Business Letter & Memo Writing

Gail M. Braverman Writing for Results

Todays presenter
Former daily newspaper reporter Editor, writer and PR professional Communications consultant Certified trainer business & non-profits B.A. Journalism M.A. English/Linguistics M.L.I.R. Employee Relations

This Sessions Goals:

Identify common mistakes Create highly readable writing Match format to purpose Visually enhance letters & memos

Keys to Your Success

Know your AUDIENCE Banish Gremlins of GRAMMAR Choose right FORMAT Boost your READABILITY

Your Goal: READABILITY

Readable writing is reader-friendly. Bad writing taxes our mental energy. Its hard work to understand.

Writing for Results

If the writer doesnt sweat, the reader will.
Mark Twain

KEYS to READABILITY . . . .

Short, simple, familiar words Short, straight-forward sentences Simple sentence construction Inviting appearance/format

Improve READABILITY with

Numerals, data Proper names Personal pronouns (you, they, we) Italics, underlining (in moderation) Lists with numbering or bullets Paragraphing & white space

REACHING YOUR AUDIENCE

Average Sentence Length (words) 8 11 17 21 25 Over 25 Readability Rating Readers Reached

Very easy Fairly easy Standard Fairly difficult Difficult Very difficult

90% 86% 75% 40% 24% 5%

Aim for 6 Cs when you write:

Clear Concise Correct

Complete Concrete (specific) Courteous

Errors ruin readability . . .

Confusing PUNCTUATION Bad GRAMMAR Misspellings and TYPOS Poor WORD CHOICE Complex, awkward SYNTAX

Other IMAGE Detractors . . .

Jargon, acronyms Technical terms Abstract words of 3 or more syllables Overly long paragraphs

PUNCTUATION ERRORS

Comma Overuse Semicolon confusion Hyphen hang-ups (hangups)

PUNCTUATION

A woman without her man is nothing. A woman, without her man, is nothing. A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves Lynne Truss

Other GRAMMAR GREMLINS

Verb Abuse: singular or plural Problem Pronouns: I, me, they, them? Clause Confusion: That/ Which/ Who?

Examples:

The new teacher, and a man with a large sheepdog, (live, lives) next door to me. Either Tom or (he, him) is going to the game. Its time for Kristin and (I, me) to have a talk. The group of boys (which, that, who) set off the fire alarm will be punished.

COMPOSITION PROBLEMS

Sentences too long Excessive this is, there are or It is Too many passive verbs RESULT: dull, dull, dull

Find the mistakes?

Conceed Concensus Irresistable Diptheria Procede Accomodate Rhythym Grafitti

Can you really edit yourself?

Brain quirks will fool you Proofreading tips Fail-safe strategies

Typoglycemia
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheerarch taemat Cmabrigde Uinervtisy it deosnt mttear inwaht oredr ltteers are, but frist and lsat be in the rghit pclae.

Proofreading Tips . . . .

Use spell check and grammar check Slow down; print and review draft Read from bottom up, line by line Ask someone else to proofread it!

Spell check wont catch these

Accept / except Angel / angle For, four, fore

Quiet / quite Though / thought / through Were / where

Marital / martial

Format: email, memo, letter?

CONSIDER:

Target audience: internal/external

Purpose of message

Length

Official record/document

BUSINESS LETTER Formats

Full-block Style Modified Block style Modified Block with indented paragraphs Simplified Style

Format variations

Full Block

All lines begin @ left margin Body is left justified; Dateline, closing and Signature block begin @ center

Modified block

Letter Format variations

Modified block with indented paragraphs

First line of each new paragraph indented .5 inch All lines begin @ left All-caps subject line replaces salutation Closing line omitted All-caps signature block

Simplified block

Memos and Emails

Distinctions are disappearing Purpose is determiner Primarily for internal audience Use memo if document is a kept record

Memos and emails

Both require Dateline, To, From and Subject Line Full block style with one space between paragraphs Professional Memo Template available from Microsoft Office 7; uses 10 point Arial font

Cautions:

Never go below 10 pt font size Avoid margins narrower than 1-inch Do not right-justify linesreduces readability Ragged right is always preferable in Block Style letters, memos See The Gregg Reference Manual for additional information and advice

Secrets of Effective Business Writing

Never use two words when one will do. Choose short, simple words of one or two syllables. Strive for average sentence length of 15 words. Choose strong, active verbs to bring life to your writing.

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Secrets, contd.

Use personal pronouns like you, we and their. Support your key points with data Lists, bullets, paragraph breaks, proper nouns and data improve readability. Keep dictionary and grammar guide handy

Secrets, contd.

Keep a dictionary and grammar guide handy. Write to EXPRESS, not to impress! Good writing gets results!

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