1. Project 1: Business Communications Overview

2. Project 1 About the Presentations The presentations cover the objectives found in the opening of each chapter All chapter objectives are listed in the beginning of each presentation You may customize the presentations to fit your class needs Some figures from the chapters are included –A complete set of images from the book can be found on the Instructor Resources disc

3. Project 1 Objectives Define business writing Identify reader action Develop clarity Identify formatting requirements Understand reader needs Use a positive tone Use writing tools in Word

4. Project 1 Introduction In business, you write to accomplish goals in a timely manner Written documents should communicate a clear message that the reader can understand quickly and easily

5. Project 1 Business Communication Essentials Activities in the business communication process: –Reader receives a document In paper or electronic form –Reader reads the document –Reader understands the message –Message requires the reader to take action

6. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Business writing: –Communicates information a reader needs to take a specific action –Reader is central Identifying reader action: –Always keep in mind the action you want performed

7. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-1 Sample reader actions

8. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-2 Vague and action-oriented messages

9. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Version 1: –Does not provide enough information –Reader will probably reply for more information or ignore the message Version 2: –Tells exactly what to do and how to do it –Clear request with specific details

10. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Techniques to develop clarity: –Select precise words Figure 1-3 Rewriting vague sentences

11. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Techniques to develop clarity (contd.): –Use active voice –Active voice sentence: Noun performing the action comes before the verb and is the subject Example: The shipping clerk purchased the packing materials.

12. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Techniques to develop clarity (contd.): –Passive voice sentence: Noun performing the action follows the verb and is the direct object Example: The packing materials were purchased by the shipping clerk.

13. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-4 Passive vs. active voice

14. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Techniques to develop clarity (contd.): –Use everyday vocabulary –Instead of using old-fashioned stock phrases that contribute little, find phrases such as: Thank you for contacting me regarding… Figure 1-5 Common stock phrases

15. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Techniques to develop clarity (contd.): –Eliminate wordiness Figure 1-6 Eliminating wordy sentences

16. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Identify formatting requirements: –Effectively formatted documents are clear and easy to understand –Reader can see at a glance the purpose and main points

17. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Identify formatting requirements (contd.): –Adapt document layout Layout is the positioning of the text on the page

18. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-7 Layout comparison

19. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Identify formatting requirements (contd.): –Version 1: Cramped Inconsistent spacing –Version 2: More white space around the text Positioning makes information stand out List (bullet) format is also effective

20. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-8 Comparison of information presented in a sentence and in a list

21. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Identify formatting requirements (contd.): –Appearance and layout can be perfect yet still fail to communicate –Organize content to promote understanding

22. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-9 Comparison of plain text content and organized content

23. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Identify formatting requirements (contd.): –Techniques to organize content Headings and subheadings Lists Tables

24. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-10 Organizing content in a table form

25. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Understanding reader needs: –A business document may be formatted clearly and still not communicate effectively –Identify reader needs Reader must understand and then be able to act accordingly Use 5W technique: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How

26. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-11 Sample questions and answers to identify reader needs

27. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Understanding reader needs (contd.): –Use reader-centered vocabulary Focus on the reader, not on the writer

28. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-13 Writer-centered and reader-centered vocabulary

29. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Understanding reader needs (contd.): –Use a positive tone Figure 1-14 Using a positive tone

30. Project 1 Essentials (contd.) Figure 1-15 Example of a positively-worded message

31. Project 1 Technology Skills Using Writing Tools in Word Microsoft Word includes a variety of tools to help you write clearly and effectively –Thesaurus Helps you find synonyms and antonyms that clarify your meaning –Spelling and Grammar feature Checks for errors Finds passive voice sentences

32. Project 1 Writing Tools in Word (contd.) Figure 1-16 Using the Thesaurus

33. Project 1 Writing Tools in Word (contd.) Figure 1-16 Using the Thesaurus (contd.)

34. Project 1 Writing Tools in Word (contd.) Figure 1-17 Correcting a passive voice sentence

35. Project 1 Writing Tools in Word (contd.) Figure 1-17 Correcting a passive voice sentence (contd.)