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REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1 How does perception and audience analysis affect the communication process? What
factors about the audience should you consider?
1. What differences in the ideals of the older and younger generations may explain
communication clashes between these groups in the workplace?
The older generations have placed high importance on work to finance the debts they’ve acquired
2. Why is selecting an appropriate communication channel and media important to the
overall effectiveness of the message? Provide two examples.
Selecting the appropriate channel of communication increases the likelihood that the receiver will
understand and accept your message. For example, a written document is appropriate for routine
3. What value is gained from cultivating a “you attitude” in spoken and written messages?
Give an example of a writer- and a reader-centered message to make your point.
Cultivating a “you attitude” or communicating from a receiver-centered point of view conveys
4. What primary benefits does the writer gain from outlining before writing or speaking?
How does the receiver benefit?
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
1
Outlining before you write encourages brevity and accuracy, permits concentration on one phase
5. What three questions assist a communicator in the decision to organize a message
deductively or inductively?
Questions to answer in order to select inductive or deductive pattern include the following: (a)
6. What is empathy and how does it affect business communication? How are empathy
and sympathy different?
Sympathy is merely the ability to feel or express sorrow or pity for the pain or distress of another.
7. What aspect of cultural diversity do you feel will impact you most in your career:
international, intercultural, intergenerational, or gender? Explain your answer,
including how you plan to deal with the challenge.
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
1 Preparing a Flier: Prepare an engaging flier describing efficient blog use that will be
distributed to staff as an electronic attachment to an email.
8. Know Your Audience: For the next assignment given by your instructor, consider the
characteristics of audience discussed in this chapter: age, economic level, educational or
occupational background, needs and consensus of audience, culture, rapport, and
expectations. Prepare a “Know Your Audience” tip that details a response to each
characteristic. Then identify how your presentation or paper addresses the tips on the sheet.
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
2
Responses will vary. Students should focus on guidelines for adapting messages for audience.
9. Corporate Culture: Visit the website of a company in which you are interested to explore the
company’s culture. Alternatively, you may choose a company from Fortune’s Best 100
Companies to Work For or Fortune’s Most Admired Companies. In a short oral report,
explain how that company’s culture comes through in its communication with its employees,
customers/clients, and suppliers.
10. Generational Phrasing: In a group of two to three students, generate a list of phrases
peculiar to your generation that could be confusing and inappropriate for workplace
communication. Refer to Merriam-Webster’s list of new words for ideas if necessary
(http://www.merriamwebstercollegiate.com/info/new_words.htm). Once you have your list,
substitute expressions that would be acceptable for use in a professional setting. If time
allows, prepare a visual aid to present to the class.
GENERATIONAL PHRASE REPLACEMENT
cheesed-off angry
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
1Diversity Awareness Strategies in Real Companies: Conduct an online search to identify
strategies that companies have adopted to raise their employees’ awareness of diversity in
the workplace. In chart form, summarize the indexes you used to locate your articles, the
companies you read about, and the successful strategies they have used to promote diversity.
Student responses will vary. Indexes such as Business and Company Resource Center,
11. Ethical Communication Practices: Locate the following article from the internet or from
your campus library:
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
3
After reading the article, respond to questions a through d:
a. What factors have contributed to the current decline in ethical and moral practices?
b. What is meant by the statement, “Businesses communicators aren’t in the hero
business”?
c. Describe briefly the code of ethics of the International Association for Business
Communication.
d. How does this professional code relate to the general guidelines presented in the text for
communicating ethically and responsibly?
12. Choosing Communication Channels and Media Wisely: Locate an article about choosing
the appropriate communication channel for different sales situations at your library or on the
internet. After reading the article, compile a list of the advantages and recommended use for
each communication channel.
