business writing(materials for distribution)

8/6/2019 Business Writing(Materials for Distribution)

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Safwat Elmansy- Leadership

AgendaAgenda

1. Writing an effective business document

2. 9 Steps to produce a great document

3. Managing E-mails

4. The Language: Making it Simple

5. The Golden Rules


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Types of Business DocumentsShort lettersShort letters1-2 pages

Uses the 3 Paragraph structureE-mails and Memos

Short reportsShort reports5-10 pages

Read in one sitting

Long ReportsLong Reports10 or more pages

Includes index and detailed data


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Why write a document InstructionsInstructions

The sequence of a process

ProposalsProposals Moving from problem to solution

Research ReportsResearch Reports

From Aim to Conclusion

Response to an inquiryResponse to an inquiry

Saying: Yes, No or Both

Information distributionInformation distribution

News, updates


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Knowing your

Communication Type

Knowing your communicationtype allows you to make

strategic adjustment in your

writing for readers whose

communication types differ

your own.


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Knowing your

Communication TypeCommunication TypesCommunication Types

The Thinker

The Feeler

The Juggler

The Planner


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The ThinkerThe Thinker

The Thinker likes to think through

problems to understand their causesand possible solutions.

Believes that communication is mostpersuasive when ideas are presented in

a logical order, with appropriate

supporting evidence.


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Begins communication by trying to

achieve agreement on a basic premise

or set of ideas.

Matters of opinion and feeling are oflittle interest

Seeks the "truth" irrespective of officepolitics and personalities.

Often uses statistics, verified examples,and other sources of objective data to

prove his point.


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The FeelerThe Feeler The Feeler focuses on the emotional side

What people hope, fear, like, hate,

accept, reject

Believes that communication is most

persuasive when all involved feelrelatively good about what is being said

or decided. Begins communication by trying to

establish rapport


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The objective truth of any situation

matters less to the Feeler than its

social impact and implication

how others respond and react is

what really matters to him Often attempts to make his points by

reference to personal emotions, andbroad appeals to "what will work for all

of us"


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Is suspicious of so-called objective

data, viewing it as a false front behind

which others hide their real motivesand feelings.


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The JugglerThe Juggler The Juggler always has one eye on the

clock, schedule, deadlines, andbudgets.

Takes pride in being able to take onseveral tasks at once.

Often tasks are not completed asthoroughly or carefully as othersmight do them

Always points to the emergencycircumstances involved or the lack of

any help to justify his shortcuts.


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Is usually the first to respond creativityand energetically to unexpected change.

His solutions to problems are

sometimes band-aids rather than true

cures, due to his/her rush to judgment

in finding answers.


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Some people admire the Juggler for his

ability to get so many tasks done in a

short period of time.

Others respond less

positively to him, feeling

that his accomplishments

are half-baked and

flawed.


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The PlannerThe Planner

The Planner can relax only when daily

events and tasks have been organizedonto a sensible pattern or plan.

Uses flow charts, diagrams, timelines,

and other graphic aids in an attempt to

capture and demonstrate "the big

picture" to others.


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Often initiates communication by a

request that we develop a workable

plan and may be unable to accomplishmuch work until such a plan is in place.

At his best, the Planner aids the

organization by increasing efficiency,

eliminating redundancies, and enabling

resource allocation.


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counter threats to the organization,

seize market opportunities,

resolve crises and

manage change.

At his worst, the Planner - in his

insistence on models, patterns, and

plans - can stand in the way of those

trying to act quickly and creatively to.


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9 Steps to producea great document


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9 steps to produce a great document9 steps to produce a great document

1. Grasp your Purpose

2. Analyze your Audience

3. Brainstorm4. Limit your material

5. Organize your material6. Substantiate your effort

7. Draft your document8. Polish your document

9. The Final Check


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1. Grasp your Purpose What is the Object of the report?

What is your purpose in writing thisreport?

