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Effective Writing for theQuality ProfessionalCreating Useful Letters, Reports, and Procedures

Jane Campanizzi, Ph.D.

ASQ Quality PressMilwaukee, Wisconsin



American Society for Quality, Quality Press, Milwaukee 53203© 2005 by American Society for QualityAll rights reserved. Published 2005Printed in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataCampanizzi, Jane, 1947–

Effective writing for the quality professional : creating useful letters, reports, and procedures / Jane Campanizzi.

p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 0-87389-625-4 (soft cover, spiral bound : alk. paper)1. Business writing. 2. Business presentations. I. Title.

HF5718.3.C364 2005808'.06665—dc22 2004029255

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For my mother, Jean



Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 The Value of Effective Writing at Work . . . 21.2 Five Elements of the Communication

Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.3 Characteristics of Work-Related Writing . . 61.4 Phases of the Writing Process . . . . . . . . . 71.5 The Importance of Plain Language . . . . . . 15

Chapter 2 Language Techniques for Effective Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2.1 Achieving the “You-Attitude” . . . . . . . . . . . 202.2 Maintaining a Positive and Unbiased

Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212.3 Understanding Active vs. Passive

Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252.4 Being Clear, Direct, and Concise . . . . . . . 262.5 Avoiding Slang and Jargon . . . . . . . . . . . . 292.6 Maintaining Goodwill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302.7 Considering International Readers . . . . . . 32

viivii



Chapter 3 Formatting Techniques for Effective Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

3.1 Using “Chunking” to Communicate . . . . . . 383.2 Using White Space Effectively . . . . . . . . . 393.3 Using Columns and Lists Effectively . . . . . 403.4 Considering Fonts and Heading Styles . . . 433.5 Incorporating Visuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 4 Writing Effective Basic Correspondence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

4.1 Writing Effective Memos . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504.2 Writing Effective E-mail Messages . . . . . . 524.3 Writing Effective Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544.4 Conveying Bad News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684.5 Conveying Good News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714.6 Conveying Complaints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714.7 Conveying Thanks for an Interview . . . . . . 754.8 Conveying Recommendations . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 5 Writing Effective Definitions, Summaries, and Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

5.1 Writing Effective Summaries . . . . . . . . . . 835.2 Writing Effective Definitions (Glossary) . . . 865.3 Writing Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Chapter 6 Writing Effective Instructions and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

6.1 Planning for Development of Instructions and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

6.2 Developing Instructions and Procedures . . 946.3 Developing Instructions or Procedures

in a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006.4 Evaluating Instructions and Procedures . . . 1036.5 Considerations for Placing Documents

Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

viii Contents



Chapter 7 Writing Effective Reports and Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

7.1 Guidelines for Short Reports . . . . . . . . . . 1077.2 Guidelines for Long Reports . . . . . . . . . . . 1127.3 Guidelines for Meeting Minutes . . . . . . . . . 117

Chapter 8 Delivering Effective Management Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

8.1 Planning the Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . 1228.2 Developing the Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . 1238.3 Delivering the Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Appendix A: Eliminating “Waste” Words . . . . . . . . . . 131

Appendix B: U.S. Postal Service State/TerritoryAbbreviation Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Appendix C: User Manual Style Sheet (Example) . . . 137

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Contents ix



Preface

Few skills are more powerful or influential in acompany or organization than effective writing

skills. A poorly written document, whether letter,memo, e-mail, report, or procedure, can make itsreader confused, impatient, and unresponsive. Effec-tive writing can enable you, as a quality profes-sional, to add more value to your organization, andit can help you advance more quickly in your career.

Effective writers help their organizations bemore productive. How do they do this? Just aseffective companies eliminate waste from opera-tional processes, effective writers eliminate wasteor “noise” from the communication process byenabling readers to spend less time understand-ing written material. Companies know well that“time is money.” Therefore, as you become a moreeffective communicator, you become more valu-able to your organization by helping it becomemore productive.

xi



This book shows you how to apply effectivewriting techniques to meet the needs of yourcompany or organization, your coworkers, andyour customers. It provides you with practicalguidelines for writing and designing clear, well-organized, and readable documents that you cre-ate each day as a quality professional.

The writing skills you learn in this book willhelp you better organize your thoughts andempower your readers to make more informeddecisions. You will learn how to write moredirectly and concisely to save your readers’ valu-able time. You will learn how to format docu-ments in order to communicate more effectively.You will learn structure and content guidelinesfor writing effective letters, memos, and e-mail.You will learn techniques to develop effectiveinstructions and procedures, as well as guide-lines for developing reports, proposals, recom-mendations, and management presentations.

The writing skills presented in this bookshould serve you well, no matter where yourcareer takes you.

xii Preface



1

Introduction

This chapter provides the framework uponwhich all the other chapters of this book are

based. You need to understand the concepts inthis chapter in order to have a good foundationfor the concepts you will use throughout this bookto build effective writing skills. In this chapteryou will learn about:

• The value of effective writing at work

• Five elements of the communicationprocess

• Characteristics of work-related writing

• Phases of the writing process

• The importance of plain language

1



1.1 The Value of Effective Writing at Work

You communicate in many ways at work. Youcommunicate to others nonverbally, through ges-tures, facial expressions, clothing, eye contact, andso forth. You also communicate verbally, throughthe use of words, both in speaking and in writing.

As you progress in your organization, you willspend more and more time communicating.Supervisors spend 70 percent of the workday com-municating, managers spend 80 percent of theday communicating, and CEOs spend 90 percentof the day communicating (American Manage-ment Association, 1992). A large amount of thiscommunication is in writing.

In a work environment, when would youchoose to communicate in writing? Typically youwill choose to communicate in writing when oneor more of the following conditions are in place:

• A permanent document is required.

• The intended receiver of the message is notpresent.

• The sender of the message wants to estab-lish a formal interaction with the receiver.

2 Chapter One



1.2 Five Elements of theCommunication Process

In any type of verbal communication, you need tohave five elements for effective communication tooccur. First, there must be a sender, someone whoinitiates the communication. The second requiredelement is the message, which is the informationthe sender wants to convey. The third require-ment for effective communication to occur is thatthere needs to be a receiver, or audience, for themessage. This can be the listener, for a spokenmessage, or the reader, for a written message.

The sender needs to choose a way to transmitthe message to the receiver. The choice for trans-mission is the channel, the fourth requirement foreffective communication. A channel can take var-ious forms. A speech, the telephone, or voicemailcan be used to transmit spoken messages, whileletters, memos, e-mail, and faxes can transmitwritten messages.

The final required element needed for effectivecommunication to occur is that there needs to besome response, or feedback, that the receiver/audience provides the sender. That response (e.g.,an e-mail response or performing a writteninstruction correctly) lets the sender knowwhether the communication was received as thesender intended.

Introduction 3



Figure 1.1 depicts the five elements of an effec-tive communication process.

An Example

Let’s look at a workplace scenario to illustratethese five components of an effective communi-cation process.

4 Chapter One

Sender

Response

Receiver Channel

Message

Figure 1.1 Effective communication requirements.

Scenario:

Mary is a manager of a staff of 21 people in XYZ Company. The 21 people are locatedin two separate buildings. The company hasadopted new policies regarding employee

continued



Who is the sender?

Mary is the sender in this communica-tion process.

What is the message?

The message is that there is going to bea meeting to discuss the company’s newpolicy on flextime.

Who is the receiver?

The 21 staff members are the receivers,or the audience, for this communication.

What is an appropriate channel to transmit themessage?

A memo or e-mail would be an appropri-ate channel of transmittal for Mary’smessage, since the staff members arelocated in separate buildings.

What response is provided to Mary on the suc-cess of the communication?

The ultimate response, or feedback, toMary would be whether the employees

Introduction 5

flextime, and Mary wants to announce ameeting on a certain date, time, and locationto review this new policy with her staff.

continued



appear at the meeting on the specifieddate, time, and location. She could obtaininterim feedback by asking the staffmembers to say whether they will attendthe meeting.

1.3 Characteristics of Work-Related Writing

Work-related written documents take manyforms: memos, letters, e-mail, reports, instruc-tions, procedures, glossaries, and so forth. Whenyou think of work-related writing, what charac-teristics come to mind? Figure 1.2 lists commoncharacteristics of work-related documents. Youtypically write work-related documents for a spe-cific audience/reader. Work-related documents

6 Chapter One

• Written for a specific audience• Useful for the intended audience• Well organized• Clearly written• Concise• Accurate• Complete • Visual

Figure 1.2 Characteristics of work-relateddocuments.



should be useful to the reader. They should bewell organized, clear, concise, accurate, and com-plete. Many work-related documents contain visu-als, such as graphs, diagrams, or tables.

As Figure 1.3 shows, the tone of work-relatedwriting tends to be more objective and unbiased.Work-related writing also attempts to maintain apositive tone, even when communicating negativeinformation. On a “formal to informal” scale, work-related writing tends to be on the more formalside. It also attempts to convey professionalism,while being direct and focused. Work-related writ-ing should not alienate its readers. Maintaininggoodwill is important in workplace writing.

1.4 Phases of the Writing Process

Companies that produce new products take a sys-tematic approach to product development. Most

Introduction 7

• Objective• Unbiased• Positive• Formal• Professional• Direct• Non-alienating• Goodwill

Figure 1.3 Tone of work-related writing.



adhere to a product development cycle thatincludes specific phases, such as analysis, design,development, and testing.

You should also use a systematic process todevelop your written documents. Think of yourwritten document as a “product” that you are pro-ducing for your “customer,” its reader(s). Let’s callthis systematic approach the Document Develop-ment Cycle. There are three phases in the Docu-ment Development Cycle: Plan, Develop, andEvaluate. Figure 1.4 depicts the activities thattypically occur in each phase.

8 Chapter One

Phase 1: Plan• Identify the purpose• Analyze the audience• Determine the content• Gather information• Organize the information

Phase 2: Develop• Create the first draft• Revise it yourself—Alpha Draft

Phase 3: Evaluate• Get independent feedback

Figure 1.4 Document development cycle.



Phase 1: Plan

Identify the Purpose

One of the first things you should identify is yourpurpose for writing. If you cannot identify yourreason for writing, there is no reason to write.Knowing your purpose keeps you focused. Thepurpose of most work-related writing is to informsomebody of something, to persuade somebody todo something, to collaborate with someone onsomething, or any combination of these.

Examples of work-related documents that pri-marily have a purpose to inform are procedures,policies, and meeting announcements. Work-related documents that have a purpose to per-suade are proposals and sales letters.

Analyze the Audience

Written communication is more than the trans-fer of a message. You must consider your “cus-tomer,” the audience who uses your “product,” thewritten material. Unless the message makessense to the intended audience, that audiencecannot respond properly and the communicationis not effective. Here are some things you shoulddetermine about your audience:

• Is the audience technical or nontechnical?

• How will the readers use this information(e.g., make a purchase, perform a task,make a management decision)?

Introduction 9



• What are their expectations?

• What is their current knowledge on thistopic?

• What type of reader is the audience (e.g.,nonmanagement, management, customer)?

Determine the Content

Knowing your purpose and audience helps youmake better decisions regarding the content ofyour document. You can more confidently deter-mine what to include and what to leave out of thedocument. For example, if you need to communi-cate technical information to a nontechnical audi-ence, you might decide to include visuals and aglossary of terms.

Here is a work-related scenario that illustrateshow the purpose and audience drive the contentof a document:

10 Chapter One

Sam is a warehouse supervisor for a retailestablishment. He wants to prepare a report tohis boss, the general manager, regarding out-dated items in the warehouse. If Sam decidesthat his purpose is strictly to inform the man-ager about the outdated items, the report willlikely just include a listing of the outdateditems and specific dates.

continued



Gather Information

Most often, in planning for developing a writtendocument, you will need to do some type of infor-mation gathering. You may need to consult a colleague, conduct interviews or surveys, do some observation, and so forth. This information-gathering activity, where you collect data yourself,

Introduction 11

However, Sam might determine that hispurpose is to both inform the manager of theoutdated items and persuade the manager toimprove the situation, since he knows the man-ager is trying to improve productivity. The con-tent of Sam’s report may now include thelisting of outdated items, as well as a cost-benefit analysis for improving the situation.

