WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

OBJECTIVES
1. List the various types of written communication used in the hospitality and
tourism workplace.
2. Identify the 5 specific steps that effective writing requires.
3. Explain what transitions are and how they can enhance the understanding
of the written word.
4. Describe ways to enhance your business writing through the review and
revise stage

DEFINITION
Written communication should be used when a message that does not
require interaction needs to be communicated to an employee or group.

TYPES OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Examples of written documents that would be used in the hospitality and
tourism industry:
E-Mails
Proposals
Monthly Reports
Meeting Minutes
Memos
Employee Evaluations
Purchase Orders
Business Letters
etc.

KNOW WHAT TYPE TO USE

The main reason you should keep your writing objective is to keep from
making the reader confused or defensive.
CONGRUENT WRITING
 Consider your audience, and aim your communication piece
appropriately.
 Business writing should have a formal tone.
 When you are writing to a friend, use a more conversational tone and
even interject some humor.
 If you are not sure whether a written piece has the write tone, read it out
loud.

WRITE WITH CLARITY

WATCH YOUR LENGTH
TIME IS VALUABLE
USE PROPER GRAMMAR
USE OF PROPER TONE
STEPS FOR EFFECTIVE WRITING

IDENTIFY THE AUDIENCE

  Who will read your document?
  Will it have many readers?
  Is it confidential?
  What are your needs?
  What are the needs of the reader(s)?
  Do you need to inject humor, or display confidence?
  Are you asking for suggestions, or is this a directive aimed at
subordinates?

ORGANIZE YOUR MESSAGE

SELECTING THE MEDIUM
  letters
  memos
  e-mail
  fax
  reports
  check-lists
  proposals
  training manuals
  employee reviews
  what others?
WRITING THE DRAFT
ASK YOURSELF
What exactly do I want to say?
Who am I talking to?
THINK ABOUT
 Topic Sentence
 Paragraphs
 Transitions

WRITING THE DRAFT

1. TOPIC SENTENCE
 It is usually the first sentence of a paragraph. Each sentence within that
paragraph follows up on the ideas. New paragraphs unfold from that idea.
2. PARAGRAPHS
 A general rule is three sentences to each paragraph, but this rule can also
be broken. Too many short and choppy paragraphs give the impression of
you not being certain of the message.
3. TRANSITIONS
 Transitions can be obvious or they can be subtle.
 OBVIOUS TRANSITION:
“Having reached the five-star level, we are now ready to focus on
staying there.”

SUBTLE TRANSITION
“Even though we have reached the five-star level, we remain
concerned about staying there.”

REVIEW AND REVISE

• Set it aside for a while, then come back and read it again for clarity of
purpose and tone.
• Have someone review your writing.
• Consult a thesaurus to find a better way