Write down yourcentral purposestatement on a note card, and keep it in

view while researching and writing. It's easy to get off track without this reminder.


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Example: Purpose statements

The purpose of this report / letter / memo is

1.To convince the board we should open a new plant in Germany.

2.To make the customer (who has written with a complaint) feel valued.

3.To give our sales team the information they need .

4. questions about the benefits of our new laptop.5.To persuade store managers of how they can increase

turnover by better use of point-of-sale material.

6.To make our new premium ice cream attractive


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2. Analyze your Audience Who will read the report?

What do they expect from you?

What are their interests, needs,

backgrounds and biases?

What kind of terms, examples, and detailscan you use to best effect?

The answers to these questions help youdetermine what to discuss and how to

shape your material to best effect.


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3. Brainstorming

How can your topic be best developed for

your audience

What aspects of the topic will be most

interesting?

What examples will best support yourpoints?


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Brainstorming questions

Fill-in the blank with your topic.Why do I/others even care about?

1.If I had to divide Into parts or stages,what would they be?

2.What forces / circumstances led to?

3.What kind of person is interested in

?4.If did not exist, how would

things be different?


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Brainstorming questionsFill-in the blank with your topic.5. What aspect of do I (or would my

readers) like best? Least?6. What larger situation, cultural background, or

other context helps to explain ?

7. What are the principal benefits of?

8. If fails or is ignored, what will bethe impact?

9. How could be explained to a

10-year-old child?


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Brainstorming PlanBrainstorming Plan

INTERACTIVE SHOPPING

Opportunities

market size / projected growth Packaged food

clothing

Problems

Fraud

Slow growth

Our response

Improve existing servicesDevelop interactive products

Trials in US/France behind schedule

Technology

attractions

Power to consumer

Long term savings


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4. Limit your Material What is Range of the report?With what breadth and depth should you treat

your topic?

Determining the range of your report means thatyou will have to leave out interesting butnonessential information.

Out of all ideas from the brainstormingWhat ideas are most appropriate for your

purpose and audience?What ideas can you write about with the most

expertise and confidence?


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5. Organize your material What logical pattern can be used to

communicate your ideas clearly?

In what order should your ideas appear?

Sample outline forproblem solving reports:

OverviewProblem definition and history

Problem analysis and impactProposed resolution

Actions and recommendations


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6. Substantiate your points

Plug-in Support passages

Examples, details, statistics, research

findings

Locate places in your document where

graphic aids can be placed


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7. Draft your document

I have prepared and can now express my

ideas in a first draft without suffering

Quite a bit of the first draft turns out to be

usable material in the final draft

Let the words flow

Write as if you are writing to a friend dont

bother about quality now

8 P li h d


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8. Polish your documentPolish the rough diamond that lies on the

desk so that others can appreciate it

Check for logical connections

Check for appropriate transitions between

sentences Eliminate unnecessary words

Check for grammatical errors Check the language simplicity

The shorter the better

9 Th Fi l Ch k


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9. The Final CheckBefore you release the document,

ask the following questions:Did the message appear to be important?

Did the message appear easy to read or

tough sledding?Does the final message reflect the central

purpose statement?

Is the document nice to view and read?


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Managing

e-mails

E mail practices


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E-mail practices

Please answer the following questions: On a typical business day, how often do you

check your e-mail? When you check your e-mail, how do you

decide which messages to respond, which todelay and which to ignore ?

Do your habits for checking e-mail vary widelyfrom day to day,?

E il ti


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E-mail practicesAre you able to check e-mail after work

hours?

What are the expectations of your company

regarding the checking of e-mail by

employees?

How do you measure up to those

expectations?

What I do now" and "What I want to do"

YouYouve got mailve got mail


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YouYou ve got mailve got mailYou (not others) must decide when to look atyour E-mails

Turn off the pop-up or noise which notifiesyou of a new E-mail

Check your E-mail at certain times in the day When you arrive at your desk or start work

Just before lunch

Third around an hour before normal

business closes.

