Basic Business Writing

BUSINESS
WRITING
SKILLS
Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

The quality of your relationships
and results will be determined by
the quality and quantity of your
communication with other people.
Ronnie Morris
Central Area Vice President
Coca-Cola Bottling Company of North Texas

ELECTRONIC WRITING
 Blessing
– Faster
– Simpler
– Spelling/grammar checkers
 Curse
– Faster
– Simpler
– Spelling/grammar checkers
ELECTRONIC WRITING
 Americans becoming dependent
on computers for literacy
 Working vocabulary of average
14-year-old dropped from 25,000
to 10,000 words over past 50 years

ELECTRONIC WRITING
"As technology improves and expands,
literacy declines. With e-mail, writing
just keeps deteriorating. People say,
'Get computers in schools,' [but] we
have children who can't read and write
and speak."
Lynn Agress
Founder of Business Writing at Its Best

IT’S A MATCHING GAME
 Avoid impersonal writing, such as

e-mail and notes, for “heavy”
messages.
 Deliver “bombs” in person, if
possible. Otherwise, use formal
communications such as letters.

REMEMBER
In emotional situations ...
 The more emotional the message, the more
personal the medium
– High emotion: In person (assess & adapt)
– Medium emotion: Handwritten letter (careful
choice of words, paper, ink)
– Low emotion: Typed letter (careful choice of
words, paper, formatting)
 STOP and THINK before communicating

REMEMBER
Concerning office e-mail ...
 Informal/impersonal
 Research says: Visit or phone call often
is better for your image
 Spell-check, edit, proofread
 Avoid anything nearing “off-color”
 E-mail belongs to your employer!

REMEMBER
Regarding the last word ...

 You don’t always have to have it.
 It can do your career more harm
than good.
 Pick your communication medium
carefully.

BUSINESS WRITING
THAT HITS
THE
TARGET

TRIVIA QUIZ
ANSWER
What report gets better reaction:
3-page or 10-page?
It depends.

TRIVIA QUIZ
ANSWER
What’s preferred
Accuracyin business
Organization
writing?
Maximum meat/Minimum fat
Attention to detail

TRIVIA QUIZ
ANSWER
What’s the key to effective

Effective editing
document organization
and meat/fat ratio?

TRIVIA QUIZ
ANSWER
What’s the key to

Effective proofreading
detail-oriented writing?

WHY IS WRITING SO HARD?
Language idiosyncrasies:
 The bandage was wound around the wound.
 The farm was used to produce produce.
 The dump was so full that it had to refuse more
refuse.
 We must polish the Polish furniture.
 He could lead if he would get the lead out.
 The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the
desert.
 Since there is no time like the present, he
thought it was time to present the present.
 A bass was painted on the head of the bass
drum.
 When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
 I did not object to the object.
 The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
 There was a row among the oarsmen about how
to row.
 They were too close to the door to close it.
 The buck does funny things when the does are
present.

 A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer
line.
 To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow
to sow.
 The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
 After a number of injections my jaw got number.
 Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
 I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
 How can I intimate this to my most intimate
friend?

LET'S FACE IT
“English is a crazy language!
English was invented by people,
not computers, and it reflects the
creativity of the human race (which,
of course, isn't a race at all). That
is why, when the stars are out, they
are visible, but when the lights are
out, they are invisible.”
Author Unknown

COMMON WEAKNESSES
Wordiness
Technical jargon
Basic language problems

REMEMBER
On the written page, being

clear and concise
is more important
than being
impressive, brilliant,
literary, or academic.

BUSINESS WRITING TIPS
 Know audiences’ preferences

 Be adaptable
 Use reference materials

BUSINESS WRITING STYLE
Recommended for Neeley students

Franklin Covey’s
Style Guide
For Business and Technical Communication

WORD TO THE WISE
 Memorize most troublesome rules

 For most people, those include …
– Apostrophes
– Hyphenated words
– Semi-colons
– Dashes
– Rule-breaker rules

PRACTICAL MATTERS
 Professors/boss preferences
 Time issues
 Stress issues

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 Most important part of document

 Last piece of document created
 VERY short
 Introduction/body/conclusion
 Enough detail to reflect content
 Concise and complete enough (even if
full document never is read)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 Comprehensive restatement of …
– Purpose
– Scope
– Conclusions
• Results
• Recommendations

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 No new information
 Use transitional words/phrases
 Follow organization of document
 Do not refer to document’s …
– Tables
– Figures
– Appendices
– References
– Other explanatory materials

EFFECTIVE WRITING
 Determine best uses of technology

–Software skills
–Attachments to be shared via e-mail
–How far to trust technology

WRITING SCHEDULE
 Establish absolute deadlines

 Meet deadlines on schedule
 Work backwards from project due-
date to set working due-dates

THINK IN REVERSE
 Finalized document due on ________
 Proofreading due on ________
 Final draft due on ________
 Editing #2 due on ________
 Revision due on ________
 Editing #1 due on ________
 Rewrite due on ________
 First draft due on ________
WHY IS DRAFTING SO HARD?
We don’t write the way we speak.

FIRST DRAFT
 Center on subject and substance
 DON’T worry about editing and
proofing—yet
 BUT, don’t neglect editing and proofing
or you get the OOPS factor …

“OOPS!” FACTOR
Fyrst, lern ta spel!

“OOPS!” FACTOR
Suppose attendance will drop?

“OOPS!” FACTOR
So much for the secret.

“OOPS!” FACTOR
New product offering?

“OOPS!” FACTOR
Talk about oxymorons!

“OOPS!” FACTOR
Care to check in?

PICTURE LESSONS
Writing should be this clear.

