1. Effective Written Business Communication Maryland AAHAM Jim Grigsby CRCE- I, CHCS April 17, 2015

2. Communicating Your Message Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved.

3. Improve your writing by reading

4. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Dr. Seuss I would not like them here or there. I would like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am. Green Eggs and Ham - 1960

5. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. David McCullough He would stand at his place, back straight, walking stick in hand, at times letting the stick slip between thumb and forefinger to make a quick tap on the floor, as if to punctuate a point. The “clear and sonorous voice” would fill the room. John Adams John Adams 2001

6. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Why We Write To inform or explain To ask for help or information To move people to action

7. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Effective Professional Business Writing Clear Organized Succinct

8. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. The Wrong Impression Punctuation errors Misspelled words Poor format Redundancy Rambling

9. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Cautionary Statement of Advice Failure to avoid excessive utilization of multisyballistic verbiage to approximate extreme eruditeness, in an endeavor to astound beneficiaries of your profound abilities in composition, will generate a deleterious effect.

10. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Your Business Writing Reflects You Clear Concise Accurate Organized Professional

11. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Reach Your Audience Tailor writing to recipients Emulate well-written documents

12. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Proof Read Spelling and grammar Punctuation Accuracy Read each sentence backwards Ask a colleague to review

13. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Reference Manuals Dictionary Oxford American, Webster’s, New American www.dictionary.com www.m-w.com Roget’s Thesaurus Elements of Style The Chicago Manual of Style

14. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Most Valuable Tools Administrative Assistants Business Writing classes

15. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Specific Documents Memos Emails Letters Articles Reports & Executive Summaries

16. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Action Memo Clearly state what you expect or need Why you need a specific action Deadline Provide details Bullets Graphs Supporting documents

17. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Email Is email the best method to communicate? Professional document - treat as a memo Stop after two exchanges

18. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Remember Email, texts, and diamonds are forever

19. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Letter Clear, concise, and professional Organized content Appearance Format Printed envelope Accurate Proof read

20. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Report Factual and accurate Know your audience Professional Organized content Charts Graphs Hyperlinks [electronic only]

21. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Report Revise Proof read: double check everything Professional appearance Print Staple or bind

22. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Executive Summary Write for a busy executive Summary of k ey information Reference the details Include graphs and charts

23. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Published Article Credible professional writing Verify information Retain research notes and documentation Ask a colleague to critique and proof read Meet deadlines Expect editorial and peer review Know your employer’s policies

24. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Effective Written Business Communication Write clearly, accurately, and professionally Write clearly, accurately, and professionally Write for your audience Write for your audience Read, review, and revise Read, review, and revise

25. Copyright 2015 by Jim Grigsby. All rights reserved. Thank You Jim Grigsby Jim Grigsby Consulting 772-539-1990 jgrigsby@jimgrigsbyconsulting.com