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The 3 steps of the writing process

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1. planning business message 2. writing business message 3. completing business message

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Effective vs. Efficient

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Effective - meeting audiences needs and getting your point across Efficient - making the best use of your time and your audiences time

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% time of each task

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50% planning, 25% writing, 25% completing

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Planning effectively

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trying to save time by skimping on planning usually cost you more time in the long run

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analyzing the situation

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1. define your purpose --Do not send if NO to these questions •Will anything change as a result of your message? •Is your purpose realistic? •Is the time right? •Is your purpose acceptable to your organizations? 2. Developing an audience profile --Id your primary audience --Determine audience size and geographic distribution --Determine audience composition --Gauge audience members' level of understanding •Different levels of understand - aim message at the most influential decision makers --Understand audience expectations and preferences --Forecast probable audience reaction •Win over skeptical audience with use of gradual approach and plenty of evidence

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General Purpose

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broad intent of a message - inform persuade, or collaborate with the audience

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Specific Purpose

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Identifies what you hope to accomplish with your message and what your audience should do or think after receiving your message

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Gathering INFO

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---Consider the audiences perspective ---Read reports and other company documents • Knowledge-management system ---Ask supervisors, colleagues, customers, or people in your online networks ---Ask your audience for input 1. Uncovering audience needs -- If given vague request, as to clarify before you plan a response -- If appropriate include additional info that might be helpful, even though requester didn't specifically ask for it 2. Finding your focus: --Discovery techniques - help generate ideas and uncover possible avenues to research, Free writing, and Sketching 3. Providing required info --Journalistic approach --Be sure the info is accurate --Quality of info more important than Quantity --Be sure the info is ethical and pertinent --Filtered and prioritized info - rely on common sense

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Free Writing

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an exploratory technique in which you write whatever comes to mind, without stopping to make any corrections for a set period of time

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Sketching

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brainstorming with drawing instead of words

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Journalistic Approach

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verify the completeness of a message by making sure it answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions

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Types of media

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Visual Oral Written Electronic

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Oral

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best when you need to encourage interaction, express emotions, or monitor emotional responses

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Written

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Memos & Letters

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Memos

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brief printed documents traditionally used for routine, day-to-day exchange of info within an organization; most replace by email

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Letters

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brief written messages generally sent to recipients outside the organization Form letters

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Electronic

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deliver messages quickly to reach widely dispersed audiences and to take advantage of rich multimedia formats. Audiences overloaded with electronic media --Electronic version of oral media -- electronic version of written media: wiki, social media, websites --electronic version of visual media: multimedia & augmented reality e.g. French company Presselite Iphone/Ipad apps that superimpose info about businesses and other interest on display as user aims the build in camera around his/her location

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Electronic version of oral media (3)

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1. voice synthesis - creating audio signals from computer data 2. voice recognition - converting audio signals to computer data 3. internet telephony - VoIP - Voice over Internet protocol

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Multimedia

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refers to the use of two or more media to deliver a message, typically some combination of audio, video, text and visual graphics

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augmented reality

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computer generated text, graphics, and sounds are superimposed onto the user's physical reality, either on a device display or directly onto the physical world itself

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Factors to consider when choosing a media (6)

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1. Media richness • Convey a message through more than one informational cue (visual, verbal, vocal) • Facilitate feedback • Establish personal focus ---Interactive: enable audiences to participate in communication process 2. Message formality - your choice of media sets style and tone of message 3. Media limitation - IM for simple convo not complex 4. Urgency - speed of message 5. Cost 6. Audience preferences - japan use oral messages more than written

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Organizing your information (6)

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1. Recognizing the importance of good organization 2. Defining your main idea 3. Limiting your scope 4. Choosing between director indirect approaches 5. Outlining your content 6. Building Reader interest with story telling techniques

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Recognizing the importance of good organization

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Good organization helps audience members understand your message, accept your message and save time Good organization save you time and energy in the writing and completing phases

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Defining your main idea

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Topic Main idea Brainstorming Journalistic approach Question and answer chain Storytellers tour Mind mapping

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Topic

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overall subject of the message

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Main Idea

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specific statement about the topic

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Scope

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range of info presented in a message, its overall length, and the level of detail provided

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Limiting your scope

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Limit the number of support points; having fewer, stronger points is a better approach than using many, weaker points

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Direct approach

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message organization that starts with main idea (recommendation, conclusion, request) and follows with our supporting evidence

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Indirect approach

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message organization that starts with evidence and builds your case before presenting the main idea

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Outlining your content

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want to experiment with other organizational schemes in addition to traditional outlines Charts help you •See various levels of ideas and how the parts fit together •Develop new ideas •Restructure your info flow Start with the main idea •What you want your audience members to do or think? •Why they should do so? State the major points - major supporting points clarify and explain your main idea Provide examples and evidence (table on 171) - back up supporting points with carefully selected examples and evidence

