USA: +1(669)289-8683 
Sign in
|
Use the Argosy University online library to locate and read the following article. Rodman, L. (December 2001). You-Attitude: A linguistic perspective. Business Communication Quarterly, 64(4), 9–25. Use the Internet to locate two passages that are examples of business communication. Analyze and evaluate the passages. Use the principles discussed in the article to rephrase the passages in a manner that increases communication efficacy. List the principles you used in each passage and how and why they have enhanced communication.
By Friday, November 22, 2013, submit the selected passages, the rephrased passages, and a double-spaced one-page list of the communication principles used for each passage along with the rationale behind their usage. All written assignments and responses should follow APA guidelines for writing style, spelling and grammar, and citation of sources Grading Criteria Maximum PointsLocated, analyzed, and evaluated two passages on business communication.5Listed the principles used for each passage, rephrased the passages, and provided an explanation about how the principles have enhanced communication.6Posted a review of the submission of at least one peer.5Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.4Total20 |
You-attitude is a pedagogically convenient cover term that subsumes considerable complexity, both with respect to the text effects it may include and the text characteristics that create these effects. Some of the insights on politeness, tact, and deference found in the work of Brown and Levinson (1978), Leech (1983), and Fraser and Nolen (1981) can help provide guidelines for assessing how important a you-attitude may be in writing about a particular real-world situation, and case grammar and information structure can inform strategies to enhance the expression of a you-attitude. Rather than being a binary variable, you-attitude appears to be gradable, and an informal student assessment of the you-attitude expressed in ten versions of the same passage suggests that the various strategies for enhancing the you-attitude conveyed by a text appear to have a cumulative effect, so that a greater sense of you-attitude is created when more strategies are used.
4
COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE AND YOU
Communication Etiquette and You
Nigelia Purrier
B6120
Professor G-E
November 22, 2013
Running head: COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE AND YOU 1
Communication Etiquette and You
Rodman (2001) describes “you-attitude” as the pedagogically convenient cover term that subsumes considerable complexity, both with respect to the text effects it may include and the text characteristics that create these effects. It is always important to have a great business communication, whether it is face-to-face, email, or on the telephone. Finding the right words to relay a message across is equally important. The “you-attitude” talks about the way others might view a message through one’s perspective.
When using the “you-attitude” approach, it is necessary to use words such as “you” or “yours” rather than “I” and “mine”. This means that in order to have a successful communication, as a transmitter, the reader has to feel in every memo, letter, email, phone call, and in all contact that the most important person in our business relationship is YOU, the READER, not me or I, the WRITER. The goal of communication in business is to get our readers to do what we want them to do, so that they believe that they are valued and appreciated (Hurley, 2007).
It is not necessary to point fingers at the intended reader. In using the “you-attitude” approach, be careful on how you are conducting your message. The below email message is an example of sending out an email to an employee in regards to writing a good business email.
November, 22, 2013
To: Anita Chan, President
From: Steve Saiki, Management Information System Manager
Subject: Email
Pursuant to your request, this memo is on writing good business email messages which will make you an effective business writer.
So that you don’t lose business, follow these guidelines when writing:
· Answer your email promptly. Don’t be rude by not replying quickly
· Keep to the point. When you write big blocks of “chatty” text, you waste your readers time
· Correct your typos and spelling mistakes immediately. Don’t be sloppy and careless
· Keep lines short. Don’t make people scroll to read your messages
· Nobody should ever ask you for your URL by email. If you have a URL, put it in your signature. You must be professional
Email is so easy to access that even a child can teach you how to do it. These tips will help you in for marketing research and promoting your products. If there are any questions, you may reach me by telephone or please feel free to contact me by email.
This email was a letter written to the President of the company. The sender is insulting the reader making her feel as if she is dumb and a poor business writer. The memo talks down to the reader and was very unprofessional (Hurly, 2007).
The writer should give the President information on writing an email instead of instructing her on how to do it. When writing an email or memo, you should also build goodwill. In the article written by Rodman (2001) she cited some guidelines by Locker (1997, p.34):
1. Focus on not what you do for the reader, but on what the reader receives or can do. In positive or neutral situations, stress what the reader wants to know.
