Public Speaking

When speaking publicly, it is very easy to get nervous and forget what you were wanting to say. There are many different ways to give a speech, but the best method usually involves writing notes and basing the speech off of them.

When writing notes for a speech you should use notecards or index cards. These cards should be numbered sequentially so that you know which cards to look at first. According to Business Communications Essentials, the main goal of having notes for a speech is to provide you with a que or a reminder of your next point in the speech. It is easy to forget certain points when people are staring at you in anticipation of your speech. If you have just a quick sentence or a few words of the next topic you plan to talk about, then it’s much easier to branch out in more detail. Notecards can also be a type of security if you’re nervous for a speech. Knowing that they are there to help you can give you more confidence that the speech will go according to your plan. Notes should not however, be your entire speech written down. Speeches should not be read but should be spoken. If you don’t know your topic enough to be able to talk about it freely, then it’s probably not the right topic for you to speak about.

My experience in public speaking is pretty minimal outside of my public speaking class I took as a sophomore in college. I remember being nervous and anxious each time I had to give a speech. Things that helped me were being interested in my topic, knowing my topic to the best of my knowledge, and adding a little humor in my speech to loosen things up a bit. As much as I disliked my public speaking class, it truly did help me feel more confident when speaking in front of other people.

Emotional Appeal

When writing persuasive messages, the writer must have a strategy to get his or her point across in a clear and efficient way. One strategy is to use emotional appeal. Emotional appeal is when a writer uses certain words to call on the sympathies and feelings of the readers. According to Business Communications Essentials, words such as freedom, success, prestige, compassion, free, and comfort are emotion inspired.

 

In order for a persuasive argument to be effective, I think there must be both emotional appeal and logic. The writer should not have too much of either. Emotional appeal, in my opinion becomes unethical when the writer attacks the character of the opponent rather than the opposing point of view. You cannot tell a person that he or she is bad just because you differ in ideas. Business Communications Essentials also states that a writer should not make hasty generalizations. A writer should have clear evidence of any point he or she is trying to prove, or all credibility is lost.

When using emotional appeal in order to prove a point, the writer must be aware of the boundaries that should not be crossed. In my opinion, the main priority should be to remain professional while expressing ideas in an emotional manner. Avoid attacking the opponent and making assumptions. Emotional appeal is ethical when used correctly and when it is balanced out with logic. It becomes unethical when all logic is forgone and the attacking of character begins. Using emotional appeal as a strategy for persuasive messages can be a great tool if used properly.

Deemphasizing Bad News

In today’s business world, there is always going to positive news and bad news no matter how successful or unsuccessful a company is. It is important to convey this information appropriately and concisely. If bad news is not conveyed properly, then the purpose of the news may not be fully received by the company.

When conveying bad news to your company, it is important to deemphasize it to a point. You do not want to dwell on it and leave people with negative feelings, but you also do not want to deemphasize it so much that the negative message is hidden in the middle of a sentence. According to Business Communications Essentials, you should state the negative news clearly and from that transition smoothly into positive news. The main goal is to balance the message so that it isn’t conveyed as a negative message or as a positive message, it should be neutral.

I do not think that deemphasizing bad news is the same as distorting graphs and charts. Graphs and charts are visual objects and you can only make inferences from those pictures. If it is distorted, then there is no way that a person would be able to tell whether or not the information portrayed is accurate. In a message, deemphasizing is trying to hide the bad news, but the news is still conveyed and people are able to grasp that.

In business, it is important to be concise in any type of message you are trying to convey. With negative news, it is especially important that the recipients understand the bad news but that they don’t feel the need to dwell on it. Deemphasizing is important, but in business it cannot be abused.

Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters can be an extremely essential tool for earning a job. Properly written ones are great to have and can open up so many opportunities for a person seeking a job. With that being said, writing the recommendation letters has many implications. The writer must be sure that it is accurate, clear, and provides all the information an employer would wish to see. If the letter is too general, then it proves nothing about the person it's about and does not distinguish them from other applicants.

