Determine the Objective: State the Objective of the Message

7-1 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Partners with Kids, located at the Children’s Center on the Grant College campus, offers an after-school program for children ages 5 to 11 whose parents are at work or school. Partners with Kids is a year-round program. The staff are state-certified caretakers and qualified students from Grant College’s early childhood and elementary education programs. The Center offers a safe, comfortable environment. Music, sports, art, and guided study times are offered. Partners with Kids is a nonprofit organization; grants and fundraising are main sources of revenue to keep costs low. You have volunteered to write the annual donation request. The message will be signed by the director, Madeline Bertuzzi.

Task A: Plan a donation request letter. Use the persuasive strategy AIDA and apply the CBO step, Plan a Message, to solicit funds. This form letter will be personalized with receivers’ names compiled from a mailing list of area businesses and residents. Provide details to complete the message.

Determine the Objective: State the objective of the message.

Visualize the Audience: Consider the following criteria and list information to consider when visualizing your audience.

§ Age:

§ Profession:

§ Education:

§ Cultural or language difference:

§ Other:

List Supporting Information: Generate ideas, words, and phrases using brainstorming, nonstop writing, or bubble writing.

Organize the Information:

a. Identify the strategy you will use for this message.

b. Organize the information in an outline using either the traditional or the indented outline format.

Task B: Review your completed outline and compose a draft of your persuasive letter using the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for a nonroutine request for money.

Task C: Design a letterhead for Partners with Kids. The letterhead information is Partners with Kids, Children’s Center at Grant College, 5368 West Gavine Boulevard, Mobile, AL 35588-6743. The web site is www.pwk.edu, and the phone number is 334-555-0163. Complete the letter. Date the letter April 20 and provide an inside address. Your final letter should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-2 Case Studies

Communication Situation: The message below is directed to a graduate, Chandra Barr. The draft asking Chandra to speak at an upcoming event has been submitted for your review.

Chanda Barr, Wyerson and Riley, 4879 West Olin Road Anaheim, CA 92807-0883

Dear Ms. Barr

I want to congratulate you on completing your third year as an instructional design specialist at Weyerson and Riley! Following a delicious breakfast, you (and three other graduates) will have a five- to seven-minute opportunity to explain how you academic program prepared you for your career. Also, your comments about job responsibilities & trends in instructional design will be exspecially helpful to those looking for employment in that field. The fourth annual Life After Graduation Breakfast will be held on April 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Student Life Center, which is located at 24th and North Streets. Please say yes to this invitation by March 15 so your name is included on all of the promotional literature. When you were a student at cumberland, your academic performance and your participation in various student activities made you a campus leader. Since your graduation, you have added work experience to your collegiate experiences. You may respond by calling me at 555-0136 of by sending me an e-mail at . The combination makes you a ideal speaker for the Life After Graduation Breakfast. Approximately 200 students will attend. Will you agree to be a panelist and share your knowledge with them?

Task: Use proofreader marks (see Chapter 3, page 88) to indicate changes that should be made in the message. Key the revised document. The message should follow the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for a nonroutine request. The final message should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-3 Case Studies

Communication Situation: The Guidance Office at Milwaukee Area Technical College sponsors an annual open house for current and prospective medical billing and medical administrative assistant students. The open house provides a relaxed atmosphere for students to gather helpful information from employers about jobs, salaries, etc.

As the office coordinator, invite Mr. Sam Davenport, head recruiter at Midstate Staffing, to host a roundtable discussion. Address the letter to him at Midstate: 1234 Ryerson Road, New Berlin, WI 53045.

Task: Plan, compose, and complete a persuasive letter to Mr. Davenport requesting that he host a roundtable discussion about employment opportunities with Midstate Staffing. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for a nonroutine request for a speaker. Explain that the event has been very successful in the past. Four to six employers host roundtables, about 75 students attend, and refreshments will be served. The event is on June 1 at the West Campus. The agenda is as follows: 6:00–6:20, refreshments and check-in; 6:20–6:30, welcome and introductions; 6:30–7:30, roundtable discussions. Students visit the tables to gather information. The final message should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-4 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Revise one of the letters that you analyzed in Exercise 7-3.

Task: Use your analysis and apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for a donation of time, money, or knowledge to revise the message. Convince the receiver that responding favorably to your request is beneficial. Your final letter should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-5 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Identify a nonprofit organization in your geographic area or an organization within your school that interests you. Gather information through Internet research, personal interviews, and other reliable sources to prepare a donation request letter for the organization.

Task: Plan, compose, and complete a donation request letter for the organization. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for a nonroutine request for money. Sign the letter as the volunteer fund-raising coordinator. Your final letter should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-6 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Some situations that concern the public include the environment, taxes, health care and insurance, education, and crime. Choose an issue that is important to you. Determine what you want the receiver to do; for example, to cast a specific vote, repair roads, lower taxes, or block retail development. Gather information using the Internet, newspapers, and other reliable sources. Study the information so you have a solid knowledge of the topic to support your request. Prepare a letter or an e-mail message as assigned by your instructor. Direct the message to the appropriate official at the local, state, or federal level of government. Locate the correct postal or e-mail address.