2. Refer to the reader’s request or order specifically.
3. Do not talk about your own feelings unless you are sure the reader wants to know how you feel.
4. Do not tell readers how they feel or will react.
5. In positive situations, use “you” more often than “I”. Use “we” when it includes the reader.
6. In negative situations, avoid the word “you.” Protect the reader’s ego. Use passive verbs and impersonal expressions to avoid assigning blame
This next example is a better form of communication between the sender and the reader:
November 22, 2013
To: Anita Chan, President
From: Steve Saiki, Management Information System Manager
Subject: Writing Effective Email Messages
Here’s the memo you wanted on writing email messages. These principles results a more professional-email.
Effective business writers follow these guidelines:
· Answering mail promptly
· Keeping to the point and avoiding big blocks of “chatty” text that waste the reader’s time
· Eliminating typos and spelling mistakes that label us as sloppy and careless
· Preserving format by sending email as plain text and not as HTML in browser-based mail programs
· Keeping line length short to avoid scrolling from left to right to read messages
· Ending the message with a signature block consisting of name, title, extension number and URL
Email is an essential tool. Following these tips can help us for marketing research and promoting our products. If you have any questions, please call me at ext. 123 or email me at effmail@argosy.edu.
This revised email avoids the condescending, insulting tone of the original. The “you-approach” is basically giving information instead of telling the reader what to do. This email also gives news instead of making the reader feel incompetent (Hurley, 2007).
The “you-attitude” must include some aspects of politeness. It helps us to assess the need for a “you-attitude” in a specific situation. The next example is a phone conversation between the employee and a customer.
Customer: Hello?
Employee: Is this Ms. Brown?
Customer: Yes it is, how may I help you?
Employee: This is Jack from T-Goods Store. You were in here earlier today.
Customer: Yes, I was!
Employee: You have to come to our store right away. Today!
Customer: Excuse me?
Employee: Yes, you have to come in right away. You failed to sign your check
Customer: [Silence]
Employee: Yes, because of your mistake, we can’t close our books
Customer [Silence]
Employee: Can you come in now?
Customer: Sure, I’ll be in soon.
In this phone call, the employee focused on the negative and not the positive of solving the problem. This employee made the customer feel like she stole something from him (Hurley, 2007). “You-attitude” has two fairly traditional approaches; viewing the situation from the other person’s point of view as stated by Sigband and putting your readers and their problems first as stated by Bowman and Branchaw (as cited by Rodman, 2001). This is a better approach on how the employee should have conversed with the customer:
Customer: Hello?
Employee: Is this Ms. Brown?
Customer: Yes it is. May I help you?
Employee: This is Jack from T-Goods Store. After you left our store earlier, we noticed that your signature was missing from your check.
Customer: Oh my gosh. I apologize for that.
Employee: Would you be able to come in sometime today, perhaps, to sign the check?
Customer: Yes! I work until 4pm today. Can I come in then?
In this example the employee did not focus on the mistake, instead he focused on the positive, leaving the customer happy and not feeling like she was trying to take advantage of the store. The revised version offered the following communication principles as stated by Reep (as cited by Rodman, 2001).
1. Put yourself in the reader’s (customer’s) place, and look at the situation from his or her point of view
2. Emphasize your reader’s (customer’s) actions or benefits in a situation
3. Present information as pleasantly as possible
4. Offer a helpful suggestion or appreciative comment when possible
5. Choose words that do not insult or accuse your reader (customer)
6. Choose words that are clear and natural, and avoid old-fashioned or legal-sounding phrases
The customer did not make the customer feel insulted, she appreciated his courtesy. When we go into a store, we want the sales person to pay attention to us and make us feel like our business is important. When we call or email someone, we want that person to return our messages promptly. It is our nature as humans to expect courtesy (Hurley, 2007).
References
Hurley, S. (2007). The you-attitude and reader-centered writing. Retrieved from http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/hurley/modules/mod2/2_docs/you_attitude
Rodman, L. (December 2001). You-attitude: A linguistic perspective. Business Communication Quarterly, 64(4), 9-25. Retrieved from https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/alred/www/pdf/you-attitude
