Audience oriented
Purposeful
Economical
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 1
Improving Your
Business Writing
To improve your writing skills, you need
Good teaching materials with excellent
model documents
An effective writing
process
A trainer (like your
instructor)
Practice
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 2
The Writing Process
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 3
Approximately how much time
should be spent at each stage?
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 4
Prewriting
Analyzing the purpose and the audience
• Identifying your purpose
• Selecting the best channel
• Switching to faster channels
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 5
Factors Determining
Channel Selection
Importance of message
Amount and speed of feedback required
Necessity of a permanent record
Cost of the channel
Degree of formality required
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 6
Factors Affecting
Media Richness
Speed
Interactivity
Verbal and
nonverbal cues
Everyday
language
Focus on individual
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 7
• Rate the Personal letter 1
following from Fax
5 to 1 in terms
2
of media Face-to-face, one-on-one discussion 5
richness Posted flyer or announcement
(5 = media
1
rich; 1 = Instant Message 4
media poor) Telephone call 4
• Discuss any
Teleconference (audio) 4
differences
with the Video conference (audio and video) 5
suggested
ratings
Voice mail 3
provided. E-mail 2
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 8
Choosing Communication Channels
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 9
Choosing Communication Channels
(continued)
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 10
Choosing Communication Channels
(concluded)
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 11
E-mail
What channel is Fax
Letter
best to announce
decreased
Memo
Report
insurance benefits
Telephone
for 250 employees? Voice Mail
Meeting
Conversation
Discuss any differences with the Web
suggested answers provided.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 12
What channel is E-mail
best for a sales Fax
message promoting Letter
a new product to Memo
customers? Report
Telephone
What channel is Voice Mail
best for responding Meeting
to similar customer Conversation
inquiries? Web
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 13
Prewriting
Analyzing the purpose and the audience
• Identifying your purpose
• Selecting the best channel
• Switching to faster channels
Anticipating the Audience
• Profiling the audience
• Responding to the profile
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 14
Asking the Right Questions to
Profile Your Audience
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 15
Asking the Right Questions to
Profile Your Audience
(concluded)
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 16
Prewriting
Analyzing the purpose and the audience
• Identifying your purpose
• Selecting the best channel
• Switching to faster channels
Anticipating the Audience
• Profiling the audience
• Responding to the profile
Adapting to the task and audience
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 17
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e
Mary Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 18
Chapter 2, Slide
Spotlight Audience Benefits
Shape your statements to involve the
reader.
Instead of this: Try this:
We are promoting a You will enjoy total peace
new plan that we of mind with our
believe has many affordable hospitalization
outstanding benefits. plan that meets all your
needs.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 19
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Cultivate
A “You”
View
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 20
Cultivate a “You” View
Emphasize second-person pronouns
(you/your) instead of first-person pronouns
(I/we, us, our)
Instead of this: Try this:
Before we can allow you to You may begin
purchase items on this new making purchases
account, we must wait two on your new account
weeks to verify your credit. in two weeks.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 21
Create audience benefits and use the
“you view.”
Revise these sentences: These are better:
We are now offering Quick now purchase
You can
H-P computers at H-P computers at
discounted prices. Check prices.
discounted
We are pleased to Congratulations! You
announce that you have have been selected to
been approved to enroll enter our leadership
in our leadership training program!
training program.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 22
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Cultivate
Sound
A “You”
Conversational
View
Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e
Mary Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 23
Chapter 2, Slide
Sound Conversational
Instead of this: Try this:
The undersigned takes I’m happy to . . .
pleasure in . . .
It may be of some concern We’ve credited your
to you to learn that your account for $250.
check has been received
and your account has been
credited for $250.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 24
Levels of Language Use
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Found in
Some comic Business Scientific writing,
strips, and songs, messages, novels, legal documents,
some most newspapers, scholarly books,
commercials, and most formal essays,
some magazines proclamations
conversations,
some IM and
e-mail messages
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 25
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Characterized by
Incorrect grammar, Correct grammar Correct grammar,
unpredictable and punctuation, serious tone,
sentence structure, conversational complex sentence
inappropriate tone, simple structure,
punctuation, slang, sentence structure, polysyllabic words
vulgarisms familiar words
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 26
Unprofessional Conversational Formal
Examples
wasted ruined annihilated
nab catch apprehend
bad-mouth criticize disparage
dough, bread money currency
stewed, intoxicated, inebriated
plastered drunk
I ain’t I’m not I am not
humongous enormous prodigious
tight frugal penurious
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 27
Revise to make the tone conversational,
yet professional and concise.
