©2007 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2/e PPTPPT

©2007 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Business Writing Design McGraw-Hill/Irwin

3 Thinking through the Written Design Warren Buffet uses a clear and down-to-earth writing style that really engages readers of his Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report. © Eric Francis/Getty Images

4 The Writing Process 1.Generating ideas and prewriting Freewriting ◦process of writing all the message ideas that come into your mind nonstop without lifting your pen or pausing at the computer Listing ◦composing a list of all the things that need to go into the document you plan to write Clustering ◦determining the relationships among the ideas of a message

5 The Writing Process FIGURE 8.1Clustering

6 The Writing Process 2.Writing Gathering information Considering strategy Direct strategy ◦states the message goal first Indirect strategy ◦warms up the audience with information and goodwill before delivering the message goal

7 The Writing Process 2.Writing (continued) Outlining and drafting Outline ◦structured list of the information to be included in the message Drafting ◦writing the first version of text on paper or computer screen  Accumulative  Relational

8 The Writing Process 3.Revising and redrafting Revising ◦re-vision, looking at the document as if you had never seen it before Re-outlining ◦writing a new outline based on the original document you wrote Slash and burn ◦total revision strategy in which you select certain points of a document and then rewrite it using only those points from the original work 4.Editing and proofreading

9 The Writing Process FIGURE 8.2Slash and Burn

10 Business Writing Style Business writing focuses on the audience and how they will interpret and respond to the message. © Ryan McVay/Getty Images

11 Business Writing Style The “You” View “You” view ◦writing that is focused on the interests of readers How Do I Know My Message Has the “You” View? The “You” View Builds Good Public Relations

12 Business Writing Style Should I Always Use the “You” View? Positive Expression and Reader Benefits

13 Business Writing Style Active Sentences and Concrete Language

14 Business Writing Style Active Sentences and Concrete Language (continued)

15 Business Writing Style Active Sentences and Concrete Language (continued) Grammatical Correctness

16 Designing Memos and Letters FIGURE 8.3Components of Letters and Memos

17 Designing Memos and Letters Introduction Body Closing Formatting  Margins  Font  Justification

18 Designing Memos and Letters Memos ◦internal, written channel of communication TO:Marion King, CEO, Industrial Enterprises FROM:Justin Potter, Marketing Director JP. DATE:March 1, 2004 SUBJECT:Productivity statistics for fourth-quarter 2003 Sample Memos

19 Designing Memos and Letters Letters ◦typically an external, written channel of communication  Letterhead stationery or sender’s address  Date  Recipient’s address  Salutation:terms of address mixed/open punctuation styles  Subject line  Body  Complimentary close  Addenda Sample Letter

20 Designing Memos and Letters Using Bias-Free Language Don’t Use  Trish was very abrupt at the meeting—she must have her period.  The salesman will show you a sample.  I can’t locate our waitress.  The black lady, who was our lead engineer, took a job at another company.  This project will require a lot of manpower.  He’s just a loud Italian!  We have another person in our legal department, and she’s gay.  Bill is the old guy that sits near the window.  We hire handicapped people.

21 Writing Collaboratively How Does Collaborative Writing Work? ◊each member produces a section of the document ◊then one team member compiles various sections to produce draft Revising and Editing Together ◊incorporate input from all the members of the team ◊recognize a group seldom agrees unanimously

22 Writing Collaboratively Practice Team Writing  Make sure collaborative writing is clearly oriented toward shared and defined goals.  If a team leader is not designated beforehand, ask the group to choose a leader or coordinator. The leader needs to be a decent writer, but also needs to have a comprehensive vision of the project.

23 Writing Collaboratively Practice Team Writing (continued)  The leader should be responsible for compiling the written input from each team member and then sharing successive drafts with the group.  Encourage the team to focus on substantive matters (facts, policies and processes).

24 Writing Collaboratively Practice Team Writing (continued)  Make sure the writing produced has a uniform and consistent voice. Help the team understand that concerns for specific phrasing are often matters of individual taste.  Whenever possible, avoid that most tedious exercise— group editing. Meetings set aside for final editing must be strictly time limited.

25 Designing Messages Communication Style ◦internal and external written channel of communication that transmits messages over the Internet

26 Designing Messages Should Business Professionals Use Cyberspeak In Messages? Privacy Issues Constructing the Message

27 Designing Messages Construction Format For Messages  Subject line  Courtesy copies  Salutation  Body  Close  Attachments

28 Designing Messages Do’s and Don’ts

29 Designing Messages Do’s and Don’ts (continued)

30 Designing Messages Do’s and Don’ts (continued) Sample Messages

31 Questions