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©2007 by the McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Business Writing Design

©2007 by the McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

McGraw­Hill/Irwin

Thinking through the Written Design

Warren Buffet uses a clear and down- to-earth writing style that really engages readers of his Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report.

© Eric Francis/Getty Images

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The Writing Process

 Freewriting

◦

process of writing all the message ideas that come into your mind nonstop without lifting your pen or pausing at the computer

 Listing

◦

composing a list of all the things that need to go into the document you plan to write

 Clustering

◦

determining the relationships among the ideas of a message

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1. Generating ideas and prewriting

The Writing Process

FIGURE 8.1 Clustering

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The Writing Process

• Gathering information

• Considering strategy

 Direct strategy

◦

states the message goal first

 Indirect strategy

◦ warms up the audience with information and goodwill

before delivering the message goal

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2. Writing

The Writing Process

• Outlining and drafting

 Outline

◦

structured list of the information to be included in the message

 Drafting

◦ writing the first version of text on paper or computer

screen

 Accumulative

 Relational

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2. Writing (continued)

The Writing Process

•  Revising

◦

re-vision, looking at the document as if you had never seen it before •  Re-outlining

◦ writing a new outline based on the original document you

wrote •  Slash and burn

◦

total revision strategy in which you select certain points of a document and then rewrite it using only those points from the original work

3. Revising and redrafting

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4. Editing and proofreading

The Writing Process

FIGURE 8.2 Slash and Burn

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Business Writing Style

Business writing focuses on the audience and how they will interpret and respond to the message. © Ryan McVay/Getty Images

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Business Writing Style

 “You” view

◦ writing that is focused on the interests of

readers

• The “You” View

• How Do I Know My Message Has the

“You” View?

• The “You” View Builds Good Public

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Relations

Business Writing Style

• Should I Always Use the “You” View?

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• Positive Expression and Reader Benefits

Business Writing Style

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• Active Sentences and Concrete Language

Business Writing Style

(continued)

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• Active Sentences and Concrete Language

Business Writing Style

(continued)

• Active Sentences and Concrete Language

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• Grammatical Correctness

Designing Memos and Letters

FIGURE 8.3 Components of Letters and Memos

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Designing Memos and Letters

• Introduction

• Body

• Closing

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• Formatting  Margins  Font  Justification

Designing Memos and Letters

internal, written channel of communication

Marion King, CEO, Industrial Enterprises Justin Potter, Marketing Director JP. March 1, 2004

  Memos ◦

TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Productivity statistics for fourth-quarter 2003

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• Sample Memos

Designing Memos and Letters

typically an external, written channel of communication

 Letterhead stationery or sender’s address  Date  Recipient’s address  Salutation: terms of address

mixed/open punctuation styles

 Subject line  Body  Complimentary close  Addenda

  Letters ◦

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• Sample Letter

Designing Memos and Letters

• Using Bias-Free Language

Don’t Use

 Trish was very abrupt at the meeting—she must have her period.

 The salesman will show you a sample.

 I can’t locate our waitress.

 The black lady, who was our lead engineer, took a job at another company.

 This project will require a lot of manpower.

 He’s just a loud Italian!

 We have another person in our legal department, and she’s gay.

 Bill is the old guy that sits near the window.

 We hire handicapped people.

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Writing Collaboratively

◊

each member produces a section of the document

◊

then one team member compiles various sections to produce draft

• How Does Collaborative Writing Work?

◊

incorporate input from all the members of the team

◊

recognize a group seldom agrees unanimously

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• Revising and Editing Together

Writing Collaboratively

 Make sure collaborative writing is clearly oriented

toward shared and defined goals.

 If a team leader is not designated beforehand, ask the group to choose a leader or coordinator. The leader needs to be a decent writer, but also needs to have a comprehensive vision of the project.

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• Practice Team Writing

Writing Collaboratively

 The leader should be responsible for compiling the

written input from each team member and then sharing successive drafts with the group.

 Encourage the team to focus on substantive matters

(facts, policies and processes).

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• Practice Team Writing (continued)

Writing Collaboratively

 Make sure the writing produced has a uniform and consistent voice. Help the team understand that concerns for specific phrasing are often matters of individual taste.

 Whenever possible, avoid that most tedious exercise— group editing. Meetings set aside for final editing must be strictly time limited.

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• Practice Team Writing (continued)

Designing E-Mail Messages

 E-mail

◦

internal and external written channel of communication that transmits messages over the Internet

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• Communication Style

Designing E-Mail Messages

• Should Business

Professionals Use Cyberspeak In E-Mail Messages?

• Privacy Issues

• Constructing the

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Message

Designing E-Mail Messages

 Subject line

 Courtesy copies

 Salutation

 Body

 Close

 Attachments

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• Construction Format For E-Mail Messages

Designing E-Mail Messages

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• E-Mail Do’s and Don’ts

Designing E-Mail Messages

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• E-Mail Do’s and Don’ts (continued)

Designing E-Mail Messages

• E-Mail Do’s and Don’ts (continued)

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• Sample E-Mail Messages

Questions

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