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Organize thoughts order

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Main idea>>Major point >>Sub points>>Examples & evidence>>detail

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Building reader interest with storytelling techniques

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-Storytelling is an effective way to organize many business messages because it helps readers personalize the message and understand the causes and consequences -Organize stories in three parts • Beginning that introduces a sympathetic person with a dream or challenge • A middle that shows the complications to overcome • And an ending that resolves the situation and shows the moral or message of the story

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Adapting to Your Audience: Being Sensitive to Audience Needs - Chapter 7

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-Audiences hear messages and think "What's in it for me?" -"You" attitude Example: Instead of using "I, me, mine, we , us"...use "you and yours"

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"You" attitude

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Speaking and writing in terms of the audience's wishes, interests, hopes, and preferences.

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Avoid using "you and your" when

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it sounds dictatorial it could make someone feel guilty It is inappropriate for the culture It goes against the organization's style

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Maintain standards of etiquette

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-Being courteous to audience shows consideration for them -Control emotions and communicate calmly and politely -Written communication and most forms of electronic media require more tact than oral communication

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Emphasizing the positive

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-Never try to hide negative news -Convey messages with a positive tone even if the message is negative -Focus on what can be improved or an alternative method -When persuading an audience to buy a product, pay a bill, or perform service emphasize "what's in it for them" -Euphemisms & Bias-free language

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Euphemisms

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words or phrases that express a thought in milder terms. Example: Use "Senior citizens" rather than "Old people Use them wisely so that the audience doesn't have to read between the lines

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Bias-free language:

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avoids words and phrases that unfairly and even unethically categorize or stigmatize people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or other personal characteristics

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Adapting to Your Audience: Building Strong Relationships

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-Establish credibility and project company image -Project company image by adhering to organization communication guidelines

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Credibility (9)

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a measure of your believability, based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others. To build, maintain, or repair credibility emphasize these: 1. Honesty, 2. objectivity, 3. awareness of audience needs, 4. credentials, 5. knowledge, 6. expertise, 7. endorsements, 8. performance, and 9. sincerity -Show audience you believe in yourself and your message

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Endorsement

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statement on your behalf by someone who is accepted by your audience as an expert

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Sincerity

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Dont use Hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

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Adapting to Your Audience: Controlling Your Style and Tone

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Use conversational tone use plain language select active or passive voice

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Style

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involves the choices you make to express yourself: the words you select, the manner in which you use those words in sentences, and the way you build paragraphs from individual sentences.

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tone

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The overall impression in the message which is created by the style

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Conversational Tone

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plain language that sounds businesslike without being stuffy at one extreme or too laid back To achieve a conversational tone: --Understand the difference between texting and writing • Avoid acronyms --Avoid stale and pompous language • Avoid using obscure words or clichéd expressions --Avoid preaching and bragging --Be careful with intimacy • Avoid sharing personal details or adopting an unprofessional tone --Be careful with humor • Humor can backfire and divert attention from the messages • Avoid when communicating across cultural boundaries

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plain language

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information that is in a simple, unadorned style that allows your audience to easily grasp your meaning

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Active voice

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the subject performs the action and makes message more direct, livelier and easier to read Example: Jodi sent the email.

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Passive voice

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Subject receives the action and can help demonstrate the "you" attitude Example: The email was sent by Jodi.

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Composing Your Message: Choosing Powerful Words

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- Don't try to write and edit during your first draft...let the creativity flow! - Try not to show your first draft to anyone..."safe zone" - Introduction is the hardest to write so try working on the parts you are most comfortable with - Give yourself breaks in between writing -Look at the writing in 3 layers: ---Choosing powerful words, creating effective sentences, and crafting unified and coherent paragraphs. - Pay close attention to the correct use of words ---Grammatical or usage errors can cause you to lose credibility with the audience and show that you are uninformed and don't respect your audience. - Choose the most effective words and phrases to convey your message 1. Understanding Connotation and Denotation 2. Balancing Abstract and Concrete Words - Blending abstract words with concrete words are best to convey a clearer message 3. Finding Words That Communicate Well

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Denotative

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literal, or dictionary meaning of a word

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Connotative

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the associations and feelings evoked by the word Some words have a much stronger connotations than others and should be used with care

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Abstract word

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expresses a concept, quality, or characteristic; usually broad, encompasses a category of ideas; often intellectual, academic, or philosophical •Tend to be fuzzy and can be interpreted differently

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Concrete word

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stands for something you can touch, see, or visualize

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Finding Words That Communicate Well

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-Choose powerful words that express your thoughts clearly, specifically, and dynamically. -Choose familiar words: Communicate with words both you and your reader will clearly understand -Avoid clichés and be careful with buzzwords: -Use jargon carefully:

