Business Communications (X 109) Module 2 The Writing Process
Creating Business Messages Organizing and Perfecting Business Messages

Basics of business writing
• Business messages are different from college essays, term papers, and messages to friends. • Conciseness and clarity count.

The Writing Process
• Planning and prewriting • Composing • Revising and editing

Effective Business Messages
• Have a purpose
– General – Specific

• Are clear and concise • Consider the needs of the audience

Outlining
• Define the main idea • State the three to five major points • Support with evidence

Audience Analysis
• • • • • • Primary audience Secondary audience Reaction of audience Knowledge level of audience Relationship to audience Expectations of audience

Factors To Consider
• • • • • • • Importance of the message Richness of the channel Formality of message Urgency and cost Need for a permanent record Immediacy of feedback required Organizational and audience preferences

Approach: Direct or Indirect?
• Direct
– – – – Main idea first, followed by evidence Routine messages Positive messages Some negative messages

• Indirect
– Evidence first, build case towards main idea – Most negative messages

Connect With Your Audience
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Adopt a “you” attitude Be sincere, respectful, polite Stress audience benefits Emphasize the positive Use plain, simple language Use bias-free language

Use Plain, Simple Language
• Use short, familiar words • Don’t confuse your audience or try to be purposefully vague • Minimize jargon

Use Bias-Free Language
• Avoid
– – – – Gender bias Racial and ethnic bias Age bias Disability bias

It’s All About Balance
• To be most effective, use a variety of sentences throughout your writing
• Simple • Compound • Complex • Compound-Complex

Coherent Paragraphs
• Focus on one topic • Contain supportive sentences • Include transitional elements to connect ideas

1. Informative Letter Template

Summary Statement

Main Message

Background

Circumstances

Details

Facts, Data, Reason

Conclusion

Closing statement

2. Confirmation of Contract Template

Summary Statement

Main Message

Background

Circumstances

Confirmation Details

Summary of terms agreed upon Closing statement

Conclusion

3. Thank you Letter Template

Summary

Main Messagewhat you would say if you were speaking to the person Meaningfulness Meaningfulne of of actions ss actions

Comments

Conclusion

Closing statement

4. Instruction Letter Template

Summary Statement

Main Message Why is instruction required?

Reason

Instruction Details

Actual Instructions

Conclusion

Closing statement

5. Reference Letter Template

Summary

Main Message

Evidence

Person’s strengths, accomplishments etc. Closing statement

Conclusion

6. Transmittal Letter Template

Summary Statement

Main Message Circumstances, reasons for letter Comments on attachments and implications Closing statement

Background

Comments

Conclusion

Revising Your Message
• Revise for clarity • Revise for conciseness • Revise for readability

Revise for Clarity
• Write short sentences • Avoid dangling modifiers • Use active voice

Revise for Conciseness
• Remove unnecessary words • Replace unnecessary phrases with single words • Eliminate redundancies

Revise for Readability
• Vary sentence length • Keep paragraphs short • Aim for parallelism

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Revise for Readability
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• Use numbered and bulleted lists • Add headings and subheadings • Use additional graphic techniques strategically
– Bold – Underline – Italic

Produce Your Message
• Be consistent
– Margins – Font type and size – Spacing (white space, indents, margins, headings)

• Create a balanced look to your document

Proofread Your Message
• Spelling: don’t just rely on the computer! • Grammar • Punctuation • Missing content? • Format and design