As another option, Sam might decide on athree-fold purpose: to inform the managerabout the outdated items, to persuade the man-ager to take action, and to collaborate with themanager to solve the problem. In addition tothe listing and cost-benefit analysis, Sam mightinclude some potential solutions to the problemand recommend the best solution.

Therefore, we can see that the content ofSam’s report is driven by his knowledge of hisaudience (the manager) and his purpose.

continued



is called primary research. If you need to gatherinformation from sources such as business docu-ments, articles, the Internet, and so forth, you areconducting secondary research (see Figure 1.5).

Organize the Information

Once you have collected the information, it usu-ally is unorganized. You will need to decide howyou want to organize your material to present itto the reader. A useful organizational tool is anoutline. An outline can be quite formal (e.g., atable of contents) or informal. An outline, whetherformal or informal, is essentially a list of yourmajor topics and subtopics in the sequence inwhich you want to present them (see Figure 1.6).

12 Chapter One

Research

Primary Secondary

Figure 1.5 Types of research.

SurveysInterviewsObservationsExperiments

BooksArticlesInternet Databases



Phase 2: Develop

Once you have completed the planning activities,you are ready to move to the Development Phaseof the Document Development Cycle. Now youare ready to start writing.

Create the First Draft

At the first-draft stage of writing, the main focusis to get your ideas down on paper in the sequence

Introduction 13

1.0 Introduction1.1 What is quality?1.2 Quality assurance vs. quality control

2.0 Control Charts2.1 Basic principles2.2 Control limits

2.2.1 Upper control limit2.2.2 Lower control limit

2.3 Sample size

3.0 Control Charts for Attributes3.1 Fraction nonconforming3.2 Nonconformities

4.0 Using Attributes Control Charts4.1 Constant sample size4.2 Variable sample size

5.0 Conclusion

Figure 1.6 Example of an outline.



of your outline. Don’t worry too much about themechanics, such as spelling, grammar, punctua-tion, sentence structure, paragraphing, and tran-sitioning between paragraphs. Remember, at thefirst-draft stage, the important thing it to getthose ideas down.

Revise the Draft Yourself

When you have finished the first draft, the bestthing you can do is get away from it for a while,for as long as it is comfortable for you. This timeaway clears your mind and allows you to look atthe material with fresh eyes and mind. When youreturn, revise your draft for the mechanics men-tioned above. The revised document is the bestproduct you can produce yourself. Some organi-zations call this written product the Alpha Draft.Now you are ready to move to the last phase ofthe cycle.

Phase 3: Evaluate

Obtain Independent Feedback

Many times, people want to skip this phase. Theythink that once they produce an Alpha Draft,they can distribute the document to its audience.However, what you should do at this point is getan independent review of your document. Here

14 Chapter One



are some basic questions to have the revieweranswer:

• Does this make sense?

• Am I being clear?

• Is there anything that is confusing?

The independent review can be an informal“eyeballing” of the document by a colleague. Someorganizations conduct a formal review of docu-ments, such as instructions and procedures, inwhich formal problem reports are submitted tothe writer.

1.5 The Importance of Plain Language

How can you ensure that your reader correctlyreceives your document’s message? If you useplain language, your writing becomes more effec-tive, that is, more useful for your audience. Yourwriting also becomes more efficient, since thereaders understand your message more quickly.

What Is Plain Language?

When some people hear the phrase plain lan-guage, they think it means using simple words.

Introduction 15



In fact, it is not about using plain words or mak-ing technical or professional language so simplethat it loses meaning. Plain language makes doc-uments easy to use and understand by incorpo-rating clear, concise language and appropriateformatting (Boyd, 1997).

Benefits of Plain Language

Organizations are beginning to realize the bene-fits of effectively written documents. Plain-lan-guage documents result in fewer mistakes, whichmeans tangible savings in processing time. In theworkplace, we are all familiar with the adage“time is money.” Saving the reader time in bothprocessing information and completing tasksresults in higher productivity and lower costs forthe organization.

Here are some examples of the benefits ofusing plain language in the workplace:

• The Royal Insurance Company of Canadareleased its “simple English” home insur-ance policy; sales increased 38% in oneyear (Boyd, 1997, p. 17).

• Britain’s Department of Defense changedone of its internal expense claim forms.The form cost about $15,000 to produce

16 Chapter One



and saves nearly $475,000 per year (Boyd,1997, p. 17).

• The U.S. Federal Communications Com-mission had five full-time staff members to answer citizen questions on regulationsfor citizens band radios. After the regula-tions were rewritten in simple language,questions stopped and the five employeeswere moved to other assignments (Boyd,1997, p. 17).

The U.S. government provides a Plain Lan-guage Network website, www.plainlanguage.gov,which provides guidelines to government agenciesin the use of plain language in their written doc-uments. This site includes numerous suggestionsand examples of the use of plain language in bothletters and documents.

Implementing Plain Language

In Chapters 2 and 3 of this book, you will findprinciples and techniques to help you implementplain language in your documents. You will learnto develop clear language in Chapter 2. In Chap-ter 3, you will learn about formatting techniques.The language and formatting techniques willenable you to produce documents that are botheffective and efficient, so your readers can under-stand your message quickly.

Introduction 17



References

American Management Association (AMA).1992. Delivering successful presentations.(Video). Saranac Lake, NY: AMA.

Boyd, R. A. 1997. Plain language: Making itwork. Intercom (November): 17–19.

18 Chapter One



2

Language Techniques forEffective Writing

This chapter provides you with language tech-niques that enable you to communicate more

effectively in your writing. The more you remem-ber to incorporate these techniques, the moreeffective your workplace writing will be. Yourmessage will be easier for the reader, your audi-ence, to interpret and understand. In this chap-ter, you will learn about:

• Achieving the “you-attitude”

• Maintaining a positive and unbiased tone

• Understanding active vs. passive voice

• Being clear, direct, and concise

• Avoiding slang and jargon

• Maintaining goodwill

• Considering international readers

19



2.1 Achieving the “You-Attitude”

In workplace writing, it is important to focus onthe reader, that is, to “talk” to the reader. Thismeans emphasizing “you,” either implicitly orexplicitly, in your writing. Why do you want toachieve this you-attitude? Readers tend to paymore attention if they are spoken to. Also, it com-municates respect for the reader and empathy forthe reader’s viewpoint. It also tends to focus onyour reader’s interests, desires, and preferences. Ifyour message emphasizes “I” or “we,” then you canappear to be uninterested in your reader.

Using the you-attitude in your writing impliesthat you are focusing on your audience and appre-ciate their viewpoints. Here are some examples ofappropriate use of the you-attitude in businesswriting.

20 Chapter Two

Original

To enable us to processyour order, we require a20% down payment.We are pleased to provideyou 24-hour access to youraccount.We will ship your order for12 canisters this afternoon.

You-Attitude Revision

Your order requires a 20%down payment.

You now have 24-houraccess to your account.

The 12 canisters youordered will ship thisafternoon.



Of course, in some instances, you should avoidemphasizing you. In a negative situation, such aswhen you mention bad news or correct a mistake,you typically will not use you, in order to avoidplacing blame.

Language Techniques for Effective Writing 21

Instead of

You must get approval fromyour supervisor before youleave your production area.

You should never use thatprocedure to release thisvalve.

Use

Employees must obtaintheir supervisor’s approvalbefore leaving theirproduction area.That procedure doesn’twork to release this valve.

Remember that some companies prefer toavoid you and I in formal documents, such asreports. If your company prefers a more formal,distant style, confine your use of you to informaldocuments, such as letters and memos.

2.2 Maintaining a Positive andUnbiased Tone

You cannot avoid communicating negative infor-mation. In most of these situations, it is best tomaintain a positive tone through the use of pos-itive language, instead of negative language.Researchers have found that business people



respond better to positive language than negativelanguage, and they are also more likely to act ona positively worded request than one that usesnegative words (Shelby and Reinsch, 1995).

If you use a positive tone, you have a lowerprobability of alienating or offending your reader.In a business environment, you want to maintainthe attention and goodwill of your reader. You canestablish a more positive tone by using the fol-lowing techniques:

• Avoid negative words or words with a neg-ative connotation (see Figure 2.1).

• Focus on what the reader can do, not whatthe reader cannot do.

22 Chapter Two

Original

Never fail to punch yourtimecard when you leave.If you have any problemswith the software, don’thesitate to contact me.

Revision

Always punch your timecardwhen you leave.If you have any questionsabout the software, pleasecontact me.

In addition to using a positive tone with youraudience, you should also maintain an unbiasedtone. That means you should use language thatis free of bias regarding culture, gender, race orethnicity, age, and disability.



Culture

Be aware of terminology that may not be under-stood by a reader from a culture where Englishis not the native language spoken. Avoid slang(“hyper”), idioms (“His idea is way out in leftfield”), or acronyms (“Get back to me ASAP on theHR issue”) in your messages to readers from othercultures.

Gender

Avoid words that wrongly exclude women or men.Following are some common expressions of gen-der bias, with unbiased alternatives.


apologize error neglectanxious fail neveravoid fault nobad hesitate notdamage impossible problemdelay inadequate troubledelinquent incapable uncleardeny incomplete unfortunatedifficulty ineligible unlessdisapprove lack unreliabledishonest mistake wrong

Figure 2.1 Words that convey a negative tone.



Race and Ethnicity

Eliminate references that reinforce racial or eth-nic stereotypes. It is best to not identify a personby race or ethnicity unless the identification is rel-evant to the material being discussed.

Age and Disability

Avoid references to a person’s age or physical lim-itations unless it is relevant. Avoid using termssuch as handicapped, crippled, and retarded. Ifreference to a disability is relevant, refer to theperson first and the disability second (Thill andBovee, 1993, p. 100).

A diabetic, Mary participates in all activ-ities in the workplace.

24 Chapter Two

Term

man-made

manpower

businessmanchairmanwaiter/waitress

Alternative

artificial, synthetic,manufacturedworkers, personnel,workforcebusiness personchairpersonserver



Mary’s diabetes does not hinder her fromparticipating in all workplace activities.

2.3 Understanding Active vs. Passive Voice

Use the active voice in your business writingmore than the passive voice. Use the active voicewhen the subject of a sentence precedes the verband the object follows the verb. That is, the sub-ject “acts upon” the object. For example, “Mark(subject) prepared (action) the report (object).”

Use the passive voice when the object precedesthe verb and the subject follows the verb. Forexample, “The report was prepared by Mark.” Pas-sive voice has two characteristics: use of a formof the helping verb to be (in this example, was)and the implicit or explicit use of the prepositionby. In the above example, by is used explicitly. Ifyou stated, “The report was prepared last week,”it is implied that the report was prepared bysomeone (not explicitly stated).

In business writing, only 10 percent to 15 per-cent of your sentences should be structured in thepassive voice. Why is the active voice preferableto the passive voice? One reason is that readerssubconsciously pay more attention to action.




Another reason is that sentences written in theactive voice are shorter and more direct; there-fore, they are easier to interpret.

However, sometimes using the passive voicemakes sense. In some instances, such as in formaldocuments or research studies, you may want tofocus on the object rather than the subject, as inthe following examples:

The report is published quarterly.

The data were analyzed to determine sig-nificant trends.

In these examples, it is not important toemphasize, or even explicitly state, who publishesthe report or who analyzed the data. In someinstances, you may also want to avoid assigningblame:

The file was removed from the cabinet.

2.4 Being Clear, Direct, and Concise

In your writing in the workplace, it is imperativethat you be clear, direct, and concise without los-ing the meaning of your message. Following aresome considerations to help your writing to bemore effective.