CHANNEL ADVANTAGES RECOMMENDED USE
Face-to-face
Quicker and easier than most
Email/IM Contact client/vendor
Provide fast written information to
13. Building Strong Interpersonal Skills: The guidelines presented in this chapter for adapting
your message to convey sensitivity for the receiver are an excellent means for building the
relationships and strong interpersonal skills needed in today’s highly competitive global
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
4
market and in diverse work teams. Identify a specific situation in your work or educational
experience, or school or community organizations, that illustrates the negative effects of an
individual who did not consider the impact of his/her message on the receiver. Send your
example to your instructor as an attachment to an email message. Be prepared to discuss
your idea with the class or in small groups.
This activity will encourage students to identify and to share specific incidents that illustrate the
14. Trickery of Illusions: In small groups, search for illusions on the internet or one provided by
your instructor. Allow each member to view the illusion independently and then share his or
her individual interpretation with the team. Relate this experience with the concept of
perception and its effect on the communication process. Be prepared to share your ideas with
the class.
Responses will vary. Students should focus on senders and receivers basing their ideas on their
15. Persuasive Business Message: Find a persuasive business message of at least one page in
length. Do the content and appearance of the message enhance or detract from the writer’s
credibility? How? Did the writer use language and content to establish or maintain a
relationship with the reader (i.e., goodwill)? If so, how? Were there words or phrases that
detracted from the writer’s ability to convey goodwill? How successful was the writer in his
or her attempt to be persuasive? What contributed to that success or detracted from it?
Student responses will vary depending upon the type and quality of the message they choose to
CASE ASSIGNMENT
HALLMARK CRAFTS MESSAGES FOR CHANGING CONSUMER MARKET
Nationwide, American consumers spend about $7.5 billion a year on greeting cards. Greeting
cards can be a meaningful communication tool for customers, coworkers, and important business
contacts and can provide a memorable, cost-effective way to build loyalty and increase customer
retention. Hallmark Cards, Inc., located in Kansas City, Missouri, has been helping people say the
right things at the right time for nearly 100 years, and the continued success of its cards is directly
tied to effective analysis of an ever-changing audience.
As American society has become increasingly heterogeneous, Hallmark product offerings
have also become more diverse. Realizing that Hispanics currently account for 11 percent of the
U.S. population, the company has extended the appeal of its cards to Hispanics through its
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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Sinceramente Hallmark line, which includes more than 2,500 Spanish-language cards. Hallmark
targets its African-American consumers with its Mahogany line. The Tree of Life series,
meanwhile, is aimed at Jewish customers, and in 2003, Hallmark began carrying Diwali and Eid
al-Fitr cards to appeal to its Muslim clientele. Expansion into international markets has shown
Hallmark that message appeal is largely influenced by cultural values. The Dutch audience, for
instance, tends to be more direct than Americans, while British consumers are more reserved and
less direct.
Shifting cultural demographics is only one challenge faced by Hallmark. Referring to
recent internal research, Hallmark’s CEO Donald J. Hall, Jr. says, “We’re not filling all the needs
that people have when it comes to their relationships, but we have their ‘permission’ and
opportunities to do so” (Mann 2005). Generational changes, such as the tendency of baby
boomers to purchase fewer cards than their parents, and the current popularity of e-cards have
given rise to the design of new products to entice consumers to card shop more often. Because
women buy 80 percent of all greeting cards, Hallmark works to attract today’s women,
particularly those older than 45 who no longer have children at home. The Shoebox and Fresh Ink
lines are designed to provide offbeat and entertaining options for those who prefer an alternative
to traditional sentiments. The 9/11 tragedy and the war against terrorism also revived patriotic
feelings in many people, giving rise to Hallmark products that encompass patriotic sentiments.
Hallmark knows that building good communication with friends and family, as well as
customers and business partners, means that it must design text and visual messages that
effectively convey intended meanings and emotions. The company must accurately visualize its
ever-changing audience in order to design appealing greeting cards. You, too, will need skills in
audience analysis to communicate effectively in your profession. In this chapter you will learn
various analysis skills for developing effective spoken and written messages that achieve your
desired purpose.
