Fratrik 1

Mitchell Fratrik
Megan Keaton
ENC1102-01
23 July 2014
Business Economics Inquiry Research Project
In the business world, there are many ways to get a step ahead of the competition. If an
individual desires success in one of the most competitive sectors of the country, than they must
understand ways of communicating with others. Humans communicate through genres that have
been revised and changed over time to make them more effective and efficient. Genres of
communication can be used through speech and/or writing. In a competitive market, mastering
the genres of communication is key to getting ahead and achieving success. Through genres of
writing, businessmen provide a first impression of their character to the audience. Through email
messages and PowerPoint presentations, members of the business community are providing an
example of who they are and how professional they can be. In order to get ahead, the genres of
writing must be manipulated in a way that makes yourself look better than the next individual.
By utilizing advice and tips from experts on how to write well in the business world, can put
many people in a position for success.
One of the simplest forms of communication, both between businesses and within
companies themselves, is an email. An email serves the purpose of delivering a quick message to
another individual over the internet. While this is simple and meant for the speed at which a
message can be sent, it is important to use certain language when sending any email with
Fratrik 2

business purposes in order to portray your own personality in a professional manner. According
to Yates and Orlikowski, writing a professional email can be broken down into a five step
process. The first thing that an email recipient will see is the subject line, therefore it should be
treated as the ultimate [first] impression (Yates & Orlikowski 71). It is best to not use simple
statements such as For You or Please Read because this does not catch the recipients
attention, rather it may make them send the email to the trash or to spam without even reading it.
In order to catch their attention without being unprofessional, it is suggested that the writer use a
subject line that quickly describes the purpose of the email in a few words. Once the other person
has been convinced to open and read the email, then the content of the email must be refined to
make the writer appear in better light.
Step 2 in the email process may seem simple but is often overlooked; it is essential to
know exactly who you are addressing the email to. If an email writer would like to have a better
connection with the recipient then they should [m]ake every attempt to learn the name of the
emails recipient (Yates & Orlikowski 73). In an interview with economist Mark Fratrik, he
reiterated that You must know who you are writing to not just to sound more formal and to
show respect but also to know exactly what to say (Fratrik). Knowing who the recipient is
connects directly with the third step in the process, understanding the audience. Contrary to just
knowing who the audience is, its important to understand who they are and how you should
address them. By grasping an understanding of what the audience is looking for, you are able to
appear more relatable and convincing (Yates & Orlikowski 76). If you can understand what the
recipient is looking for in that particular message, you will be able to manipulate the content to
your benefit and likely experience more business success compared to someone who does not
follow steps to communication.
Fratrik 3

It may seem like common sense but step four in the process is to make your purpose clear
and concise. Many entry level business employees commonly make the mistake of being too
vague or beating around the bush as they try to bring up their purpose (Fratrik). Without
clarity, the recipient of an email is less likely to accept anything being offered and they are likely
to not even understand why the email was sent. Use every essential detail in order to accurately
convey the purpose so as to make it easier on the recipient and to possibly expedite any proposal
process that was written in the email. Once the purpose has been established, the final step would
be to remove and slang or informal language. In order to best portray yourself as a professional
individual, slang must be avoided at all costs. Using such language detracts from the formality
of a professional business message that would normally be essential to making progress (Pece).
The use of slang is much more acceptable for text messaging while it has no place in the business
world.
Depending on the purpose of the email, some of these steps may change. In the case of
sending a friendly informal email, it isnt as important to remove slang from an email. However,
it may still benefit you by eliminating the use of slang in any professional environment because
this directly reflect on your personality. If an individual is always known for using slang in
conversation or in many email, he or she may be looked down on by executives as less
professional and not fit for any type of promotion. Knowing the purpose is only half of the work
for directing an email. A writer must also know the audience and how that audience would
interpret the purpose. If the audience is a list of company executives, it would be wise to avoid
clichs and petty mistakes, while if the audience is your coworker and the purpose is to spread a
joke then obviously a less formal format can be utilized.
Fratrik 4

If an email can act as a first impression in the business world, then a face-to-face
presentation is the peak of all business relations. When giving a presentation, the presenter lays
out everything visible about them for judgment. To appear professional and to get ahead in a
business environment, during a presentation it is not only important to look qualified but it is key
to have a well written PowerPoint as the genre utilized. Mark Fratrik suggests that,
Face-to-face presentation is what business life is all about. If an individual is incapable
of speaking in front of a group of people with a proposal than it will be difficult to
progress in this field. However, everything can be saved with a properly displayed
presentation, specifically through PowerPoint (Fratrik).
Based on the suggestion of many experts, it is clear that an individual must focus on the quality
of their PowerPoint prior to a presentation, therefore, steps can now be followed to produce the
best presentation possible.
Gregory Pece, a business professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
writes in his book about how modern society is now reliant on PowerPoint for many
professional needs. He expresses this viewpoint by pointing out that nearly every presentation
from business, to governmental, to economic relies in some way on PowerPoint. Many people
have been run down by the improper use of PowerPoint and only those who fully know how to
use it have been the most successful in the long run (Pece). According to Townsend and Kahn,
the first thing to do to make sure your presentation will be perfect is to use key phrases. These
key phrases can be utilized throughout to the presentation to reference important topics and they
can also be utilized as header for many slides. Contrary to some beliefs thats its important to
create a unique PowerPoint, some experts suggest that slides be set up exactly how they are
Fratrik 5