26 Chapter Two



Sentence Length

You want your sentences to be easy for yourreader to understand and interpret. Average sen-tence length for good business writing is 14 to 20words. Again, this is average sentence length.That is, some of your sentences might be longeror shorter than the average.

You might choose shorter sentences when youwant to emphasize information. Longer, morecomplex sentences enable you to combine or sum-marize points more effectively.

Concise Verbiage

One important factor in good business writing isconciseness. That means communicating in as fewwords as possible, without losing meaning. Oneway to make your writing more concise is to elim-inate “waste” words. Just as you eliminate wastefrom your work processes, you can eliminatewaste from the writing process. Waste words arethose words that can be eliminated and not losethe meaning of your message. By eliminating thiswaste, you improve the readability of your writ-ten product for your audience, the reader.

Appendix A provides some suggestions foreliminating waste words. If you keep these inmind, you will significantly improve the concise-ness of your writing.




There are other ways to make your writingmore concise. You can often shorten phrases thatbegin with of or that.

28 Chapter Two

Original

There are two factors forthe proposal’s acceptance.It is a fact that the secondshift is less productive.

Revision

Two factors explain theproposal’s acceptance.The second shift is lessproductive.

Original

the item of most importancethe check that is enclosedthe many rooms that areavailable

Revision

the most important itemthe enclosed checkthe many available rooms

You can often make sentences that begin withThere is and It is more concise.

Parallel Construction

Whenever you have a list of two or more items,try to express the items in parallel grammaticalform. You should try to create this parallelismwhether the items are in a sentence or in a bul-



2.5 Avoiding Slang and Jargon

Be careful about using specialized technical andprofessional terms, or jargon, in your writing. Ifused with discretion, they can validate your mes-sage, since they can imply to your reader that youare knowledgeable in your field. However, considerwhether all your readers will understand the tech-nical terminology. You should use jargon only whenit is necessary and the reader is familiar with it.


Original

The components of asuccessful product arefunctional design, customerappeal, and a price that isaffordable.The quality manager isresponsible for developing aquality manual, monitoringthe certification process,and she must train internalauditors.

Revision

The components of asuccessful product arefunctional design, customerappeal, and affordablepricing.The quality manager isresponsible for developingthe quality manual,monitoring the certificationprocess, and traininginternal auditors.

leted list. Using parallel form makes the list morereadable because you build in a rhythm that thereader subconsciously picks up as he/she inter-prets the message.



If you feel you need to use jargon, explain the termthe first time you use it.

The RPT (respiratory therapist) willdevelop the new work instructions.

2.6 Maintaining Goodwill

In nearly all of your writing in the workplace, youwill want to create a positive feeling in yourreader. Maintaining goodwill in your writingencourages the reader to maintain the businessor professional relationship. You will not achieveyour purpose for writing if you alienate or confuseyour reader. Therefore, maintaining goodwill is animportant factor in your writing.

Creating a positive and professional tone inyour writing, as discussed in section 2.2, is oneway to maintain goodwill toward your reader.Another way to maintain goodwill is to create acourteous close to your business correspondence,which will be covered in Chapter 4.

Writing goodwill messages is an additional wayto maintain the goodwill of your reader, whetherthat is your customer or your colleagues in theworkplace. Short, positive goodwill messages cre-ate a positive impact. There are two major oppor-tunities to build these positive relationships:expressions of congratulations and expressions ofappreciation. You can send these short goodwillmessages as e-mail or as written notes.

30 Chapter Two



Congratulations

One major opportunity to build goodwill is to senda goodwill message to a colleague or customer fora significant achievement. Common events thatelicit a congratulatory goodwill message are apromotion, a graduation, or an award. Here aresome simple, yet effective, templates that you canuse to offer congratulations.

Your presentation at themeeting today was excellent. You said theright things in precisely the right way.

Warmest wishes on your promotion to. I know (department, organ-

ization) will benefit from your leadership.

You honor our company by accepting thevolunteer position of . It’s ter-rific that someone of your capability iswilling to serve.

I’m glad you chose as theplace to continue in your career. If thereis anything I can do to make you feelcomfortable, please let me know.

Appreciation

Another major opportunity to build goodwill is torecognize the contributions of others. Communi-cating a simple “thank you” for a job well done or




for assistance with a task can enhance your rela-tionships with colleagues, customers, and suppli-ers. Here are some examples of short, but effective,notes of appreciation.

Thank you for inviting me to the (meet-ing, dinner, gathering). The excellent(food, surroundings) and (interesting,stimulating) conversation made for avery memorable (day, evening, time).

Thank you for leading the (committee, team). Your work was excep-tional.

Thanks very much for the (gift, letter,favor). Your consideration brightened my day.

Thank you for referring me to. I truly appreciate you con-

sideration and trust.

2.7 Considering International Readers

You are working in a global environment and willoften communicate with colleagues and customersfrom different cultures, and English is not theirnative language. Here are some considerations inwriting for international readers, whether you

32 Chapter Two



are developing e-mail, letters, reports, productdescriptions, websites, proposals, or instructions.Your company will benefit from clearly writtendocuments for international readers.

Use Simple Vocabulary and SentenceStructure

Use basic vocabulary that is familiar and under-stood by readers with average English skills. Sub-stitute less frequently used words with morecommon synonyms.


Original

commenceexuberantpliant

Revision

start/beginhappyflexible/bendable

Avoid the use of contractions. Use the activevoice, which is easier to understand than the pas-sive voice. Avoid slang and idiomatic expressionsthat the reader may not understand. Somephrases in American culture have a meaning dif-ferent from the literal meaning (for example, “geta handle on,” “I am all ears,” “drop the ball”). Non-native speakers may be confused by their use.

Be aware of units of measure, money, and time.Don’t assume your reader measures distance in



miles or feet instead of kilometers or meters.Don’t assume the reader purchases items in dol-lars or buys liquid products in gallons instead ofliters. You may need to provide conversions forthese units.

Express only one idea in each sentence and usea simple sentence structure. Long, complicatedsentences often can convey that you are not clearabout what you want to say. Shorter sentencesdemonstrate clear thinking and easily conveycomplex material by creating easy-to-processunits of information. Try to keep your sentencelength shorter than 15 words.

Be Aware of Cultural Differences

Good intercultural communication means you areable to effectively send and receive messages withpeople from various cultures. This means respect-ing the cultural preferences of your readers.

Always spell your reader’s name and countryproperly. This might mean using accent marks ina person’s name that are not commonly used inEnglish (e.g., Andréa).

In some cultures it is important to be veryaware of your status in relationship to yourreader. In some cultures, a participatory style ofmanagement is inappropriate. A person’s busi-ness status creates authority, and that person

34 Chapter Two



makes the decisions without input from anyonein a lower business status.

You should also consider how you address yourreader. In some high-context cultures, such asmany Asian cultures, it is very important to main-tain a courteous tone. A friendly relationship builton trust is established first, and attention to busi-ness is secondary to the initial relationship. Thisapproach conflicts with a typical low-context cul-ture, such as the United States, where it is impor-tant to be direct and conduct business withoutdelay.

References

Shelby, A. N., and N. L. Reinsch. 1995. Positiveemphasis and you-attitude: An empiricalstudy. Journal of Business Communication32 (October): 303–327.

Thill, J. V., and C. L. Bovee, 1993. Excellence inbusiness communication. New York:McGraw-Hill.




3

Formatting Techniques forEffective Writing

This chapter provides you with formattingtechniques to use as communication tools.

These techniques will help you improve the read-ability of your documents and increase thereader’s understanding of the content. Format-ting has become easier to incorporate in your doc-uments with the availability of commercialsoftware, such as word processors, spreadsheets,and graphics software. In this chapter, you willlearn about:

• Using “chunking” to communicate

• Using white space effectively

• Using columns and lists effectively

• Considering fonts and heading styles

• Incorporating visuals

37



3.1 Using “Chunking” toCommunicate

Readers absorb information more rapidly if it ispresented to them in easy-to-process sections or“chunks.” Short sections break up the materialinto easily understood segments. The easiest wayto “chunk” material in your document is to useheadings.

A rule of thumb to consider is if you have fouror five paragraphs of straight text, determine if aheading is useful to “chunk” the information. Inaddition to breaking the material into sections,headings attract your readers’ attention to impor-tant information. Headings also help your read-ers find their ways through a document and locateareas of interest.

You can create effective headings if you makethem grammatically parallel and reduce wordi-ness.

38 Chapter Three

Original

• Audit Preparation• Conducting the Audit• How to Respond to

Findings

Revision

• Preparing for the Audit• Conducting the Audit• Responding to Findings



3.2 Using White Space Effectively

White space is simply the open, empty spaces onthe document page. It makes your document eas-ier to read because it helps draw the reader’s eyeto the material that needs to be read. It attractsthe reader’s attention and helps the reader toorganize the information being presented.

To develop effective white space, you shouldobserve some simple techniques. Provide marginsof at least 1 inch on the top, bottom, left, and rightsides of the page. If you are binding your docu-ment, provide at least a 2-inch margin on the leftside of the page to allow for the binding. The rightmargin can be a ragged-right margin (left justi-fication) or an aligned right margin (full justifi-cation). A ragged right margin provides a moreinformal feeling than an aligned right margin.

Use headings to “chunk” the material. Place atleast one blank line above and below each head-ing to supply white space around the heading. Usebulleted or numbered lists to present a series ofitems. Indent the bulleted or numbered lists fromthe text above. Double-space between items in alist when the items are two or more lines long.(See Figure 3.1.)

Use a variety of paragraph lengths. Place ablank line between paragraphs that are single

Formatting Techniques for Effective Writing 39



spaced; indent the first line of each paragraphthat is double spaced. Provide vertical spacingbetween columns. (See Figures 3.2 and 3.3.)

3.3 Using Columns and Lists Effectively

Create columns when you want to compare infor-mation, define terms, provide troubleshootingtips, or summarize material.

Create bulleted or numbered lists to emphasizea series of items in a visually clear way. If theorder of the items in the list is important, such as

40 Chapter Three

Jkjdskl;ajkd;jaksdjkadjsjkls;djfkjdsklajkl;sdjklfjksd;afjdl;ajkldjfklsdjkfjksd;fjklsajkl;fjklsjkfjklsdjkfljdsklfjksd;jfkl;sdjklfjkld;safjklsklsjdkfljsaklfjksdljfklds;jfkldjska;jdkflfjkdsljfkl;sdjk;fjdksl;afjkl;sdajkl;sdjl;f

• Al;jdkflskajfksdjfkjskdajkdkjskad;ksda;kldjfklsj dfkjksjadkl;jkflsdjkfjksajfkdljkajkjk

• Sdkjlajksdljkajklsadjkl;jkfld;sajkjdkslfjk;ajskdfjkjskfdjksajfkjksdfjkjsfkadjjkfdsajsdjkjfkjsdkajkjadkfjkfjkjkfdsjkakdfjkjasdjk

• Dsjakjkfdkjsdkfjdjfka;jdkfljkljakfjkljdksfjkl;sadjkfjkjskdfjkjsakfjkksdjkfjksdfjksdajksda;;jfklksa

Figure 3.1 Using white space effectively.



when you are explaining steps in a process, use anumbered list. A numbered list implies sequence.If the order of the items is not important, such asin a list of options, use a bulleted list.

You should try to put the items in parallelgrammatical form. Creating a parallel list buildsa rhythm into the material, which the reader sub-consciously picks up, and it makes the materialeasier to interpret.