PICTURE LESSONS
 Consider readers’ perspectives
 Plan ahead
 Edit carefully
 Proofread carefully
 Have someone else read it

EDITING &
PROOFREADING
IN
BUSINESS
SETTINGS

EDITING RULES (& PRACTICE)
AndVerbs
Proofread
ItAlso
Be
No
don't
isusehas
Parenthetical
Don't
Prepositions
Avoid more
wrongnoto
sentence
clichés
too,
start agree
carefully
or
never,
double
remarks
to
are
aless
like
ever with
sentence
fragments.
not
the
to
ever their
specific.
negatives.
split
words
see
(however
plague.
use
if
with
anyou
to a
repetitivesubjects.
relevant)
end
(They're
any
conjunction.
sentences
infinitive.
words
redundancies.
areold
(usually)
out.
hat.)
with.
unnecessary.

EDITING
 Split Infinitives
– A split infinitive consists of the function word
to, followed by an adverb (usually an -ly
adverb), followed by an infinitive: to happily
conclude, to weakly demur, to needlessly
suffer.
• The driver is instructed to periodically check the oil
level. (split infinitive)
• The driver is instructed periodically to check the oil
level.
• The driver is instructed to check the oil level
periodically.

Star Trek:
 "to boldly go where no man has gone before.“
– Here, the presence of the adverb boldly between the parts of

the infinitive, to and go, creates a split infinitive. The
construction can often be avoided by placing the intervening
words after the verb or before the to marker:
 "to go boldly where no man has gone before"

 "boldly to go where no man has gone before."

EDITING
 Spell out all…
– Uncommon symbols
– Abbreviations
– Acronyms

EDITING
 Focus on content and meaning

– Facts/analysis/recommendations
– Numbers and charts
– Structure and organization
– Sentence/phrase interpretation
– Consistency

EDITING TIPS
Be
Be
Focus
Use
confident
straightforward
Be
present
on
Use
kind
economy,
Be
Practice!
active
of
totense
direct
your
your
voice
with
analysis
whenever
reader
precision,
wording
and
recommendations
andpossible
directness

ACTIVE VOICE
 In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action
expressed in the verb; the subject acts.

PASSIVE VOICE
 In sentences written in passive voice, the subject receives the action
expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon. The agent performing the
action may appear in a "by the . . ."

WHY IS EDITING SO HARD?
 We don’t write the way we speak.

 Most business writing is too
verbose.
–Active voice helps
• Style Guide—“Wordy Phrases” (p. 348 in
Covey’s Style Guide)

EDITING PRACTICE
Short-term planning is foremost in the

prioritization of the planning loop.
Writing Coach’s suggested change:

Short-term planning comes first.

EDITING PRACTICE
It is recommended that a legal action

against a foreign company for the profit
under contention would not be a wise
move.
Suing a foreign company for this amount
of money is unwise.

EDITING PRACTICE
It is Sabrina’s proposal for the adoption
of the employee profile software by the
personnel department. This software
provides assistance in the selection of
new employees.

Sabrina proposes that the personnel
department adopt employee profile software
for new-employee selection.
EDITING PRACTICE
At the previous meeting, a new

organizational plan was selected by the
executive committee and a new budget
also was adopted by the committee.

At the previous meeting, the executive
committee selected a new organizational
plan and adopted a new budget.
PROOFREADING
 Focus on format and usage

– Appearance on page
– Spelling, grammar, typographical errors
• Electronic checks (be careful!)
• Physical check of printed copy
– Usage errors
• Language confusion
• Capitalization and punctuation
SPELL CHECK
(& PROOFREADING PRACTICE)

PROOFREADING TIPS
Read
PayCheck
special
aloud every
toattention
slow down
Practice! to headings,
and catch
capitalization,
topic
moresentences
grammar/sense
punctuation, of paragraphs,
word flaws
division,
visuals, captions
number, chart, etc.

WHY IS PROOFING SO HARD?
 Read in unison…
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr
the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at
the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total
mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid
deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe.
AND NOW, THE LAST WORD…
 Every time you write, at every

phase of the process
(drafting/editing/proofreading),
consider:
– Purpose of the communication
– Medium and its effects
– Possible audience interpretations

PROOFREADING PRACTICE
The nurse and herpatient discussed

her plans for the future.

The nurse and her#patient
discussed the patient’s plans for the
future.
Don enjoys chemistry and he

has always wanted to be a
chemist.

Don enjoys chemistry and always
wanted to be a chemist.

In the land of Nod no one wears cloths.

In the land of Nod, no one wears
clothes.

Due to incriminating
circumstances, the judge decided
to dismiss the charges.

Due to extenuating circumstances,
the judge decided to dismiss the
charges.
The tourism industry is becoming

saturated, and should not grow at
it’s past rate.

The tourism industry is becoming
saturated, and should not grow at its
past rate.
I have been wrong by so many of

my so called friends.

I have been wronged by so many of
my so-called friends.

HOW EMBARRASSING!

POLISHING
YOUR
BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
IMAGE

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BUSINESS

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 Avoid impersonal writing, such as

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Regarding the last word ...

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

What’s the key to effective

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

What’s the key to

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

On the written page, being

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 Know audiences’ preferences

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Recommended for Neeley students

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 Memorize most troublesome rules

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 Most important part of document

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 Determine best uses of technology

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 Establish absolute deadlines

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

We don’t write the way we speak.

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Fyrst, lern ta spel!

Suppose attendance will drop?

So much for the secret.

New product offering?

Talk about oxymorons!

Care to check in?

Writing should be this clear.

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 "to boldly go where no man has gone before.“

– Here, the presence of the adverb boldly between the parts of

 "to go boldly where no man has gone before"

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 Focus on content and meaning

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

Copyright 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 by Gay Wakefield

 We don’t write the way we speak.