Written CommunicationWriting Business Letters, Internal Memos, e mails and Report Writing

Overview Communication must add value to information,

rather than simply distribute it. Written communication has the potential to accomplish this in multiple ways.

Long ago Confucius had said “If the language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what ought to be done remains undone”.

Defective written communication leads to congestion of information while the effective written communication keeps the traffic flowing freely, nurtures relationships and ensures success in business.

Stressors in Management CommunicationMajor problems in writing of documents

% of managers finding difficulty

Meeting deadlines 76

Identifying appropriate information for the document

68

Organizing information in document 65

Writing instructions that the workers understand

58

Summarizing information from other sources

46

Understanding grammatical and stylistic conventions

33

Creating effective tables, graphs and charts 18

Good writing principles

Having a clear purpose Being audience focused Stating your key message clearly Staying on topic Observing economy of words Using simple sentences Consider deliver strategy (authorship,

timing, format)

Start up strategies

Questioning method Traditional outline method Brainstorming method Free writing method Scoping of the work (broad scope, focused)

The first draft

Get your ideas down (set the ball rolling, do not miss on facts)

Build on strong paragraphs (begin with familiar, end with new; limit the number of subjects in each paragraph; make the audience the subject of the key sentences; include issue, point and discussions in that order;)

Create transitions (consequently, likewise)

Use design elements to lighten the reader’s load (use headings and sub headings, small sentences, use a combination of text and graphics, do not overdo design elements)

The craft of editing Editing for content: attention stopping beginning,

unambiguous start up, compelling logic in the middle and a tight wrap up. The ending should not use any new subject, should be brief and the writer’s point of view clearly stated.

Editing for style: forceful style, passive style, personal style, impersonal style, colorful style, colorless style. The style will be determined by the situation, relationship with the reader and the goal / occasion

Tighten and sharpen the sentences: economy of words, minimal use of jargon and bureaucratic language, sentence length and structure, voice

Editing for accuracy: spelling and grammatical errors, misstatement of facts

A final check up

A written document is a reflection on its author. It is necessary to make double check for typos, ambiguous statements, wrong spellings, and errors of facts. As an extra precaution, it is better to have someone else put his / her eyes on the job. The person may well see what you may have missed

Strategic Role of Written Communication

Written communication causes many a people a great amount of stress, and needs to be appropriately addressed

People look forward to receiving mail It activates customer recognition, purchasers and

loyalty; improves profits. Customers prefer suppliers who keep in touch

It is a powerful means of rewarding people, publicly disseminating praise and encouragement within the ranks

Need to be cautious about overdoing the act

Myths about written communication

1. More communication is better communication: A blizzard of paper causes snow blindness, ensuring that the business’s key aims and objectives continually drift out of focus. It results in inertia, internal feuding and missed opportunities

2. Written communication equals a fulfilled obligation: The assumption is that if a message is received, it is read, understood and acted upon. In fact repetition of key points is important

3. Informing someone is the same as persuading them: A mismatch between the information need of the receiver and the giver results in ignoring the communication (unread mission statements, warning on the bottles)

Myths about written communication

4. Using one channel of communication is sufficient– it saves money: Effective communication requires us to

(a) Employ multiple channels for important information

(b) Use written channels several times

(c) Engage in systematic, planned repetition of key theme messages (hospital brochures, health warnings etc)

5. Channel proliferation = increased information: Face to face contact more important for key issues. Written contact should reinforce this rather than paper over its absence

Evaluating Channels of Communication Feedback potential – response time Complexity capacity – can it handle complex messages Breadth potential – how many messages can be disseminated Confidentiality - security Encoding case – can it be sent quickly Decoding case – can it be received quickly Time space constraint – simultaneity of presence Costs – expensive? Interpersonal warmth - can it reflect Formality – does it have this? Scan ability – can it locate relevant message Time of consumption – how much effort to delete the message

The rules of high impact writing Attract the recipient’s attention: Ignored messages

fail to persuade. Worse still, messages submerged in small print lose any sense of urgency, purpose or conviction

Ensure that the arguments in the message are understood: Key arguments should be simple, repeated, short and to the point.