When you create a bulleted or numbered list,introduce the list with a lead-in sentence so thereader knows about what he/she is going to read.Use a colon after a complete sentence that


Jkjdskl;ajkd;jaksdjkadjsjkls;djfkjdsklajkl;sdjklfjksd;afjdl;ajkldjfklsdjkfjksd;fjklsajkl;fjklsjkfjklsdjkfljdsklfjksd;jfkl;sdjklfjkld;safjklsklsjdkfljsaklfjksdljfklds;jfkldjska;jdkflfjkdsljfkl;sdjk;fjdksl;afjkl;sdajkl;sdjl;f.

Adfsdfdadskalfjkdsjaksadjkfjkasfjdkjksdjkfjsdkfjksd;fjkjafkd;sajkjksfdjfjsdljfksdjkfjsdkfjksdjfksdjkfl;jsdklfjklsdajklsdjafkldjksfjksdajfkdsl;fjkdsajfklds;fjklsd;jklsdjklfjkdls;afjklsjksdjkfjdks;fjklsd;jfldsjafljsdklafjkld;safjkl;sadkfjksfldajkljdfksajkldsjafkljsdkfjksdajfkjksadlfjjsdak;fjkl;sadjfk;jsdkfjksdjfklsdjkfjdksfjkl;sajksdfjk;asjkl;da.

Sdjakldjfkljdkslf;ksadjfklsdjklf;jsdlajfkls;ajkld;safkl;jkls;fjklsdflkdjkslfjsdkla;fjls;afjkl;safl;ska;fjklsd;ajfl;sdjkljsdlka;fjkdl;jfkld;sajfl;saflk;sajkfljdkslf;jsdkla;fjdkl;fjkd;safjkl;sajklfsadjkljadkl;fjksd;afjld;safjkl;sajfkl;djfkldjsklf;sdjakfl;dsal;fjkdl;safjl;saj.

Figure 3.2 White space: single-spaced paragraphs.



42 Chapter Three

Jkjdskl;ajkd;jaksdjkadjsjkls;djfkjdsklajkl;sdjklfjksd;afjdl;aj

kldjfklsdjkfjksd;fjklsajkl;fjklsjkfjklsdjkfljdsklfjksd;jfkl;sdjklfjkld;

safjklsklsjdkfljsaklfjksdljfklds;jfkldjska;jdkflfjkdsljfkl;sdjk;fjdksl

;afjkl;sdajkl;sdjl;f.

Adfsdfdadskalfjkdsjaksadjkfjkasfjdkjksdjkfjsdkfjksd;fjkjaf

kd;sajkjksfdjfjsdljfksdjkfjsdkfjksdjfksdjkfl;jsdklfjklsdajklsdjafkl

djksfjksdajfkdsl;fjkdsajfklds;fjklsd;jklsdjklfjkdls;afjklsjksdjkfjd

ks;fjklsd;jfldsjafljsdklafjkld;safjkl;sadkfjksfldajkljdfksajkldsjaf

kljsdkfjksdajfkjksadlfjjsdak;fjkl;sadjfk;jsdkfjksdjfklsdjkfjdksfjkl

;sajksdfjk;asjkl;da.

Sdjakldjfkljdkslf;ksadjfklsdjklf;jsdlajfkls;ajkld;safkl;jkls;fjkl

sdflkdjkslfjsdkla;fjls;afjkl;safl;ska;fjklsd;ajfl;sdjkljsdlka;fjkdl;jf

kld;sajfl;saflk;sajkfljdkslf;jsdkla;fjdkl;fjkd;safjkl;sajklfsadjkljad

kl;fjksd;afjld;safjkl;sajfkl;djfkldjsklf;sdjakfl;dsal;fjkdl;safjl;saj.

Figure 3.3 White space: double-spacedparagraphs.



precedes the list. Add more discussion after thelist, if needed. Here is an example:

There are three components of a well-written document:

• Planning

• Developing

• Evaluating

3.4 Considering Fonts and Heading Styles

Fonts are styles of typefaces. Serif fonts havejagged edges, called serifs. Two common seriffonts are Times Roman and Courier. Serif fontsare easier to read in printed documents, since theserif edges tend to “pull the eye along” the text.Serif fonts are commonly used for the text of text-books, newspapers, and magazines.

Sans serif fonts, on the other hand, are rela-tively smooth fonts; they have no serifs. Two com-mon sans serif fonts are Arial and Helvetica. Sansserif fonts are typically used in print documentsfor headings and for the text in tables and charts,since they make it easier to perceive phrases orblocks of text. Sans serif fonts are also commonlyused for all text in online documents. They are




easier to read in online documents because theyprovide better resolution on the screen.

Most print business documents use only onefont. However, if you choose to use two fonts, themost appropriate choices are a serif font for textand a sans serif font for headings.

Use 11- or 12-point font size to provide thebest readability for the text of letters, memos, andreports. Use larger type for headings. It is morestandard to boldface the headings, as well to asuse uppercase and lowercase letters, instead of allcapital letters. Upper- and lowercase letters keepthe eye moving and increase reading speed 19percent (Locker, 2003, p. 130).

44 Chapter Three

Original

AVOID PLACING HEADINGSIN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

Revision

Avoid Placing Headings inAll Capital Letters

3.5 Incorporating Visuals

It is estimated that people absorb as much as 80percent of learning through the eye. Incorporat-ing visuals in your documents helps you conveyinformation more easily to your reader.

Visuals capture the attention of your reader.They can help you simplify concepts and explain



technical concepts to a nontechnical audience. Theycan depict key relationships, such a comparisons,trends, and parts of a whole. They can summarizeand condense information in a relatively smallspace. Visuals can be very persuasive when you aretrying to get others to accept your position.

Selecting Effective Visuals

You should choose visuals that are appropriate foryour intended audience. If you want to comparesales of three products for an audience of sales-persons, a bar graph might be appropriate. If youwant to show quarterly trends of the productsales for sales executives, a multiple-line graphwould be an appropriate choice.

Consider how the reader will use the visual.Determine why the reader needs the visual. Con-sider the technical ability of your reader to inter-pret visuals. For most readers, you will want tokeep your visuals simple, rather than complex.

Formatting Visuals

Your visual should be able to stand alone. Leaveadequate white space around the visual. Labelyour visual with a title and a number. There aretwo categories of visuals: tables and figures. Allvisuals except a table, such as charts, diagrams,photos, graphs, and drawings, are considered figures. Tables and figures should be numberedseparately in the document. For example:




Mention the visual by name in the text of thedocument before you present it to the reader.

46 Chapter Three

Table 1 Table 2 Table 3Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Otherwise, the reader will be confused about whythe visual is there. Place the visual as close aspossible to the discussion of it. Readers should seevisuals where they are relevant. For example:

Figure 5, below, depicts the results of ourcustomer survey on the quality of ourservice for each product line.

Avoid using visuals that include more detailsthan your reader needs for the topic you are pre-senting. Provide an appropriate discussion of thevisual in the document in order to help yourreader understand it. Remember, your visual is anaid that supplements your discussion and sum-marizes key concepts or ideas presented in yourdocument.

References



Locker, K. O. 2003. Business and administrativecommunication. Boston: McGraw-Hill.




4

Writing Effective BasicCorrespondence

This chapter provides you with techniques todevelop basic correspondence that you will

use in the workplace. These techniques will helpyou improve your daily written communication:memos, letters, and e-mail. In this chapter, youwill learn about:

• Writing effective memos

• Writing effective e-mail

• Writing effective letters

• Conveying bad news

• Conveying good news

• Conveying complaints

• Conveying thanks for an interview

• Conveying recommendations

49



4.1 Writing Effective Memos

You write memos, letters, and e-mail daily to con-vey information of immediate importance. Memosare correspondence that you send to colleagues,managers, and employers in your organization.Letters are correspondence that you send to thoseoutside your organization. E-mail correspondencetravels to recipients both inside and outside yourorganization.

Memos have a variety of uses. They includeshort reports, progress reports or trip reports,policy or activity announcements, suggestions orrecommendations, problem summaries, and in-structions or procedures.

Memo Format

Memos can have many formats. Some organiza-tions use generic forms or templates with theorganization’s name or logo on the memo. Manyword processing software packages (e.g., MicrosoftWord) provide memo templates. Other organiza-tions use a preprinted memo format displayingthe organization’s name and/or logo.

Since memos are distributed within the organ-ization, they have a more informal format thanletters, which are sent outside the organization.Memos typically have two sections: the identifi-cation and the message. The identification section

50 Chapter Four



typically consists of four lines: TO, FROM, DATE,and SUBJECT.

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT:

On the TO line, include the name and title ofthe recipient(s) of the memo or the name of thedistribution list of recipients (e.g., Six SigmaTeam). On the FROM line, include your nameand job title. Some senders write their initialsbeside their typed name to signify that they haveapproved the memo for distribution.

On the DATE line, include the complete cal-endar date: month, day, and year. On the SUB-JECT line, include the purpose of the memo. Thesubject line also serves as the memo’s title. Be asspecific as you can in stating the subject, provid-ing a pre-organizer to your message. For example,the subject “New Testing Procedure” is moreinformative than “New Procedure.”

Memo Structure

The style and tone you develop in your memoreflects the type of audience receiving it. For a col-league or peer, you might be more casual in your

Writing Effective Basic Correspondence 51



word choice and phrasing. For a superior, you typ-ically would be more formal.

Colleague: The Quality class is a greatway to learn . . .

Superior: The Quality class provides aunique opportunity to . . .

Unless a memo consists of a one- or two-sen-tence announcement, you should organize it inthree parts: introduction, body or middle section(the largest part), and conclusion. The introduc-tion organizes the memo for the reader. In theintroduction, you should state your purpose morefully than in the subject line and provide anybackground information you feel is important.

In the body portion of the memo, provide thedetails, specific actions to take, procedures to fol-low, and explanations. In the conclusion, summa-rize or provide a recommendation, or request thereader to take action (“call to action”), such as toreply to you or to call for further information.

In your memos, remember to follow the guide-lines from Chapter 3 in using format techniquesto increase readability and understanding.

4.2 Writing Effective E-mailMessages

E-mail is becoming an essential form of commu-nication in the workplace. It is fast, convenient,

52 Chapter Four



and inexpensive. E-mail is the most informal cor-respondence in the workplace. People tend tothink of it as almost conversational. However,in a business or professional environment, youshould adhere to some guidelines to effectivelycommunicate via e-mail.

E-mail Format

Avoid creating e-mail messages using all capitalletters. It gives the impression that you are shout-ing at your readers. Create single-spaced para-graphs separated with one blank line (i.e., doublespace) between the paragraphs. The averageparagraph length should be four to six sentences.When it is appropriate, divide your message intoan introduction, body, and conclusion. If your mes-sage is extremely long, consider sending it as anattachment.

In longer e-mail messages, use headings to“chunk” passages of text. Use lists to efficientlypresent information or emphasize points.

E-mail Structure

Avoid informal abbreviations that may be unfa-miliar to your recipient. For example, while yourreader likely will not recognize the abbreviationWRT (with respect to), he or she will probably rec-ognize FYI (for your information).

Consider the cultural traditions of non-nativespeakers and readers of English when you create




your e-mail message (see Chapter 2). Proofreadyour e-mail, and use correct grammar andmechanics. Use your e-mail system’s spell-checker.Workplace readers expect the same standard ofprofessionalism in an e-mail message as in amemo or letter.

Consider using a greeting, such as “Hello” or“Dear,” to make your e-mail message more per-sonal. Always end your e-mail message politely. Asimple “Thanks” at the end of the message can domuch to establish goodwill with the recipient.

Avoid flaming, which is using strong languagethat insults or attacks your reader. Recipients ofe-mail messages can easily forward your messageto people you never intended to see it. Flamingcan cause you to appear unprofessional and yourorganization can use it as justification to termi-nate you.

Be considerate of others’ rights when using e-mail. If you include an attached document, letthe recipient know if any part of it cannot becopied. Always obtain permission from the senderof a message if you plan to publish material fromthe document.

