descriptions would shape in the readers mind, and it’s the author’s responsibility to artistically imply those concepts to the audience. Don’t forget that an impactful and affectionate story (including personal stories, fiction, and non-fiction) usually begins while written in a simple style and ends memorably. However writing for a higher impact is a difficult task. And it requires advanced writing skills. It’s an important thing that I could learn over time.

Works Cited

Paul Massari, Writing, clear and simple. The Harvard Gazette, January 23, 2012. ↩

Seamus Heaney and the Beowulf Poem, Beowulf. W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. ↩

Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.) Scholarly voice: Avoiding bias. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarlyvoice/avoidingbias↩