If I was asked by a former employee from years ago to write a recommendation letter, and I could not remember any details of the employee’s time with me except that they were an admirable employee, I would have to consider a few options. The first thing I would do would be to ask my fellow workers about what they remember from that specific employee. I wouldn’t reject the request because I would want to do my best to help a quality former employee of mine. If this option did not work out, I would then be honest with the employee and tell them that I know they were of high quality but that I just could not remember specifics that I feel future employers would want to know. I would make sure they know that I could potentially write them a letter, but it would have to be just of what I remembered, so it would be pretty broad and not detailed. I would suggest that they find someone else to write the letter so that they will properly and accurately represented.   

Authenticity and Business

I think it is very possible for a business person to speak of their company in a positive way and to represent them properly while still remaining authentic. When I am at work and I have to email business people outside of my organization, I need to maintain my professional manner or I will not be taken seriously. With that being said, I think it is also important to be friendly and have a little personality so that the people you're communicating with know you're just another human being. If you can relate to the person you're communicating with and feel comfortable talking with him or her, then it will most likely be easier to maintain contact and work together. Sometimes in the business world we forget that we don't have to always have a poker face or act cold to others. As long as we can portray a friendly personality without sacrificing the reputation of the business, then we should continue to do so. When I email customers or fellow workers, I make sure that I use exclamation points where necessary. Exclamation points, in my opinion offer a little bit of a break from the corporate tone we're all so used to communicating in. They let us know that the person we're talking to has a little bit of a personality and isn't afraid to show it.I also try to appear understanding and open for conversation by relating to whoever I am communicating with.

Personal Blogging

I think blogging is a great way to write down your thoughts, opinions, and ideas. I think it's a great place to be creative and express all that you need to express. I agree that in some cases following the rules of grammar and spelling can hinder your creative abilities. I think it is okay to write words that you want to emphasize, wrong or in a silly way (e.g. GR8, girlz, boyz, etc.). As long as the reader knows you are trying to be sarcastic or funny then I think bad grammar or spelling adds to your personality as a blogger. If you are able to show your intelligence through your writing, then being funny about the way you spell things or use certain words shouldn't affect your credibility.


Sometimes when we write, we do so in a boring and monotone manner. For me, I appreciate when writer's aren't as serious and know how to make a joke. It's difficult to evoke that through writing alone, so spelling can sometimes help us understand a writer's purpose or personality. It gives the reader a break from the difficult to understand writing and allows the blogger to have fun with what he or she is writing. Instead of worrying about perfect grammar/spelling and mechanics, a writer should be able to intelligently portray certain ideas while adding a little humor in there.


Although I think certain PURPOSEFUL mistakes are humorous, I would not enjoy reading a post someone wrote where they couldn't figure out which there/their/they're to use. I also would be dubious of a writer's intelligence if they spelled "definitely" like "defiantly". All things considered, I appreciate writers poking a little fun at the strict world of grammar and spelling, but I want those things to be done in a purposeful manner and not on accident.

Social Media

I have a love/hate relationship with social media websites. I enjoy being able to keep in touch with friends and family but I don't like how we tend to let it consume our time.  I have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest account. I enjoy them all for different reasons. With each account, I make sure that the settings are private so that only people I know can view my pictures, posts, and information. Even though my accounts are private, there is always room for improvement. I could delete old pictures of myself holding the ever so popular peace sign or pictures of me sticking my tongue out (apparently that used to be cool). I could advertise myself more as a professional by updating my information including where I work and what I'm interested in. Other than that, all that I have on my accounts are pictures of my nieces, softball pictures, and pictures of food.

Material that could raise red flags for future employers are inappropriate pictures, inappropriate language, and bad spelling/grammar. Employers don't want to see revealing pictures or cursing on our accounts because they want to see us portray ourselves as professionals and if we can't do that online then we probably won't be able to do it in a corporate setting. Social media websites can be a great way to stay in touch with people you love and to connect with other business professionals, but if we aren't careful, one picture, post, or comment could destroy our reputation as young professionals.