1. Business Communication for the Digital Workplace
The Writing Process

2. Business writing is . . .
Purposeful. It solves problems and conveys information.
Economical. It is concise.
Reader-oriented. It focuses on the receiver, not the sender.

3. The goal is to express rather than impress.

4. The 3 x 3 Writing Process Phase 1: Prewriting Analyzing Anticipating
Adapting

5. Analyze 1. Identify the purpose 2. Select the best channel
Importance of the message?
Feedback required?
Permanent record required?
Cost of the channel?
Degree of formality?

6. Choosing Channels Channel Best use Face-to-face
conversation
Telephone call
Voice mail message
Fax
Best use
To share personal message, be persuasive, or deliver bad news; richest communication channel
For convenience when nonverbal cues are unimportant
To leave message for response when convenient
To cross time zones, to produce written record, for speedy delivery
To exchange information conveniently and quickly, but problematic for some messages

7. Choosing Channels Continued
Best use
When group decisions and
consensus are important
To disperse data or elicit consensus from
geographically dispersed group
To produce formal, written record
for insiders
To produce formal, written record for customers and other outsiders
To deliver complex data internally
or externally
Channel
Face-to-face group meeting
Video or teleconferencing
Memo
Letter
Report

8. Anticipate Profile the audience Primary receivers?
Secondary receivers?
Respond to the profile

9. Adapt
It’s the process of creating a message that suits your audience. An important aspect of adaptation is tone.
Tone - conveyed by the words in a message - reflects how a receiver feels upon reading or hearing a communication.

10. Think about the following statements
You must return the form by 5 p.m.
Please return the form no later than 5 p.m. so we can
process your order today.

11. Adaptive writing techniques
Spotlight receiver benefits (the warranty starts
working for you immediately)
Cultivate the “you” view (you will receive your order)
Use bias-free language avoiding gender, race, age, and disability biases (office workers, not office girls)

12. Adaptive writing continued
Express thoughts positively (you will be happy to, not you won't be sorry that)
Be courteous (avoid sounding demanding or preachy)
Simplify your language (salary, not remuneration)
Use precise, vigorous words (fax me, not contact me)

13. Developing Reader Benefits
Sender-focused
“We are requiring all staffers to complete these forms in compliance with company policy.”
Receiver-focused
“Please complete these forms so that you will be eligible for health and dental benefits.”

14. Developing Reader Benefits
Sender-focused
“Because we need more space for our new inventory, we’re staging a two-for-one sale.”
Receiver-focused
“You can buy a year’s supply of paper and pay for only six months’ worth during our two-for-one sale.”

15. Emphasize the “You” View
“We” view We are issuing a refund. “You” view You will receive a refund. We take pleasure in announcing an agreement we made with Hewlett Packard to allow us to offer discounted printers in the student store. An agreement with Hewlett Packard allows you and other students to buy discounted printers at your convenient student store.

16. Hidden Negative Meanings
Writers are sometimes unaware of the hidden messages conveyed by their words.

17. Hidden Negative Meanings
You overlooked (You are careless.) You failed to You state that (But I don’t believe you.) You claim that (It’s probably untrue.)

18. More Negative Meanings
You are wrong (I am right.) You do not understand (You are not very bright.) Your delay (You are at fault.) You forgot to (You are not only inefficient but also stupid and careless.)
More Negative Meanings

19. Use Bias-Free Language
Gender-Biased
female lawyer
Waitress
man hours
workman
Improved
lawyer
server
working hours
worker
Biased
Each employee has his ID card.
Improved
Each employee has an ID card.
All employees have ID cards.

20. Use Bias-Free Language
Biased
We hired an Indian programmer.
Early-bird specials are only for old people.
Improved
We hired a programmer.
Improved
Early-bird specials are only for people over 65.

21. Use Courteous Language
Less Courteous
Everyone must return these forms by January 1.
More Courteous
Please return the forms by January 1.
This is the second time I’ve had to write! Why can’t you get my account straight?
Attached is my previous letter. Please help me straighten out this account.

22. Use Simple, Familiar Language
Unfamiliar We need to effectuate improvement of our manuals to better elucidate our training goals. Familiar We need to improve our manuals to clarify our training goals. Sales reps generally conjecture when making sales projections for homogeneous territories. Sales reps generally guess when projecting sales in similar territories.

23. Writing Process Phase 2:
Research
Organize
Compose

24. Why is research important?
Answer: The information you collect helps shape the message

25. You have to ask yourself what does the receiver need to know about this topic?

26. Research Continued Methods:
Access electronically – Internet, databases, CD-ROMs
Search manually – books, articles, and other secondary sources
Investigate primary sources – interviews, surveys, focus groups
Experiment scientifically – tests with experimental and control groups Formal Research Methods

27. Research continued Informal Research and Idea Generation:
Look in office files.
Talk with your boss.
Interview the target audience.
Conduct an informal survey.
Brainstorm for ideas.
Develop a cluster diagram.

28. Organize
Well organized messages group similar ideas together

29. Organizing Continued
Two simple ways to organize your information/data:
Scratch List
Outline

30. Organizing Continued Outline Tips: Define the main topic, purpose
Divide the main topic into major components
Break the components into subpoints

31. Outline Sample: Title: Major Idea, Purpose 1. First major component
A. First subpoint Detail, illustration, evidence
2. Second major component
A. First subpoint
1. Detail, illustration, evidence
3. Third major component

32. Organizing Continued Organizing ideas into patterns
Direct pattern for receptive audiences
Indirect pattern for unreceptive audiences

33. Audience Response Determines Pattern of Organization
If pleased
If neutral
DIRECT PATTERN
Good News or
Main Idea
If mildly interested

34. Audience Response Determines Pattern of Organization
If unwilling or
uninterested
If hostile
INDIRECT PATTERN
If displeased or
disappointed
Bad News or
Main Idea

35. Compose Creating Effective Sentences:
Use short sentences (20 or fewer words)
Emphasize important ideas
Use the active voice for most sentences.