4.3 Writing Effective Letters

Letters are some of the most important docu-ments you will develop in the workplace. A typi-cal business letter can cost the company $12 to

54 Chapter Four



$14 to develop (Kolin, 2001, p. 144). This includesthe time and materials to develop it.

Letters that are written well maintain thegoodwill of the recipient, while poorly written let-ters can alienate the recipient and lose businessor clients. Letters are legal records for both thecompany initiating them and the recipients. Let-ters provide readers with information on how andwhen to perform a task or take action. Letters cansell a product or service or collect money on over-due accounts.

Letter Format

Two of the most commonly used business letterformats are the full-block format and the semi-block format. In the full-block format, all infor-mation aligns with the left margin (see Figure4.1). In the semi-block format, the sender’saddress (unless it is part of a company letter-head), date, closing, and signature block alignwith the horizontal center of the letter; other textaligns with the left margin (see Figure 4.2).

You should use at least a 1-inch margin oneach side of your page. If you are creating a rel-atively short letter, you might choose wider mar-gins. Also, try to vertically center your letter togive it a more polished look.

Some organizations have their own computer-ized letter templates with standard letterhead,text fonts, and margins. If your organization does




56 Chapter Four

Street AddressCity, ST Zip

Date

Name, TitleCompany NameStreet AddressCity, ST Zip

Greeting:

Kdslajkd;fjklajfld;jka;fdjkljfkl;sfkljsdklf;jdsl;fjl;safl;jdskl;fjlks;afkl;dkjfkldsjflsdjfklsdjklf;jdklfjklsd;afjl;jskf;jlk;fjklsd;jkldjsklf;jsdl;fjl;sfjldjskfljkdsl;fjklsd;afjkl.

Sajklfkl;sdjjksdl;jfkl;sdlkafjkl;sfjklsadlkfjkl;sadf;jdsklfjkldjsakfl;dskl;fjkl;sjfkl;jsdkl;fjkls;ajfkl;sjfl;sdkl;fjklsd;ajflsdjflk;jdslk;afld;jsafl;djkl;fjklsd;jfkl;sdjakl;jsdkl;fjklsdjfkl;sdjkfljsdkl;fjkl;sfjkl;safjkl;sdjfkl;sdjklfjkdsl;fjkd;sfjl.

Dsjakljsdfaklfjklsjkfljdskafjksd;fjklsd;jfkljsdklfjklsdjfklsdjfksdjkfjksdlfjkl;sfjklsdjakflsdjklfjklsjklsdjfklsadjfsdjkfl;jdskla;jfklsd;jfklsd;ajfkldsjfkls;jfklds;ajs;adjklsajkslf;jkdlsjfklsdajfklsadfjklsd.

ljkfljsklafjkl;sfjkl;dsjkfljsdklf;jklsajfkldsajfkld;sjfkldjskfjksdl;afjklsdjfksdjkf;jl;sadfjklsadjfkl.

Closing,

(Signature)

Typed Name

Figure 4.1 Full-block style.




Street AddressCity, ST Zip

Date

Name, TitleCompany NameStreet AddressCity, ST Zip

Greeting:

Kdslajkd;fjklajfld;jka;fdjkljfkl;sfkljsdklf;jdsl;fjl;safl;jdskl;fjlks;afkl;dkjfkldsjflsdjfklsdjklf;jdklfjklsd;afjl;jskf;jlk;fjklsd.

Sajklfkl;sdjjksdl;jfkl;sdlkafjkl;sfjklsadlkfjkl;sadf;jdsklfjkldjsakfl;dskl;fjkl;sjfkl;jsdkl;fjkls;ajfkl;sjfl;sdkl;fjklsd;ajflsdjflk;jdslk;afld;jsafl;djkl;fjklsd;jfkl;sdjakl;jsdkl;fjklsdjfkl;sdjkfljsdkl;fjkl;sfjkl;safjkl;sdjfkl;sdjklfjkdsl;fjkd;sfjl;sdjkalf;jdklsjfkls;dfjkldjsklf;jsdklfj.

Dsjakljsdfaklfjklsjkfljdskafjksd;fjklsd;jfkljsdklfjklsdjfklsdjfksdjkfjksdlfjkl;sfjklsdjakflsdjklfjklsjklsdjfklsadjfsdjkfl;jdskla;jfklsd;jfklsd;ajfkldsjfkls;jfklds;ajs;adjklsajkslf;jkdlsjfklsdajfklsadfjklsd;jfklsdjfkld;sjfklsa.

Dskaljkfljsklafjkl;sfjkl;dsjkfljsdklf;jklsajfkldsajfkld;sjfkldjskfjksdl;afjklsdjfksdjkf;jl;sadfjklsadjfkl;sdklf;jks;ajfkl;sdjklsdjk;fjsdklfjklsd;jfklsd;jfkl;dsjfjsdkfjlsfdksajkf.

Closing,

(Signature)

Typed Name

Figure 4.2 Semi-block style.



Letter Components

There are two types of business letters: a personalbusiness letter, which is written by you personally,and a company business letter, which is written byyou as a representative of your organization. SeeFigure 4.3 and Figure 4.4 for examples of thesetypes of business letters. There are seven basicparts of a business letter, whether it is a personalbusiness letter or a company business letter.

58 Chapter Four

Mary Smith 2 May 7, 2005

page 2Mary SmithMay 7, 2005

not have a template, most word processing pro-grams, such as Microsoft Word and Corel Word-Perfect, have letter templates you can use.

If your letter is more than one page, you shoulduse a page header to indicate subsequent pages.The illustrations show two common header styles.The person’s name indicates the recipient of theletter.




432 Maple Ave.Columbus, OH 43221-7546

May 10, 2005

Mr. Thomas Jones, ManagerXYZ Company111 North St.Worthington, MA 43088-2435

Dear Mr. Jones:

Kdslajkd;fjklajfld;jka;fdjkljfkl;sfkljsdklf;jdsl;fjl;safl;jdskl;fjlks;afkl;dkjfkldsjflsdjfklsdjklf;jdklfjklsd;afjl;jskf;jlk;fjklsd;jkldjsklf;jsdl;fjl;sfjldjskfljkdsl;fjklsd;afjkl;slfjklsd;jfkldjsklfjkdsa.

Sajklfkl;sdjjksdl;jfkl;sdlkafjkl;sfjklsadlkfjkl;sadf;jdsklfjkldjsakfl;dskl;fjkl;sjfkl;jsdkl;fjkls;ajfkl;sjfl;sdkl;fjklsd;ajflsdjflk;jdslk;afld;jsafl;djkl;fjklsd;jfkl;sdjakl;jsdkl;fjklsdjfkl;sdjkfljsdkl;fjkl;sfjkl;safjkl;sdjfkl;sdjklfjkdsl;fjkd;sfjl;sdjkalf;jdklsjfkls;dfjkldjsklf.

Djfklsjfkldsajkfjsdkfjksdfjklsdjfkl;sdjkfjslda;fjklsd;fjkl;sadjfkl;sadjkfl;sadjfkldsjfkl;sjkf;jsdla;fksda;jklsdjfkls;fjsdajfkljsdkfjkls;ajfkl;sajfklsadjfklsadfjkdsjfkldjsakfjdksfjkdsfjklsjkfsldaj.

Dskaljkfljsklafjkl;sfjkl;dsjkfljsdklf;jklsajfkldsajfkld;sjfkldjskfjksdl;afjklsdjfksdjkf;jl;sadfjklsadjfkl;sdklf;jks;ajfklf.

Sincerely,

Susan Martin

Susan Martin

Figure 4.3 Personal business letter.



60 Chapter Four

JCM-TECH, Inc.

2761 Fishinger Rd. Columbus, Ohio 43221 555-555-5555

May 10, 2005


Dear Mr. Jones:

Kdslajkd;fjklajfld;jka;fdjkljfkl;sfkljsdklf;jdsl;fjl;safl;jdskl;fjlks;afkl;dkjfkldsjflsdjfklsdjklf;jdklfjklsd;afjl;jskf;jlk;fjklsd;jkldjsklf;jsdl;fjl;sfjldjskfljkdsl;fjklsd;afjkl;slfjklsd;jfkldjsklfjkdsajfklsadjk

Sajklfkl;sdjjksdl;jfkl;sdlkafjkl;sfjklsadlkfjkl;sadf;jdsklfjkldjsakfl;dskl;fjkl;sjfkl;jsdkl;fjkls;ajfkl;sjfl;sdkl;fjklsd;ajflsdjflk;jdslk;afld;jsafl;djkl;fjklsd;jfkl;sdjakl;jsdkl;fjklsdjfkl;sdjkfljsdkl;fjkl;sfjkl;safjkl;sdjfkl

Dslfjksdlfjkld;sajfklsdjkalfjsdkalfksafjklsadjfkjdkslfjds;afjkl;sdjfk;sdajfkjdsf;jsdkajfkl;sjfkl;sdjfk;sdjkfldjsklfjkdsjfksdjafkljsdl;jfkl;sdjkfjksdjfksdjkf;jkdls;ajfklsjkfjks;afjkds;fjkd;ajfklsjkfjks;afjkds;fjkd

Sincerely,

Martha Farley

Martha Farley, Supervisor

Enclosures

Figure 4.4 Company business letter.

✩



Heading

The heading is the first part of a business letter.For a company business letter, the heading iscalled a letterhead. It includes the company name,its mailing address, and contact information, suchas phone number(s) and/or e-mail address. Thisinformation can be in any format and can beplaced anywhere on the letter. (See Figure 4.4.)For a personal business letter, the headingincludes two lines. The first line is the sender’sstreet address; the second line is the sender’s city,state, and zip code. (See Figure 4.3.)

Date Line

In full-block format the date line aligns with theleft margin, while in semi-block format, the dateline aligns with the horizontal center of the let-ter. Do not abbreviate the name of the month;spell it completely. Place the date line two linesbelow the heading. (See Figure 4.5.)

Inside Address

The inside address is the address of the recipientof the letter and is the same address that appearson the letter’s envelope. It includes, in the fol-lowing order, the recipient’s name and title, theorganization’s name, street address, and city,state, and zip code.

You can place the recipient’s name and title onone line or on separate lines. If you place them on




JCM-TECH, Inc.


May 10, 2005


Dear Mr. Jones:

Kdslajkd;fjklajfld;jka;fdjkljfkl;sfkljsdklf;jdsl;fjl;safl;jdskl;fjlks;afkl;dkjfkldsjflsdjfklsdjklf;jdklfjklsd;afjl;jskf;jlk;fjklsd;jkldjsklf;jsdl;fjl;sfjldjskfljkdsl;fjklsd;afjkl;slfjklsd;jfkldjsklfjkdsajfklsadjk

Sajklfkl;sdjjksdl;jfkl;sdlkafjkl;sfjklsadlkfjkl;sadf;jdsklfjkldjsakfl;dskl;fjkl;sjfkl;jsdkl;fjkls;ajfkl;sjfl;sdkl;fjklsd;ajflsdjflk;jdslk;afld;jsafl;djkl;fjklsd;jfkl;sdjakl;jsdkl;fjklsdjfkl;sdjkfljsdkl;fjkl;sfjkl;safjkl;sdjfk

Dslfjksdlfjkld;sajfklsdjkalfjsdkalfksafjklsadjfkjdkslfjds;afjkl;sdjfk;sdajfkjdsf;jsdkajfkl;sjfkl;sdjfk;sdjkfldjsklfjkdsjfksdjafkljsdl;jfkl;sdjkfjksdjfksdjkf;jk

Sincerely,

Martha Farley

Martha Farley, Supervisor

Enclosures

Figure 4.5 Company business letter with all partslabeled.

✩Letterhead

Date Line

Greeting

Body

InsideAddress

Closing

CopyNotation

SignatureBlock




one line, insert a comma between the name andtitle. Place the organization’s name and streetaddress on separate lines and the city, state, andzip code on the last line of the inside address. Usethe two-character postal abbreviation for thestate. See Appendix B for a list of postal abbrevi-ation codes for states. Single-space the insideaddress, with no punctuation at the end of eachline. (See Figure 4.5.)

