Business Communications

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Business Communications

• Writing Effectively

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Business Writing is

• Purposeful it solves problems and conveys
  information
• Economical it is concise
• Reader-oriented it focuses on the receiver, not
  the sender

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3-x-3 Writing Process

• Phase 1 analyzing, anticipating, adapting
• Phase 2 researching, organizing, composing
• Phase 3 revising, proofreading, evaluating

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Phase 1

• Analyze
• Define your purpose
• Select the most appropriate channel
• Visualize the audience
• Anticipate
• Put yourself in the readers position and predict
  his/her reactions to the message
• Adapt
• Shape message to benefit reader

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Phase 2

• Research
• Collect data formally and informally
• Organize
• Group ideas into a list or outline choose a
  strategy
• Compose
• Write a first draft consider using a word
  processor

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Phase 3

• Revise for clarity, tone, and vigor improve
  readability
• Proofread for spelling, grammar, punctuation and
  format check overall appearance
• Evaluate Will the final product achieve its
  purpose?

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Analyzing and Anticipating

• Analyze the task by identifying the purpose and
  selecting the best channel
• Anticipate the audience by visualizing primary
  and secondary readers

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Selecting the Best Channel

• Face-to-face
• Persuasive
• Deliver Bad News
• Share a Personal Message
• Telephone Call
• Deliver/Gather Information Quickly
• Nonverbal Cues Unimportant
• Cant Meet in Person

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Selecting the Best Channel

• Voice Mail Message
• Leave Important or Routine Message for Respondent
  to Reply at Convenience
• Fax
• Message crosses Time Zones or International
  Boundaries
• Written record is Needed
• Sense of UrgencySpeed is important

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Selecting the Best Channel

• E-mail
• Feedback Needednot Immediate
• Effective with Large, Dispersed Audience
• Lack of Securitynot for emotional, personal or
  private messages

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Selecting the Best Channel

• Face-to-face Group Meeting
• Group Decisions and Consensus Important
• Not for Distributing InformationInefficient
• Video or Teleconferencing
• Group Decisions and Consensus Important
• Members are Geographically Dispersed

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Selecting the Best Channel

• Memo
• Provides Written Record
• Explain Policies, Discuss Procedures, Collect
  Information
• Within Organization Internal Document
• Letter
• Provides Written Record
• Correspondence with Customers, Government,
  Suppliers or others outside External Document

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Selecting the Best Channel

• Report or Proposal
• Deliver Complex Data or Information
• Internally or Externally

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Adapting to Task and Audience

• Use reader benefits the warranty starts working
  immediately
• Cultivate you attitude you will receive your
  order
• Use sensitive language avoiding gender, race, age
  and disability biases office workers
• Express thoughts positively you will be happy to
  
• Use precise, vigorous words fax me, e-mail me
• Use familiar words salary not remuneration

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Develop

• Reader Benefits Receiver-Focused Vs.
  Sender-Focused
• You Attitude You View Vs. I and/or We View

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Reader Benefits Receiver Focused

• E.g.
• Sender-focused We are requiring all staffers
  to complete these forms in compliance with
  company policy.
• Receiver-focused Please complete these forms
  so that you will be eligible for health and
  dental benefits.

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Reader Benefits Receiver Focused

• E.g.
• Sender-focused Because we need more space for
  our new inventory, were staging a two-for-one
  sale.
• Receiver-focused This two-for-one sale makes
  it possible for you to buy a years supply of
  paper and pay for only six months worth.

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You Attitude

• I/We We take pleasure in announcing an
  agreement we made with HP to allow us to offer
  discounted printers in the student store.
• You An agreement with HP allows you and other
  students to buy discounted printers at your
  convenient student store.

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You Attitude

• I/ We We are issuing a refund.
• You You will receive a refund.

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Eliminating Sexist Language

• Career Woman
• Man and Wife
• The Little Woman
• Common Man
• Best Man for the Job
• Executives and their wives

• Professional
• Husband and Wife
• Wife
• Average Person
• Best Person for the Job
• Executives and their spouses (partners)

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Avoid Negative Expressions

• Writers are sometimes unaware of the hidden
  messages that they send
• You state thatbut I dont believe you
• You failed toyou are careless
• You claim thatits probably untrue
• I am rightyou do not understand
• Your delayyou are at fault

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Be Courteous

• You must complete this report before Friday.
• You should organize a car pool in this department.

• Would you complete this report before Friday?
• Organizing a car pool will reduce your
  transportation costs and help preserve the
  environment.

