Topic: Give an example of an effective (or ineffective) piece of business communication that I've encountered and described what made it work (or not).
Well on Friday I received an email, that I found today, that was delivering "bad news". This news is not the end of the world stuff, and is pretty routine. However it was pretty blunt and the solution is burdensome. Ordinarily, this format would probably be fine, however when you receive multiple messages a week of similar irritants, it starts to grate me due to the lack of sympathy.
Recently, we switched back offices, which is a huge undertaking. Originally, promises were made on the ease of this transition. If their were mistakes on paperwork, they would be forgiven due to the amount of paperwork needed to transition.
Then the truth began to be revealed. "We can't do that! You'll have to fix this!" "We are not able to do this for you." "You'll need to get the client to resign this because there is no [blank]."
Again, ordinarily, the email would probably be proper, but in the greater scheme of all the business communications we have been getting, it comes off as rude and cold with no valid solution other than start over.
*I apologize for the vagueness of this blog. This is a public forum and I do not need to broadcast my displeasure to the world.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
FAIR Test
Which part of the F.A.I.R test is the most important?
The F.A.I.R. test stands for facts, access, impact, and respect. Clearly, they are all important for crafting a message. "Facts" are important because it gives the writer credibility and backs up her assertions. "Access" goes along with "Facts" in establishing credibility. Without being clear of your motives and biases, the reader is going question your narrative. And "Impact" is important to keep in mind because even an unbiased, logical message can be derailed if the message negatively impacts stakeholders.
The most important of the F.A.I.R. test, however in my opinion, is "Respect". No one is going to pay attention to a message if the author is disrespectful. No finer example of this is that of any comment section of the Internet. It does absolutely does no one any good to insult your audience as you "debate" them.
The F.A.I.R. test stands for facts, access, impact, and respect. Clearly, they are all important for crafting a message. "Facts" are important because it gives the writer credibility and backs up her assertions. "Access" goes along with "Facts" in establishing credibility. Without being clear of your motives and biases, the reader is going question your narrative. And "Impact" is important to keep in mind because even an unbiased, logical message can be derailed if the message negatively impacts stakeholders.
The most important of the F.A.I.R. test, however in my opinion, is "Respect". No one is going to pay attention to a message if the author is disrespectful. No finer example of this is that of any comment section of the Internet. It does absolutely does no one any good to insult your audience as you "debate" them.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Five-year plan?! Sounds like Communist Russia!
Topic: “Everybody should have a ‘Five Year Plan,’ right? What’s yours? Think ahead and describe what opportunities and challenges the next few years might hold for you.”
I haven't really thought of it as such, but I guess I do have a five-year plan. It is hard sometimes to see future goals when you are grinding through the day-to-day. First part of my plan is to finish at Western with a BBA in Personal Finance in the Spring of 2017. I should at that time also take the Certified Financial Planner exam so I can start holding that designation. Following that, I will take over a greater stake in the partnership between my father and I as my father slows down. The next few years after than will be trying to expand our client base.
While I believe I have a pretty solid plan, there are some major obstacles that need to be overcome. The first and most important being that I need to develop new clients to expand which has not been a focus for me as of yet. I have been too busy putting in the time finishing my degree to really concentrate on developing the skills I need to succeed at that.
Another major challenge is more of a great unknown: new regulation and how that will affect the industry. The Department of Labor just announced some new rules that, even though they haven't been implemented, are causing huge changes in my industry. Right now we are in the process of changing broker/dealers over this debacle. And one thing I can say for certain is that I do not want to do that again in the next five years.
I haven't really thought of it as such, but I guess I do have a five-year plan. It is hard sometimes to see future goals when you are grinding through the day-to-day. First part of my plan is to finish at Western with a BBA in Personal Finance in the Spring of 2017. I should at that time also take the Certified Financial Planner exam so I can start holding that designation. Following that, I will take over a greater stake in the partnership between my father and I as my father slows down. The next few years after than will be trying to expand our client base.
While I believe I have a pretty solid plan, there are some major obstacles that need to be overcome. The first and most important being that I need to develop new clients to expand which has not been a focus for me as of yet. I have been too busy putting in the time finishing my degree to really concentrate on developing the skills I need to succeed at that.
Another major challenge is more of a great unknown: new regulation and how that will affect the industry. The Department of Labor just announced some new rules that, even though they haven't been implemented, are causing huge changes in my industry. Right now we are in the process of changing broker/dealers over this debacle. And one thing I can say for certain is that I do not want to do that again in the next five years.
First Blog Post and Expectations for the Class!
Topic: Describe what you hope to gain this semester from BCM 3700.
I really hate trying to answer questions about what I expect to gain from a class. The problem is that generally what I expect is something that I already know about. It is more or less the unexpected that I gain. For instance, I currently write a lot of letters and memos for work weekly and I have pretty much know all of the particulars we have covered in those topics. I am not discounting the class as old hat, however, because there is bound to be useful tidbits sprinkled throughout the classes. For instance, choosing to address a woman as "Mrs." or "Ms." has always been a bit of a delicate choice for me. It is good to know that there is a general rule to lean.
I do expect to be annoyed with the little details that change the way I currently do business. A single space after a sentence is unnecessarily picky and, in my opinion, looks less professional than double spacing. Additionally, my client base is likely to think that I am in error as they generally have spent their lives with the generally accepted "double space after period" convention.
What I really would like to gain, though it is somewhat incidental, is to start a routine by writing this blog. What I have been trying to do come up with some routine so that I do something creative every week, be it drawing or whatever. Unfortunately, routines are hard to establish and my time and energy are stretched pretty thin, so it has not been working out well. So it might be completely unrelated but that is ultimately what I hope to gain from this class.
I really hate trying to answer questions about what I expect to gain from a class. The problem is that generally what I expect is something that I already know about. It is more or less the unexpected that I gain. For instance, I currently write a lot of letters and memos for work weekly and I have pretty much know all of the particulars we have covered in those topics. I am not discounting the class as old hat, however, because there is bound to be useful tidbits sprinkled throughout the classes. For instance, choosing to address a woman as "Mrs." or "Ms." has always been a bit of a delicate choice for me. It is good to know that there is a general rule to lean.
I do expect to be annoyed with the little details that change the way I currently do business. A single space after a sentence is unnecessarily picky and, in my opinion, looks less professional than double spacing. Additionally, my client base is likely to think that I am in error as they generally have spent their lives with the generally accepted "double space after period" convention.
What I really would like to gain, though it is somewhat incidental, is to start a routine by writing this blog. What I have been trying to do come up with some routine so that I do something creative every week, be it drawing or whatever. Unfortunately, routines are hard to establish and my time and energy are stretched pretty thin, so it has not been working out well. So it might be completely unrelated but that is ultimately what I hope to gain from this class.
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