ENG 93, Summary Chap 9

ENG 93: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

SUMMARY CHAPTER 9: Direct and Indirect Communication Strategies

Direct and indirect strategies are both used to deliver message to the audience. Direct strategy is used when the message is likely and neutral. Indirect strategy is used when the message is negative and unpleasant. The goal of both, direct and indirect strategies is to maintain the audience’s comfort and goodwill.

The components of direct strategy are: main idea, justification and explanation detail, courtesy close. To use direct strategy to deliver message, we have to use simple and clear language, but at the same time be polite and diplomatic. Avoid being too blunt. Sometime, direct strategy is used for request for information or action, claim and positive adjustment, good news, goodwill, and social message. On some occasion, the direct strategy is used for negative messages, especially if the audience may miss the bad news otherwise or if it is not directly damaging to the audience.

However, if the message being delivered may upset the audience or if persuasion is required before the audience will accept it the indirect strategy is usually a better design choice.
For writing indirect message, we have to follow the following steps:
1. Begin by a buffer
2. Follow the buffer with the reasons for refusal
3. Deliver the bad news
4. Finish the message with a positive close

When designing indirect message, you have to:
1. Avoid apologies
2. Resist to attempt to anticipate news problem
3. Avoid to encourage further communication
4. Avoid sounding insecure
5. Avoid to blame
6. Avoid using filler.

The goals of persuasive indirect message are to get attention with a hook that interest the audience enough to keep them listening to or reading the entire message; arouse interest, which builds the audience’s sense of anticipation; arouse desire, which creates in the audience a sense of need and push for action by explaining how the audience can fulfill the need introduce in the desire stage.
We distinguish the following type of indirect message: denial, collection and social refusal.