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© Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 5 - 2

Writing Business Messages


Planning Writing Completing

Analyze Situation

Gather Information

Select Medium

Get Organized

Revise

Produce

Proofread

Distribute

Adapt to

the Audience

Compose

the Message

Three-Step Writing Process

Writing Business MessagesBringing Your Ideas to Life

1. Adapting to your audience

2. Build strong relationship

3. Control your style and tone

4. Composing your message

5. Creating effective sentences

6. Crafting unified, coherent paragraphs

Exercise Brain Circling

E:/Business Games/PPT/Brain Circling.pptx


Adapting to the Audience

Relationships

Sensitivity to

Audience’s Need

Style and Tone


Audience Sensitivity

Adopt a

“You” AttitudePage 117

Demonstrate

Business EtiquettePage 118

Emphasize

the PositivePage 120

Use Bias-Free

LanguagePage 122


Using the “You” Attitude

Audience Focus

Genuine Empathy

Sensitivity to Situations

Professionalism


Business Etiquette

Be Diplomatic

Practice Courtesy

Respond Promptly


Emphasize the Positive

Instead of This Use This

To help us process this order,

we must ask for another copy of

the requisition.

So that your order can be filled

promptly, please send another

copy of the requisition.

You should never use that type

of paper in the copy machine.

That type of paper doesn’t work

very well in the copy machine.



Use Positive Language


Failing

Used Cars

Cheap merchandise

Elderly Person

Pimples and Zits

Underperforming

Pre-owned vehicles

Bargain Prices

Senior Citizen

Complexion Problems


Bias-Free Language

Age Gender DisabilityRace or

Ethnicity


Build A Strong Audience Relationship

Establish

Your Credibility

Build the

Company’s Image


Establish Your Credibility

EndorsementsConfidence and

Performance

Communication

StyleSincerity

Honesty and

Objectivity

Audience

Awareness

Credentials

and Expertise


Build Company Image

Be a Spokesperson

Ask for Assistance

Observe Your Colleagues

Back Company Interests

Follow Company Guidelines


Controlling

Style And Tone

Sentence Structure

and Vocabulary

ConversationalTone

Plain English

Active andPassive Voice


Use a Conversational Tone

Business Messages

Pompous

or Obsolete

Language

Preaching

or Bragging

Emotion or

Intimacy

Humor or

Satire

Avoid Using Use Carefully


Writing in Plain English

Straightforward

Easy to Understand

Conversational


Using the Right Voice

Subject + Verb + Object

Joe rented the car.

Active Voice

Object + Verb + Subject

The car was rented by Joe.

Passive Voice

Characteristics Characteristics

Direct Concise Vigorous Indirect Tactful Reserved

Finding the Right Tone



Word Choice

Sentences

Paragraphs

Composing the Message


Function and Content Words

Content WordsFunctional Words

Unchanging

Meaning

Mechanical

Usage

Denotations

Concrete

Words

Connotations

Correctness

and Suitability

Abstract

Words


Finding Words That

Communicate Well

Use Strong Verbs

Avoid Clichés & Buzzwords

Use Familiar Words

Minimize Jargon


Effective Sentences

Compound

Compound-Complex

Simple

Complex

Types of Sentences

• Simple – one main clause

Profits increased in the past year.

• Compound – two main clauses

Wage rates have declined by 5 percent, and

employee turnover has been high.


Types of Sentences

• Complex – one main clause and one

subordinate clause

Although you may question Gerald’s

conclusions, you must admit that his research

is thorough.


Types of Sentences

• Compound-Complex – two main

clauses and at least one dependent

clause.

Profits have increased in the past year, and

although you may question Gerald’s

conclusions, you must admit that his research

is thorough.



Coherent Paragraphs

Topic Sentences

Support Sentences

Transitions


Paragraph Development

•Illustration

•Comparison/Contrast

•Cause and Effect

•Classification

•Problem and Solution

•Use examples for support

•Use similarities and differences

•Focus on reasons for something

•Categorize a general idea

•Pose problems, offer solutions

Technique Description


Using Technology

• Style Sheets and Templates

• Smart Documents

• Master Documents

• Auto-completion

• Auto-correction


Using Technology

• Endnotes, footnotes, indexes, and table of

contents

• Wizards

• Mail merge


Using “YOU” Attitude

The “you” attitude is bestimplemented by expressing yourmessage in terms of audience’sinterests and needs.



