The Truth About Better Business Communication (Collection)

The Truth About Better Business Communication (Collection)

by Natalie Canavor, Claire Meirowitz, James O’Rourke, Leigh Thompson
Released November 2010
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780132655798

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Book description

150 powerful bite-size techniques for supercharging all your business communications: print, web, e-mail, and in person!

Three full books of indispensable, practical advice on virtually every form of business communication! Discover how to write e-mails, reports, proposals, and web content that really pack a punch… build presentations around what people really want to know… communicate successfully in every negotiation scenario, even the most frustrating or unexpected… and much more!

From world-renowned leaders and experts, includingNatalie Canavor, Claire Meirowitz, James O’Rourke, and Leigh Thompson

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Contents
  3. The Truth About The New Rules of Business Writing
    1. Contents
    2. Foreword: A new way to think about writing
    3. On the Web
    4. Acknowledgments
    5. About the Authors
    6. Introduction
    7. Part I: The truth about what makes writing work
      1. Truth 1. Most people aim for the wrong target
        1. Define good writing yourself
        2. Bad writing: the whole sad story
        3. Good writing: a definition to live by
      2. Truth 2. If you can say it, you can write it
      3. Truth 3. Forget yesterday—write for today
      4. Truth 4. Planning is the magic ingredient
      5. Truth 5. To achieve your goal, look below its surface
      6. Truth 6. Cut to the chase: Put the bottom line on top
      7. Truth 7. “Me”-focused messages fail
      8. Truth 8. People are not the same: Write for differences
      9. Truth 9. Tone makes—or breaks—your message
      10. Truth 10. Knowing your inside story is the key
      11. Truth 11. Forget outlines—organize your thinking
        1. Writing helps you think
      12. Truth 12. How to organize is a personal choice
      13. Truth 13. Every message you send has a psychological impact
        1. Guidelines for delivering bad news
      14. Truth 14. Effective messages lead with strength
      15. Truth 15. To succeed, cover your ground and remember “the ask”
      16. Truth 16. Your goal and audience determine the best way to communicate
    8. Part II: The truth about self-editing
      1. Truth 17. The best writers don’t write; they rewrite
      2. Truth 18. Rhythm and transitions make writing move
        1. Pay attention to transitions
      3. Truth 19. Less can be a whole lot more
        1. Rewrite challenge
      4. Truth 20. Passive thinking and jargon undermine clarity
      5. Truth 21. You don’t need grammar drills to spot your writing problems
        1. Use your computer’s Readability Index
    9. Part III: The truth about successful e-mail
      1. Truth 22. Use e-mail to communicate in the fast lane—powerfully
        1. Review your e-mails—every one
      2. Truth 23. Good subject lines say, “open sesame”
      3. Truth 24. Know your e-mail do’s and don’ts
        1. E-mail don’ts
      4. Truth 25. Writing good progress reports is worth your time
    10. Part IV: The truth about letters
      1. Truth 26. Letters: They live! And you need them
      2. Truth 27. Letters build relationships
      3. Truth 28. Cover letters matter, big time
    11. Part V: The truth about reports and proposals
      1. Truth 29. Good reports generate action
        1. Writing the lead—some options:
      2. Truth 30. Organizing complex projects isn’t that hard
      3. Truth 31. Well-crafted proposals win
      4. Truth 32. The letter format lets you shortcut proposals
      5. Truth 33. Root grant applications in “mission”—yours and the funder’s
    12. Part VI: The truth about Web sites
      1. Truth 34. Writing is the missing factor in your competitors’ Web sites
      2. Truth 35. Web sites built on keywords and content build traffic
        1. Some more Web site do’s and don’ts
      3. Truth 36. A home page must crystallize who you are
    13. Part VII: The truth about new media
      1. Truth 37. Blogging and social media are powerful business tools
      2. Truth 38. To blog for yourself, be yourself, but carefully
      3. Truth 39. Good business blogging is edgy
        1. Tie blogs to your marketing
      4. Truth 40. Tweeting and texting: the ultimate self-edit challenge
