CHOOSING THE BEST PROCESS AND FORM CHAPTER 6

THE WRITING PROCESS Planning Drafting Revising

THE WRITING PROCESS Planning Drafting Revising Determining goals Analysing the audience Gathering and collecting information Analysing and organising the information Choosing a form, channel, and format Avoid perfectionism when drafting Keep going-don’t stop for excessive tinkering Pursue any strategy that will help you make progress on the draft Revising for content, organisation, and format Editing sentences and words Proofreading to catch mechanical and grammatical errors

IMPORTANCE OF READABLE FORMATTING Formatting is critical to your messages’ success Good formatting makes your messages inviting Good formatting makes your information easier to find and follow

LETTERS Primarily used to communicate with external audiences Present a professional, polished image of your company by choosing the letter format and attractive letterhead. Letter Form- Date, address, salutation, body, and complimentary close. Letter Formality- less formal than it used to be in the past; use conversational language. Letter should always be regarded as an exchange between real people as well as a strategic means for accomplishing business goals.

MEMORANDUMS (MEMOS) The memo is a form of letter written inside the business. Hard-copy memos usually are processed on special stationary. (Memorandum at the top; Date, To, From, and subject follow) Large organisations often use more information (Department, Plant, Location, Copies to, Store number, etc.) Memos vary widely in formality, but most are relatively informal. Most memos are written in the direct order, though sometimes strategic indirectness is needed.

EMAILS Emails are written to internal and external audiences. Emails can communicate quickly to one person or to many. Email is convenient because messages can be sent to anyone with an email address, regardless of where the email account is located. Email provides HTML or other editing tools for text formatting. Email provides a convenient means of archiving, filing, and retrieving messages. Emails can have a tone that is casual, informal, or formal depending on the audience. Email form has some characteristics of memos (e.g., Date, To, From, Subject lines) and some characteristics of letters (e.g., salutation and a complimentary close). Email should never be considered confidential. Email should not be used as a means of avoiding face-to-face or phone interaction.

OTHER FORMS OF MESSAGES TEXT MESSAGES INSTANT MESSAGES SOCIAL NETWORKING Text messaging is widely used today. The writing stresses brevity and uses shortcuts. But never at the expense of clarity. Write your instant messages as though you were talking to the other person. Social networking sites are becoming increasingly popular. Business writers use them to connect with professional colleagues, co-workers, clients, and customers. Be sure that content for any social networking site presents a positive professional image.

ONLINE DOCUMENTS Analyse your audience. Organise your message in the Inverted Pyramid Writing Style ( main point is presented first, followed by supporting information and then by any background information) Use Sans Serif font in at least 12-point type. Keep lines of text and paragraph short. Use emphasis devices such as bold text, italics, bullets, and headings; avoid underlining. Ensure your site can be easily accessed by those who have disabilities.