New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with Technology Tutorial 1 1 Writing Clearly and Effectively in Business.
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New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
1
Writing Clearly and Effectively in Business
2New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Business Communication Process
The reader must receive a document The reader must read the document The reader must understand the document The reader needs to act
All four activities are required ACTION is essential
3New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Document Expected Reader Actions
Sales letter describes a new tour to Africa
Purchase the tour
Letter requesting a recommendation
Provide the recommendation
Proposal to purchase a new computer
Approve the proposal
Letter asking for a job Grant an interview or give the writer a job
4New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Developing Clarity
• Select precise words• Use the active voice• Use everyday vocabulary• Eliminate wordiness
5New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Developing Clarity
• Choose words that communicate message clearly and precisely
Vague Sentence Precise Sentence
Your order will be filled soon.
Your order for 200 garden gnomes will be filled by March 18.
We are meeting later about investments
The Finance Department will meet at 4 p.m. on April 3 to analyze the 2008 investments.
6New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Developing Clarity
• Use the active voice: Summit Books purchased the packing materials
• Summit Books is the subject• Purchased is the verb• Subject + Verb order = Active Voice
• Avoid the passive voice: The materials were purchased by Summit
Books• Verb + Subject order = Active Voice
7New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Developing Clarity
• Use everyday vocabulary
Stock Phrase Everyday Alternative
In the event that If
In order to To
Please do not hesitate to call me Please call me
I’d like to take this opportunity say thank you.
Thank you.
8New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Developing Clarity
• Eliminate wordiness
Wordy To the PointYour application, which we received with great pleasure the preceding week, will definitely be reviewed by us, probably within the next 10 days, or possibly sooner.
We will review your application by May 3.
The meeting of the Sales Department will be held on May 3 to address a wide variety of issues that are all, to varying degrees, related to our participation in the upcoming trade show.
On May 3, the Sales Department will meet to discuss the upcoming trade show.
9New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Identifying Formatting Requirements
• Ensure all text is visible, easy to read
• Select a clear, reader-friendly layout
• Organize content to maximum readability
10New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Identifying Formatting Requirements
• Choose a serif font for regular text Times New Roman, Bodoni MT, Garamond
• Choose 12-point for regular text
• Do not use fancy fonts Blackadder ITC, Gigi, Quickley Wiggly
• Choose a sans serif font for headings Arial, Century Gothic, Tahoma
11New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Identifying Formatting Requirements
Text without headings is difficult to read
The same text organized under
headings is easy to read and understand
12New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Identifying Reader Needs
• Use the 5W’s to identify reader needs Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
13New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Identifying Reader Needs
• Use a reader-centered vocabulary• Use “you” and “your” instead of “I” and “we”
Writer Centered
Reader Centered
14New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Use a Positive Tone
• Choose positive words• Identify positive actions• Avoid criticism• Eliminate negative words
Regret, Wrong, Sorry, Rejected, etc.
15New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Develop Editing Skills
Use correct grammar Avoid “it” and “there” at the beginning of
sentences
Use action verbs, not linking verbs
Use active voice, not passive voice
Reduce sentence length
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Develop Editing Skills
• Use commas correctly: Use a comma after an introductory phrase
• If you have any questions, please call me.
Use a comma to set off an interjected phrase• Martin, our new sales manager, hired three sales
associates.
17New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Develop Editing Skills
• Use commas correctly: Use a comma to separate items in a list
• We bought pencils, pens, staplers, and rulers.
Use a comma between adjectives (when “and” can be used instead)
• The exciting, new product thrilled us.
18New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Develop Editing Skills
• Use semi-colons correctly: Use a semicolon between two independent
clauses• The Sales Department developed a marketing plan;
the president accepted it.
Use a semicolon before a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, consequently, etc.)
• All of the sales representatives exceeded their quotas; consequently, they all received raises.
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Develop Editing Skills
• Use colons to introduce a list We have developed marketing plans for the
following products:• Digital cameras• Scanners• Printers• Laptops
20New Perspectives on Communicating in Business with TechnologyTutorial 1
Evaluate Document Readability
• Use Word to calculate the readability of a document Count the number of words Calculate the average number of words per
sentence Identify the percentage of passive sentences Identify the Flesch-Kincaid grade level needed
for understanding
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Evaluate Document Readability
• In the Spelling and Grammar dialog box, select the Show Readability statistics check box
• A good business document includes: Less than 20% passive
sentences Flesch Reading Ease
between 60 and 70 Flesch-Kincaid Grade level
between Grade 7 and 9
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