Task: Plan, compose, and complete a persuasive message to a government official. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for a request for cooperation. Convince the official that taking favorable action is beneficial. Your final message should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-7 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Tye Dye Inc., the company where you work, plans to market its products in Mexico. As part of the company’s initial research team, you researched marketing trends for your product in Mexico. You discovered some significant cultural differences that could negatively affect business dealings if strategies are not adapted accordingly. The company representatives, who soon will participate in business talks in Mexico, need a quick course in Mexican business practices and etiquette.

Task: Plan, compose, and complete a persuasive e-mail message to Margaret Crawford, the vice president of marketing. Briefly explain the fact that Mexico is considered a high-context culture and the United States is considered a low-context culture, which can lead to serious misunderstandings and misperceptions. Sales reps are likely to be more successful in their negotiations with government officials when the reps understand some of the differences and when they practice simple rules of Mexican etiquette. Direct Ms. Crawford to three or four web sites where she will find more information about these topics. Persuade her to talk with you about a series of informational discussion sessions for the reps where they can develop positive business strategies to enhance Tye Dye’s position during negotiations.

7-8 Case Studies

Communication Situation: At least 12 customers at Healthy Harvest, an independent grocery store, have recently returned packages of Green Line vermicelli because the packages contained a white dust. You either replaced the vermicelli with another product or refunded the customer’s money. A check of the pasta packages in the store revealed that at least one-third of the boxes contained the dust. Until this experience, you had been satisfied with the products from the supplier, Worldwide Pasta; but now customers are beginning to wonder if the food you sell is safe to eat.

As store manager for Healthy Harvest, you are requesting a refund. When you check your original invoice, you discover that you must report problems within 15 working days to qualify for adjustments. You received the shipment more than a month ago, so Worldwide might reject your request. The dust is probably harmless, but your customers are concerned. You don’t want rumors to get out of hand.

Task: Design a letterhead and logo for Healthy Harvest: 7813 Peterson Avenue, Denver, CO 80210; telephone 303-555-0103; fax 303-555-0143; web site: http://www.healthyharvest.com. Plan, compose, and complete a claim message to Worldwide Pasta. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for a claim message. Express your concerns and provide details that are helpful and necessary to complete the message. Ask Worldwide about the dust. Your task is to convince the company that refunding the money ($550 including shipping costs and reimbursements to customers who have returned the vermicelli) and checking its pasta more carefully are beneficial. Date the message May 13. Address your message to Gabriel Masselli, president of Worldwide Pasta at 67 Executive Way, Minneapolis, MN 55407. Your final letter should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-9 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Identify a situation that you want resolved, such as a price adjustment, a refund, or a product replacement.

Task: Plan, compose, and complete an adjustment or claim message to address the situation you want resolved. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for an adjustment request or a claim. Convince the receiver to support your request by taking a specific action. Arrange the sequence of events so the receiver will understand why the situation needs resolution. Your final message should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-10 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Identify a local business. Gather information about the business so you can prepare a message for each of the stages of collection: initial, middle, and final.

Task A: Plan, compose, and complete an initial-stage collection message for the business that you identified. Prepare this message in a “greeting card” format. Use your imagination to create a clever reminder that relates to the nature of the business.

Task B: Continue with the business from Task A. Plan, compose, and complete a middle-stage collection message to Jonathan Wang, who owes $489. The amount is 45 days past due. You already have sent Mr. Wang two reminders. He called you after the second reminder and promised to pay, but you have not yet received a check. He has been a prompt-paying customer for five years. You assume he wants to pay, and you want to keep him as a customer. You also want him to pay his bill. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA adapted for middle-stage collection messages. Point out the benefits of paying the bill and offer payment options. Use the current date. Mr. Wang’s address is 4567 East Ravinia Street. Add a city, state, and ZIP Code. Your middle-stage message should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

Task C: Plan, compose, and complete a final-stage collection message to Jonathan Wang. The account is now more than 70 days past due. Other than his one phone call to you, Mr. Wang has not responded to your written and phone messages. You understand that you risk losing his goodwill and business, but you have now become skeptical of his desire to pay.

7-11 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Revise one of the sales letters you analyzed in Exercise 7-8.

Task: Use your analysis and apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA to revise the letter. Convince the receiver that responding favorably is beneficial. Be creative. In addition to techniques presented in the chapter, conduct Internet research using keywords and phrases such as sales letter techniques and writing sales messages. Your final letter should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and a message format appropriate for the situation.

7-12 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Prepare an e-mail sales message for Clean Sweep.

Task: Use Illustration 7-9, page 227, for the information needed to prepare an e-mail sales message for Clean Sweep. Compose and complete your one- or two-screen e-mail in the direct pattern. Include the points most likely to persuade the receiver. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA. Be creative. Review the tips for e-mail sales messages on pages 230–231.

7-13 Case Studies

Communication Situation: Choose a product or service that you like. Gather facts to support your choice through Internet research, personal interviews, and other reliable sources. Prepare a print or e-mail sales message as assigned by your instructor.

Task: Plan, compose, and complete a sales message for the product or service. The message should be prepared as a form message that can be personalized. Be creative. Apply the CBO approach and the persuasive strategy AIDA. Sign the letter as the sales director. Your final message should reflect the six Cs of effective messages and message format appropriate for an e-mail or print sales message.

7-14 Case Studies

Ethics in Action—Discussion Generator

Directions: Read this case. Use the space provided to write your responses to the “Questions for Thought and Discussion.” For assistance in resolving ethical problems, refer to the “Framework for Making Ethical Decisions” available online at http://www.thomsonedu.com/bcomm/brantley.