Sending Effective ESending Effective E mailsmails


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Sending Effective ESending Effective E--mailsmails Properly use:To

CcBcc

Copy only those readers with a need toknow.

More than 70 percent of e-mails

received are the result of misrouting or

needless copying.



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Sending Effective ESending Effective E--mailsmails Subject

A one sentence summary of the whole

E-mail

It has to be descriptive and attractive toinvite the reader to open the E-mail

The reader can get to the heart of your

communication right away.



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E-mail BodyUse the 3 paragraph format

1.Paragraph One: an introduction

The past: Why the E-mail is written

2.Paragraph Two: the development phase

The present: Bring reader up to date

3.Paragraph three: the conclusion

The Future: Focuses on actions needed

Sending Effective ESending Effective E--mailsmails



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No more than one screen-full.

When a message must run longer, send

a brief cover message and use the

"Attachment" function for the longer

document.

Be specific, organized and to the point

Use bullets and numbers

Avoid Re:Re:Re:Re




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Make clear (usually at the end of the

message) what you want your reader todo after reading this E-mail

Is your message for informational

purposes only?

Do you want a reply?

Do you want action of some kind?




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Cultural aspects

High context and low-context cultures

Time zones Signatures

Use in the start of the thread.Dont reuse with those who already

know you.

Attachments

Refer to the attachment in the E-mail

body.



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Effective E mail filing


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Effective E-mail filing Organize your E-mail folders

Classify by:

Subject Alphabetical

Customer

Date

Geographical

Use simple headings Separate active files from archive

Review/Clean files regularly

Effective E mail filing


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Dont use the inbox as a storage box

Delete E-mails that:

Effective E-mail filing

You will never have

time to look at

You can find

somewhere else

Have a low pay-off

E-mail reduction checklist


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E-mail reduction checklist Remove your corporate E-mail from external

mailing lists

Use private account: hotmail, yahoo, gmail . Remove your name from unneeded internal

circulation list

Ask colleagues to put you in the cc only if

needed

Start with yourself:Talk to people instead of writing


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The Language:

Making it Simple


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StyleStyle


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StyleStyle

Formal: legal documents, letters from the

bank

Neutral: business reports and letters

Informal: letters to friends, your personal

diary

ParagraphsParagraphs


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ParagraphsParagraphs The Topic Sentence:

States the subject of the paragraph

Usually is the 1st sentence

Everything in the paragraph is clearly connectedto its subject

Write shorter paragraphs Use single sentence paragraphs to make an

important statement stand out strongly

Write shorter sentences; rewrite very longsentences into 2-3 shorter ones.

Linking Sentences


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Linking Sentences

From a report recommending the closure of a factory

One plant must go, because we simply have too much capacity in relation

to anylikely future market demand.

It seems to me that the plant at Lyon is the obvious candidate for closure.

For one thing, it is by far the oldest and smallest of our manufacturingfacilities.

For another, it is a little remote from our emerging markets in EasternEurope, and freight costs are therefore .

The third thing that makes Lyon the likely candidate is its very poorproduction record. If we compare worker output per hour at Lyon withour newer factories in Holland, Germany and England we can seethat

By Listing

Linking sentencesLinking sentences


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Linking sentencesg

Logical cause If you want we will install a thermostat on each

radiator, so you will be able to control the

temperature of each room.

Not all our customers want the same from atrolley when they visit the supermarket. Thatswhy at every one of our stores you will now findten different kinds of trolley to choose from.

As a result of this recovery, we expect US

exports in Europe and Japan to be boosted.

Linking SentencesLinking Sentences


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Linking SentencesLinking Sentences

In spite of the recession in the Far East, the performanceof the stock-market has been quite good.

You may feel that you cannot afford to have your

extension designed by an architect, but a well-designedextension will be more attractive, and make yourproperty more saleable.

