BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

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WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
PRESENTED BYNAVAZ THOKUR LECTURER, MBA DEPT PACE- MANGALORE

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MODULE- 3 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

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WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Written Communication is a creative activity that requires lot of imagination & efforts to arrive at the finished product.

Written Communication is transmitted by written words in the form of letters, memos, circulars, bulletins, reports, instruction cards, manuals, magazines, handbooks etc.

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Purpose of Writing
Two purposes

To inform &
To persuade

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Writing to Inform
When the writer seeks to give information & offers to explain it, the writing is informative writing. The focus of informative writing is on the subject or the matter under discussion. Informative Writing- Checklist Does it focus the subject matter under discussion? Does it primarily inform rather than persuade the reader? Does it offer exact & complete information? Does it present information logically & clearly? Does it make good reading?

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Writing to Persuade
Persuasive writing aims at convincing the reader about a matter, which is debatable; it expresses opinion rather than facts. It supports & argues a certain viewpoint or position.

The writer seeks to influence & convince the reader to accept the position put forth.
Persuasive writing is found in essays, editorials & letters to the editors, book reviews, business research proposal etc.

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Persuasive Writing A checklist Does it focus on the reader? Does it basically seek to convince rather than inform? Does it support the viewpoint by giving information or valid reasons? Does it finally evoke the intended response from the reader?

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Advantages of Written Communication Issuing Order Cant be distorted Economical Clear & specific Response

Disadvantages Time Consuming Formal

Amendments may not be possible

Misunderstood Feedback

Record can be kept.

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Principles of Effective Writing

Brevity Clarity Communication Passion and Control Sound and Rhythm

Place the reader first

Keep to the point Set the right tone Write a strong opening Write a strong close

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Principles of Effective Writing

Brevity The message to be communicated should be brief & should not contain any unnecessary words which may create confusion. Brevity does not mean that giving incomplete information. It implies less words with proper & accurate information.

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Clarity The message should be clear & precise & Jargons should be avoided

Communication Passion & Control Sound and Rhythm

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Place the reader first Right tone, appropriate language & right amount of information should be included. The gist of the entire writing should be understood by the reader very easily.

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Keep to the point

Make a list of topics you want to cover Under each topic list keywords, examples, arguments & facts Review each topic in the outline Cut out any irrelevant information Sort the information in the best order

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Set the Right Tone Be helpful & friendly & set the right tone

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Write a Strong Opening Examples

Thank you for your letter of 8 September 2010, which has been passed to me for my attention I refer to previous correspondence in respect of the above & note that till date we have not received your cheque for the O/S arrears I write with reference to our telephone conversation regarding

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Write a Strong Close A closing paragraph should end the letter on a polite & business like note Examples I would again apologise for the delay in replying & I am confident that this has clarified the points you have raised. However, if you wish to discuss any points I have not clarified, or need any further information, you may call me or contact me accordingly I look forward to hearing from you & in the meantime, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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33 Writing Process for Business Communication

Phase 1- Prewriting Phase Phase 2 Writing Phase Phase 3- Revising Phase

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Phase 1- Prewriting Phase

Analayse Define your purpose Select the most appropriate channel Visualize the audience Anticipate- Put yourself in the readers position & predict his/her response to the message Adapting-Shape message to benefit the reader

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Phase 2 Writing Phase Research- Collect data formally & informally Organising- Group ideas in to list or outline Compose- write a first draft

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Phase 3- Revising Phase

Revise- for clarity, tone & vigor, improve readability Proofreading- For spelling, punctuation & format, check overall appearance Evaluate- Will the final product achieve its purpose?

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Phase 1- Prewriting Phase Analysing & Anticipating i) Analaysing- Establish a purpose, the message to be conveyed to the reader Channels used to deliver the message- E.g. e-mail, memo, letter, report, etc.
Anticipate-Have an idea about the audiences knowledge & adapt ii) Selecting the Best Channel Points to be considered Urgency Speed of feedback Permanent record

Cost of channel
Degree of formality

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Adapting to Task & Audience After knowing the audience, adapt the language so that it speaks to them in the right tone & using the right vocabulary so that they easily understand it.
i) Use reader benefits Example Sender focused- We require all staff to complete these forms in compliance with company policy Receiver- focused- Please complete these forms so that you will be eligible for health & dental benefits

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ii) Cultivate you attitude E.g. I/We- We are issuing a refund You- You will receive a refund iii) Avoid negative expressions You failed to you are careless Your delay you are at fault iv) Be Courteous You must complete this report before Friday Would you complete this report by Friday v) Use precise, vigorous words- fax me, e-mail me vi) Use familiar words