      5. Truth 41. E-letters focus marketing and reinforce branding
      6. Truth 42. Good PowerPoint is more than pretty faces: It starts with writing
    14. Part VIII: The truth about writing to self-market
      1. Truth 43. Strong résumés focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities
      2. Truth 44. Fliers are easy all-purpose promotional tools
      3. Truth 45. It pays to think PR and send news releases
        1. Plan the release
      4. Truth 46. Writing articles boosts your career
      5. Truth 47. The virtual world offers self-publishing power
        1. Get to the point
        2. Can you write a book?
    15. Part IX: The truth about tricks of the trade
      1. Truth 48. Good headlines help your writing work—a lot
      2. Truth 49. Skillful interviewing is a major (but unrecognized) business asset
      3. Truth 50. Readers are global: Try not to confuse them
      4. Truth 51. Clarity is next to godliness
      5. Truth 52. You can fix your own grammar goofs
    16. Financial Times Press
    17. Simply the best thinking The Truth and Nothing but the Truth
  4. The Truth About Confident Presenting
    1. Contents
    2. Introduction
    3. Part I: Some Initial Truths
      1. TRUTH 1. Public Speaking Is Not Easy, But It's Certainly Doable
      2. TRUTH 2. The Key to Success Is Preparation
      3. TRUTH 3. Rehearsal Is Essential
      4. TRUTH 4. Emulating Good Speakers Makes You Better
      5. TRUTH 5. Establish Goals for Your Presentation
      6. TRUTH 6. A Presentation Is a Learning Occasion
    4. Part II: The Truth About Getting Ready to Speak
      1. TRUTH 7. Talk Is the Work
      2. TRUTH 8. Know What Your Audience Is Looking for
      3. TRUTH 9. There Is a Difference Between Speaking and Writing
      4. TRUTH 10. Preparing a Presentation Is a Relatively Simple Process
      5. TRUTH 11. Begin by Analyzing Your Audience
      6. TRUTH 12. Know Your Audience
    5. Part III: The Truth About What Makes People Listen
      1. TRUTH 13. Understand What Makes People Listen
      2. TRUTH 14. Your Speaking Style Makes a Difference
      3. TRUTH 15. Anticipate the Questions Your Audience Brings to Your Presentation
      4. TRUTH 16. Listening Matters
      5. TRUTH 17. Being an Active Listener Brings Real Benefits
      6. TRUTH 18. You Can Overcome the Barriers to Successful Communication
    6. Part IV: The Truth About Developing Support for Your Presentation
      1. TRUTH 19. Develop Support for Your Presentation
      2. TRUTH 20. Understand the Power of Your Content
      3. TRUTH 21. The Kinds and Quality of Evidence Matter to Your Audience
      4. TRUTH 22. Structure Can Help Carry an Inexperienced Speaker
      5. TRUTH 23. Find Support for Your Presentation
      6. TRUTH 24. Use the Internet to Support Your Presentation
    7. Part V: The Truth About Getting Up to Speak
      1. TRUTH 25. Select a Delivery Approach
      2. TRUTH 26. Your Introduction Forms Their First Impression
      3. TRUTH 27. Begin with a Purpose in Mind
      4. TRUTH 28. Keep Your Audience Interested
      5. TRUTH 29. Conclusions Are as Important as Introductions
      6. TRUTH 30. Have Confidence in Your Preparation
      7. TRUTH 31. Repeat the Process as Often as Possible
    8. Part VI: The Truth About Managing Anxiety
      1. TRUTH 32. All Speakers Get Nervous
      2. TRUTH 33. Recognize Anxiety Before It Begins
      3. TRUTH 34. Deal with Nervous Behaviors
      4. TRUTH 35. Keep Your Nervousness to Yourself
    9. Part VII: The Truth About Nonverbal Communication
      1. TRUTH 36. Most Information Is Transferred Nonverbally
      2. TRUTH 37. The Nonverbal Process Can Work for You
      3. TRUTH 38. Nonverbal Communication Has Specific Functions
      4. TRUTH 39. Nonverbal Communication Is Governed by Key Principles
      5. TRUTH 40. Nonverbal Communication Has an Effect on Your Audience
    10. Part VIII: The Truth About Visual Aids
      1. TRUTH 41. Visual Aids Can Help Your Audience Understand Your Message
      2. TRUTH 42. Understand Visual Images Before You Use Them
      3. TRUTH 43. Choose the Right Visual
      4. TRUTH 44. Use PowerPoint Effectively
      5. TRUTH 45. Consider Speaking Without Visuals
    11. Part IX: The Truth About Handling an Audience
      1. TRUTH 46. Assess the Mood of Your Audience
      2. TRUTH 47. Answer the Audience's Questions
      3. TRUTH 48. Handle Hostility with Confidence
    12. Part X: The Truth About What Makes a Presentation Work
