CHAPTER 6 WRITING TECHNIQUES & STRATEGIES MGT 3213 – ORG. COMMUNICATION Mississippi State University College of Business

Organization  Each document must address the following basic elements:  Who  What  When  Where  How  Why

Organization  Another way to approach organizing your document is with the classical proofs known as:  Ethos (credibility)  Logos (logic and reason)  Pathos (emotion)

Organization  How do you organize your paper? 1. Herbert makes these points 2. Hertzberg makes these points 3. Collins makes these points 4. Smith and Hill make these points in opposition 5. Here’s what I think

Thesis Statements  A business writing project needs to convey some central idea  A thesis statement:  Clarifies the idea in your mind and makes sure it comes through to your audience  Should be short, specific, and to the point

Thesis Statements  A thesis statement should:  Be a declarative statement  Be a complete sentence  Use specific language, not vague generalities  Be a single idea  Reflect consideration of the audience

Effective Paper Outline  Introduction: introduce your thesis statement and preview your main points  First point of support (cite all authors who provide evidence to back up my point)  Second point of support  Third point of support  Opposing viewpoints  Common ground and refutation of opposition viewpoints  Conclusion

Organizing Strategies  Time (Chronological)  Comparison  Contrast  Cause and effect  Problem and solution  Classification (Categorical)

Paragraphs  Paragraphs are how we package information in business communication  The three elements of a paragraph:  Topic sentence  Body sentences  Conclusion sentence

Effective Sentences  Four basic types of sentences:  Declarative – Makes a statement You are invited to join us for lunch.  Imperative – Conveys a command Please join us for lunch.  Interrogative – Asks a question Would you like to join us for lunch?  Exclamatory – Expresses strong emotion I’m so glad you can join us!

Sentence Structure: Clauses  Independent clauses convey a complete thought  They could be stand-alone sentences As the president reported this morning, sales increased in May.

Sentence Structure  Simple (one independent clause)  Compound (two independent clauses)  Complex (dependent followed by independent clause)  Compound complex (dependent + independent + independent)

Effective Sentences  Simple sentence - Sales have increased.  Compound sentence - Sales have increased and profits continue to grow.  Complex sentence – Although sales have increased, we must anticipate smaller purchasing budgets later this year.  Compound complex sentence - Although the economy has been in recession, sales have increased, and we have sales staff to thank for it.

Effective Sentences  Sentences should:  Be clear, concise, and brief  Be complete and not fragmented  Avoid being vague and focus on specific content  Avoid needless complexity  Avoid repetition

Transitions  Bridges between ideas, thoughts or concepts  Words, phrases, or visual devices that help the audience:  Follow the speaker’s ideas  Connect the main points to each other  See the relationships

6-22 Types of Transitions in Writing

6-23 Types of Transitions in Writing (Cont.)

Emphasize Important Ideas  Sentence structure  Simple sentence (most emphasis)  Independent clause (most emphasis)  Dependent clause (least emphasis)  Repetition  Words that label  Position (first and last sentence of paragraph)

Writing Style  The manner in which a writer addresses the reader; the voice or tone  It involves qualities of writing such as:  Vocabulary  Figures of speech  Phrasing  Rhythm  Sentence structure  Paragraph length

Formal versus Informal  Formal styles:  Require more detail  Adhere to rules of etiquette  Avoid contractions and folksy expressions  Informal styles:  Reflect everyday speech patterns  May include contractions and colloquial expressions  More conversational

Active vs. Passive Voice  Active sentences tend to be:  Shorter  More precise  Easier to understand  Passive sentences:  De-emphasize the doer of the action  Avoid personal references or personal pronouns  Create a more objective tone

Passive vs. Active Voice Active = subject acts. The dog bit the boy. Passive = subject receives action. The boy was bitten by the dog.

Another Example President Keenum held a press conference on the first day of classes. (active) A press conference was held by President Keenum on the first day of classes. (passive)

Changing Passive to Active  Who is performing the action?  If not stated, infer.  Look for “by the”  Flip the parts of the sentence The book is being read by the class. The class is reading the book.

When might you use passive voice deliberately? A. When you want to be concise B. When communicating bad news C. When you want to communicate clearly D. When you want to increase the difficulty of the readability of your writing

Factors Affecting Readability  Difficult words  Three or more syllable words  Does not include compound words, proper nouns, or words where a suffix adds a syllable  Sentence length and structure  Passive voice