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Phase 2 Writing Research- Gather all your data you need in order to make a truthful post with all substance. Collecting the information from different sources such Look in files Speak with boss/colleagues Speak with target audience Organise Organise the message in a proper order starting with header, sub header & list of items . It should contain Lists & outlines Organise ideas

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Compose Creating forceful sentences i) Recognise phrases & clauses Use the active voice in most sentence- E.g. We lost money ii) Avoid dangling phrases- E.g. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was strangulation by the coroner. iii)Emphasize main points iv) Put main ideas first v) Put them in short sentences

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Drafting effective Paragraphs Discuss only one topic Group similar ideas Start a new paragraph for each new topic

Arrange sentence in strategic format- main sentences & supporting sentences

Link ideas to build coherence Use transitional expressions- additionally, however, as a result etc Compose short paragraph- fewer than eight lines

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Phase 3 Revising Revising for clarity Keep it simple

Keep it conversational;
Eliminate redundancies Develop parallelism Apply graphic highlighting Letters such as (a) & (b) within the text Bullets & numberings Headings using Options such as Capital Letters, Bold, Italics etc.

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Proofreading Look for Spelling Grammar Punctuation Names & numbers Format

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Specific Writing Features

Organisation Coherence Appropriate tone Readability

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CoherenceIt implies how various parts /words are sticking together in a sentence. Emphatic sentences- Writing style increases emphasis on the messages Consider the following techniques

Put the action at the beginning of the sentence- Raj proposed

Build to a crescendo- the three regions report improvements in sale 12,21. & 37 percent respectively Place emphasis on important words & create memorable statement, such as, We try harder or just point & click to shop our online catalog Show causation- Because of her timely investment, she quadrupled her profit.

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Appropriate ToneWriting with you attitude Using positive phrasing E.g. your bid for the project was rejected We selected another firm for the project

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Readability i) Clarity Clear writing avoids muddy, incorrect, overly complex phrases & jargons. Examples of muddy phrases
A number of At your earliest possible convenience Fullest possible extent (Use Many) (Use Soon)

(Use fully or completely)

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ii) Conciseness- Avoid wordy phrases & long, complex words, instead for short, familiar words.

The consensus of opinion The first & foremost Over & over & over gain

(Use the Consensus or opinion) (Use first or foremost) (Use over)

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iii) Parallel structure- It is the use of the same grammatical form or structure for equal; idea in a list Four application of parallelism In lists- items should be presented in grammatically parallel structure. Following points should be considered Consider your audience Prepare your message Think of non-verbal communication in your talk Pairing of words Such as either/or , neither/nor etc. Wrong usage- You are either the best employee in the dept., or I am mistaken Right usage- Either you are the best employee in the dept., or I am mistaken

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Parallelism is a sentence that contains a series E.g. At the grocery shop I need to buy some potatoes, bread, & Ill also get milk To make the sentence parallel, remove the words Ill get some so it reads: At the grocery store in need to buy some potatoes, bread & milk Not Parallel: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed manner. Parallel: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.

Use parallelism in headings & sub-headings in reports & proposals.

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ELECTRONIC WRITING PROCESSES

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ELECTRONIC WRITING PROCESSES Electronic writing process is facilitated by facilities like hardware, software & all the other computer equipment available. It is a speedy & efficient method of writing which is most commonly preferred by everyone. The following are the steps involved in Electronic writing process Step-1- Note Taking Step-7- Searching & replacing Step-2- Searching Step-3- Word-polishing Step-4- Outlining Step-5- Changing defaults Step-6- Using Multiscreens Step-8- Linking Step-9- Adding attribution Step-10- Using E-mail

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Step-1- Note Taking Make a brief note of the contents, use abbreviations such as J. for journal. Record the notes to a file. Then, use the word-processing feature called search & replace (Ctrl F) to search for each occurrence of J. & replace it with journal. Same thing can done with other abbreviations

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Step-2- Searching During a lengthy project work or assignment, similar topics can be put under the same heading & can be easily searched.

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Step-3- Word-polishing Built- dictionary & lot of other software support facility is available using which spell-check , style check & lot of other functions can be performed.

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Step-4- Outlining Outliners allow the users to outline the thoughts quickly & rearrange the sections rapidly etc.

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Step-5- Changing defaults Changing the default font, size, colour, page alignment & all other changes can be made according to the users requirement

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Step-6- Using Multiscreens Step-7- Searching & replacing Step-8- Linking Spreadsheets, graphical analysis & other related information can be linked

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Step-9 - Adding Attribution E,g. Adding Footnotes or endnotes

Step-10- Using e-mail

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CONCLUSION Written Communication plays a very important role in every organization. Written messages should be composed carefully as a slight mistake may give entirely different meaning to a situation.

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