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Guide to Professional Communication Strategies Study Guide

This guide covers essential professional communication skills, including audience analysis, effective message crafting, channel selection, and the use of soft skills like tact and emotional intelligence. It provides strategies for improving clarity, readability, and impact in various communication scenarios.

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Foundations of Professional Communication and Models

Introduction to Professional Communications

Explore the significance of communication skills to meet employer expectations and ensure professional success in the digital age.

  • Significance of Communication
  • Communication in Digital Age
  • Effective Communication
  • Active Listening
  • Verbal Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Non-Verbal Communication
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Giving & Receiving Feedback
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Adapting Communication
  • Hiring Practices
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Professional Presence
  • Social and Emotional Intelligence

Impact of the Digital Age

The Digital Age shapes how people live, work, learn and connect through rapid access to information, speed, accessibility, and global reach.

  • Speed and accessibility
  • Global reach
  • Multiple platforms and modes
  • Interactive and participatory communication
  • Shaping identity and culture

Communication Models, Processes, and Channels

The Osgood-Schramm Model of Communications explains how the message leaves the sender, what channels are used, and how the receiver interprets the information.

  • Communication Process
  • Source
  • Message
  • Channel
  • Receiver
  • Feedback
  • Environment
  • Context
  • Interference
  • Verbal Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Visual Communication
  • Communication by Age Group

Nike Brand Identity and Product History

An examination of Nike's identity through athlete marketing and the history of the Cortez training shoe.

  • Nike athletes
  • Cortez training shoe
  • Digital Age Challenges

Identifying Writer Purpose and Informing Well

Identify the writer's purpose to inform, persuade, motivate, or entertain and use the 5 Ws + H for informing well in professional communications.

  • Writer's purpose
  • Inform
  • Persuade
  • Motivate
  • Entertain
  • Professional Communications

Professional Communication and Communication Models

  • Communication Process
  • Source
  • Message
  • Channel
  • Receiver
  • Feedback
  • Environment
  • Context
  • Interference
  • Encoding
  • Active Listening
  • Primary Message
  • Secondary Message
  • Auxiliary Message
  • Electronic Miscommunication

Listening Processes and Comprehension Barriers

Distinguishing between hearing as a physical process and listening as an intentional process involving different types of listening and common comprehension barriers.

  • Hearing vs. Listening
  • Comprehension Barriers
  • Distractions
  • Multitasking
  • Planning your reply
  • Missed cues
  • Focused listening
  • Intentional listening
  • Analytical listening
  • Relational listening
  • Active Listening

Mastering Sentence Structure and Professional Communication

Understanding Parallelism in Writing

Parallelism is the use of similar patterns of words or grammatical forms to express similar or related ideas.

  • Parallel structures
  • Faulty parallelism
  • Rhythm and balance
  • Grammatical forms
  • Correcting faulty parallelism

Evaluating Parallel Structure in Sentences

Evaluate the parallel structure in lists, verb forms, and grammatical constructions to ensure consistency in the structure of listed items or phrases.

  • parallel structure
  • consistency in listed items
  • verb forms
  • gerunds
  • infinitive phrases
  • grammatical constructions

Rules for Using Commas

This document outlines rules for using commas with co-ordinate conjunctions, items in a series, introductory elements, direct address, interrupting expressions, and nonessential information.

  • co-ordinate conjunctions
  • independent clauses
  • items in a series
  • introductory word, phrase or clause
  • direct address
  • interrupting expressions
  • nonessential information

Correct Comma Usage and Sentence Structure

Practice questions regarding the correct use of commas in introductory phrases, conjunctions, and fixing comma errors.

  • comma usage
  • introductory phrase
  • comma error
  • sentence structure

Correct Comma Usage in Sentences

Practice questions regarding the correct way to include a comma in introductory phrases, dates, and sentence structures.

  • introductory phrase
  • comma placement
  • dates

Professional Communication Purposes and Sentence Modifiers

This content covers using the 5 Ws + H for useful messages, determining writing purpose, audience, and channel, and fixing dangling and misplaced modifiers.

  • Purpose of writing
  • Inform, Persuade, and Motivate
  • Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Purposes
  • Purpose, Audience, and Channel
  • Dangling Modifiers
  • Misplaced Modifiers

Professional Communications Passive and Active Voice

Expressing ideas in the active voice results in sentences that are shorter and clearer than the unnecessary use of the passive voice.

  • Active voice
  • Passive voice
  • Subject performing action
  • Subject receiving action
  • Wordiness
  • Sentence revision

Audience Analysis and Professional Communication Channels

Audience and Communication Channels

Craft messages efficiently by preparing purpose, audience, and channel to meet the needs of the intended audience.

  • Intended Audience
  • Unintended Audience
  • General Purpose
  • Secondary and Tertiary Purposes
  • Audience-centred communication
  • Tone
  • Word choice
  • Professional context
  • Writing Process
  • Demographics

Analyzing Audience and Improving Readability

Analyze your audience size, relationship, and level of knowledge while using accessible language and document design to improve readability.

  • Audience size
  • Secondary and tertiary audiences
  • Professional/personal relationship to audience
  • Audience level of knowledge
  • Language accessibility
  • Avoiding bias
  • Gender neutral pronouns
  • Improving readability
  • Document design

Intended and Unintended Audiences

Professional communications involve identifying the intended audience and considering possible unintended audiences who might receive, see, or be affected by a message.

  • Intended Audience
  • Unintended Audience
  • Audience Analysis
  • Demographics
  • Tact
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Nonverbal Cues

Selecting Professional Communication Channels and Audiences

Choosing the right channel helps messages be understood as intended based on audience preferences, accessibility, demographics, urgency, tone, and formality.

  • Selecting appropriate channels
  • Email strengths and limitations
  • Email language and formality
  • Text message usage
  • In-person communication
  • Business letters
  • Audience analysis

Writing with Purpose in Professional Communications

Distinguish between general and specific purposes for writing and use the 5 Ws + H to plan an informative workplace message.

  • The Writing Process
  • Preparing Purpose
  • General Purpose
  • Specific Purpose
  • Inform
  • Persuade
  • Motivate
  • Entertain
  • Audience
  • Channel

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