An extensive communications audit occurred at Hallmark Cards a few years ago. Despite
the fact that Hallmark was one of the top brand names in the United States for decades, greeting
card sales in the early and mid-90s lagged as time-conscious consumers turned to alternative
means of keeping in touch. Increased use of email, cell phone calling, and e-card options
provided viable alternatives to traditional greeting cards. In addition, a changing retail landscape
saw specialty card shops giving way to mega-retailers and deep-discount shops. Due to
Hallmark’s private ownership and highly competitive retail/intellectual property environment,
senior management had traditionally shared little with employees in terms of company finances,
business plans, and market challenges. Management’s guarded approach to communication had
resulted in declining trust levels among employees. Director of Corporate Communications Dean
Rodenbough knew that changes were needed in marketing strategy and in internal
communications.
With economic conditions showing that significant changes were imminent, Rodenbough
and other senior managers knew they had to both prepare and rally the work force. Initial focus
group research with customers, vendors, suppliers, subsidiary leadership, and employees helped
Hallmark identify behaviors that it wanted to integrate into its “new” corporate culture. A
communication audit, which took approximately 12 months to complete, resulted in the formation
of several action steps designed to assist the company in communicating openly, directly, and
honestly. According to Vicci Rodgers of The Rodgers Group, and a member of the audit team,
“Open, honest communication is becoming the norm, it’s no longer the exception, at Hallmark.”
One change implemented at Hallmark was to share with all employees the company’s
long-term vision, strategy, and financial goals. Another change was to focus more closely on
internal communication tools. Publications produced primarily for external audiences had
required extensive support from the editorial and design staff, limiting the resources available for
key internal communication programs. As part of the transformed culture, Hallmark discontinued
some of its external communication tools and repositioned its long-standing Noon News
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
6
employee newsletter to devote space to candid commentary about the communication audit and
its findings. An additional change affected information shared over the company’s intranet. An
intranet manager and an online editor were also hired to enhance the intranet’s appeal, and
employees now have access to information on monthly revenue and earnings results and other
performance measures. Hallmark achieved its goals for operating profit during this period of
cultural change. Although the company’s improved earnings cannot be attributed completely to
improved internal communication, Hallmark has a clear understanding of the vital role
communication plays in successful company performance.
Another part of that successful performance comes from knowing how to say just the
right thing, and Hallmark has been helping people say the right thing at the right time for nearly
100 years. Getting and sending greeting cards make people feel good. But the “warm fuzzy”
responses that make greeting cards so effective can also make some professional types a little
nervous, especially if you are used to keeping in touch through phone calls, email, memos, and
other less personal types of communication. If you are uneasy about using cards to stay in touch,
relax—Hallmark has some helpful suggestions to help you personalize your messages and say
just the right thing.
Sources: Thiruvengadam, M. (2005, November 1). Hallmark and others adding cards for foreign holidays. San Antonio
Express News. Retrieved November 16, 2005, from Business & Company Resource Center database; Mann, J. (2005,
February 13). Hallmark greets fresh challenges. The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 2, 2005, from LexisNexis
database; Hallmark Cards communication audit. (2001). The Rodgers Group. Retrieved August 2, 2005, from
http://www.therodersgroup.com; Rodenbough, D. T., & Rodgers, V.L. (2001, June). Using communication to transform
culture—A case study from Hallmark Cards, Inc. Paper presented at IABC International Conference. Retrieved
November 8, 2002, from Academic Search Premier database.
Questions
1 Visit the Hallmark corporate website at http://corporate.hallmark.com and search
“Tips on Sending Business Greetings” on the Hallmark site. Look through any of the
links. What tips did you find most helpful inside or outside business communication?
Never interrupt an important meeting.
2 How has cultural change impacted the mission and activities of Hallmark?
Hallmark, Inc., located in Kansas City, Missouri, has been helping people say the right thing at
3 Dean Rodenbough is quoted as saying that “the CEO is traditionally the voice of any
major decision impacting our employees or one of our businesses and is our preferred
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
7
spokesperson.” If so, why does Hallmark need a Director of Corporate
Communications? Discuss your response in class or online.
Dean Rodenbough, director of corporate communications at Hallmark Cards, helped change
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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