Place the inside address on the left margin. Ifyou want to vertically center your letter, vary thespace between the date line and the insideaddress to accomplish this centering. A verticallycentered letter presents a more polished image.

Greeting

The greeting usually begins with the courtesyword Dear to show respect, a courtesy title (e.g.,Mr., Ms., Dr.), and the recipient’s last name. It isalso becoming commonplace to omit the Dear andsimply address the person by the courtesy titleand last name (e.g., Mr. Jones). You can place acolon or comma after the greeting (i.e., closedpunctuation) or place no punctuation after thegreeting (i.e., open punctuation). Place the greet-ing two lines below the inside address.

If you do not know whether the recipient is aman or woman, you can use the person’s fullname (e.g., Dear Pat Smith). If you do not knowthe name of the recipient, you can write “Dear



Sir/Madam,” which is about as personal as youcan get without knowing the recipient’s name.Another choice is to use “To whom it may con-cern,” but this conveys a very impersonal tone.

Body

The body of the letter contains the text of yourmessage. It typically includes three parts: an open-ing paragraph, a middle section of one or moreparagraphs, and a closing paragraph. You shouldsingle space within the body paragraphs and dou-ble space (i.e., one blank line) between the para-graphs. You can choose either to indent the firstline of each body paragraph or to begin the first line on the margin. Begin the body two linesbelow the greeting. (See Figure 4.5.)

Closing

The closing begins two lines below the body. Infull-block format, align the closing with the leftmargin; in semi-block format, align the closingwith the date line. Capitalize only the first letterof the closing. The most common business closingis “Sincerely,” while other common choices are“Sincerely yours,” “Regards,” and “Yours truly.”Note that if the closing consists of more than oneword, only the first word begins with a capital let-ter. If you place no punctuation at the end of thegreeting, place no punctuation after the closing(i.e., open punctuation). If you place punctuation

64 Chapter Four



(i.e., a colon or comma) at the end of the greeting,place a comma at the end of the closing.

Signature Block

To create the signature block, print your namefour lines below the closing. If you are using yourorganization letterhead (i.e., company businessletter), type your title below your name. Sign yourname in the blank space between the closing andyour typed name.

Some organizations require that the organiza-tion’s name appear before the employee’s name inthe signature block. This reinforces to the recipi-ent that the sender is writing as a representativeof the company. If your organization requires this,place the organization’s name in capital letterstwo lines below the closing.

In addition to the seven basic parts of a busi-ness letter, there are some optional parts.

Subject Line

The subject line indicates the topic of your letter.It serves as a pre-organizer for the recipient. It canreference an account number, prior correspon-dence, a meeting, and so forth. The subject line fol-lows the word SUBJECT: and appears two linesbelow the inside address. Align the subject linewith the left margin.

SUBJECT: Invoice number 41237-02




Enclosure Notation

The enclosure line informs the recipient thatadditional material accompanies the letter (e.g.,drawings, photos, other correspondence). Placethe enclosure notation two lines below the signa-ture block. The enclosure notation can take vari-ous forms:

Enclosure

Enclosure(s)

Encl: Quality Manual

Copy Notation

The abbreviation c: or cc: informs the recipientthat a copy of your letter is being sent to otherreaders. You should provide this information tothe recipient as a professional courtesy.

c: Payroll Dept.

cc: Paul Finet

Mary Stone

Reference Notation

Reference initials distinguish between who com-posed the letter and who typed the letter. Forexample, the notation PAW:spt indicates that PaulA. Wright composed the letter and Samuel P.Thomas typed it. If you both compose and type

66 Chapter Four



your letter, do not use a reference notation. Ref-erence initials are not as commonly used as in thepast, since with the use of computers and wordprocessors, many people both compose and typetheir letters.

Letter Structure

While the format of a business letter is an impor-tant standard, the content, tone, and writing styleof the letter are even more important. Remember,you do not want to alienate your readers. Youwant to maintain their goodwill by being profes-sional, courteous, and rational.

To maintain goodwill and avoid alienatingyour reader, remember to emphasize the “you-attitude” discussed in Chapter 2. Try to empha-size “you” and not “I” or “we.” Your readers willpay more attention to what you write and feelmore goodwill toward you if you communicatedirectly to them.

As with memos and e-mail, your letters shouldinclude an opening paragraph, a middle sectionof one or more paragraphs, and a closing para-graph. Choose words that are clear, precise, andnot alienating.

The following sections provide you with guide-lines on how to structure the content of basictypes of business correspondence.




4.4 Conveying Bad News

Many times in your workplace writing you willhave to convey bad news to someone regarding a request. You may not be able to provide arequested order item or service. You may not beable to accept a shipment of a product. You maynot be able to refund a requested purchase price,renew a lease, or provide use of a building. Youmay not be able to make a presentation at thenext Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Basically,you must say “no” to the request that is made toyou or your organization.

In business and professional correspondence,you should follow a specific structure for theopening, middle, and closing paragraphs whenyou convey bad news. In a bad-news letter, youshould not open your letter with the bad news.The opening paragraph should serve as a positivebuffer between you and the bad news. Imaginehow the recipient would react to a letter imme-diately stating, “Your application for a creditaccount has been denied.” The person would prob-ably lose interest in reading any further and mayneglect to read alternatives you may suggest inthe letter.

In a bad-news letter, the opening paragraphserves as a positive buffer between your organi-zation and the bad news. Maintain a positive toneand do not communicate the bad news in the

68 Chapter Four



opening paragraph. For example, thank the recip-ient for his or her business or for taking time towrite. You might also tell the recipient that it hasbeen a pleasure to provide service or do businessin the past.

In the middle section of the correspondence,you want to accomplish two things. First, youshould explain to the recipient why you must say“no.” Second, you must communicate the badnews. For example, you may have a 30-dayreturn policy on a purchase and the returnrequest was made after 30 days. Once you haveprovided the reason for the bad news, state thebad news concisely.

Therefore, we regret that the item can-not be returned for the purchase price.

In the closing paragraph, provide some alter-native remedy or show some measure of cooper-ation toward the recipient (e.g., provide a discounton the person’s next purchase). Why would youwant to do this? Remember that you want tomaintain the recipient’s goodwill, as well as main-tain the business relationship.

See Figure 4.6 for an example of an effectivebad news correspondence.

Some organizations call this strategy for com-municating bad news the “sandwich” approach.You start with a soft piece, then add the “meat,”and finish with another soft piece.




70 Chapter Four

JCM-TECH, Inc.


August 6, 2005

Mr. Robert KnowlesMembership ChairAnycity Chamber of Commerce157 Main St.Anycity, OH 36567-2435

Dear Mr. Knowles:

Thank you for your invitation to speak about our company’sQuality Assurance Department to the September 5th luncheonmeeting of the Chamber of Commerce. A presentation aboutour quality initiatives will definitely enhance your members’awareness of the many benefits of a total quality perspective.

I have checked my travel plans for September, and I amscheduled to be in Boston on September 5 for anotherspeaking engagement. Therefore, I would not be able to speakat the Chamber luncheon that day.

However, my colleague in our Quality Assurance Department,Mary Fraser, Ph.D. is available to speak to your members thatday. She has made numerous presentations to various groupsabout our quality initiatives and has been very well received.Please call me at 555-555-5555 to discuss this alternative.

Best wishes for a successful year at the Chamber.

Sincerely,

Todd PergramTodd Pergram, Quality Manager

Figure 4.6 Bad-news letter.

✩



4.5 Conveying Good News

At other times, you will need to communicate goodnews regarding a request. In this instance, you aresaying “yes” to the request. In good-news corre-spondence, you should use a direct approach; thatis, you communicate the good news immediately.

In the opening paragraph, state the good news,such as what request is being fulfilled. In themiddle section, show that you have attended to orinvestigated the issue; provide related details oranalysis. For example, in responding to a com-plaint, relate your investigation of the problemand how you ensure that the same situation willnot occur in the future. In the closing paragraph,simply provide a goodwill close.

See Figure 4.7 for an example of an effectivegood-news letter.

4.6 Conveying Complaints

In your workplace, as well as in your personal life,you may have to develop correspondence that con-veys a complaint and/or requests an adjustmentfor a product or service you or your organizationhas purchased. Some people wonder why it is nec-essary to write about a complaint when it is easyto pick up the phone and address the issue withthe other party.




JCM-TECH, Inc.


May 6, 2005

Ms. Ellen Campbell205 Elkins St.Anycity, OH 37699-1645

SUBJECT: Landscape Fencing Service

Dear Ms. Campbell:

Thank you for your letter describing the problem you hadwith our landscape fencing service. Our company believesin providing quality service and in ensuring customersatisfaction. I am pleased to inform you that you willreceive the services requested in your letter.

We will refinish the 5’ × 7’ area of the back fence with thestain that matches the rest of the fencing. We will alsoreplace the patches of grass that were damaged from thepressure spraying. We are now providing our servicerepresentatives with a checklist of items to review at thejob site to ensure a comprehensive job completion. Pleasecall us at 800-555-5555 to schedule an appointment that isconvenient for you to receive these remedial services.

You are a valued customer of our company, and we lookforward to a continuing business relationship with you.

Sincerely,

Michael FreestonMichael FreestonCustomer Service Manager

Figure 4.7 Good-news letter.

✩



While it is true that often the first recourse isto contact the other party and discuss the issue,sometimes the issue is not resolved by this means.It then becomes necessary to begin to documentyour interaction with the other party in order toresolve the issue. Documenting your interactionmay actually be necessary if you or your organi-zation must go to the next level of resolution—legal action.

Writing about a complaint is not a trivial task.Money or time may have been lost as a result ofthe poor product or service, and often there ismuch emotion surrounding the issue. Your firstinclination might be to vent this emotion towardthe other party in your correspondence. If you areconsumed by this desire, the best advice is to ventthe emotion in a document, but do not send it.

The document that you actually send should belogical, objective, and written in a professional,unemotional tone. You write this type of com-plaint correspondence with the assumption thatif you make a rational case about the poor prod-uct or service, the other party will make someattempt to resolve the issue. Why should you evenmake this assumption? Simply because we live ina market-driven environment. Therefore, you canassume that the other party wants to continue todo business with you or your organization, and adispassionate, professional explanation of the sit-uation will elicit positive results.




In order to ensure a positive settlement to yourcomplaint, you should adhere to a specific structurein the three sections of your correspondence, whichsimulates a legal structure for a legal brief. In the opening paragraph, do two things: specificallyidentify the poor product or service (e.g., modelnumber, date of purchase, amount of purchase, pur-chase location, etc.) and provide a general state-ment of what displeased you (e.g., “The equipmentpurchased has a 45% downtime.”).

In the middle section, provide evidence of whathas gone wrong. Focus on factual, tangible evi-dence (e.g., canceled checks, prior correspondence,invoices, test data, phone calls, names, dates, etc.).It is also a good idea to indicate how you havebeen inconvenienced, either in time or in moneyor both. It is important to show inconveniencebecause this has a lot of influence on any settle-ment of the situation.

In the closing paragraph, request specific actionthat you want taken (e.g., money refund, paymentfor damages, a phone call to discuss the matterfurther, a written apology, etc.) Also, specify a dateby which you expect the action to be taken.

Avoid the tendency to state that if the actionis not taken by the specified date, you will con-tact your legal advisor, the Better BusinessBureau, and so forth, since this can alienate thereader. Simply by stating an action date, youimply to the reader that you will take the issueto the next level if nothing happens.

74 Chapter Four



If you follow this structure for your complaintor adjustment correspondence, you increase theprobability of a positive outcome for your organ-ization. See Figure 4.8 for an example of an effec-tive complaint letter.