36. Compose Continued Using Short Sentences Sentence Length
8 words
15 words
19 words
28 words
Comprehension Rate
100%
90%
80%
50%

37. Compose Continued Emphasizing Important Ideas
Position the most important idea at the beginning of the sentence.
Make sure the most important idea is the subject of the sentence.
Place the main idea in a short sentence.

38. Compose Continued Use the Active Voice for Most Sentences
In Active voice sentences the subject is the doer of the action.
Active voice: Brandon completed his tax return before the April 30 deadline. (Brandon is the doer of the action)
Passive Voice: The tax return was completed before the April 30 deadline. (The subject, tax return, is acted upon)

39. Compose Continued Passive Voice When to use it:
To deemphasize negative news.
To conceal the doer of an action.

40. Compose Continued Drafting Meaningful Paragraphs
Discuss only one topic in each paragraph.
Group similar ideas together
Compose short paragraphs for effective
business messages.

41. Writing Process Phase 3:
Revise
Proofread
Evaluate

42. Revise
Keep it clear.
Keep it conversational.
Keep it concise.

43. Revise continued Keep it clear: Avoid indirect, pompous language.
Poor: It would not be inadvisable for you to affix your signature at this point in time.
Improved: You may sign now.

44. Revise continued Keep it conversational.
Formal: Our Accounting Department takes this opportunity to inform you that we have credited your account for the aforementioned sum.
Conversational: We have credited your account for $100.

45. Revise continued Keep it concise. Remove opening fillers.
Wordy: There are four new menu items we must promote.
Improved: We must promote four new menu items.

46. Revise continued Keep it concise Eliminate redundancies.
collect together
contributing factor
personal opinion
perfectly clear

47. Revise continued Keep it concise at such time Reduce to when.
at which time
due to the fact that
inasmuch as
Reduce to when.
Reduce to because.

48. Revise continued Keep it concise Purge empty words.
As for the area of athletic shoes, the degree of profits sagged.
As for the area of athletic shoes, the degree of profits sagged.
As for athletic shoes, profits sagged.

49. Revise continued Purge empty words.
This is to inform you that we have a toll-free service line.
This is to inform you that we have a toll-free service line.
We have a toll-free service line.

50. Revise continued Purge empty words.
Not all students who are registered will attend.
Not all students who are [registered] will attend.
Not all [registered] students will attend.

51. Revising for Vigour and Directness
Kick the noun habit.
Wordy: We must conduct an investigation of
all parking violations before we can give
consideration to your fine.
Improved: We must investigate all parking
violations before we can consider your fine.

52. Revising for Vigour and Directness
Dump trite business phrases.
Trite: Pursuant to your request, enclosed
please find a job application.
Improved: As requested, we have enclosed
a job application.

53. Revising for Readability
Develop parallelism (balanced construction)
Not parallel: We can collect information, store it,
and later it can be updated.
Parallel: We can collect, store, and update
information.

54. Revising for Readability
Use Bulleted Lists for “High Skim” Value and Comprehension
Consumers expect the following
information at product Web sites:
Price
Quality
Performance
Availability

55. Revising for Readability
Add Headings for Visual Impact and Readability
A number of topics must be discussed at our next
meeting:
Budget Come prepared to discuss your expense
requests.
Schedule Who will be taking vacations or
leaves?
Hiring Soon we must begin the hiring process to
replace Matt.

56. Proofread What to watch for: Spelling Grammar Punctuation
Names and numbers
Format

57. Proofread Continued How to Proofread Routine Documents
For computer messages, read on the screen or, better yet, print a rough copy to read.
For handwritten or printed messages, read carefully and use proofreading marks to indicate changes.

58. Proofread Continued How to Proofread Complex Documents
Print a copy, preferably double-spaced.
Set it aside for a breather.
Allow adequate time for careful proofreading.
Be prepared to find errors. Congratulate, not criticize, yourself each time you find an error!

59. Proofread Continued How to Proofread Complex Documents
Read the message at least twice – for meaning and for grammar/mechanics.
Reduce your reading speed. Focus on individual words.
Read aloud.
Use standard proofreading marks.

60. Evaluate Evaluating the Outcome
How successful will this communication be?
Does the message say what you want it to say?
Will it achieve its purpose?
Did you encourage feedback so that you will know whether it succeeded?

61. The Complete Process 1. Prewriting Analyze Anticipate Adapte
Research
Organize
Compose
3. Revising
Revise
Proofread
Evaluate

62. 1. Prewriting
Analyze: Define your purpose. Select the most appropriate form (channel). Visualize the audience.
Anticipate: Put yourself in the reader’s position and predict their reaction to this message.
Adapt: Consider ways to shape the message to benefit the reader, using his or her language.

63. 2. Writing
Research: Collect data formally and informally. Generate ideas by brainstorming.
Organize: Group ideas into a list or an outline.
Compose: Write first draft, preferably on a computer.

64. 3. Revising
Revise: Revise for clarity, tone, conciseness, and vigour. Revise to improve readability.
Proofread: Proofread to verify spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format. Check for overall appearance.
Evaluate: Ask yourself whether the final product will achieve its purpose.