Adaptation statement

Introduction to Professional Communications was adapted and remixed by Melissa Ashman from several open textbooks as indicated at the end of each chapter. Unless otherwise noted, Introduction to Professional Communications is (c) 2018 by Melissa Ashman and is licensed under a Creative Commons-Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. In 2019, the textbook was updated. In 2020, minor updates were done to chapter 5.2 The adaptation statement below and all chapter attribution statements have been updated accordingly.

In Introduction to Professional Communications, examples have been changed to Canadian references, and information throughout the book, as applicable, has been revised to reflect Canadian content and language. Gender neutral language (they/their) has been used intentionally. In addition, while general ideas and content may remain unchanged from the sources from which this adapted version is based, word choice, phrasing, and organization of content within each chapter may have changed to reflect this author’s stylistic preferences.

The following additions or changes have been made to these chapters:

Chapter 1.1

• Added concept of learning to write being messy

Chapter 1.2

• Added questions for reflection (based on content from adapted sources)

Chapter 1.3

• Added questions for reflection
• Added information on fake news

Chapter 2.1

• Added Canadian examples
• Revised examples of regular and research questions to make them relevant for a business workplace

Chapter 2.2

• Added social media posts and interviews with people with expertise or experience as source examples
• Revised/modified some of the examples for fact vs opinion vs objective vs subjective
• Used Canadian examples of popular sources
• Used Canadian examples of professional sources

Chapter 2.3

• Added questions for reflection
• Added .ca to list of domains

Chapter 2.4

• Expanded questions for reflection section

Chapter 2.5

• Added including recommendations after the conclusions of an argument

Chapter 3.1

• Changed definition of effective writing to focus on needs of audience

Chapter 3.2

• Added alternate names of some communication models
• Added new examples of job interview experiences
• Added questions for reflection
• Added statement about need to consider/discuss communication models

Chapter 3.4

• Created a Canadian example

Chapter 3.7

• Added statistics and a discussion of consumption of social media by different age groups

Chapter 4.1

• Expanded discussion of the need for clear, plain writing

Chapter 4.2

• Added an analogy of using a 25 cent word in place of a $100 one
• Added statements for reflection

Chapter 4.4

• Added questions for reflection

Chapter 5.1

• Added a new example of a sample memo
• Expanded the discussion on memo format
• Added information on subject lines

Chapter 5.2

• Revised the table describing the components of a letter
• Added a new sample letter and a new explanation of the parts of that letter

Chapter 5.3

• Added discussion on keeping public persona on social channels professional

Chapter 5.4

• Generalized from sales proposals to business proposals more broadly

Chapter 5.5

• Expanded report formatting

Chapter 5.6

• Expanded on discussion of logical, emotional, and ethical/credible fallacies
• Added links to examples of logical, emotional, and ethical/credible fallacies

Chapter 5.7

• Generalized the chapter from sales messages specifically to persuasive messages more broadly
• Expanded on format for persuasive messages

Chapter 5.8

• Added a section on how to “know the job”

Chapter 5.9

• Significantly edited sections on contact information, work experience, and education
• Added a section on “other relevant qualifications”

Chapter 5.11

• Expanded on the direct and indirect approaches to bad news delivery
• Added direct and indirect approach examples
• Expanded on the discussion of the parts/structure of bad news messages

Chapter 6.5

• Modified punctuation rules for lists
• Added a new example for use of colon in list lead-ins

Chapter 6.6

• Added a new example of text with heavy emphasis applied
• Changed phrasing from “highlighting” to “emphasis”

Chapter 7.1

• Added definitions of proofreading and editing
• Added a list of strategies for proofreading and editing

Chapter 7.2

• Generalized to business messages from academic papers/assignments

Chapter 8.3

• Added additional interpretations of lack of eye contact to account for cultural differences and other reasons
• Added information about acknowledging emotion or feelings of speakers directly (through words) or indirectly (through paralinguistic cues)

Chapter 8.4

• Expanded discussion of how to provide feedback by commenting on what works well and what should be avoided

Chapter 8.6

• Expanded discussion of benefits of recording yourself while presenting
• Added discussion of common presenting challenges and strategies to overcome these issues
• Added questions for reflection
• Added information about using a microphone when presenting
• Added in hard surfaces in a room to the list of reasons for adjusting voice projection
• Revised section on pronunciation to reflect enunciation (the articulation of words)
• Added a discussion of storytelling as a presentation technique

You are free to use or modify (adapt) any of this material providing the terms of the Creative Commons licenses are adhered to.