The marketing department are obviously keen on their newlogo design. All the same, Im not convincedparticularly when you consider the expense.

Contrasts

Linking Sentences


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g

Premium ice cream sales continue to grow at a year-on-year rateof 26%. Premium ice cream sales have grown at a year-on-

year rate of 26% for the last five years.

The rate of growth of premium ice cream shows no sign ofslackening. The premium ice cream market is now worth almost

110 million. The total UK ice cream market is worth 840

million.The premium ice cream market is expected to achieve a 25%

share of the total ice cream market by the end of the century.

SubstitutionFrom a briefing the premium ice cream market


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Simple words and VocabularySimple words and Vocabulary


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2. Change phrases into single words The employee with ambition...

The ambitious employee... Jeff Converse, our chief of consulting,

suggested at our last board meeting

the installation of microfilm equipmentin the department of data processing.

At our last board meeting, Chief Consultant JeffConverse suggested that we install microfilmequipment in the data processing department.




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3. Change unnecessary that, who,and whichclauses into phrases

The report, which was released recently... The recently released report...

All applicants who are interested in the job

must... All job applicants must...

The system that is most efficient andaccurate... The most efficient and accurate system...




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4. Avoid overusing expletives at thebeginning of sentences

It is the governor who signs or vetoes bills. The governor signs or vetoes bills..

There are four rules that should be

observed: ... Four rules should be observed:...

There was a big explosion, which shook the

windows, and people ran into the street. A big explosion shook the windows, and people

ran into the street

Simple words and VocabularyS p e o ds a d ocabu a y



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5. Use active rather than passive verbs

An account was opened by Mrs. Nagwa.

Mrs. Nagwa opened an account.

Your figures were checkedby the researchdepartment.

The research department checked your figures .

Simple words and Vocabularyp y


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7. Reword unnecessary infinitivephrases

The duty of a clerk is to checkall incoming mailand to recordit.

A clerk checks and records all incoming mail.

A shortage of tellers at our branch office onFriday and Saturday during rush hours hascaused customers to become dissatisfiedwith

service. A teller shortage at our branch office on Friday and

Saturday during rush hours has caused customer

dissatisfaction.

p yp y



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8. Replace circumlocutions with directexpressions

At this/that point in time...

Now/then

She has the ability toinfluence the outcome.

She can influence the outcome

It is necessary that we take a stand on thispressing issue.

We must take a stand on this pressing issue.

p yp y



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9. Omit words that explain the obviousor provide excessive detail

We received your inquiry yesterday. Yes, we dohave...

Yes, we do have...

Imagine a mental picture of someone engagedin the intellectual activity of trying to learn what

the rules are for how to play the game of chess. Imagine someone trying to learn the rules of chess.

p yp y



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10. Omit repetitive wording The supply manager considered the

correcting typewriter an unneeded luxury. The supply manager considered the correcting

typewriter a luxury.

My past memories of the various differences My memories of the differences During that time period, many car buyers

preferred cars that were pink in color and

shiny in appearance. During that period, many car buyers preferred

pink, shiny cars.

p yp y

AbbreviationsAbbreviations


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1. Use the Full version the first time

immediately followed by the

abbreviation in brackets.

European Community (EC)

Knowledge Academy (KA)

2. After that, simply use the abbreviation EC - KA


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The Look: Making itClear and Readable

Make your writing


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Clear and Readable Layout

Headings and sub-headings

Punctuation

Achieving Emphasis

Illustrations, charts and graphs

Layout


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PunctuationsCapital Letters: God

Beginning of sentence

Proper names, organizations, ministries, places:

House of Parliament Any label formed from a proper name: Egyptians

Countries, capitals: South Africa

Titles when used with names: King Fahd Some periods of history: Renaissance


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PunctuationsCommas:

To separate items in a listThe car vibrated at high speed, held the road badly on sharpbends, did not

As a parenthesisOne way to get publicity, the most common way, is to producepress releases.