4.7 Conveying Thanks for an Interview

At various times in your career, you will undergoan interview, whether for a job, a scholarshipapplication, graduate school entry, committeemembership, project team membership, or otherposition. After the interview, there is one impor-tant action to take within the next 24 hours: com-municate thanks for the interview. You can conveythanks via e-mail, letter, memo (if the interviewis internal to your organization), or handwrittennote (if your handwriting is good). The thank-youcorrespondence allows you, in effect, to continuethe interview and provide additional advantagesto the interview process.

Some people will wonder, “Why can’t I just callthe interviewer and convey my thanks?” While itis true that a phone call may be easy for you,there are distinct disadvantages. The interviewermight be in a negative mood or very busy whenhe or she answers the phone and therefore un-receptive to what you have to say. Also, he or shemight pose questions that you are not prepared




JCM-TECH, Inc.


March 6, 2005

Mr. John Erskine

Shipping Manager

XYZ Company

756 Prospect Ave.

Anycity, OH 54723-1289

SUBJECT: Late shipments

Dear Mr. Erskine:

This letter serves to inform you of problems encountered with our last two

shipments of Tuscany marble tile, serial number TYG574. Each of these

shipments has been late by at least three weeks.

Figure 4.8 Complaint letter.

✩

Enclosed are copies of the related purchase orders, shipping receipts, and

phone logs of calls to your shipping clerk. In each case, we delayed

shipment of our product, while waiting arrival of the tile. By doing this, we

have endangered our relationship with our customers.

We request written assurance that the product will be received by the

scheduled arrival date and a rebate of 20% of the tile purchase price. We

expect to place our next order of tile on March 21, 2005, and will need

these items by then.

Sincerely,

Judith Kreason

Judith Kreason

Receiving Manager

Enclosures

c: Legal Department

Order Product Order Scheduled Receipt No. Name Date Arrival Date

57753 Tuscany Marble Nov. 10, Nov. 17, Dec. 28,

Tile 2004 2004 2004

59349 Tuscany Marble Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 22,

Tile 2004 2004 2005



to answer. Therefore, this type of follow-up canhave negative repercussions for you.

However, a written message can be openedwhen the interviewer is receptive to reading it. Ina written message, you have had time to prepareexactly what you want to communicate to therecipient. Also, the recipient can file it and re-trieve it when necessary. Remember that in aninterview you are trying to sell yourself. Think ofthe thank-you message as the closing of the sale.

An effective thank-you message need not belong, but it has a basic structure you should fol-low. In the opening paragraph, thank the inter-viewer for taking time to meet with you. Also,state something positive either about the inter-view or the organization or department.

Thank you for taking time to meet withme yesterday regarding the position ofQuality Analyst. I enjoyed our discussion,as well as the opportunity to interactwith the members of the project team.

The middle section should contain informationthat would place you in a more positive positionfrom the interviewer’s perspective. For example,you can mention an important item or emphasizean important point you neglected during theinterview.

During the interview I neglected to men-tion that I am proficient in the use of




PowerPoint presentation software. Thisskill would be quite useful in preparingthe monthly project meeting presenta-tions I would be expected to deliver.

Another way to use the middle section is tostrengthen your relationship with the interviewer.

During the interview you mentioned aninterest in learning more about theadvantages of ISO certification for anorganization. I’ve enclosed an article thatmay be of interest to you regarding thistopic.

If you assess your performance during aninterview, you will always find both strengths andweaknesses. A third way to use the middle sectionis to clarify or address any weaknesses you’veidentified in your assessment of the interview.For example, suppose that the interviewer statedthat if you were selected for the project team, youwould be required to work weekends. In response,you stated that this was not possible. After youassessed the interview, you determined that thiswas a definite weakness from the interviewer’sperspective and that you have decided that youreally want to be part of this project team.

During the interview I stated that itwould not be possible for me to workweekends. I’ve reconsidered this position,

78 Chapter Four



and I am able to make arrangements towork two weekends per month.

In the closing paragraph, provide a goodwillclose or call to action.

Good luck with your interview process,and please notify me when you’ve madeyour decision regarding this position.

4.8 Conveying Recommendations

You will probably be asked sometime to providea written recommendation for someone. Besidesthe job scenario, there are numerous other situa-tions in which someone may request your writtenrecommendation. For example, a person applyingto graduate school, seeking a scholarship, joininga professional organization or club, adopting achild, or vying for an honor or award may also askyou for a written recommendation.

If you agree to write a recommendation forsomeone, you are implicitly stating that the rec-ommendation will be overall a positive one. If youfeel that you cannot write an overall positive rec-ommendation, you should decline the request.

An effective letter of recommendation adheresto a basic structure. In the opening paragraph,include the first and last name of the person youare recommending, as well as the position for




which you are recommending the person. Alsostate the nature and duration of your relationshipwith the person.

I am pleased to recommend Mark Mar-tin as editor of the Chamber of Com-merce monthly newsletter. I have workedwith Mark for two years as co-editor ofour monthly company newsletter.

In the middle section, provide fact-baseddetails about the person’s strengths. Including aweakness is optional; if you decide to include aweakness, balance it with something positive. Forexample, suppose you feel that it is important tocommunicate that, around deadline time, MarkMartin, the person mentioned above, can get a lit-tle hard to live with.

Around deadline time, Mark sometimesexperiences some stress, but he hasalways met his deadlines, and the resultsare outstanding.

Another example:

Mary lacks confidence as a publicspeaker, but she has enrolled in a PublicSpeaking class at the local university toimprove her speaking skills.

80 Chapter Four




Opening Middle Closing paragraph section paragraph

Bad-news Positive Reason for Alternative or letter buffer the bad news some

and the bad measure of news cooperation

Good-news The good Details of the Goodwill letter news investigation close

or an analysis of the issue

Complaint Product/ Factual, Request letter service supportive specific

identification, evidence action and and a general and date forstatement of inconvenience action to bewhat went taken.wrong

Thank-you Thanks for Clarification of Goodwill letter the interview interview close or

and positive issues or call to actionstatement strengthen about the relationship interview with the

interviewer

Recommen- Purpose for Fact-based Restatement dation letter writing and details about of support

the nature and the person’s for the duration of the strengths; person and relationship balance any contact with the weakness information person being with a for further recommended positive inquiry

Figure 4.9 Summary: structure of letters.



82 Chapter Four

In the closing paragraph, restate your supportfor the person and provide contact information toanswer any questions.

I have no reservations in recommendingMark Martin as editor of the Chamber ofCommerce newsletter. Please contact meat 555-5555 if you have any questions.

Figure 4.9 summarizes the structure of each ofthe letters in this chapter.

References

Kolin, P. C. 2001. Successful writing at work.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.



5

Writing EffectiveSummaries, Definitions,

and Descriptions

This chapter provides you with writing tech-niques to effectively develop summaries, def-

initions, and descriptions. These techniques willhelp you express technical information more con-cisely and clearly. They will also help you identifyand communicate important ideas and conceptsfor effective audience understanding.

In this chapter, you will learn about:

• Writing effective summaries

• Writing effective definitions (glossary terms)

• Writing effective descriptions

5.1 Writing Effective Summaries

A summary concisely restates the main content ofa report, book, article, test, conference, or meeting.

83



An effectively written summary saves the readervaluable time, since it provides the importantmaterial succinctly. Readers can determine if read-ing the original document is necessary to accom-plish their goals.

Summary Characteristics

A summary contains only the essential informa-tion from the original document. Significantinformation includes important facts, data, find-ings, conclusions, or results and recommendations.A summary is also objective; this means that youdo not include your opinions, such as whether youliked or disliked the material presented in thedocument or whether it is effective or ineffective.

A summary should not contain a lot of defini-tions, quotes, explanations, or descriptions. Ex-clude graphs, illustrations, and other visuals. Aneffective summary is usually 15 percent to 20 per-cent of the length of the original document. Asummary should be able to stand alone, that is, tobe read independently from the original document.Do not reference other documents or attachments,since some readers will receive only the summaryand will not be able to access other documents.

Summary Development

The process of developing a summary requiresthat you first read the entire original document

84 Chapter Five



to get a perspective on the material. Next, rereadthe document; this time, underline, highlight, ornotate the significant information. Pay attentionto the first and last sentences of paragraphs, sincethe first sentence usually is a topic sentence, andthe last sentence may summarize the paragraph.

Next, read only the information you under-lined, highlighted, or notated, and exclude someof that. Now paraphrase the remaining informa-tion in your own words. This is the basic sum-mary. Edit what you have written for mechanics(spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.) andfor concise wording and phrasing.

Compare your summary with the original foraccuracy and edit as necessary. Finally, list thesource of the original document. You can put thisinformation (i.e., author, title, date of publication,etc.) as a footnote or endnote. The reader of yoursummary can then find the original document ifhe/she requires additional information.

Executive Summary

If you develop a proposal or report (see Chapter 7),you will probably need to write an executive sum-mary, which will appear at the beginning of thedocument. This is a summary of the essentialinformation of the report or proposal. It is read bymanagers and administrators who may not havetime to read the entire document, especially the

Effective Summaries, Definitions, and Descriptions 85



technical details. The executive summary, as withany summary, is self-contained.

Include the purpose and scope of your docu-ment (e.g., the problem to be solved). Discuss yourfindings, using nontechnical language. Identifyany conclusions, solutions, or recommendations.

Keep the length of your executive summaryone to two pages. The executive summary is usu-ally the last page you write, since you cannotwrite it until the report is completed. However, itis the page that primarily determines the initialreaction to your report. Remember that the essen-tial material of your report, from introduction toconclusion, is summarized in the executive sum-mary, and it should be able to stand independ-ently from the report and be understood. Usuallyyou will want to single-space the executive sum-mary in order to place more information on thepage and still stay within 15 percent to 20 per-cent of the report’s length.

5.2 Writing Effective Definitions (Glossary)

Oftentimes, when you develop documents in theworkplace, you will need to develop a glossary,which is a list of definitions to accompany the doc-ument. A rule of thumb is that when you findyourself defining more than five terms in a docu-

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ment, you should create a separate glossary. Aglossary is usually positioned at the end of a doc-ument.

In developing a glossary to accompany a doc-ument, it is desirable to use a classical structure.The classical structure also is a preferable formfor a sentence definition of a term used in the textof your document.

In the classical format for a definition of aterm, first state the term. Then assign the termto a category. Finally, distinguish the term fromother terms in the category. For example:

Term Category Distinguishing Feature

Blender mixing device grinds food into liquidor near-liquid form

X-R chart control chart depicts both the meanand the range

Categorizing the Term

Constrict the category to provide more clarity. Forexample, to say that a “chronometer” is “a device”is too broad. It is better to state that a chrono-meter is “a measuring device.”

Distinguishing the Term

Differentiate the term precisely so that it does notapply to other item members within the category.




For example, stating that a chronometer is de-signed to gauge an environmental factor does notdistinguish it from other measuring devices, suchas a thermometer.

Avoid creating a circular definition. This isusing the term you are defining in distinguishingthe term.

A blender is a mixing device that blendsfood into liquid or near-liquid form.

Formatting a Glossary

A two-column format is popular for a glossary.Figure 5.1 provides entries formatted in two-column style.

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Glossary of Terms

Blender mixing device that grinds food into liquidor near-liquid form

Chronometer measuring device designed to accuratelygauge time

X-R Chart control chart that depicts both the meanand the range

Figure 5.1 Two-column glossary format.



5.3 Writing Effective Descriptions

A description provides detailed information abouta product or mechanism to someone who will usethe item, buy it, operate it, test it, construct it, orrequire more information about it (Lannon, 2000).A description should answer the audience’s ques-tions about the item. The focus of the descriptiondepends on the questions that need to beanswered for the audience to comprehend thedescribed item.

Spatial Description

A spatial description answers these questions:“What is the item? What does the item do? Whatis the appearance of the item? What parts andmaterial is the item made of ?” (Lannon, 2000,p. 446).

