1. Business Communication

2. The Writing Process
Step 1: Plan
Step 2: Write
Step 3: Complete

3. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience 1. Use the “You” attitude.
Replace I, me, mine, we, us and ours, with you and yours.

4. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to your Audience
Instead of this
Write this Instead of this
We offer MP3 players with 50, 75 or 100 gigabytes of storage capacity.
You can choose an MP3 player with 50, 75 or 100 gigabytes of storage.

5. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience
Avoid using “you” and “yours”
Make you sound dictatorial.
Make someone feel guilty.
Is innapropriate for the culture.
Goes agains the organization’s style.

6. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience Instead of this Write this
You failed to deliver the customer’s order on time.
The customer didn’t receive the order on time.

7. Step 2 - Writing
A. Adapt to Your Audience
2. Maintain good etiquette

8. Step 2: Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience 3. Emphasize the positive.
Instead of this
Write this
It is impossible to repair your laptop today.
Your computer can be ready by Tuesday.
Would you like a loaner until then?

9. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience Avoid Euphemisms
“senior citizens” “old people”

10. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience 4. Use bias-free language
Gender bias.
Racial and ethnic bias.
Age bias.
Disability bias.

11. Putting the disability before the person
Examples
Unacceptable
Preferable
Disability Bias
Putting the disability before the person
Disabled workers face many barriers
on the job.
An epileptic, Tracy has no trouble
doing her job.
Workers with physical disabilities face many
barriers on the job.
Tracy’s epilepsy has no effect on her job
performance.

12. Step 2 - Writing
A. Adapt to Your Audience
5. Establish credibility

13. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience
6. Project your company’s preferred image

14. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience
7. Use a conversational but still professional and respectful tone.
Select passive or active voice.

15. Step 2 - Writing A. Adapt to Your Audience
8. Use plain language for clarity.

16. Step 2 - Writing
B. Compose Your Message
1. Choose strong words.

17. Potentially Weak Words and Phrases
Stronger Alternatives
(effective usage depends on the situation)
Increase (as a verb)
Accelerate, amplify, augment, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, magnify, multiply, soar, swell
Decrease (as a verb)
Curb, cut back, depreciate, dwindle, shrink, slacken
We are committed to providing . . .
We provide . . .
It is in our best interest to . . .
We should . . .

18. Large, small
(use a specifi c number, such as $100 million)
Good
Admirable, beneficial, desirable, flawless, pleasant, superior, worthy
Bad
Abysmal, corrupt, deficient, flawed, inadequate, inferior, poor, substandard, worthless

19. Step 2 - Writing B. Compose Your Message
2. Pay attention to the connotative meaning of your words.

20. Step 2 - Writing B. Compose Your Message
3. Balance concrete and abstract words.

21. Concrete or abstract?
Source:
Source:
Source:
Source:

22. Step 2 - Writing B. Compose Your Message
4. Avoid clichés and trendy buzzwords.
Buzzwords, newly coined terms often associated with technology, business, or cultural changes.

23. Step 2 - Writing B. Compose Your Message
5. Use jargon only when your audience understands it.
“Jargon, the specialized language of a particular profession or industry.”

24. Step 2 - Writing B. Compose Your Message
6. Vary your sentences structure for impact and interest.

25. Step 2 - Writing B. Compose Your Message
Sentences come in four basic varieties:
Simple
Compound
Complex
Compound-complex

26. Step 2 - Writing B. Compose Your Message
7. Develop coherent, unified paragraphs.
Basic elements of a paragraph:
Topic sentence.
Support sentences that develop the topic.
Transitional words or phrases.

27. Step 2 - Writing
B. Compose Your Message
7. Use transitions.

28. Step 2 - Writing Frequently Used Transitions
Addition or amplification: and, furthermore, besides, next, moreover, in addition, again, also, similarly, too, finally, second, subsequently, last.
Contrast: but, or, nor, yet, still, however, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, conversely, although.

29. Step 2 - Writing Frequently Used Transitions
Example: for example, for instance, such as, thus, that is.
Sequence: first, second, third, next, then.

30. Step 2 - Writing Frequently Used Transitions
Time or place: at the same time, simultaneously, above, below, further on, so far, until now.
Conclusion: therefore, thus, then, in conclusion, consequently, as a result, accordingly, finally.