After introductory words:Normally, youIf you buy this bottle, I shall


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PunctuationsSemicolon:

Where two statements are closely relatedThe bank would not help me; they refused to lend me any more money

Separate items in a complicated sentenceOne way to get publicity, the most common way, is to producepress releases.

Colon:

Introduces list of itemsThe following items need repair: the washing machine, the radio,


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Emphasis1. Visual Devices

Samy is the new committee chair, not Khaled.

This mission is extremely important for our future: wemust not fail!

The picture that television commercials portray of the

American home is far from realistic.

BE WARE OF SARS

Use Red colorto alert the reader


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Emphasis3. Choice and Arrangement of Words

See your good times come to color in minutes: pictures

protected by an elegant finish, pictures you can take

with an instant flash, pictures that .

Cairo Rent-a-car is first in reliability, first in service,

and last in customer complaints.

Fifty dollars I'd make in just two hours on a busy night

at the restaurant.


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Emphasis4. Sentence Position and Variation

For a long time Japanese corporations used Southeast Asiamerely as a cheap source of raw materials, as a place to dumpoutdated equipment and overstocked merchandise, and as atraining ground for junior executives who needed minor league

experience. But those days have ended.

The increased number of joggers, the booming sales of exercisebicycles and other physical training devices, the record number of

entrants in marathon races--all clearly indicate the growing beliefamong Americans that strenuous, prolonged exercise is good fortheir health. But is it?


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The golden Rules

The Golden Rules


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Your reader expects you to:Your reader expects you to:

Write Simply

Write Briefly

Write Clearly

Also, you need to:Also, you need to: Write Quickly


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Write Simply Using uncomplicated words

Using uncomplicated phrases

Putting information and ideas in a logical

order

Check what you write. Look for words and

phrases that can be put more simply.


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Write Briefly Use as few words as possible

Reduce the average length of yourparagraphs and sentences

Check what you write. Look for words andphrases to take out


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Write Clearly Layout


Emphasis

Punctuation



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ExampleThere are several different ways of making coffee, and most people are very fussy abut the one they

prefer. For a start theres instant coffee; its certainly the quickest method and a lot of people

genuinely prefer the taste. For those who like their coffee mage with all milk, its easy to do thiswith instant coffee. Its also very easy to make for one person, without any wastage. On the other

hand, its arguably the least healthy and some of the varieties taste extremely unpleasant. Then

theres filter coffee. You can make this in a machine, which takes a little while, and isnt very hot

when it comes out. But it has the benefit that you can leave it on a hotplate for some time and go

back later for a second cup. And you can make enough for several people at once. You van alsomake filter coffee in a cafeteria. This is usually only enough for a few people. It isnt terribly hot

because it has to be left to stand for a short while, but its hotter than filter coffee made in a

machine. One other variety of coffee which is increasing in popularity is espresso coffee. You need

an espresso machine to make this in; it works by forcing steam through the coffee grounds; the

steam then condenses into coffee. Espresso coffee is usually very hot and very strong. It iscommonly considered to make the best black coffee, and when combined with milk it is rich and

strong. The two biggest disadvantages are the fact that the machine are not very big. You can make

several small cups of strong black coffee (Mediterranean style) from them, but only a couple of

mugs worth. The other disadvantage is that the machines are a hassle to wash up if you dont have a

dishwasher.


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Write Quickly Put a time limit

Set a limit on the document length

Use standard formats/wordings

Use Bullets:

Quick to write, easy to read

Single sentencesUsed for lists, e.g. lists of instructions

l


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Example

From Robert Evans Pro Manufacturing

To Tom Lee General Garage

Date June .

Message

We have received your order, reference 443 XJ, Dated 10 June.

All the items have been dispatched to you except for the gear boxes, part no. OL449374.

These will be dispatched on Monday 15, and you should receive them the following day.


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