Title: Effective Business Writing: A Workshop for SOM 301 Students
1Effective Business Writing A Workshop for SOM
301 Students
2Part 1 Business Writing BasicsPart 2
Formatting Sentence Level ConcernsPart
3 Audience, Tone, Style Part 4 ContentPart
5Organization FlowPart 6Use of SourcesPart
7 Practice!
3Part 1Business Writing Basics
- Adapted from the following SOM 301 materials
- Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business Writing
Basics, SOM 301.
4Three main rules
- Say it in the fewest words possible
- Dont offend your audience
- Guide your audience
-
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business
Writing Basics, SOM 301.
51. Say it in the fewest words possible
- Change wordy phrases so they are more concise
CONCISE The office will be closed
Monday. now allow because/since
WORDY I am sending you this announcement to let
you all know that the office will be closed on
Monday. at this point in time afford an
opportunity due to the fact that
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business
Writing Basics, SOM 301.
6Lets practice! Rephrase the following
- Feel free to
- In the near future
- In view of the fact that
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business
Writing Basics, SOM 301.
72. Dont Offend Your Audience
- In most cases, keep focus on the audience so the
tone is friendly rather than unnecessarily
authoritative - Unnecessarily authoritative I think you should
adopt the policies listed in my proposal when
implementing a retirement plan - Friendly You may find the following information
useful when implementing a retirement plan. - Use positive language
- Negative We will withhold payment until you
complete the job satisfactorily - Positive When the job is completed
satisfactorily, you will receive payment.
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business
Writing Basics, SOM 301.
82. Dont Offend Your Audience
- Use inclusive and non-sexist language
- Exclusive/sexist Every attorney has ten minutes
for his summation. - Inclusive/non-sexist All attorneys have ten
minutes for their summations. OR Every attorney
has ten minutes for a summation.
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business
Writing Basics, SOM 301.
93. Guide Your Audience
- Use plain English and avoid big words
- Confusing He hypothesized that the vehicle was
not operational because of a malfunctioning
gasket. - Conversational He thought that the vehicle was
not working because of a bad gasket. - Avoid jargon, slang, and acronyms your audience
may not know like - Below the belt, make a bundle, keep your nose to
the grindstone - SOM instead of School of Management, MIS instead
of Management Information Systems
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business
Writing Basics, SOM 301.
103. Guide Your Audience
- Avoid redundant phrases like
- Past history
- first and foremost
- new innovation
- Avoid vague language
- Vague A change in our budget
- Vivid A 10 increase in our budget
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Business
Writing Basics, SOM 301.
11(No Transcript)
12Part 2Formatting Sentence Level Concerns
13Why does presentation matter?
Materials provided by SOM 301 Lab Coordinator
14How does our revision compare?
Materials provided by SOM 301 Lab Coordinator
15Part 3Audience, Tone, Style
16Consider the Rhetorical Situation
17Who is the audience?
- Potential audiences include
- Subordinates
- Client/customers
- Ask yourself
- What is the audiences level of understanding?
- What are their expectations and preferences?
- What will their reaction probably be?
Adapted from Bovée, C.L., Thill, J.V. (2010).
Business communication today (10th ed.). Boston,
MA Prentice Hall.
18Business Audiences Skimmers Skeptics
- In general, business readers are skimmers
skeptics. In order to reach both of these
audiences effectively - State the main point clearly and up front.
- Place the most important information at the
beginning and ending of paragraphs. - Support your statements with sufficient details
and evidence. Include specific examples, numbers,
dates, names, and percentages.
19What is the purpose?
Some potential purposes
- Remember business writing is action-oriented
it aims to effect positive change through
persuasive and informative strategies. - So, ask yourself
- What is your purpose for writing this document?
What action do you want the reader to take when
he or she finishes reading?
20As the writer, you must choose the appropriate
tone
- Too formal
- Pursuant to our telephone conversation, I have
communicated with said client and my findings
will be submitted to you in written form. - Too casual
- Hey boss, about that promotion, when r we gonna
talk about it? - Too subjective
- I must have the report on my desk by the close
of business today!
Adapted from the following SOM 301
materials Scott, N. (2010, Spring). Adapting
Tone, SOM 301.
21A conversational tone is best in business writing
Too formal Dear Ms. King Enclosed please find
the information that was requested during our
telephone communication of June 22. As was
mentioned at that time, Dunder Mifflin can
provide you with paper products far superior to
any other supplier in the greater Scranton
area. Most sincerely yours, Dwight K. Schrute
Conversational Dear Ms. King Heres the
information you requested during our phone
conversation on Friday. As I mentioned, Dunder
Mifflin has the best paper and the best prices in
the area. Sincerely, Jim Halpert
Too informal Heres the 411 you requested. IMHO,
we have more and better doctors than any other
hospital in the state. L8R, Nard-dog
Adapted from Bovée, C.L., Thill, J.V. (2010).
Business communication today (10th ed.). Boston,
MA Prentice Hall.
22(No Transcript)
23- Lets
- identify
- the rhetorical situation
- in the research assignment
- Who is the audience?
- What is the purpose?
- What kind of tone should you choose?
24Part 4Content
25Strategies for Effective Research
- Where to look finding a database
- http//library.gmu.edu/
- How to look developing search terms
- Read the assignment carefully and pick out the
most important concepts.
What industry do we find interesting? What
company within that industry intrigues us?
Adapted from the following materials by Michael
Killian, Liaison Librarian for SOM and the
Economics Department Killian, M. (2010, Spring).
Doing Research, SOM 301.
26Strategies for Effective Research
To select source types, go to the sidebar on the
left
- 4. Narrowing your search
- Change your source types to Market Research
Reports and/or Trade Publications - Add case study as a search term
Adapted from the following materials by Michael
Killian, Liaison Librarian for SOM and the
Economics Department Killian, M. (2010, Spring).
Doing Research, SOM 301.
27Strategies for Effective Research
- 5. Read the abstracts
- Does the article just mention your topic, or is
it ABOUT your topic? - An ideal article
- Comes from a reputable source
- Is about your topic
- Contains information pertinent to solving the
problem in your assignment - Contains articles, charts, and graphs that help
illustrate the facts presented
Adapted from the following materials by Michael
Killian, Liaison Librarian for SOM and the
Economics Department Killian, M. (2010, Spring).
Doing Research, SOM 301.
28Part 5Organization Flow
29DELIVERY
30Why does organization matter?
- Remember, business readers are skimmers and
skeptics. Logical presentation of your ideas - Makes you seem professional and credible
- Helps the reader grasp your main point quickly
31Strategies for Evaluating Organization
- When youve drafted your assignment, ask
yourself - Is the information arranged in order of
importance to your audience? - Is similar information grouped together?
- Is each paragraph organized around only one main
idea - Do you have key sentences first in each paragraph?
32Part 6Use of Sources
33APA style for SOM 301
- All citations should come in the form of an APA
citation sandwich - Signal phrase citation
- For example
- According to Jane Robbins (2010), President of
Travel Trends, Inc., a market research company
specializing in the tourism industry, in some
popular resort towns the hotel vacancy rate for
the week of Christmas 2009 was 35 higher than in
2008. Robbins claims that doing well in the
recession often just means staying afloat in
whatever way possible. (para. 3).
research (quote or paraphrase)
34Good Luck!