"Susan Crossman has created one of the most comprehensive books on writing ever written. Whether you're writing a business report, an essay or a full-length novel, Crossman offers invaluable advice on making the process move more smoothly and efficiently. She also provides insightful tips on avoiding writer's block. If you want to be a truly effective and successful writer, this is the book you need."
- Michael B. Davie, author "Winning Ways "
Solid, expert advice from a professional writer and author of several critically acclaimed books. From tips on overcoming writer's block and engaging your audience to focusing on specific markets, Susan Crossman, also author of " Shades of Teale " and "Passages to Epiphany," delivers insightful commentary that will help anyone become a more efficient, effective and successful writer. Of tremendous benefit to business writers - and to anyone crafting works of fiction and non-fiction - a must-read
- Manor House Publishing Inc.
Susan Crossman on "The Write Way": "We all recognize that writing is a creative process but we also tend to think of the physical process of writing as a mechanical skill that takes good grammar and a decent vocabulary and somehow blends them all together to create clear communication. That's not a bad start but decades of experience have taught me that writing with impact is much more complex. This book provides tips on: - How to structure your written work - How to write with style and - How to engage an audience - Avoiding and overcoming writer's block - Writing for key markets and marketing your writing in a highly effective manner I hope The Write Way will help you write with more clarity and conviction and I also hope that it will make the task of writing that much more enjoyable."

We live in world increasingly shaped by risk, a fact underscored by recent events in the financial markets, science and technology, environmental policy and biosecurity, law enforcement and criminal justice. Risk assessment has become a central concern of governments, organisations and the professions, and the communication of risk is a crucial part of professional work. Exploring how risk is discursively constructed across these domains is therefore central to our understanding of how professional practice affects people's lives. Communicating Risk takes up this challenge, with contributions from leading researchers and practitioners that examine key issues of risk communication across diverse professional domains.

Since the height of the privatization debate in the 1990s, changes in government policy have resulted in significant transformation in the public sector. Some organizations have made the transition from government bureaucracy to business venture successfully; others have struggled to relinquish their traditional bureaucratic culture. In this book, Pillay and Bilney explore the cultural changes occurring within the public sector and the effects that government mandated change initiatives have actually had. The culmination of this book was due to the subject expertise and guidance of Professor Robert Jones at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. It provides perspectives on the efficacy of cultural change in the Australian public sector, and explores the practical implications for society and government as it seeks to entrench the culture of the citizen as customer. It is particularly useful for researchers and organizations searching for ways to improve service delivery within the confines of particular market positions.

This book features not only the latest trends but also academic and industry practitioner stakeholders' perspectives on language and functional role issues facing the rapidly developing corporate communication (CC) profession in the Greater China region. The book also explores the implications for Western societies that cross-culturally engage with Chinese partners in CC practices. The book's chapters are oriented on five main themes, namely: Development of the CC Profession, Bilingual Practices in Corporate Communication, Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee Communications, and Media Discourse & Persuasive Communication. The first two cluster themes feature a review of the PR/CC profession's evolutionary path to its current status as a more distinct and diversified CC profession emphasizing the role of language and particularly the bilingualism phenomenon, whereas the other cluster themes, which adopt the perspectives of academics and those of CC practitioners, span from cross-cultural, profession-wide and bilingual communication issues to applications of heuristic knowledge within industry-specific workplace contexts.

Learn business communications YOUR way with Lehman/DuFrene/Walker's BCOM, 10E from 4LTR Press.

This inviting, easy-reference textbook and online digital learning support guide you through mastering today's business communication concepts and skills. Visually engaging chapters offer helpful study tools like Chapter Review Cards that consolidate review material into a ready-made study tool.

BCOM's MindTap allows you to learn with the printed book or completely online, on your terms. Read or listen to the book and study with the aid of instructor notifications, flashcards and practice quizzes. When it's time to review, you can easily gather everything you've flagged or noted into a guide you organize. Track your scores so you know where to focus your efforts and stay motivated in reaching your learning and business communication goals.

