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Module 06 - You-Attitude
Module 6
You-Attitude
LO 6-1 Apply strategies for you-attitude use.
LO 6-2 Compare and contrast situations for you use.
LO 6-3 Apply strategies for goodwill creation with you-attitude.
LO 6-4 Apply strategies for point-of-view adaptation.
Module Overview
One of three cornerstones for building goodwill is you-attitude. Kitty and Steve agree that
learning to use you-attitude properly is one of the more important lessons in any business
communication course and also one of the more daunting.
Students who see you-attitude primarily as an issue of language choice (i.e., simply using “you”
in a sentence) may be shocked to learn that the concept runs much deeper. And students who
privilege “I” in documents—everything from personal experience narratives in freshman
composition courses to correspondence with friends—may struggle to shift point of view.
Therefore, while lecture in class is important, practice using the concepts is critical. Have
students complete exercises and problems in the back of the module to give them adequate
opportunity to experience using you-attitude. Expect to see you-attitude in documents
throughout the quarter.
Use PP 6-3 to show students that you-attitude is a style of writing that
Looks at things from the reader’s point of view.
Respects the reader’s intelligence.
Protects the reader’s ego.
Emphasizes what the reader wants to know.
While you-attitude is a matter of style, it’s sometimes necessary to revise organization and
content as well as style to create the best document.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6-1
Module 06 - You-Attitude
What’s in This Supplement
This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 6. It covers
Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises Page 90
Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 98
Part 3: Appendixes of Handouts/Transparencies Page 100
PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.
Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student
practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.
Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises
How do I create you-attitude in my sentences? LO 6-1
Talk about the reader—except in negative situations.
As described on PP 6-4 through PP 6-6, to create you-attitude, students should
Talk about the reader, not about yourself.
Teaching Tip: Ask students how they feel about people who
are always talking about themselves. What about people who
only see problems as they affect them and not the people
around them? Is such “me-attitude” offensive?
Refer to the reader’s request or order specifically.
Don’t talk about feelings, except to congratulate or offer sympathy.
In positive situations, use you more often than I. Use we when it
includes the reader.
Avoid you in negative situations.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6-2
Module 06 - You-Attitude
Teaching Tip: Ask students if they’ve ever been in a situation where a mistake they
made was brought to their attention. If the other person used “you” or their name
repeatedly, how did it make them feel?
Have students thoroughly review the examples throughout the module. Use
PP 6-7 and PP 6-8 to see sentences corrected for you-attitude. In
particular, students must consider the effects of language on you-attitude;
beyond simply using the word “you,” writers can create you-attitude
through the information they choose to include that the reader wants or
needs.
In-Class Exercise: Have students get into groups of 3-5 each.
Let each group explain one of the concepts for creating
you-attitude at the sentence level. In particular, have groups
analyze each of the weaker and stronger examples. Why do the
stronger examples work? What are the basic flaws of the
weaker examples?
Teaching Tip: Discuss the issue of empathy—seeing things from another person’s
perspective. Ask the students to share tips they might have on trying to understand
things from another person’s point-of-view.
Does you-attitude basically mean using the word you? LO 6-2
No.
Students need to look beyond the level of language when using
you-attitude. Therefore, as explained on PP 6-17 and PP 6-18, the way
you-attitude is expressed changes depending on the situation:
In a positive message, focus on what the reader can do. “We give
you” lacks you-attitude because the sentence focuses on what we are
doing.
Avoid you when it criticizes the reader or limits the reader’s
freedom.
In a job application letter, create you-attitude by showing how you
can help meet the reader’s needs, but keep the word you to a
minimum.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6-3
Module 06 - You-Attitude
Teaching Tip: Have students share ways to create you-attitude beyond simply using
the word “you.” Write some sentences on the board—e.g., I am offering a great
opportunity for you to invest in real estate; Next week, Smith’s Department Store
will mark everything down 10-15 percent—and ask students to create stronger
you-attitude. Alternatively, have them complete Exercise 6.10 (p. 99).
I’ve revised my sentences. Do I need to do anything else? LO 6-3
Check content and organization, too.
Emphasize what the reader wants to know.
Beyond the sentence level, you-attitude should address issues of content and organization. Use
PP 6-19 and PP 6-20 to show students how.
To create goodwill with content,
Be complete. When you have lots of information to give, consider
putting some details
in an appendix to be read later.
Anticipate and answer questions the reader is likely to have.
When you include information the reader didn’t ask for, show why
it
is important.
Show readers how the subject of your message affects them.
To organize information to build goodwill,
Put information readers are most interested in first.
Arrange information to meet your reader’s needs, not yours.
Use headings and lists so that the reader can find key points
quickly.
Teaching Tip: Have students share experiences where information they needed
was not in the correspondence they received. How did this make them feel? What
did they think about the sender or organization? How did the correspondence affect
their sense of trust? Confidence in the sender or organization?
In-Class Exercise: Have students review the poor and good examples of
you-attitude in letters on Appendix 6-A through Appendix 6-D. Use the poor
example first, asking students to identify flaws. Then show them possible answers
using the overlay. Afterward, show them the improved version, using the overlay to
suggest reasons why. Ask students if there are other possible improvements. Give
the class 10-15 minutes to further revise the message.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6-4
Module 06 - You-Attitude
Seeing another point of view LO 6-4
Beyond the sentence level, you-attitude should address issues of content
and organization. PP 6-22 provides more details:
It is more than observing and sympathizing.
Start with shared experiences.
Resolving conflicts often requires empathy.
Resist the temptation to put your needs ahead of others’.
Many companies want employees who can empathize.
Teaching Tip: Rightly or wrongly, Generation Y has the dubious distinction of
being seen as more narcissistic than previous generations. Is this reputation
deserved? Students may wish to discuss the issue, as well as whether they can
brainstorm reasons for and against the assumption. If the class has diversity among
generations, are there different perceptions according to which generation a student
belongs? Which ideas about Generation Y in particular might nonetheless be
applicable to any generation?
In-Class Exercise: Students can benefit from role playing exercises, especially when
it comes to seeing another point of view. Divide the class into two groups: One
group will represent managers while the other will represent employees. The
common task between groups will be to plan a daycare facility at the company or
organization. For 10 minutes, have both groups brainstorm answers to the following
questions, based on what they believe managers and employees might think: How
will the daycare be funded? What is a fair cost? Who will be eligible to participate?
Will there be a limit to the number of children that can be enrolled? Who will decide
and how? What hours will the daycare be open? Will people be allowed to visit their
children during the workday? What are liability issues? Compare and contrast the
answers, giving a few minutes for both sides to discuss any differences in the
answers.
Last Word: Using you-attitude means thinking beyond your own wants and needs.
Students not used to seeing things from the other person’s perspective may need
extra help in learning to understand how others see and interpret messages. Build
opportunities for students to experience different perspectives by offering group
work projects and strong classroom interaction. Encourage students to reflect on
their experiences, as well as those of the people around them.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6-5
Module 06 - You-Attitude
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6-6
