 Looking back over the first section of this course, one point that should have embedded itself deeply in your mind is how important communication is in achieving success in the business world. In this section, you'll encounter the eight components of the communication process and two models of communication, the transactional model and the constructivist model. In addition, you now know what communication is and how the process works. You also learned that messages are at the center of the communication process and that the language you use in messages has an impact on your audience. Once you understood the process and messages that produce effective communication, you discovered that perception is an important aspect of communication. Perception influences how you produce messages and also how your audience receives them. This was a key point in this section that is connected to two other points. The first is that it is imperative that you present messages that reflect your professionalism, because that is among the first of your traits that your audience will notice. The second point is that you must tailor messages to suit the traits of your audience, including the perceptions they bring to the topics that your messages may cover. Another important point made in this section is that theories and models can help communicators identify elements of the communication process that will help them prepare for communication situations. In the next section of this course, you will learn how to present written messages that reflect the needs and expectations of your audience. First, however, you will review the eight elements of communication and then examine the similarities and differences between oral versus written communication. Briefly, the section will review how you can become a good writer and what produces good writing and good writing style. Keep in mind, however, that the Sailor Academy course ENGL 1001 and 1002, English Composition 1 and 2, are available to you. These courses provide in-depth instruction on good writing. So, if you feel you may be a little weak in this area, you should refer back to those courses. You can find them by clicking on the All Courses link at the top of the BUS 210 page and then entering ENGL 1001 in the search field. Meanwhile, however, the best way to wrap up the nature of good writing in this course is that it has the same three critical traits that all business communication should have. Good writing is clear, concise, and compelling. Next in this section, you will examine important principles of communication. You may find this confusing because one set describes how pieces of information in messages relate to each other. While the other set of principles describe how information is organized in the entire message, reviewing the tables that map out these different approaches will be critical for your understanding. In addition, do not confuse either set of principles with the components of the communication process itself. That is, how a source gets a message to and feedback from receivers. The principles dictate how the information in the message is handled. The components are elements in the process of communication itself. Messages are part of that process. When you move on in this section to become more familiar with the contents, use, and styles of routine business communication tools, do not forget the three Cs. Whether you are writing an email, a report, or a sales pitch, your language must be clear, your writing concise, and your messages compelling. For example, one of the most important business tools you will produce is a resume. It is also a perfect example of why the three Cs are so important. The ideal resume is one page long. That demands conciseness. A resume describes your qualifications, but if you don't describe them clearly, someone else will get the job. That you are the best candidate for that job is the message your resume must make so compelling that you get the job. And so, as you learn the details and requirements of different forms of business writing, remember this key point. In business, time is money. Having to interpret bad writing waste time. This means that even if you format your business writing perfectly, it will only be effective if it is also clear, concise, and compelling.