An organization's brand is its most distinctive feature - it is a mechanism for coordinating resources around its vision or mission. Organizations in the Face of Crisis offers a new and unique approach to the treatment of threats to an organization and its brand. In this volume, key concepts associated with crisis events are presented and analysed. Examination of ' brand trauma, ' the potentially debilitating effects of a crisis on an organization, reveals the pervasive nature of a crisis' effects and offers why these effects can haunt a brand and its stakeholders long after the crisis has passed. Tafoya also illustrates ways an organization's core network can be shaken by the emergence of a new network brought on by a crisis. This network, a 'stakeholder swarm', functions to meet its own needs often by challenging the make-up, control and flow of information, and even threatening the effected organization's very existence. Case studies and diagnostic tools are used to demonstrate the effects of a crisis on an organization and its brand, and to provide insight and strategies on managing the crisis at hand as well as the long-term effects that may be linked to the crisis and its occurrence. This volume will appeal to stakeholders on all sides of a crisis: from an organization's managers, employees, customers or clients and to diverse fields of study including law, medicine, religion, military, law enforcement and regulation.

Companies are often their own worst enemies. We work in disconnected functional and geographic silos, making it impossible to achieve end-to-end effectiveness. We struggle to make optimal decisions due to our overwhelming lack of quality information. In Optimize Now (or else ), David Fisher identifies the source of many of these problems and attacks them at their core. He explores the critical importance of processes and information that represent both the root of our problems and our greatest opportunity for dramatic improvement. He introduces new leadership in the Chief Process and Information Officer and the Process and Information Department, and specifies how to position these roles for enterprise-wide success. He further introduces the Enterprise Optimization Framework, an innovative, metric-driven decision-making framework, to ensure decisions are no longer based on gut feel but rather on quantitative expected outcomes. Finally, he explores the do's and don'ts of outsourcing and information technology with specific guidance on how these resources can be utilized to advance end-to-end optimization. It's time to put an end to our own misery. downward spiral to Enterprise Extinction. Survival is at stake. We must Optimize Now (or else ).

This book will enable students, researchers and practitioners with some background in applied linguistics and/or (business) communication to engage with most of the issues raised by the multidisciplinary field of business discourse. To applied linguists new to business communication, and to researchers with a business background and with an interest in language and communication, this book offers accessible, varied and well-documented material inspired by practice-shaping research in business contexts. The latest developments in research methodology are discussed through problem-solving case-studies; issues emerging from the field such as the role of new technology and of globalisation, are showcased to stimulate research projects that reflect the multicultural and multimedial reality of the corporate world. Readers are encouraged to adopt a reflexive, and where possible, multi-disciplinary and collaborative mode of action that is one of the strengths of business discourse research in practice. The book also illustrates the benefits of sustained dialogue and field-led applications across allied disciplines.

Is it the greatest fear of all? Numerous surveys attest to the now well-known fact--the vast majority of people are more afraid of public speaking than any other experience, even death. With its unique approach, Scared Speechless turns your fear around by providing a step-by-step guide to successful speech making. To help prepare you for your next speech, some of the topics Rebecca McDaniel explores are nervousness and fears; persuasive, informative, impromptu, and extemporaneous speaking; topic choice; and learning the library. She also covers speech preparation; supporting your thesis; introductions and conclusions; delivery techniques; visual aids; choosing a topic; and organizing, supporting, and delivering your speech. Each chapter explains the process, illustrates with examples, and provides exercises to try out your new-found skills. Whether you are a student or a professional, the logical chapter sequence and the clear guidelines provided will ease you through the process. Scared Speechless is the perfect text for beginning speech classes and the essential guide for any professional who needs to improve his or her public speaking skills. With her extensive experience as a teacher of public speaking, McDaniel leaves no area uncovered and helps you go far beyond your fear of public speaking to become an accomplished presenter.

Since September 11, 2001, long-standing debates over the nature and proper extent of executive power have assumed a fresh urgency. In this book eleven leading scholars of American politics and political theory address the idea of executive power.