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Clichés

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terms and phrases that are common therefore losing power to communicate well

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Buzzwords

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newly coined terms often associated with technology, business, or cultural changes

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Jargon

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the specialized language of a particular profession or industry, has a bad reputation, but its not always bad -Good for communicating within specific groups that understand the terms

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Composing Your Messages: Creating Effective Sentences

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Choosing from the four types of sentences Using sentence style to emphasize key thoughts

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Choosing from the four types of sentences

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Make sure to choose the best type of sentence to communicate each point you want to make Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-complex: When composing messages, use a variety of sentence types to make the writing more interesting and effective

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Simple

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has one main clause (a single subject and a predicate) "Profits increased in the past year."

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Compound

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has two main clauses that express two or more independent but related thoughts of equal importance, usually joined by and, but, or or; it is a merger or two or more simple sentences that are related. "Wage rates have declined by 5 percent, and employee turnover has been high."

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Complex

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expresses one main thought (the independent clause) and has one or more subordinate, related thoughts (dependent clauses that cannot stand alone as valid sentences). "Although you may question Gerald's conclusions, you must admit that his research is thorough."

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Compound-complex

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has two main clauses, at least one of which contains a subordinate clause "Profits have increased in the past year, and although you may question Gerald's conclusions, you must admit that his research is thorough."

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Using sentence style to emphasize key thoughts

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--Give important points the most space and when calling attention to a thought, use extra words to describe it. --To emphasize an idea, place it at the beginning or the end of a sentence

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Composing Your Messages: Crafting Unified, Coherent Paragraphs

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Creating the elements of a paragraph

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3 elements of a paragraph

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Paragraph vary in length and form but usually contain 3 elements: 1. Topic sentence: introduces the topic 2. Support sentences: explains, justifies topic sentence by being more specific and precise 3. Transitions: connect ideas by showing how one thought is related to another

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Establishing transitions

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•Use connecting words...and, but, nevertheless •Echo a word or phrase from a previous sentence •Use a pronoun that refers to a noun used previously •Use words that are frequently paired Transitions used to move readers smoothly between clauses, sentences, and paragraphs: •Additional detail...moreover, furthermore •Cause-and-effect relationship...therefore, because •Comparison...similarly, here again •Contrast......yet, conversely •Condition...although, if •Illustration...for example, in particular •Time sequence...formerly, after •Intensification...indeed, in fact •Summary...in brief, in short •Repetition...that is, in other words

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Techniques for developing a paragraph

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1. Illustration - giving examples that demonstrate 2. Comparison/contrast- use similarities or differences to develop topic 3. Cause and effect- focusing on the reasons for something 4. Classification - showing how a general idea is broken into specific categories 5. Problem and solution - presenting a problem and then discussing the solution

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Using Technology to Compose and Shape Your Messages

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Style sheets, style sets, templates, and themes Boilerplate and document components Autocorrection and autcompletion File merge and mail merge Endnotes, footnotes, indexes, and table of contents

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Chapter 8 Completing business messages

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Chapter 8 Completing business

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Revising your message: Evaluating the first draft

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- First drafts are rarely as effective as they could be, so take the time to improve them through revision - Resist the temptation to move on - In any medium, readers tend to equate the quality of your writing with the quality of your thinking. - If you have time, put aside your draft for a day or two before you begin the revision process. - The task of revision can vary: informal, formal

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Evaluating your content, organization, style and tone

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Evaluate content: - Is the information accurate? - Is it relevant? - Is there enough information? - Is there a balance between general information and specific information? Evaluate organization: - Are all points covered in the most logical order? - Do the most important ideas receive the most space, and place in prominent positions? - Would the message be more convincing if it were arranged differently? - Are points repeated unnecessarily? - Are the details grouped together logically? Tone: - The beginning and end of a message usually have the greatest impact on your readers, so make sure they are clear, concise, and compelling

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Evaluating, editing, and revising the work of others:

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- Recognize the dual responsibility Then ask: - What is the purpose? - Who is the target audience? - What information does the audience need? - Is the information provided in an organized way? - Is the tone appropriate? - Can the readability be improved? - Is the writing clear and concise? - Does the design support the intended message?

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Improve readability:

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Readability formulas can give you a helpful indication, but they can't measure everything that affects readability -Vary your sentence length - Keeping your paragraphs short - using lists to clarify and emphasize - added headings and subheadings

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- Vary your sentence length

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short sentences can be processed quickly and are easier for nonnative speakers and translators to interpret, but too many can be choppy. Medium length sentences are useful for showing the relationship among ideas, but lack the punch of short sentences and informative power of longer sentences. Long sentences are often the best for conveying complex ideas, listing multiple related points, or summarizing or previewing information, but can be difficult to understand.

