Purposeful Writing in the Disciplines

and for Professions

 Academic and Professional Writing

 TERMS

CONTEXT
 MESSAGE
 LANGUAGE
 PURPOSE
CONTEXT
 CONTEXT- refers to the situation where
professional writing is performed that
includes the people involved, relationship
between the people involved in the
communication, time and place, and some
possible interferences.
MESSAGE
MESSAGE- refers to the content of the
document that includes the main topic
and the details that support it. Details
may be in the form of facts, statistics,
testimonies, and observation.
LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE- refers to the channel used to
convey the message that can either be
visual or textual, formal or informal, verbal
or non-verbal.
-follows the standard form and usage of
language in professional writing.
PURPOSE

PURPOSE- is the reason or motive

in communicating that helps to
determine the reactions the writer
wanted to elicit from the target
audience.
 TWO LEVELS OF PURPOSE
 General—used to inform and to persuade. (Inform
means to make the audience understand a
concept; Persuade means to influence the readers
to change their attitudes or actions)
 Specific—used to state the reason why you want
to inform or persuade the target audience.
 AUDIENCE -is the receiver of the message.
-can be:
a. Primary—the direct receiver of your document.
b. Secondary—the indirect receiver of your
document.
 PRODUCT- refers to the output that you intend to
produce after considering all the other professional
writing.
Academic Writing
Academic Writing
is a type of writing produced by students
in an academic setting.
the main purpose is to inform and
persuade, not to entertain.
Common Types:
 Academic essays
 Book Reviews
 Literature Reviews
 Research Reports
 Project Proposals
 Position Papers
 Reaction Papers
 Academic Writing is impersonal and formal.
 it employs wide-ranging and field-specific
vocabulary.
 adheres to the structures & mechanics
General Tips in Writing Academic Texts

1. Follow the basics in the writing process

 Be clear with the assignment or prompt.
 Analyze the context of writing.
 Have a clear purpose and audience in mind.
 Make your thesis evident.
 Stay focused on your topic; eliminate unnecessary details.
 Read some academic texts that use a rhetorical pattern that is similar to the one you are writing.
 Make sure you use sufficient cohesive devices. However, be careful not to overuse transitional
devices.
 Avoid wordiness and redundancies.
 Use brainstorming strategies (listing, free writing, clustering) to overcome writer’s block.
 Edit and proofread your work.
2. Use quotations sparingly. Paraphrase information
as much as possible
3. As much as possible, avoid using an imperative
tone.
4. Avoid excessive font effects such as too much use
of boldface, underlines, and italics.
5. Be consistent with the type of English you use. If
you use British English, stick to it and do not shift to
American English.
6. Plan wisely. Allot ample time in preparing your
writing assignment.
Examples of Output for ACADEMIC WRITING:

Academic Essay Literature

Thesis Review
Dissertation Research Report
Coursework Position Paper
Reaction Paper Library Research
Book Review
Professional Writing
Professional Writing
is any type of written communication
done specifically in a professional
context.
it is most often applied in business and
technical writing.
use to inform and persuade readers.
Common Types:
 Business and technical reports (private
businesses, government corporations and
offices, academic institutions)
 uses business English and a more personal tone.
 use the first and second person’s points of view
(I, you)
Common Types:
 addresses a particular need, follows a standard structure
and format, and conveys business content to a specific
audience
 it is objective, unemotional, accurate, concise, and
straightforward.
 uses of emoticons, contractions, and unnecessary
exclamation points.
 does not require a great number of citation
General Tips in
Professional Academic Texts

 Follow the basics in the writing process

 Anticipate the reader’s beliefs, values,
motivations, and possible objections especially
when writing persuasive documents such as
proposals.
 Adjust your language based on your relationship
with the receiver of the document.
General Tips in
Professional Academic Texts

 Study the format used by your organization and

incorporate it in your writing. However, you may use
other formats which you think are appropriate.
 Avoid excessive font effects such as boldface,
underlines, and italics
 Be consistent with the type of English you use. If you
use British English, stick to it and do not shift to
American English
Academic Writing vs. Professional Writing

Academic Writing Professional Writing

-is used in most cases -Professional Writing
to teach somehow how already taking you have
to write or to teach learned and applying it
them how to expand to real life scenarios
their writing.
Questions?
Instruction: Identify whether each
text is academic or professional. Write
Ac if it is Academic and Pr if it is
Professional.
Instruction: Identify whether each text is academic or professional.
Write Ac if it is Academic and Pr if it is Professional.