Recent advances in Web 2.0 technology enable new leadership processes and guidelines that can create great value for organizations. In this important new book - the first title in the new Brookings series on Innovations in Leadership - management expert Jackson Nickerson proposes a combination of processes and guidelines utilizing Web 2.0 technology, which he refers to as Web 2.1, that will not only lead and direct change in an organization but actually accelerate it. He calls this set of processes and guidelines "ChangeCasting," and it should be an important part of any organization's leadership toolkit. Leading Change in a Web 2.1 World provides fresh insights into why people and organizations are so difficult to engage in change. It explains how web-based video communications, when used in accordance with ChangeCasting principles, can be a keyway to building trust and creating understanding in an organization, thereby unlocking and accelerating organizational change. Nickerson introduces us to two Fortune 1000 firms facing dire economic and competitive circumstances. Both CEOs attempted extensive organizational change using web-based video communications, but one used ChangeCasting while the other did not - Nickerson details how ChangeCasting produced positive financial results for the former. He also discusses how ChangeCasting principles were used so successfully by the Barack Obama presidential campaign in 2008. The insights presented here will be invaluable to business executives, public officials, students of management and organizations, and anyone who needs to take organizational change from the drawing board to successful implementation and replication.

How to increase your visibility and maximize your success through powerful, proven communication techniques How can you make the media work for you? How can you master interviews so that your points are the ones an audience remembers? How can you give presentations that do not just convey information but also promote you as a leader? How can you develop listening habits that will substantially enhance the entire communication process? What are the challenges and opportunities of public personhood inside and outside the workplace? Power Communications: Positioning Yourself for High Visibility teaches people-from corporate CEOs to civic leaders to designated spokespersons-how to enhance their positioning and maximize their success. Chapter by chapter, the reader learns how to master public visibility in the workplace, the professional arena, and the community. The reader gleans ways to create proper perceptions in the minds of the public and the media. The book also details how high-profile people can lead others by mastering the total power communications process-effective presentation of message, constructive listening, and executive or community action. In addition to learning how to create and maintain positive public personhood, the reader also learns specific methods and channels for dispersing important messages. This book focuses on proactive techniques that address the full spectrum of needs and issues that go into establishing and sustaining a public identity. Power Communications is an irreplaceable resource for corporate executives, top and middle management, elected officials, heads of organizations, governmental representatives, official spokespersons, and public relations and marketing professionals. To many people, communicating itself creates a daunting challenge. Power Communications helps its readers turn challenges into exciting opportunities.

A new way of approaching start-ups which encourages a more flexible plan that allows for uncertainty and change
Business plans do not allow for the unexpected. Often written at the outset of a new business proposal, there is little room for change or learning from experience once the venture is underway.
Beyond the Business Plan provides 10 new principles for starting a new business venture which guarantee the flexibility to face any uncertainties. These principles can be used as an alternative to a traditional business plan or even alongside one allowing it to adapt when needed. This book does not dictate how to run a business but provides the insight needed to overcome unforeseen obstacles, to adapt, grow, and change as necessary. This fresh approach teaches how to be responsive to uncertainty and demonstrates that flexible development can navigate the changing world economy better than any business plan.

Today every business is an e-business, and whether you are selling golf outings over the Internet or manufacturing the carts, there is no escaping the fact that every aspect of organizational design is profoundly affected by the new rules of the electronic economy. What many people and organizations overlook, however, is the degree to which these new rules are requiring a fundamentally different style of leadership. In E-Leader , Robert Hargrove identifies the new mindset and skills that leaders must develop in order to thrive in a world where wealth is built on relationships and experiences, not products or even technology. The old model of leader as "steward," protecting the company's brands and assets, is being replaced by a model of leader as "entrepreneur," searching constantly for new sources of wealth creation establishing creative ventures with suppliers, distributors, and even competitors and discovering new ways to attract, retain, and nurture talent- all at the speed of light. E-Leader captures the energy of the mavericks who are redefining leadership on the electronic frontier and shows managers in all types of organizations how to manage for the future, not for the past or even the present.

Ability and skill are important, but they are not everything. Equally important is how you communicate yourself--your competencies and achievements--to others. Teacher and consultant Richard Picardi takes a long, thoughtful look at the things we all need to understand in order to allow our ideas to be heard and understood in today's noisy, hotly competitive organizations. He covers not just the skills of putting your ideas, recommendations, and analyses in writing, but also the other way in which effective communication is accomplished: nonverbally. He shows you the internal and external roadblocks to effective communication and how to break through them.