expected; with a title on top, followed by the presentation notes. By keeping the format simple,
not only is information easier to find for the audience but the slides become easier to follow as
the presentation will move in a logical flow between points. In addition, because the PowerPoint
acts as a template for the presentation, punctuation isnt always necessary. Sometimes, slides can
get cluttered with punctuation marks and it can become difficult to follow the points (Townsend
& Kahn 40). In this case, it is best to include bulleted notes on the slide instead of full sentences
that may require more punctuation.
Even though punctuation seems like a minor detail in a presentation it can play as big a
factor as using obnoxious fonts. In a professional environment, it is not a good idea to use frilly
and fancy fonts. Rather, it is suggested to use simple and easy to read fonts such as Arial or
Times New Roman. This makes it easier for those observing the presentation to follow along and
read off of the slides. When the font is correct, it would be time to change the slides to having
contrasting colors. Using light text on a dark background is the most effective pattern to use
because it makes the text pop ad catch the eyes of those reading (Koegel). As suggested, using a
light on dark color scheme can make the slides clearer and easy to follow which benefits the
presenter even further. Both font and color fall into the formatting of the presentation. When
choosing a format or template for the presentation, the best thing to choose is one that is simple,
clean, and straightforward. To appear demanding, be straightforward with the format so that it
doesnt distract from the presentation and you can pull the audience to the real purpose
(Fratrik). To add variety to a presentation, Koegel suggests that the presenter utilize graphs,
charts, and photos to keep the audience paying attention to data. This also provides another
visual aid to express any main points.
Fratrik 6

One of the most common mistake made by amateur presenter is using too many
transitions and animations. PowerPoint provides many interesting animations that can add to a
presentation and keep the audience involved but they arent always appropriate for the
professional atmospheres. Mark Fratrik recalls a presentation he observed where the presenter
used some sort of animation on each slide and this made all of us watching look at him in a less
professional image. This comes full circle to understanding the audience at hand. When
presenting to a professional group of people such a board of directors, it probably isnt
appropriate or useful to use mass animation. However, if presenting to an elementary school
class, using animation may be a good idea because it may keep the students focus on the
information on the screen. If these points are utilized and the audience is understood well, then
any PowerPoint presentation can be successful.
Since the field of business is such a professional atmosphere, it is important to understand
the guideline to make yourself appear better than the competition. By writing correct formal
emails, getting to the purpose quickly, and following basic grammar rules, almost anyone can
leave a good first impression on another business man. However, what sets the best apart from
the rest is their ability to make an excellent PowerPoint presentation. By following the advice of
many professionals, a business proposal presentation can jump start a persons career just by
appearing better than any other individuals. Essentially, it comes down to understanding your
purpose and what the intended audience wants so that the information can be manipulated to
your benefit.


Fratrik 7

Works Cited
Campbell, Kim Sydow, et al. "Peer Versus Self Assessment of Oral Business Presentation
Performance." Business Communication Quarterly 64.3 (2001): 23-40. Print.
Dudley, Lola Woodard, Denry H. Davis, and David G. McGrady. "Using an Investment Project
to Develop Professional Competencies in Introduction to Financial Accounting." Journal of
Education for Business 76.3 (2001): 125. Print.
Gabrielle, Bruce R. Speaking PowerPoint: The New Language of Business. Insights Publishing,
2010. Print.
Koegel, Timothy J. The Exceptional Presenter: A Proven Formula to Open Up! and Own the
Room. Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2007. Print.
Pece, Gregory S. The PowerPoint society: the influence of PowerPoint in the US Government
and bureaucracy (2005)Print.
TOWNSEND, CLAUDIA, and BARBARA E. KAHN. "The "Visual Preference Heuristic": The
Influence of Visual Versus Verbal Depiction on Assortment Processing, Perceived Variety,
and Choice Overload." Journal of Consumer Research 40.5 (2014): 993-1015. Print.
Yates, JoAnne, and Wanda Orlikowski. "The PowerPoint Presentation and its Corollaries: How
Genres Shape Communicative Action in Organizations." Communicative practices in
workplaces and the professions: Cultural perspectives on the regulation of discourse and
organizations (2007): 67-91. Print.