1. Chapter 5 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages
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Chapter 5 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages
Business Communication:
Process and Product, 8e
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy

2. Informal Research Methods
Search company digital or other files.
Talk with the boss.
Interview the target audience.
Conduct an informal survey.

3. Formal Research Methods
Access electronically.
Search manually.
Investigate primary sources.
Conduct scientific experiments.

4. Grouping Ideas to Show Relationships
Group similar ideas.
Organize into lists or outlines.

5. Tips for Efficient Outlining
Define the main topic (purpose of message) in the title.
Divide the main topic into 3 to 5 major components.
Break major component into exclusive subpoints (no overlapping).
Use details, illustrations, and evidence in subpoints.

6. Achieving Variety With Four Sentence Types
Simple sentence (one independent clause)
Compound sentence (two independent clauses)
Complex (one independent and one dependent clause)
Compound-complex (two independent clauses and one dependent clause)

7. Three Common Sentence Faults
Avoid fragments (broken-off parts of sentence).
Fragment: seems boring. When compared to Twitter.
Revision: seems boring when compared to Twitter.

8. Three Common Sentence Faults
Avoid run-ons (two independent clauses without coordinating conjunction or semicolon)
Run-on: He’s addicted to social media he posts updates constantly.
Revision: He’s addicted to social media, and he posts updates constantly.
Revision: He’s addicted to social media; he posts updates constantly.

9. Three Common Sentence Faults
Avoid comma splices (two clauses joined without proper punctuation)
Comma splice: He prefers a tablet, she prefers her laptop.
Revision: He prefers a tablet; however she prefers her laptop.
Revision: He prefers a tablet, but she prefers her laptop.

10. Prefer Short Sentences
Sentence Length
Comprehension Rate
8 words
100%
15 words
90%
19 words
80%
28 words
50%

11. Achieving Emphasis
Emphasize important ideas by using vivid and specific words
General
Vivid, Specific
She has a new gadget.
Lisa loves her new iPad.
That skyscraper is tall.
The Burj Khalia in Dubai is 2,723 feet tall.

12. Achieving Emphasis Label the main idea. Unlabeled Labeled
Explore the possibility of leasing a site, but also hire a consultant.
Explore the possibility of leasing a site, but, most importantly, hire a consultant.

13. Achieving Emphasis
Emphasize the most important idea by placing it first or last in a simple sentence and by making it the sentence subject.
Unemphatic
Emphatic
Labor lawyers say that companies should review their internship programs because most often they are illegal if interns are not being paid for their work.
Most internship programs are illegal if interns are not paid.

14. Use Active and Passive Voice Effectively
Use active-voice verbs for clear expression.
We lost money.
Use passive-voice verbs to de-emphasize the performer or to be tactful.
Money was lost (by us).

15. Use Active Voice for Directness, Vigor, and Clarity
Indirect and Less Clear in Passive Voice
Direct and More Clear in Active Voice
A customer service blog was started last year.
Rosario started a customer service blog last year.
The economy is expected to improve.
The government expects the economy to improve.
Performance reviews were completed.
The manager completed performance reviews.

16. Use Passive Voice to be Tactful or to Emphasize the Action Rather Than the Doer
Less Tactful in Active Voice
More Tactful in Passive Voice
We cannot grant you credit.
Credit cannot be granted.
The hospital cannot admit patients without insurance.
Patients without insurance cannot be admitted.
Our CEO missed his estimate on this quarter’s profits.
Quarterly profits missed their estimates.

17. Use Parallelism to Achieve Balance
Lacks Parallelism
Illustrates Parallelism
We focus on money– earning it, investing it, and how to spend it.
We focus on money– earning it, investing it, and spending it.
Applicants are interested in work environment and how they can advance their careers.
Applicants are interested in work environment and career advancement.
Our peanut butter spread (a) is all natural, (b) con-tains no hydrogenated oil, and (c) there’s no need to stir.
Our peanut butter spread (a) is all natural, (b) con-tains no hydrogenated oil, and (c) requires no stirring.

18. Avoid Dangling Modifiers
Not This
But This
Walking down the street, our sign is easy to see.
Walking down the street, people can easily see our sign.
To enroll, an application must be sent by April 1.
To enroll, you must send an application by April 1.

19. Drafting Effective Paragraphs
Arrange paragraphs in one of these plans:
Direct Plan. Main sentence followed by supporting sentences (best for defining, classifying, illustrating, and describing ideas).

20. Drafting Effective Paragraphs
Arrange paragraphs in one of these plans:
Pivoting Plan. Limiting sentences, main sentence, supporting sentences (for comparing and contrasting).

21. Drafting Effective Paragraphs
Arrange paragraphs in one of these plans:
Indirect Plan. Supporting sentences, main sentences (for describing causes followed by effects).

22. Drafting Effective Paragraphs
To build paragraph coherence, link ideas with one of these techniques:
Sustain the key idea by repeating a key expression or a similar word throughout a paragraph.

23. Drafting Effective Paragraphs
To build paragraph coherence, link ideas with one of these techniques:
Dovetail sentences by connecting the beginning of each new sentence with a word from the end of the previous sentence.

24. Drafting Effective Paragraphs
To build paragraph coherence, link ideas with one of these techniques:
Use of a pronoun in one sentence to refer to a noun in the previous sentence.