In Part I, Picardi analyzes the nature of verbal and nonverbal communication. He shows how to recognize and remove internal and external barriers to effective communication and create messages that get the results you want. He then focuses on the specific goals of business communication, showing how the concept of change interacts with all forms of communication--in fact, how change is implicit in them. Picardi lays out the elements of organization that are essential in creating reader-based messages, then explains how to compose the clear, forceful sentences and paragraphs to express them. Later, in Part III, he presents his system of text boxes, showing how to write typical business memos and letters, using direct and indirect patterns of writing to demonstrate different types of messages you want to communicate, and ends with a systematic method to revise and improve upon first drafts. He goes on to apply the principles of reader-based communication, effective organization, and clear expression to proposal and report writing. He shows how proposals differ from reports and how to write both effectively. For training and development specialists, the book provides the material you need to teach these skills to others.

Learn how to navigate the bullies, manipulators and complainers who drive you mad. With example dialogue and techniques, it will help you navigate tricky situations and keep your cool. By understanding the motives and individual behaviours of difficult people, you can learn to manage aggression, reduce awkwardness and remain the better person. This 5th edition of the bestselling Dealing with Difficult People features practical exercises, useful templates and top tips you need to get the best out of the worst, including how to deal with difficult customers, dealing with difficult people in the digital sphere, advice on beating bullies at their own game and how to deal with a boss who drives you barmy. The Creating Success series of books... Unlock vital skills, power up your performance and get ahead with the bestselling Creating Success series. Written by experts for new and aspiring managers and leaders, this million-selling collection of accessible and empowering guides will get you up to speed in no time. Packed with clever thinking, smart advice and the kind of winning techniques that really get results, you'll make fast progress, quickly reach your goals and create lasting success in your career.

Staff forums are a fantastic way to give your people a dynamic voice in your organisation. Run by staff for staff, they are an opportunity to discuss matters that affect the workplace as well as being a positive space to have informal conversations that might not be possible or practical in everyday meetings. If you have ever considered setting up a staff forum or are curious about the concept, this guide shows you how it works. It considers the benefits of staff forums, practicalities of setting up and running meetings, how to feedback to a senior leader and how to ensure continuity of the forum. What does it cover? * Why have a staff forum * Constituting the forum * Before the meeting * On the day * After the meeting * Troubleshooting Who should buy this book? Senior management who wish to encourage a forum in their organisation or any staff members who feel a forum will benefit their workplace.

The rise of digital media and the public's demand for transparency has elevated the importance of communication for every business. To have a voice or seat at the table and maximize their full value, a strategic communicator must be able to speak the language and understand business goals, issues, and trends. The challenge is that many communicators don't hold an MBA and didn't study business in college. Business Essentials for Strategic Communicators provides communication professionals and students with the essential 'Business 101' knowledge they need to navigate the business world with the best of them. Readers will learn the essentials of financial statements and terminology, the stock market, public companies, and more--all with an eye on how this knowledge helps them do their jobs better as communication professionals.

Internal and external advocacy is a complex communication process, with many interwoven purposes, methods, and expected (or unexpected) outcomes. Judith Hoover and her contributors show what the advocacy processes are, using a fascinating set of case histories, and then analyze and evaluate them by means of rhetorical, cultural, critical, and argumentation theories. In doing so they blend organizational communication and classical rhetorical theory, and thus extend the concept of corporate advocacy into new areas of study. An important resource for teachers and students of communication theory and practice, and an unusual insight for corporate communication specialists.

In fourteen case studies analyzed through three significant communication theory perspectives, Hoover and her contributors examine the concept of advocacy by looking at corporate rhetoric, corporate cultures, and the hidden sources of power inherent in both. We listen to the messages of corporate spokespersons such as Lee Iacocca. We observe the internal cultures of business and industry. We investigate the meanings of such terms as Wall Street and consumerism. We broaden our view to include not only union advocacy, but also the role of language in the organizational distribution of power. By synthesizing these cases through yet a fourth perspective, the book not only extends the concept to recognize internal advocacy processes but also reveals the complexity of advocacy strategies that must be designed to accomplish multiple purposes and that must respond to multilayered and interconnected contexts.