1. Argumentative essay
2. Dissertation
3. Expository essay
4. Formal Proposal
5. Incident Report
6. Instructional manual
7. Job Application letter
8. Library Research work
Instruction: Identify whether each text is academic or professional.
Write Ac if it is Academic and Pr if it is Professional.

9. Memos
10. Research Abstract
11. Resume
12. Technical Reports
13. Term Paper
14. Thesis
15. Position Paper
Instruction: Write Yahoo if the
statement is correct and Boo if the
statement is wrong.
Instruction: Write Yahoo if the statement is
correct and Boo if the statement is wrong.
1. Both academic and professional writing use Standard English.
2. Professional writing employs more referencing than academic
writing.
3. Academic writing is more personal than professional writing.
4. The most important component of professional and academic
writing is the context.
5. The higher the position of the receiver, the more formal your
language should be.
Instruction: Write Yahoo if the statement is
correct and Boo if the statement is wrong.

6. Message cannot be conveyed without language.

7. It is always safe to use concise and straightforward
language.
8. A literary text is an example of academic text.
9. Professional and academic writing may sometimes
overlap.
10. Both academic and professional writing adhere to the
same ethical guidelines.
 PROFESSIONAL
CORRESPONDENCE
 PROFESSIONAL
CORRESPONDENCE
 It is defined as the exchange
of information in a written
format for the business
activities.
 PROFESSIONAL
CORRESPONDENCE

 It can be a message coming from one

company sent to another company, inter-
office communication, or message between
the clients and organization.
 BUSINESS LETTER

A letter written by an individual to deal with

business of a personal nature.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A BUSINESS
LETTER
1. Simplicity 8. Coherence
2. Conversational Style 9.Conciseness
3. Clarity of goal
4. Public Relation
5. The “YOU” Attitude
6. Courteous
7. Sincere
 SIMPLICITY

The letter should be written using a very

simple language. It should be devoid of
highfaluting words so that it will be easy
for the readers to understand
 CONVERSATIONAL STYLE

Writing a business letter uses a face-to-

face conversational style. It is written as if
the sender directly talks to the receiver.
 CLARITY OF GOAL

The writer has, to begin with, be very

clear of his goal in writing. The contents
of the letter would be highly dependent on
the purpose of the writer.
 PUBLIC RELATION

In writing the business letter, the goodwill

and image of the organization should be
reflected in the letter. The letter carries
with it the entire organization.
 THE “YOU” ATTITUDE
The “you” attitude simply means putting
the reader’s point of view in mind in
writing the letter. It has to show that the
central focus of the letter is the reader’s
interest.
 COURTEOUS

It is not all the time that a letter contain

positive message. In delivering negative
messages, the writer should possess
courtesy and politeness.
 COURTEOUS

In terms of asking a favour from the

reader, utmost care in delivery should be
done. The writer has to carefully choose
his words for this purpose.
 SINCERE

The writer has to feel the sincerity of the

writer in the letter. This is done by using
words which show genuine concern for
the readers.
 COHERENCE

In the letter, there are different ideas

presented. The writer has to link together
all the ideas in such a way that the entire
paper is coherent.
 CONCISENESS

Brevity is the key in letter writing. But all

the needed information by the reader
should be presented. Conciseness should
not sacrifice the completeness of letter.
 PARTS OF THE BUSINESS
LETTER
1. Heading
2. Date line
3. Inside address
4. Salutation
5. Body
6. Closing or Complimentary Closing
7. Signature Line
8. Notations
 FORMAT OF THE LETTER
1. Full Block Style
2. Modified Block Style
3. Semi-Block Style
4. Indented Form or Traditional Form
5. Hanging Style
6. Memorandum Style
FUL
L
BLOC
K
STYL
E
Formatting a Letter