Enable the recipient to appreciate the arguments contained in the message and come to accept them as true: The argument should promise the reader a benefit – what is there for me? The sender should answer this question clearly and subtly repeat several times

Power Writing 1 Use concrete words rather than abstract words

and sentences: Aim to write the way you speak State pre-suppositions explicitly rather than refer

to them implicitly: Put your conclusions first then your evidence. (lawyers say ‘my client is innocent’ and then put forward the argument)

Use antithesis: Use ‘not this, but this’. “Ask not what the country can do for you , but what you can do for the country”.

Find the right tone: Needs to be appropriate to the message being communicated; if trying to energise people, the prose must be hot

Power Writing - 2 New information should be related to what people already

know: This will make it more easily understood. Thus put the new information at the end of the sentence and old information at the beginning

Never use a metaphor or other figure of speech that you are not used to seeing in print or spoken aloud: Clichés begin as an arresting image but lose color, subtlety and shade through over use. George Orwell’s advice is:

1. Do not use use long words when short can do2. Never compromise on word cut3. Use active instead passive 4. Do not use a foreign phrase if an appropriate English word

exists

Power Writing - 3

Avoid vague modifiers: Imprecise expressions (bottom line, interface etc) leave the audience puzzled. Padding illuminates an argument in a similar way as a burnt candle a dark room

Make your writings vigorous, direct and personal Identify your central idea and then build around this Use active rather than passive style of writing Build your writing around verbs. They show action, convey

sense and engage the reader “we will storm heaven and earth and will be victorious”

Consider at all times the importance of accuracy, brevity and clarity

Letters and Memos

Effective written memos should follow the same guidelines. They have a definitive purpose, a specific target audience and need to convey clear information in as succinct a fashion as possible.

One of the most important characteristics is length; paper work is an organization’s cholesterol. Readers therefore, respond with gratitude towards short communication, in which the primary point is nevertheless made absolutely clear

Guidelines for writing business e mails

Check if this is the most appropriate medium Consider the need and style of your audience Always use signature as this gives vital contact details Use a talking subject line about the contents Do not unnecessarily mark subjects “Urgent” Keep the message brief; important words in the beginning so

that the reader could see them in the inbox display Keep emphasis to the minimum Check for spellings and grammar Select the recipients list first so that the composition is properly

targeted Do get involved in ‘flaming’ while responding to rude mails

Composing fireproof e mails

Resist the temptation to respond the mail when you are angry; sleep over it before sending the mail.

Consider if you would say the same thing on the person’s face Do not use abusive language Temper your overall enthusiasm in the mail Consider if a face to face meeting would be more appropriate Treat e mail at par with a formal letter; invest similar attention

and energy Review the mail, satisfy yourself before sending

Dealing with complaints Do not delay; respond promptly Resist the temptation to be curt and declare war on the enemy Personalize the reply Thank the person for bringing the problem to your notice Acknowledge that you understand the other person’s point of

view. This deflates the ego and makes the complainant more receptive

If an apology is due, tender this with all humility Ensure that the response to the complaint is signed by a very

senior person If the problem lies with some other department, pass it on to

them and follow up that a suitable response is sent promptly Err on the side of accepting responsibility

Report Writing Reports are primarily factual accounts that

communicate objectively about some aspects of business. Information is more than vague ideas, feelings, opinions, and prejudices; it is verifiable facts or are the conclusions of recognized specialists. They have multiple audience and hence are demanding. In general the reports are expected to be

Timely Well written Well organized Attractive Cost effective

What makes a good report writer?

He should be able to analyze the problem and state it clearly; should discover pertinent issues and define them, look for evidences and knows what to include and leave out.

He has the energy, curiosity and diligence to dig out the information he needs

He is objective and can keep prejudices and preconceptions under control

Economize on words and knows to condense and summarize Accurate and dependable; checks facts and figures Has clarity of thoughts Understands readers’ needs and requirements

Report Structure Title page Table of contents Executive summary Introduction (should include who commissioned

the report) Methodology Findings and conclusions Recommendations (who,why, what, when, costs,

timeframe) Appendices Acknowledgements

Reference Communication skills for effective management

By

Owen Hargie,

David Dickson

Dennis Tourish Report writing by Graves and Hoffman Business communication : Harvard Business

Essentials