1. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 1 Completing Business Messages

2. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 2 Learning Objectives Discuss the value of careful revision and list the main tasks involved in completing a business message List four writing techniques for improving the readability of your messages Describe the steps you can take to improve the clarity and conciseness of your writing

3. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 3 Learning Objectives Explain how design elements help determine the effectiveness of your documents List eight tips for improving message quality through careful proofreading Discuss the most important issues to consider when distributing your message

4. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 4 Beyond the First Draft Content Readability Clarity Conciseness

5. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 5 Revising the Message Type of message and choice of media –Correctness –Clarity –Conciseness –Readability

6. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 6 Evaluating the Message Content Organization Style and tone

7. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 7 Review for Readability Readability IndexesDocument Skimming Word Length Number of Syllables Sentence Length Paragraph Length Sentence Length Paragraph Length Lists and Bullets Headings and Subheadings

8. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 8 Vary Sentence Length Short (up to 15 words) Medium (15–25 words) Long (over 25 words)

9. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 9 Keep Paragraphs Short Boost readability Emphasize ideas Stress transitions

10. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 10 Use Lists and Bullets Show sequence of ideas Heighten visual impact Emphasize key points Simplify complex subjects Provide visual breaks Expedite skimming process

11. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 11 Headings and Subheadings Descriptive or informative –Organization –Attention –Connection

12. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 12 Editing for Clarity Break up overly long sentences Rewrite hedging sentences Impose parallelism Correct dangling modifiers

13. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 13 Editing for Clarity Reword long noun sequences Replace camouflaged verbs Clarify sentence structure Clarify awkward references

14. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 14 Editing for Conciseness Delete unnecessary words and phrases Shorten long words and phrases Eliminate redundancies Recast “It is/There are” starters

15. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 15 Evaluate, Edit, and Revise the Work of Others Help the writer succeed Understand the writer’s intent

16. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 16 Revising with Technology Revision tracking Spell checker Thesaurus Commenting Grammar checker Style checker

17. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 17 Producing the Message Production quality –Effectiveness –Professionalism –Importance

18. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 18 Design for Readability Consistency Balance Restraint Detail

19. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 19 Design Techniques White space Margins Justified type Typefaces Type styles

20. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 20 Multimedia Documents Level of skills Tools Time and cost Content Message structure Compatibility

21. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 21 Production Technology Templates and style sheets Page setup features Column and paragraph formatting Numbered and bulleted lists Information in tables Images, text boxes, and objects

22. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 22 Format for Business Letters Letterhead stationery Date Inside address Salutation The message Complimentary close Signature block

23. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 23 Format for Memos Memo title Headings The message

24. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 24 Proofread the Message Writing errors Design flaws Layout problems Production issues

25. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 6 - 25 Distributing Messages Cost concerns Convenience Time constraints Security and privacy