Margins: TM-2inches RM-1inch

BM-1inch LM-1inch
Block Style is one method of formatting a letter. In this
style of letter writing all parts of the letter are keyed at
the left margin.
 Paragraphs should not be indented in this style of letter.
 Use a standard font style and font size i.e. Times New Roman/Arial and
12 point font.
 Single Space within paragraphs and double space between paragraphs .
 230 Glendale Ct.
RETURN Brooklyn, NY 11234-3721 Open Punctuation
ADDRESS December 5, 2005 No punctuation
after Salutation and
QS
Complimentary close
LETTER ADDRESS
Ms. Julie Hutchinson
1825 Melbourne Ave.
Flushing, NY 11367-2351
SALUTATION
DS
Dear Julie
DS
It seems like years since we were in Ms. Gerhig’s keyboarding class. Now I wish I would have
paid more attention. As I indicated on the phone, I am applying for a position as box office

BODY coordinator for one of the theaters on Broadway. Of course, I know the importance of having my
letter of application and resume formatted correctly, but I’m not sure that I remember how to do it.
DS
Since you just completed your business education degree, I knew where to get the help I needed.
Thanks for agreeing to look over my application documents; they are enclosed. Also, if you have
any suggestions for changes to the content, please share those with me too. This job is so
important to me; it’s the one I really want.
COMPLIMENTARY DS
CLOSE Thanks again for agreeing to help. If I get the job, I’ll take you out to one of New York’s finest
restaurants.

NAME OF WRITER DS
Sincerely
ENCLOSURE NOTATION
QS
MODIFIED

BLOC
K
STYL
E
SEM
I-
BLOC
K
STYL
E
INDENTED
FORM or
TRADITIO
NAL FORM
HANGING
STYLE
MEMORA
NDUM
STYLE
 KINDS OF BUSINESS
CORRESPONDENCE
1. Sales Letter
2. Letter of Inquiry
3. Letter Making a Reservation
4. Order Letter
5. Letter of Resignation
6. Letter of Reference/Recommendation
 KINDS OF BUSINESS
CORRESPONDENCE
7. Letter of Acceptance
8. Letter of Refusal
9. Letter of Collection
10. Letter of Complaint
11. Letter of Adjustment
12. Memorandum
 SALES LETTER

A sales letter offers a product or service to the

potential clients. It has to include good
persuasive language in order to attract buyers or
patronizers.
 SALES LETTER

Sales letter should include the ff:

1. Attracting the Attention of the reader
2. Arousing Interest and Desire
3. Convincing the Reader
4. Issuing a Challenges
 ATTRACTING THE
ATTENTION OF THE READER
The introductory part of the letter serves a
huge function in attaining its goal. It has
to capture the attention of the reader to
continue reading until the conclusion part.
 AROUSING INTEREST AND
DESIRE
In this step, the writer has to focus on the good
points of the product or service. If the reader
sees how he or she can benefit from it, his
interest and desire would be stirred to finally
give in to your offer.
 CONVINCING THE READER

You have to use expert’s opinion, statistics and

other facts to support your goal. Other
strategies in convincing the clients are using
testimonies from avid clients, or giving sample
products.
 ISSUING A CHALLENGE

This is finally stimulating the buyer to act.

This involves finally asking them to avail
of the product or services. You may use
strategies like giving discounts or
promotions on limited duration.
 LETTER OF INQUIRY
This letter is used to inquire pertinent
information on a specific subject. This
topic includes any information about the
product, services, or policies of the
company.
 LETTER OF INQUIRY
Parts of the Letter of Inquiry are:
1. Purpose of your letter and your inquiry
2. Brief introduction about yourself and
organization you represent, if any; and
3. Courteous closing remarks and expectation to
hear from the receiver.
 LETTER MAKING A
RESERVATION
The main purpose of this letter is to place a
reservation or order for a product or services in a
company. Normally, a letter of reservation is short
so make sure that you included all the information
about a particular service or product you want to
avail of.
 ORDER LETTER
An order letter is a very simple letter. It only includes
all the pertinent information about the product or
services you want to avail which includes the
quantity and the description. You also have to include
specific details in terms of payment preferred or
required by the company.
 LETTER OF RESIGNATION
This letter is written by the employee
addressed to the employer with an
intention of terminating your bond of
employer – employee relationship with the
company.
 LETTER OF RESIGNATION
Normally, this letter is composed of:
1. Your objective;
2. Your appreciation being part of the
company; and
3. An appropriate closing strategy and
your intention to still work with the
company in the future.
 LETTER OF REFERENCE/
RECOMMENDATION
This letter is written by a person who provides a
character reference to a person usually a job
applicant. The writer should have known the
person for quite a while for him to be qualified
to give recommendation
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE

