BUSINESS WRITING IN ACTION

WHEN DOES WRITTEN COMMUNICATION FAIL?

Your sex has been changedMr, Mrs or Miss

The purpose of communication is not clearly stated

There are errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

The document is written in very formal style, jargon words and technical terms.

Important information has been omitted

The tone is all wrong

THE WORLD’S WORST WRITTEN BUSINESS DOCUMENT

MUDDLED THINKING

MUDDLED STRUCTURE

OUT OF CONTROL LANGUAGE

UNPROFESSIONAL

INEFFICIENT

INEFFECTIVE

ABC

ACCURATE

•Get your facts right •Always aim to include all necessary details in communication•Be specific not vogue

BRIEF

• Do not have time to read long documents

CLEAR

•Use clear language with plain words•Replace long words with short and simple words.

KISS

• Create KISSable communication:-

Keep

It

Short and

Simple

JARGON

• Business writing today should be as natural as possible.

• Eg:JARGON PLAIN ENGLISH

Basic fundamentals Basics

As a consequence of Because

Apprise Tell, Inform

5Cs

• Try to remember five Cs in business writingCLARITYCONCISENESSCOURTESYCOMPLETENESSCORRECTNESS

1- CLARITY

• Being specific and leaving no doubt in your reader’s mind. You can promote clarity if you:-– Are specific– Avoid vogue expressions– Use familiar words

2-CONCISENESS

• Putting your message across in as few words as possible. You can promote conciseness if you:-– Avoid unnecessary explanation– Avoid wordiness, repetition and long words– Use simple expression

3- COURTESY

• Considering the reader’s interests and feelings. You can promote courtesy if you:-– Use “YOU” language rather than “WE” or “I”– Are tactful– Avoid irritating expression

4- COMPLETENESS

• Presenting all the facts and leaving no questions unanswered. You can promote if you:-– Include dates, times, names and numbers– Double-check all details carefully– Proofread as well as spell check

5- CORRECTNESS

• Structuring your language properly. You can promote if you:-– Use correct spelling and punctuation– Use correct grammar– Adapt your language to your reader.