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Lee: 1 With interest rates at their lowest level in 20 years, you chose a good time to buy your first house. 2 Choosing a fixed mortgage rate allowed you to “lock in” your 6 percent interest rate, protecting you from potential increases in interest rates before your closing. 3 Had you selected a variable rate mortgage, you could have taken advantage of the recent drop in interest rates. 4 However, you would have been subject to later increases in interest rates. 5 If interest rates continue to decline, you may want to consider refinancing your fixed rate mortgage. 6 Refinancing is typically cost effective when interest rates are 1 percent below your current mortgage rate. 7 Mr. and Mrs. Lee, we are glad to have been of service in your recent home purchase. 8 Please call me if you need information about other financing needs. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Lee: 1 With interest rates at their lowest level in 20 years, you chose a good time to buy your first house. 2 Choosing a fixed mortgage rate allowed you to “lock in” your 6 percent interest rate, protecting you from potential increases in interest rates before your closing. 3 Had you selected a variable rate mortgage, you could have taken advantage of the recent drop in interest rates. 4 However, you would have been subject to later increases in interest rates. 5 If interest rates continue to decline, you may want to consider refinancing your fixed rate mortgage. 6 Refinancing is typically cost effective when interest rates are 1 percent below your current mortgage rate. 7 Mr. and Mrs. Lee, we are glad to have been of service in your recent home purchase. 8 Please call me if you need information about other financing needs.

Calculating Readability No. of words: 138 No. of sentences: 8 Average sentence length: 17 (138 ÷ 8 = 17) No. of difficult words: 16 Percentage of difficult words: 11.6% (16 ÷ 138 = 11.6) Average sentence length Percentage difficult words x 0.4 (constant) Readability level 11.4 No. of words: 138 No. of sentences: 8 Average sentence length: 17 (138 ÷ 8 = 17) No. of difficult words: 16 Percentage of difficult words: 11.6% (16 ÷ 138 = 11.6) Average sentence length Percentage difficult words x 0.4 (constant) Readability level 11.4

Considering the Audience Desirable readability index for business writing 8–11 grade

Enable Readability Statistics Word 2007: Select the Microsoft office button Select “Word Options” Click “Proofing” Make sure “Check grammar with spelling” is selected Make sure “Show readability statistics” is selected To get stats, select the “Review” tab and run the spelling and grammar check

An alternative: the human-interest test  Flesch’s human interest score hinges on two measures: 1.Personal words. They include: o Nouns with natural gender, such as mother, father, Frank and Opal o Pronouns except for neuter pronouns — he and she, for instance, but not it o The words people (used with the plural verb) and folks

2. Personal sentences. These test how interesting and conversational the copy is. Count: o Quotations, whether marked by quotation marks or not o Imperative sentences, or those addressed to the reader, including questions, commands and requests o Exclamations o Grammatically incomplete sentences whose meaning the reader must infer from the context The higher the percentage of personal words and personal sentences, the higher the human interest score.

An example “Using better drugs and a wider knowledge of the mechanics of pain gained during and since the war, Doctors E. A. Rovenstine and E. M. Papper of the New York University College of Medicine have been able to help two-thirds of the patients accepted for treatment in their ‘pain clinic’ at Bellevue Hospital. “The nerve-block treatment is comparatively simple and does not have serious aftereffects. It merely involves the injection of an anesthetic drug along the path of the nerve carrying pain impulses from the diseased or injured tissue to the brain. Although its action is similar to that of spinal anesthesia used in surgery, nerve block generally lasts much longer and is only occasionally used for operations.”

An example “… Recently, [Rovenstine] devoted a few minutes to relieving a free patient in Bellevue of a pain in an arm that had been cut off several years before. The victim of this phantom pain said that the tendons ached and that his fingers were clenched so hard he could feel his nails digging into his palm. … “One of my greatest contributions to medical science has been the use of the eyebrow pencil,’ he said. He took one from the pocket of his white smock and made a series of marks on the patient’s back, near the shoulder of the amputated arm, so that the spectators could see exactly where he was going to work. … The patient’s face began to relax a little. ‘Lord, Doc,’ he said. ‘My hand is loosening up a bit already.’ ‘You’ll be all right by tonight, I think,’ Rovenstine said. He was.”

Human Interest Analysis 1 st Excerpt: Life2 nd Excerpt: The New Yorker With 0 personal words and 11 personal sentences per 290 words, the Life article scores a 7, or “dull.” With 11 personal words and 41 personal sentences, the New Yorker piece gets a score of 53, or “highly interesting.”

Applying Visual Enhancements to Improve Readability  Enumerated or bulleted lists  Headings  Tables and graphs  Lines and borders  Relevant images  BEFORE.cfm

Example: Before This is a multipurpose passenger vehicle which will handle and maneuver differently from an ordinary passenger car, in driving conditions which may occur on streets and highways and off road. As with other vehicles of this type, if you make sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers, the vehicle may roll over or may go out of control and crash. You should read driving guidelines and instructions in the Owner's Manual, and WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS AT ALL TIMES.

Example: After Source:

After Today’s Lecture You Should …  Understand how to develop and organize content in patterns that are appropriate for your document and audience  Demonstrate your ability to order, outline, and emphasize main points in one or more written assignments  Demonstrate how to compose logically organized paragraphs, sentences, and transitions in one or more written assignments  Understand the factors that impact readability