      1. TRUTH 49. Know as Much as Possible About the Location
      2. TRUTH 50. Use the Microphone to Your Advantage
      3. TRUTH 51. Know Your Limits
    13. References
      1. Truth 6
      2. Truth 7
      3. Truth 9
      4. Truth 11
      5. Truth 14
      6. Truth 15
      7. Truth 16
      8. Truth 20
      9. Truth 22
      10. Truth 24
      11. Truth 26
      12. Truth 40
      13. Truth 43
      14. Truth 45
    14. Acknowledgments
    15. About the Author
    16. Simply the best thinking The Truth and Nothing But The Truth
  5. The Truth About Negotiations
    1. Contents
    2. Introduction
    3. TRUTH 1. If you have only one hour to prepare...
      1. Get in touch with your goals
      2. Brainstorm your options
      3. Plan your opening move
    4. TRUTH 2. Negotiation: A natural gift?
    5. TRUTH 3. Rehearsal might get you to Carnegie, but it won't help you negotiate
      1. Pattern X Preparation
      2. Pattern Y Preparation
    6. TRUTH 4. The power of making the first offer
    7. TRUTH 5. What if you don't make the first offer?
    8. TRUTH 6. Don't be a tough or a nice negotiator
    9. TRUTH 7. Four sand traps in the golf game of negotiation
      1. Sand trap #1: Leaving money on the table
      2. Sand trap #2: Settling for too little
      3. Sand trap #3: Walking away from the table
      4. Sand trap #4: Settling for terms that are worse than your current situation
    10. TRUTH 8. Your industry is unique (and other myths)
      1. Myth #1: Your industry is unique
      2. Myth #2: Business people care only about money
      3. Myth #3: Always maintain a poker face: Never reveal anything
      4. Myth #4: Never make the first offer
    11. TRUTH 9. Identify your BATNA
    12. TRUTH 10. It's alive! Constantly improve your BATNA
    13. TRUTH 11. Don't reveal your BATNA
    14. TRUTH 12. Don't lie about your BATNA
    15. TRUTH 13. Signal your BATNA
    16. TRUTH 14. Research the other party's BATNA
    17. TRUTH 15. Develop your reservation price
    18. TRUTH 16. Beware of ZOPA myopia
    19. TRUTH 17. Set optimistic but realistic aspirations
    20. TRUTH 18. Plan your concessions
    21. TRUTH 19. Be aware of the "even-split" ploy
    22. TRUTH 20. The pregame
    23. TRUTH 21. The game
    24. TRUTH 22. The postgame
    25. TRUTH 23. What does "win-win" really mean?
    26. TRUTH 24. Satisficing versus optimizing
      1. Satisficing
      2. Lack of Feedback
      3. The Fixed-Pie Perception
    27. TRUTH 25. There are really only two kinds of negotiations
    28. TRUTH 26. Ask triple-I questions
    29. TRUTH 27. Reveal your interests
    30. TRUTH 28. Negotiate issues simultaneously, not sequentially
    31. TRUTH 29. Logrolling (I scratch your back, you scratch mine)
    32. TRUTH 30. Make multiple offers of equivalent value simultaneously
    33. TRUTH 31. Postsettlement settlements
    34. TRUTH 32. Contingent agreements
    35. TRUTH 33. Are you an enlightened negotiator?
    36. TRUTH 34. The reciprocity principle
    37. TRUTH 35. The reinforcement principle
    38. TRUTH 36. The similarity principle
    39. TRUTH 37. Know when to drop an anchor
    40. TRUTH 38. The framing effect
    41. TRUTH 39. Responding to temper tantrums
    42. TRUTH 40. What's your sign? (Know your disputing style)
    43. TRUTH 41. Using power responsibly
    44. TRUTH 42. Saving face
    45. TRUTH 43. How to negotiate with someone you hate
      1. Replace D statements with B statements
      2. Label your feelings, not people
      3. Change your behavior, not your feelings
    46. TRUTH 44. How to negotiate with someone you love
    47. TRUTH 45. Building the winning negotiation team
    48. TRUTH 46. What if they arrive with a team?
    49. TRUTH 47. Of men, women, and pie-slicing
    50. TRUTH 48. Know why the fish swim
    51. TRUTH 49. It does not make sense to always get to the point...
    52. TRUTH 50. Negotiating on the phone
    53. TRUTH 51. Your reputation
    54. TRUTH 52. Building trust
    55. TRUTH 53. Repairing broken trust
      1. Let them vent
      2. Apologize
      3. Focus on the future
      4. Do a relationship checkup
      5. Go overboard
    56. References
      1. Truth 1
      2. Truth 4
      3. Truth 6
      4. Truth 7
      5. Truth 9
      6. Truth 14
      7. Truth 20
      8. Truth 22
      9. Truth 24
      10. Truth 25
      11. Truth 26
      12. Truth 27
      13. Truth 36
      14. Truth 37
      15. Truth 38
      16. Truth 39
      17. Truth 40
      18. Truth 42
      19. Truth 44
      20. Truth 45