It is a positive message
given to a request or offer.
 LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE

This letter composes of the following components:

1. Statement of what is being accepted;
2. Details of the acceptance; and
3. An appropriate closing remarks.
 LETTER OF REFUSAL
It contains a negative statement. It includes
statements which formally announce a decline
or rejection of any offer or proposal. Since this
letter possess a bad news, it has to be stated
directly and written with courtesy.
 LETTER OF REFUSAL

This contains:
1. Statement of what is being refused or
rejected;
2. Justification of the refusal or rejection
 LETTER OF COLLECTION

This letter is written primarily with a purpose of

informing the reader on his/her financial obligations
and to remit the payment. The writer has the
challenge to achieve the objective but still
maintaining the god relationship with the reader.
 LETTER OF COLLECTION
This letter contains:
1. General reminder to settle due accounts;
2. Specify the outstanding amount needed to be
settled; and
3. Specify that it is a general reminder letter and
should be disregarded in case payment was made
already
 LETTER OF COMPLAINT
It is a formal written communication of
any dissatisfaction on products or services.
Part of this letter’s objective is a
replacement of product or a
reimbursement.
 LETTER OF COMPLAINT

This letter contains:

1. Description of the complaint;
2. Suggest a solution to the complaint made; and
3. Statement of expectation for immediate
response to the complaint.
 LETTER OF ADJUSTMENT

It is a letter in response to the letter of

complaint. It is usually contains the logical and
reasonable answer for the complaint given by
the client. Its main objective is to pacify and
address the concerns of the complaints.
 LETTER OF ADJUSTMENT
This letter contains:
1. Appreciation of the client’s effort to relay the concerns;
2. Expression of regret on the complaints and dissatisfaction
in the product or services.
3. Statement of the reasons or justification for the complaints;
and
4. Presentation of alternatives or solutions for the complaints.
 MEMORANDUMS

A memorandum or memo is
correspondence used to disseminate
information from one department to another
department.
 MEMORANDUMS
The principal parts of a memo are:
1. Date
2. To
3. From
4. Subject
5. The contents or message
MINUTES OF THE MEETING

It is the recorded flow of the

meeting. It is written to put into
writing everything that transpired
on the duration of the meeting.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING

The minutes of the meeting

serves as a guide for the
succeeding meetings to come.
 MINUTES OF THE MEETING
Specific Format
1. Opening
a. Name of the Organization
b. Title of the meeting
c. Attendees
d. Time (start of the meeting)
e. Opening prayer
 MINUTES OF THE MEETING

Specific Format
2. Body
a. Objective of the meeting
b. Certification of Quorum / Call to order
c. Points of Clarification and Discussion/ decision
 MINUTES OF THE MEETING

Specific Format

3. Adjournment (end time)

a. Name of recorder
 RESUME
It serves as your marketing tool in order to land
a good job. It outlines your education,
qualifications and achievements. The employer
will base the decision whether or not you will
be accepted in the company.
 APPLICATION FOR
EMPLOYENT
It is used together with the resume.
It is used to convey your intention to
apply for the vacant position in the
company.
 APPLICATION FOR
EMPLOYENT
1. State when and where you learned about the vacant
position
2. Indicate your intention to apply for the vacant job
3. Indicate the knowledge, qualifications, ad skills
relevant for the job
4. 4. state the time availability for possible call back.
 RESUME
Parts of the Resume:
1. Personal Information
2. Work Experience
3. Educational Background
4. Seminars / Training Attended
5. Character references