Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J.

Barrett

Using Social Media and Creating

Other Leadership Correspondence

Lectures Based on
Leadership Communication, 4th edition
By Deborah J. Barrett, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Discussion Topics
q Selecting the most appropriate medium
q Organizing and formatting written
communication
q Creating and using social media and
other e-communication strategically

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Selecting the Most Appropriate Medium

q Blog
q E-mail
q Facebook
q LinkedIn
q Text message
</>
q WhatsApp
q Tweet
q Instagram
q TikTok
q Letter
q Memo
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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Organizing and Formatting

E-Communication Effectively
q Select best structure for the audience and topic
q Begin strongly, with the major message early,
unless have reason not to do so
q Ensure overall structure and individual
paragraphs are logically organized
q End by clearly establishing closure and, if
appropriate, next steps
q Follow standard formatting for type of medium

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Openings
q Most professional correspondence starts with
the major message, but our analysis of our
audience should guide us.
q At times, we may want to begin indirectly if –
v Our message is a part of a chain of
communication
v Our audience’s culture would expect it
v We are delivering bad news
v We have complicated information to deliver
v We want to explore an idea or posit a topic for
discussion in social media spaces

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Traditional Openings Follow CPF Pattern

C = Context—What is the impetus for the

communication? What surrounds it that
could influence it?

P = Purpose—Why am I writing? What is my

reason?

F = Foreshadowing—What is coming in this

communication and in what order? What
should readers expect to see as they read it?

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Closings

q Provide a sense of a polite, unrushed closure

q If appropriate, end with follow-up arrangements
or a call for action
q Include contact information
q A sign-off, such as “Sincerely” or “Regards,” is
still expected in letters and memos and a good
idea in e-mails as well
q For texts or tweets, no closing is expected

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Formatting Expectations

q Layout – allow white space for easy reading

q Spacing and Alignment – single with double
between paragraphs and no paragraph
indentation.
q Font – Depends on medium and density of text.
A serif font is usually better for printed
correspondence, but for e-communication, a
sans serif font is becoming more common.

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Creating and Formatting Headings

q Keep headings short, meaningful, and

consistent
q Make sure that all headings are parallel
q Use the same font used in the rest of the section
but make it bold, larger, or centered
q Be consistent in handling capitalization
q Avoid underlining headings

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Guidelines for Handling Lists

q Use and formatting of a list depends on the logic
of the content; ask the following:
v Does the information break into clearly
discernible parts?
v Are the items separate units or should they be
treated as part of one grammatical unit?
q Select the appropriate end punctuation or no
punctuation at all if the items are short and
clearly separate
q Use numbers if the list goes beyond five bullets
q Keep all items parallel and formatted consistently
q Finally, integrate the list into your prose by
introducing it with a sentence or two
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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Guidelines for Using Blogs

q Define your purpose before you begin
q Be actively involved in the conversation
q Give credit to others and link to them when
appropriate
q Make it personal but professional—natural
for you and good for your organization
q Write frequently and let your readers know
your time line for new posts and responses

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Creating a Twitter Plan

q As an individual:
v Select reasonable check-in times
v Determine what tweets to follow and forward
v Use a Twitter organizing tool
q As a representative of an organization:
v Define your purpose and goals
v Assign the right tweeters
v Cultivate a voice, using company name
v Follow the right people
v Have a sense of humor, but with caution

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Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Creating Effective E-Mails

1. Create a compelling subject line
2. Format for accessibility and easy reading
3. Limit images
4. Include your contact information and business
Web links
5. Start with the most recent e-mail
6. Delete word junk
7. Be very careful in a “Reply all” and “Copy all”
8. Change the subject line when subject shifts
9. Generally, avoid very informal writing
10. Finally, use caution in the content you
include and the tone you use.

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 Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

12 Reasons to Use Instagram for Your Business

q More people are using Instagram
q Any size of business can thrive
q Businesses can make money directly from Instagram (Shop
tab)
q Stories make your business relatable
q You can partner with influencers
q Hashtags can increase your visibility
q You can effectively engage with customers
q Mobility is king
q You can keep an eye on competitors
q It offers many ways to get creative
q Reach new consumers through Instagram advertisements
(Instagram ads)
q Use Instagram Insights to hone your social media marketing
strategy (Kiely Kuligowski, 2022)
Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Using Instagram Effectively

q Professional-looking photos—based on the
branding image you want to visualize
q Use Instagram Stories effectively
q Use Stream live videos effectively
q Interact with your followers (liking, commenting,
mentioning, tagging, direct messaging)
q Use hashtags
v Use relevant hashtags
v Don’t use excessive hashtags
v Experiment with hashtags
q Use Instagram Riels tactically
q Advertise on Instagram and use Instagram
influencers to promote your business (Max
Freedman, 2022)
 Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Why We Should Be Using TikTok for Business

q As of May 2020, TikTok has 800 Million active users worldwide
q TikTok is not just a social media platform where you can share
content with your followers, but it actually allows users to
create their own content with the app.
q Success on TikTok not only because of the creativity and
authenticity it offers, but because of the incredible algorithm
and exposure it offers
q For business owners à the more exposure you have, the better
chance you're going to have in retaining customers and
building overall brand awareness.
q TikTok is not just for Gen-Z. It is different from the restà the
ability to create short videos by shooting, adjusting clips,
customizing audio, applying effects, and enhancing with filters
all within the app
q TikTok has implemented an effective algorithm to show users
trending videos relevant to their interests (Holly Buttura, 2021)
 Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Using TikTok Effectively

q Understand the Audiences/Social Media Users you
targeted
q Know what these Audiences/Social Media Users are
talking about
q Connect to these Audiences/Social Media Users
q Engage with the Audience
q Account Management/Reminder Scheduler, Consistent
Posting, Increases Conversion Rate
q Content Planner to reach potential customers who would
be interested in your products or services
q Make your brand/product service you offere Look Organic
q Advertise on TikTok (In-Feed Ads, Top-View Ads)à As of
June 25, 2020, TikTok has officially launched its new
advertising platform, called TikTok For Business (Sweta
Panigrahi, 2022; Jon Simpson, 2022)
Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Four Types Of TikTok Content To Promote

Your Business

q Videos Created By Your Team

q User-Generated Content
q Advertisements (Top-View, Infeed
Videos, Brand Takeovers, Hashtag
Challenges, Branded Effects)
q Influencer-Created Content (Jon
Simpson, 2022)
Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Discussion Summary

q Select the most effective medium for your

message and your audience
q Organize the document contents coherently
q Include the expected contents
q Use effective formatting

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