• To help us process this order, we

must ask for another copy of the

requisition.

• So that your order can be filled

promptly, please send another copy of

the requisition.



• We are pleased to announce our new

flight schedule from Atlanta to New

York, which is any hour on the hour.

• Now you can take a plane from Atlanta

to New York any hour on the hour.



• We offer MP3 players with 50, 75, or

100 gigabytes of storage capacity.

• Select your MP3 player from three

models with 50, 75, or 100 gigabytes of

storage capacity.



• Tuesday is the only day that we can

promise quick response to purchase

order requests; we are swamped the

rest of the week.

• If you need a quick response, please

submit your purchase order requests on

Tuesday.



• Avoid “you” when:

– Sound dictatorial.

– Make some one else feel guilty.

– Against your organization style.



• You failed to deliver the customer’s

order on time.

• The customer didn’t receive the order

on time.

OR

• Let’s figure out a system that will ensure

on-time deliveries.



• You must correct all five copies by

noon.

• All five copies must be corrected by

noon.


Functional Words

• Conjunctions

• Prepositions

• Articles, and

• Pronouns

express relationships and have only

one unchanging meaning.


Content Words

• Nouns

• Verbs

• Adjectives, and

• Adverbs

are multidimensional and subject to

various interpretations.


Style

• A quality of imagination and

individuality expressed in one's actions

and tastes.

• The way in which something is said,

done, expressed, or performed.

Weeding Out Obsolete Phrases


Finding the Words That Communicate with Power


Connotations

• Feelings, associations and emotions

evoked by the word.

Sales department failed to achieve

100% target.

Or

Sales department achieved 85% target.


Denotations

• Literal or dictionary meaning.

desk - A piece of furniture typically

having a flat or sloping top for writing

and often drawers or compartments.


Abstract words

• Abstract words refer to concepts or

ideas-things you cannot see, hear,

taste, touch, or smell. Examples

include; love, success, freedom, good,

moral, democracy, and any -ism

(chauvinism, Communism, feminism,

racism, sexism).


Concrete words

• Concrete words refer to things you can

see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.

Examples include; spoon, table, velvet

eye patch, nose ring, sinus mask,

green, hot, walking.


Rewrite in Simple Words

• Campus Jewelers’ main objective is to

increase sales. Specifically, the objective

is to double sales in the next five years by

becoming a more successful business.

• Campus Jewelers’ objective is to double

sales in the next five years.


• As of this date I haven't received any

documents

• So far I haven't received any documents.

• I am in receipt of your letter.

• I have received your letter.


• In the event that it happens, I will go to

Australia.

• If it happens, I will go to Australia.

• It often rains in the month of July.

• It often rains in July.

• Kindly confirm the same.

• Please confirm.


Use a comma to separate a phrase which

precedes the main sentence.

• For any further clarification on vendor

discount related issues please call Monica

Giroux on Dial Comm. 8*622 2107.

• For any further clarification on vendor

discount related issues, please call Monica

Giroux on Dial Comm. 8*622 2107.


Please restate.

• I believe the changes went in, have we

tested the changes to see if the data is

following the assignment rules?

• I believe the changes have been made.

Have we tested them to see if the data is

following the assignment rules?

Etiquette

• Once again, you’ve managed to bring

down the entire website through your

incompetent programming.


• Let’s review the last website update to

explore ways to improve the process.

Etiquette

• You’ve been sitting on our order for

two weeks, and we need it now!


• Our production schedules depend on

timely delivery of parts and supplies, but

we have not yet received the order you

promised to deliver two weeks ago.

Please respond today with a firm

delivery commitment.

Positive


Bias in Language


Groups Pattern

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20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

29 30 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

38 39 40 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

28 29 30 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

37 38 39 40 31 32 33 34 35 36

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40