Chapter 2

Writing for Business Audiences

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch.

Ch. 2-1
2-1
 Improving Your Business Writing

• The best business writing is

• Audience oriented
• Purposeful
• Economical
• To improve your writing skills, you need
• Good teaching materials with excellent model documents
• An effective writing process
• A trainer (like your instructor)
• Practice

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-2

 The Writing Process

Stage 1: Prewriting Stage 2: Writing Stage 3: Revising

Analyzing Researching Revising
Anticipating Organizing Proofreading
Adapting Composing Evaluating

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-3

 Factors Determining Channel
Selection

• Importance of message
• Amount and speed of feedback required
• Necessity of a permanent record
• Cost of the channel
• Degree of formality required

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-4

 Factors Determining Channel
Selection

Possible Channels:
E-mail, fax, letter, memo, report, telephone,
voice mail, meeting, conversation, Web
• What channel is best to announce decreased
insurance benefits for 250 employees?
E-mail or memo

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-5

 Factors Determining Channel
Selection
• What channel is best for a sales message promoting
a new product to customers?
Letter
• What channel is best for responding to similar
customer inquiries?
Web, letter, telephone

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-6

 Reader Benefits

Shape your statements to involve the

reader. Strive to develop the “you” attitude.
Instead of this: Try this:
We are promoting a new You will enjoy total
plan that we believe has peace of mind with our
many outstanding affordable hospitali-
benefits. zation plan that meets all
your needs.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-7

 Reader Benefits

Shape your statements to involve the

reader. Strive to develop the “you” attitude.
Instead of this: Try this:
Before we can allow you You may begin making
to purchase items on this purchases on your new
new account, we must account in two weeks.
wait two weeks to verify
your credit.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-8

 Reader Benefits

Shape your statements to involve the

reader. Strive to develop the “you” attitude.
Instead of this: Try this:
I need your response Your quick response
immediately so that I can means your vacation
make the employee schedules will be ready
vacation schedule by next week.
next week.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-9

 Conversational Language

Instead of this: Try this:

The undersigned takes I’m happy to . . . .
pleasure in . . . .
Instead of this: Try this:
It may be of some concern We’ve credited your
to you to learn that your account for $250.
check has been received
and your account has
been credited for $250.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-10

 Positive Language
Instead of this:
Employees may not use
the First Street entrance
during remodeling.
Instead of this:
We cannot fill your order
until we receive an exact
model number.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-11
Try this:
Employees may use the
Market Street entrance
during remodeling.
Try this:
We can fill your order
once we receive an exact
model number.
 Hidden Messages

Some words and phrases convey a

negative and unpleasant tone. They
may imply a hidden message that the
writer does not intend. Think twice
before using the following negative
expressions.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-12

 Hidden Messages

Negative Language: Hidden message:

You overlooked You are careless
You state that But I don’t believe you
You failed to You are careless
You claim that It’s probably untrue
You are wrong I am right
You do not understand You are not very bright
Your delay You are at fault
You forgot to You are inefficient and
careless
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-13
 Inclusive Language

Instead of this: Try this:

Have you called a Have you called a
salesman? salesperson?

Every executive has his All executives have their

own office. own offices.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-14

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence to create a more

conversational tone and to state your idea
positively.
• The undersigned takes great pleasure in
welcoming you to our staff.
I’m happy to welcome you to our staff.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-15

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence to create a more

conversational tone and to state your idea
positively.
• We cannot send your order from our
warehouse until June 1.
Your order will be on its way to you June 1.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-16

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence to create reader

benefits.
• I have 15 different financial plans to offer my
investors.
You have 15 different financial plans from
which to choose.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-17

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence to create reader

benefits.
• We want all newly hired employees to use our
carpooling program for at least three months.
As a newly hired employee, you won’t have to
drive to work for the first three months
because you can carpool.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-18

 Plain Language

Avoid federalese, bureaucratese, and inflated

language.
Federalese: Each person to whom the request is herein addressed
is henceforth solicited to submit, or to have his or her department
representative submit, to the Department of Labor official
described above, a comment on whether the proposed plan, in his
or her considered view, meets the requirements of the 2003 law.
Simple Translation: You may wish to comment on whether the
proposed plan meets the requirements of the 2003 law.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-19

 Familiar Words

Avoid long, difficult, and unfamiliar words.

Use short, simple, and common words
whenever possible.
Less familiar words: Simple alternatives:
encounter meet
extrapolate project
obligatory required
terminate end

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-20

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence using simpler

language.
• You may encounter difficulties in terminating
the contract.
You may meet difficulties in ending the
contract.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-21

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence using simpler

language.
• As stipulated, we extrapolated the budget
figures for two years.
As required, we projected the budget figures
for two years.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-22

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence using simpler

language.
• Will you utilize workbooks during the
obligatory training period?
Will you use workbooks during the required
training period?

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-23

 Try Your Skill

Revise this sentence using simpler

language.
• We anticipate that a majority of the
alternatives will be fundamental enough to
meet our requirements.
We expect that most of the choices will be
basic enough to meet our needs.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-24

 Seven Ways Technology Can
Improve Your Business Writing
• Fighting writer’s block
• Collecting information electronically
• Outlining and organizing ideas
• Improving correctness and precision
• Adding graphics for emphasis
• Designing and producing professional-looking
documents, presentations, and Web pages
• Using collaborative software for team writing

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 2-25

 End

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch.

Ch. 2-26
2-26