Revise these sentences: These are better:
To facilitate contract Quickurge you to
We
ratification, your negotiators approve the contract
urge that the membership Check yes.
by voting
respond in the affirmative.
Kindly inform the undersigned Please tell me whether
whether or not your your representative will
representative will be making be visiting before June
a visitation in the near future. 1.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 28
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Create a
Employ Cultivate
Message That
Positive A “You”
Suits Your
Language View
Audience
Sound
Conversational
Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e
Mary Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 29
Chapter 2, Slide
Employ Positive Language
Instead of this: Try this:
Employees may not use the Employees may use
First Street entrance during the Market Street
remodeling. entrance during
remodeling.
We cannot fill your order We can fill your order
until we receive an exact once we receive an
model number. exact model number.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 30
Hidden Messages
Some words and phrases convey a
negative and unpleasant tone. They
may imply a hidden message that the
writer does not intend. Think twice
before using the following negative
expressions.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 31
Negative Language Hidden Meaning
You overlooked You are careless
You state that But I don’t believe you
You failed to You are careless
You claim that It’s probably untrue
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 inefficient and careless
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 32
State ideas more positively.
Revise these sentences: These are better:
We must withhold payment Quick will be paid
You
until you complete the job promptly once the
satisfactorily. Check completed
job is
satisfactorily.
If you fail to follow each By following each
requirement, you will not requirement, you will
receive your $50 rebate. receive your $50
rebate.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 33
Spotlight
Audience
Benefits
Use Cultivate
Inclusive A “You”
Create a
Language View
Message That
Suits Your
Audience
Employ
Sound
Positive
Conversational
Language
Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e
Mary Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 34
Chapter 2, Slide
Use Inclusive Language
Instead of this: Try this:
Have you called a Have you called a
salesman? salesperson?
Every executive All executives have their own
has his own office. offices.
Every executive has an office.
This alternative is
All executives have offices.
wordy and calls Every executive has his or
attention to itself
her own office.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 35
Revise to use inclusive language.
Revise these sentences: These are better:
Any applicant for the Applicants for police
position of policeman must Quick officer positions must
submit a medical report submit medical
signed by his physician.
Check reports signed by
their physicians.
Every employee is entitled All employees are
to see his personnel file. entitled to see their
personnel files.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 36
Spotlight
Audience
Draw on Benefits Cultivate
Familiar A “You”
Words View
Create a
Message That
Adopt Suits Your Sound
Plain Audience Conversational
Language
Use
Use Positive
Inclusive
Language
Language
Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e
Mary Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 37
Chapter 2, Slide
Adopt Plain Language
Avoid federalese, bureaucratese, and inflated
language.
Federalese: Each person to whom the request is herein addressed
is henceforth solicited to submit, or to have his or her department
representative submit, to the Department of Labor official
described above, a comment on whether the proposed plan, in his
or her considered view, meets the requirements of the 2003 law.
Simple Translation: You may wish to comment on whether the
proposed plan meets the requirements of the 2003 law.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 38
Draw on Familiar Words
Avoid long, difficult, and unfamiliar
words. Use short, simple, and common
words whenever possible.
Less familiar words Simple alternatives
encounter meet
extrapolate project
obligatory required
terminate end
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 39
Revise the following sentences using
simpler language.
Please ascertain whether Please find out whether
we must perpetuate our we must continue our Quick
current contract. current contract.
Check
He hypothesized that He guessed that stock
stock values would values would fall.
deteriorate.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 40
Revise the following sentences using
simpler language.
Because we cannot Because we cannot
monitor all activities, we Quickcheck all activities, we
must terminate the must end the contract.
agreement. Check
I’ll interface with Mark to I’ll talk with Mark about
access his people. using his staff.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 41
Seven Ways Technology Can
Improve Your Business Writing
Fighting writer’s block
Collecting information electronically
Outlining and organizing ideas
Improving correctness and precision
Adding graphics for emphasis
Designing and producing
professional-looking documents,
presentations, and Web pages
Using collaborative software for
team writing
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 2, Slide 42