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PHASE 2 Research

• Formal Research Methods
• Informal Methods
• Look in files
• Speak with Boss/Colleagues etc.
• Speak with Target Audience
• Conduct an informal survey
• Brainstorming

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PHASE 2 Organize

• Lists and Outlines
• Alphanumeric
• Decimal
• Organize Ideas into Patterns
• Direct Pattern receptive audience
• Indirect Pattern unreceptive audience

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PHASE 2 Compose - Creating Forceful Sentences

• Recognize Phrases and Clauses
• Clauses have subjects and verbs phrases dont
• Independent clauses are complete dependent
  clauses are not
• Phrases and dependent clauses cannot function as
  sentences
• Independent Clause They eat cold pizza.
• Dependent Clause that they want to return for a
  refund
• Phrase to return for a refund

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PHASE 2 Compose -Creating Forceful Sentences

• Use the Active voice in most sentences We lost
  money.
• Use the passive voice to de-emphasize the
  performer and/or to be tactful Money was lost by
  us.
• Avoid dangling phrases An autopsy revealed that
  the cause of death was strangulation by the
  coroner.
• Emphasize important points
• Put main ideas first, using them as subjects
• Put them in short sentences

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PHASE 2 Compose - Drafting Effective Paragraphs

• Discuss only one topic
• Group similar ideas together
• Start a new paragraph for each new topic
• Arrange sentences in one of three strategic
  formats
• Direct Plan main sentence followed by supporting
  sentences to define, classify, illustrate or
  describe
• Pivoting Plan limiting sentences, main sentence,
  supporting sentences to compare or contrast
• Indirect Plan supporting sentences, main
  sentence to explain or persuade

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Phase 2 Drafting Effective Paragraphs

• Link ideas to build coherence
• Repeat idea or rephrase it
• Use a pronoun these, this etc.
• Dovetail sentences
• Use transitional expressions additionally,
  however, as a result, also, for example etc.
• Compose short paragraphs fewer than eight lines

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PHASE 3 Revising for Clarity

• Keep it simple
• Keep it conversational
• Remove opening fillers
• Eliminate redundancies
• Reduce compound prepositions
• Purge empty words
• Kick the noun habit
• Dump trite business phrases
• Develop parallelism
• Apply graphics
• Measure readability

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Revision Techniques

• Keep it simple avoid indirect pompous language
• E.g. It would not be inadvisable for you to affix
  your signature at this point in time.
• I.e. You may sign now.

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Revision Techniques

• Keep it conversational
• Formal Our Accounting Department takes this
  opportunity to inform you that we have credited
  your account with the aforementioned amount.
• Conversational Were pleased to credit your
  account for 100.

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Revision Techniques

• Remove Opening Fillers
• Wordy There are four new menu items that we must
  promote.
• Improved We must promote four new menu items.
• Eliminate Redundancies collect together,
  contributing factor, personal opinion etc.
• Reduce Compound Prepositions
• at such time, at which timewhen
• due to the fact that, inasmuch asbecause

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Revision Techniques

• Purge Empty Words
• As for the field of athletic shoes, the degree of
  profits sagged.
• This is to inform you that we have a toll-free
  service line.

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Revision Techniques

• Kick the Noun Habit
• Wordy We must conduct an investigation of all
  parking violations before we can give
  consideration to your fine.
• Improved We must investigate all parking
  violations before we can consider your fine.

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Revision Techniques

• Dump Trite Business Phrases
• Wordy Pursuant to your request, enclosed please
  find a job application.
• Improved As requested, we have enclosed a job
  application.
• Develop Parallelism balanced construction
• Not parallel We can collect information, store
  it, and later it can be updated.
• Parallel We can collect, store and update
  information.

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Revision Techniques

• Apply Graphic Highlighting
• Letters, such as (a) and (b) within the text
• Numerals, like 1, 2 and 3 listed vertically
• Bullets
• Headings using Print options
• CAPITAL LETTERS
• Underscores
• Boldface
• Italics
• Font size

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PHASE 3 Proofreading What to look for

• Spelling
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Names and numbers
• Format

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Proofreading

• Bloopersfrom church
• http//my.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/humor/churchblo
  opers.html

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How to Proofread

• Print a copypreferably double-spaced
• Set it aside for a breather
• Allow adequate time for careful proofreading
• Congratulate yourself when finding errors
• Read the message at least twicefor meaning and
  grammar/mechanics
• Reduce reading speedfocus on each word

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PHASE 3 Evaluating the Outcome

• How successful will this communication be?
• Does the message say what you want it to?
• Will it achieve its purpose?
• How will you know if it succeeds?
• Did you obtain the intended feedback?

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3-x-3 Writing Process

• Phase 1 analyzing, anticipating, adapting
• Phase 2 researching, organizing, composing
• Phase 3 revising, proofreading, evaluating