      21. Truth 49
      22. Truth 50
      23. Truth 51
      24. Truth 52
    57. Acknowledgments
    58. About the Author
    59. Simply the best thinking The Truth and Nothing But The Truth
  6. The Truth About Making Smart Decisions
    1. Contents
    2. Praise for The Truth About Making Smart Decisions
    3. Preface
    4. Introduction
    5. Part I: The Truth About Preparing for Decisions
      1. Truth 1. Before a major decision, get some Z's
      2. Truth 2. Act from a state of clarity
      3. Truth 3. If you can't get distance, get perspective
      4. Truth 4. Keep it real
      5. Truth 5. Use a systematic process
      6. Truth 6. Know your decision-making style
    6. Part II: The Truth About Why Bad Decisions Are Good
      1. Truth 7. To make better decisions, make more mistakes
      2. Truth 8. Be prepared to profit from your mistakes
      3. Truth 9. Learn from your close calls
      4. Truth 10. Learn from the decisions of others
      5. Truth 11. Don't judge your decisions based on their outcome
      6. Truth 12. Leave yourself room to get back from the pole
    7. Part III: The Truth About the Limits of Your Mind
      1. Truth 13. Understand common "decision traps"
      2. Truth 14. Giving up something? Get over it!
      3. Truth 15. It's possible to miss an entire gorilla
      4. Truth 16. You may see only what you're looking for
      5. Truth 17. You're not as clever as you think you are
      6. Truth 18. Your view of the world depends on what planet you're from
      7. Truth 19. Beware of seeing patterns that aren't there
      8. Truth 20. Different is not always better
    8. Part IV: The Truth About Complex Decisions
      1. Truth 21. Boil knowledge down to its essence—and then act on it
      2. Truth 22. Decisions are not snapshots but movies
      3. Truth 23. No decision is an island
      4. Truth 24. Build the city around your decision
    9. Part V: The Truth About Data
      1. Truth 25. Listen for the dog that doesn't bark
      2. Truth 26. Sorry, Joe Friday. The facts are never "just the facts."
      3. Truth 27. Recognize the power of intuition
    10. Part VI: The Truth About Acting Decisively
      1. Truth 28. The wrong decision is better than none at all
      2. Truth 29. Get 80 percent (or less) of what you need, and then act on it
      3. Truth 30. Every decision carries risk. Get used to it
      4. Truth 31. Not making a decision is a decision
    11. Part VII: The Truth About Decisions in Groups
      1. Truth 32. Two heads can be worse than one
      2. Truth 33. Use constructive conflict
      3. Truth 34. Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself
      4. Truth 35. Make decision roles clear
      5. Truth 36. Break free from the prisoner's dilemma
    12. Part VIII: The Truth About Emotions
      1. Truth 37. A little adrenaline can be a good thing
      2. Truth 38. Understand the impact of emotions
      3. Truth 39. Beware of the attractive new shortcut
    13. Part IX: The Truth About Ethical Decision Making
      1. Truth 40. Don't do anything you wouldn't want seen on YouTube
      2. Truth 41. There are no quiet corners safe from scrutiny
      3. Truth 42. To know where you're going, know where you stand
      4. Truth 43. Don't let power or ego sway you from your course
    14. Part X: The Truth About Big Decisions
      1. Truth 44. Lower the costs of failure
      2. Truth 45. Break down big decisions into smaller ones
      3. Truth 46. Don't forget the screwdrivers
    15. Part XI: The Truth About Moving On
      1. Truth 47. Keep your eye on the long term
      2. Truth 48. Belief in your decision can make it come true
      3. Truth 49. Keep a sense of humor
      4. Truth 50. Don't look back
      5. Additional Resources
    16. References
      1. Introduction
      2. Truth 2
      3. Truth 9
      4. Truth 14
      5. Truth 15
      6. Truth 16
      7. Truth 18
      8. Truth 20
      9. Truth 21
      10. Truth 23
      11. Truth 25
      12. Truth 26
      13. Truth 31
      14. Truth 32
      15. Truth 33
      16. Truth 35
      17. Truth 37
      18. Truth 38
      19. Truth 43
      20. Truth 45
      21. Truth 46
      22. Truth 49
      23. Truth 50
    17. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: The Truth About Better Business Communication (Collection)
  • Author(s): Natalie Canavor, Claire Meirowitz, James O’Rourke, Leigh Thompson
  • Release date: November 2010
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 9780132655798