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- Keep the paragraphs short

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- long paragraphs are visually intimidating and can be difficult to read.

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- Use lists to clarify and emphasize

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lists are effective tool for highlighting and simplifying material.

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Use headings and subheadings

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: to show organization of your material, draw the reader's attention to key points and show connections between ideas. They both serve the following functions: - Organization - Attention - Connection Headings fall into two categories: descriptive headings and Informative headings

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heading

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a brief title that tells readers about the content of the section that follows

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subheading

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are subordinate to headings, indicating subsections with a major section

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Descriptive headings

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headings that simply identify the topic "cost considerations" identify a topic but do a little more.

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informative headings

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headings that guide readers to think in a certain way about the topic such as "redesigning material flow to cost production costs" - guide readers to think a certain way about the topic.

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Editing for clarity:Table 6.2 examples

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Break up overly long sentences Rewrite hedging sentences- : Impose parallelism Correct dangling modifiers Reword long noun sequences Replace camouflaged verbs Clarify sentence structure & awkward references

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hedging

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pulling back from making a confident, definite statement about a topic

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Editing your conciseness:

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Delete unnecessary words and phrases Shorten long words and phrases Eliminate redundancies Recast "It is/There are" starters

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Using technology to revise your message:

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-Revision marks and commenting features are great ways to track the revision process when multiple reviewers are involved. Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Spell checker, computer thesaurus, grammar checker, style checker- can help with revision process but they can't take the place of good writing and editing skills

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Producing your message:

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- The production quality of your message- the total effect of page or screen design, graphical elements, typography and so on- plays an important role in the effectiveness of your message. - To achieve an effective design, pay careful attention to the following design elements: - Consistency - Balance - Restraint - Detail - White space - Margins and justification - Typefaces- - Serif typefaces- - Sans serif typefaces- . - Type styles.

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White space

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- separates elements in documents and helps guide the reader's eye.

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Typefaces

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refers to the physical design of letters, numbers, and other text character

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Serif typefaces

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have smaller cross lines at the ends of each letter stroke

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Sans serif typefaces

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letters that have no serifs

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Type styles

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- refer to any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type, including boldface, italic, underlining, color, and other highlighting and decorative styles

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Designing multimedia documents

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- A multimedia document contains a combinations of text, graphic, photographs, audio, animation, video, and interactivity. - To design and create multimedia documents you needs to consider the following factors: - Creative and Technical Skills - Tools - Time and Cost - Content - Structure - Compatibility

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Using technology to produce your message:

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Templates, Themes, Style Sheets Page Setups Column Formatting and Paragraph Formatting Numbers and Bullet Lists Tables Pictures, Textboxes, and Objects

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Proofreading your message:

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- Is the quality inspection stage of your documents, your last chance to make sure that your document is ready to carry your message. - Make Multiple Passes - Use Perceptual Tricks - Double Check High Priority Items - Utilize Distance - Take Your Time - Be Vigilant - Print Electronic Documents - Stay Focused

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Distributing your message:

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- Cost - Convenience - Time - Security and Privacy

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Revising business messages Checklist:

answer

A. Evaluate content, organization style, and tone -Make sure the information is accurate, relevant, and sufficient -Check that all necessary points appear in logical order. -Verify that you present enough support to make the main idea convincing and compelling -Be sure the beginning and ending of the message are effective -Make sure you've achieved the right tone for the audience and the situation. B. Review for readability -Consider using a readability index but be sure to interpret the answer carefully. -Use a mix if short, medium, and long sentences. -Keep paragraphs short -Use bulleted and numbered lists to emphasize key points. -Make the document easy to skim with headings and subheadings. C. Edit for clarity: -Break up overly long sentences and rewrite hedging sentences. -Impose parallelism to simplify reading. -Correct dangling modifiers -Reword long noun sequences and replace camouflaged verbs. -Clarify sentence structure and awkward references. D. Edit for conciseness: -Delete unnecessary words and phrases -Shorten long words and phrases -Eliminate redundancies -Rewrite sentences hat start with "it is" or "there are"

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Proofing business messages:

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A. Look for writing errors: -Typographical mistakes -Misspelled words -Grammatical errors -Punctuation mistakes B. Look for missing elements: -Missing text sections -Missing exhibits (drawing, tables, photographs, charts, graphs, online images and so on -Missing source notes, copyright notices or other reference items C. Look for design, formatting and programming mistakes: -Incorrect or inconsistent font selections -Problems with column sizing, spacing, and alignment -Incorrect margins -Incorrect special characters -Clumsy line and page breaks -Problems with page numbers -Problems with page headers and footers -Lack of adherence to company standards -Inactive or incorrect links -Missing files

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