A spatial description parallels the user’s angleof vision in explaining the item. Use a spatialdescription when you want your reader to visu-alize the item at rest. Determine the best view ofthe item: front to rear, left to right, top to bottom,outside to inside (Lannon, 2000, p. 446).

Functional Description

A functional description answers the question,“How does the item operate?” (Lannon, 2000,




p. 441). It describes the item in action. In a func-tional description, you are not telling the readerhow to operate the item. If you want to do that,you should write an instruction or procedure,which are discussed in Chapter 6.

Chronological Description

A chronological description answers the question“How is the item constructed?” (Lannon, 2000,p. 446). Again, a chronological description does nottell the reader how to construct the object. If youwant to tell how to construct the item, refer toChapter 6 on writing instructions and procedures.

Description Components

Describe the whole item before describing eachpart. List each part of the item at this point; thislist serves as an organizer for the reader. Onceyou have listed each part, explain how each partrelates to the whole. Use the appropriate level oftechnicality for your intended audience.

Use visuals (e.g., drawings, diagrams, etc.)extensively to reinforce understanding about theobject being described.

Your description should be objective, withoutpersonal opinion, and should focus on observabledetails. Select details that are concrete and spe-cific enough to provide a clear picture of the item.

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Use precise language to help the reader visualizewhat is being described. As with all of your doc-uments, a description of an item has three sec-tions: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.Figure 5.2 presents an outline for a developing atypical description.


I. IntroductionA. Definition and backgroundB. Overall description (including visuals)C. List of major parts

II. BodyA. Major part one

a. Definitionb. Dimensions, material, form (use visuals, as

needed)c. Functiond. Relation to other parts

B. Major part two (etc.)

III. ConclusionA. Interrelation of partsB. One operating cycle

Figure 5.2 Outline for developing a description.Source: Adapted from Lannon, 2000, p. 447.



References

Lannon, J. M. 2000. Technical communication.New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Pub-lishers.

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6

Writing EffectiveInstructions and Procedures

This chapter provides you with techniques tocreate useful instructions and procedures in

your workplace. Well-written instructions and pro-cedures reduce errors and wasted time, and helpensure safety. Writing instructions and proceduresis likely to be the most standardized form of writ-ing you will develop, mainly because of the exten-sive guidelines created by software documentationspecialists throughout years of documenting pro-grams. In this chapter, you will learn about:

• Planning for development of instructionsand procedures

• Developing instructions and procedures

• Developing instructions or procedures in ateam

• Evaluating instructions and procedures

• Considerations for placing documents online

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6.1 Planning for Development ofInstructions and Procedures

Your objective in writing effective instructions andprocedures is to furnish a clear guideline so thatreaders can complete a task themselves. Workinstructions are examples of instructional docu-ments that are often developed by quality practi-tioners in the workplace. In the planning phase forwriting instructions and procedures, you must pre-pare adequately. For example, you may obtain theitem you are explaining and perform the taskyourself. You may observe others performing thetask or interview persons who are familiar withperforming the task. You might also review pre-vious documents on the subject, such as manu-facturers’ specifications, technical documents, orpolicy manuals. You should also analyze your audi-ence, the users of the instructions or procedures,to determine how knowledgeable they are aboutthe topic. Once you are comfortable with the audi-ence’s knowledge of the topic, you can more confi-dently write to their level of understanding.

6.2 Developing Instructions and Procedures

When developing instructions and procedures, itis important to note that they have the sameorganizational structure as most documents you

94 Chapter Six



develop: an introduction, a body or middle section,and a conclusion.

Introduction

An instruction or procedure typically has an intro-duction, which states the goal of performing theinstruction or procedure, as well as any requiredmaterials to perform the task. For example:

A table consists of all the fields andrecords included within a database.Before designing your database, you mustcreate a table to store the informationthat you want to include.

To create a table using the table wizard,perform the following steps:

Body

The body of an instruction or procedure is calledthe instruction set. You must create the instruc-tion set by presenting steps chronologically, thatis, in the order in which the user is to performthem. If possible, format the steps as a numberedlist; if you want to develop the instructions orprocedures in paragraph form, use words thatimply sequence, such as “first,” “then,” and “next.”For example:

First, click View on the toolbar. Next,select Design View. A three-column table

Writing Effective Instructions and Procedures 95



dialog box appears. Then, in the FieldName column, click in the empty cellbeneath the last field.

Type the new field name. Next, in theData Type column, select the data type.Then repeat the entries in the FieldName and Data Type columns to addadditional fields. Finally, click the Closebutton to finish.

If you are using a numbered list format,include only one task in each numbered step. Talkdirectly to the reader. Phrase each step as a com-mand, using action words (i.e., the imperativevoice). Include visuals, such as screen shots,tables, or diagrams, and place them as close aspossible to the step that mentions them. Follow-ing is a revision of the previous instructionalparagraph, using the numbered list format.

1. Click View on the toolbar.

2. Select Design View. The followingdialog box appears.

[Insert a screen shot of the dialog boxhere.]

3. In the Field Name column, click inthe empty cell beneath the last field.

4. Type the new field name.

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5. In the Data Type column, select thedata type.

6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add anyadditional fields.

7. Click the Close button to finish.

Separate notes, options, and commentary fromthe numbered steps, and do not number the notesand commentary. For example:

1. Click the left or right arrow to changethe brightness.

NOTE: The larger the number, thegreater the brightness.

2. Move the bar to the right to increasethe contrast.

Avoid telegraphic writing, which eliminatesthe articles a, and, and the. For example:


Original

Close top of container.

Remove used syringe andplace it in metal container.

Revision

Close the top of thecontainer.Remove the used syringeand place it in the metalcontainer.



Telegraphic writing may be more concise, but itdoes not use a conversational tone, which nativeEnglish readers expect. Remember that you aretalking directly to the reader. If you communicatetelegraphically, you are introducing a higher prob-ability that the reader will make an error in com-pleting the task. You cannot afford to introduce aprobability of error in workplace tasks. This is espe-cially important when safety is of primary concern.

Use appropriate format techniques as commu-nication tools. Provide adequate white space. Usetask-oriented headings, which are verb forms, toseparate sections. For example:

Altering the Image

The software enables you to performbasic alterations on the image. The twomajor alterations are adjusting thebrightness and contrast.

To Adjust the Brightness

1. Click the adjustment bar.

2. Move the bar to the left to decreasethe brightness.

If you have more than 10 steps in an instruc-tional set, consider placing a heading to “chunk”or section the information, and renumber the nextsection. The reader has a more difficult time pro-cessing an instructional set with more than 10steps; the new heading alerts the reader to startprocessing a new set of steps.

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Use bolding and italics for emphasis. One com-mon convention is to bold the object of the action.Italics are often used to signify specific informa-tion to enter on a screen form. For example:

1. Select the Tables option in the data-base dialog box.

2. Click the New button. The followingdialog box appears.

[Screen shot]

3. Click the Table Wizard in the dialogbox.

4. Type Data Table in the first field.

5. Click the OK button.

Use standard fonts, such as Arial or TimesRoman, and a font size that enhances readability,such as 11 or 12 point.

Conclusion

A conclusion is an optional section when youdevelop instructions and procedures. If youinclude a conclusion, summarize what has beenaccomplished and/or what will happen next. Forexample:

You have just completed properly enter-ing the data on the electronic form. Nowyou are ready to process the data to cre-ate tables and charts.




100 Chapter Six

One of the most common quality-relatedinstruction documents is the work instruction.Figure 6.1 provides an example work instructiondocument that adheres to the guidelines for writ-ing instructions and procedures.

6.3 Developing Instructions orProcedures in a Team

Whenever you develop instructions or proce-dures as part of a team, different team membersare typically assigned different sections or chap-ters to develop. An important feature of teamdevelopment is transparency. It should not beevident to the reader that sections or chapterswere prepared by different team members. Asteam members, you want standardization in thedocument format and writing style. The teammembers should agree upon this standardiza-tion of format and style during the planningphase of the Document Development Cycle.

Many organizations create a style guide ortemplate for documents developed by employees.If your organization does not have a documentstyle, your group should produce a style guidethat lists standard specifications for the formatand writing style of the document. If you preparea style guide at the planning phase, you will savetime during the development phase. Appendix C




JCM-TECH, Inc.Work Instructions

Figure 6.1 Example work instructions.

✩TITLE DOCUMENT

Assembly Instructions NUMBERfor Tacket Units TAKET-8345-01

REVISION/DATE0 11/2/04

ISSUED BY APPROVED BY

1. Assembly Preparation

1.1 Obtain the shop packet with the earliest date forwhich the units are available.

1.2 Hang the shop packet paperwork on the correctunits.

1.3 Review the order write-up, pick list, and moveticket, checking for inconsistencies.

NOTE: If you see an inconsistency, contact yoursupervisor so that he/she can verify with Salesand/or Engineering.

2. Preliminary Assembly

2.1 Obtain the checklist that accompanies the unit.

2.2 Place the correct labels on the unit as shown indrawing #15466.

2.3 Install the latch covers.

DOCUMENT NUMBER Page 1 of 2TAKET-8345-01



102 Chapter Six

2.4 Attach the front and rear hinges on the right cornerposts.

2.5 Install the four leveling feet at the base of the unit.

NOTE: Verify that the leveling feet are higher thanthe caster wheels, so they do not drag when theunit moves.

3. Component Installation

3.1 Install the electric switch and correct plug specifiedin the shop packet.

3.2 Do one of the following:

• If the unit receives a pointer, attach the shoppacket specified model to the front of the unit.

• If the unit does not receive a pointer, place theNO POINTER stick on the front of the unit.

3.3 Install the front vent on the right post of the unit.

4. Post-Assembly Operation

4.1 Examine the unit, using the checklist TAKET-6576.

4.2 Clean the interior and exterior of the unit to removeany marks or debris.

4.3 Record your employee number on the checklist.

4.4 Enter the job into the computer system.

4.5 Transport the completed unit to Packaging.

Figure 6.1 Example work instructions.

DOCUMENT NUMBER Page 2 of 2TAKET-8345-01



lists typical style-guide items to consider for stan-dardization.

6.4 Evaluating Instructions and Procedures

Always test your instructions or procedures beforeyou distribute them to the users. Some organiza-tions, especially software development companies,conduct formal acceptance testing, sometimescalled usability testing, of instruction manualswith potential users to evaluate the clarity andappropriateness of the instructions.

If it is possible, conduct a formal test of aninstructional document. Figure 6.2 shows a sam-ple testing form. You can generate problem iden-tification and resolution via the informationcollected on these forms. If you cannot conduct for-mal testing of your document, at least ask some-one else to read the instructions and give youfeedback on their accuracy and ease of under-standing.

6.5 Considerations for PlacingDocuments Online

You may be required by your organization to place your document online. There are some




104 Chapter Six

Name

Complete one page for each section tested.

Information on the chapter/section being tested:

Chapter Title:

Section/Procedure Name:

Evaluation:

Instructions/Activities/Tasks:OK Out of Order/Inefficient Incomplete Inconsistent Other

Comments:

Graphics/Screens/Visuals:OK Wrong Screen/Visual Improper

size/placement Other

Comments:

Explanations/Notes/TipsOK Incorrect Unclear Irrelevant Other

Comments

Terminology:OK Unclear Irrelevant Other

Comments:

Notes:

Figure 6.2 Usability test form.



considerations that you should be aware of whenyou transfer your document to an online format.

Limit the amount of information on each page;leave a blank line between paragraphs or lists.The type size of the text letters should be largeenough to be read by most users at the distancethey normally sit from their computer monitors.

Use a sans serif font (e.g., Arial) for both thetext and headings because it provides better res-olution. Incorporate hyperlinks and pop-ups.Hyperlinks enable users to move from one subjectto another. Pop-ups can serve as an online glos-sary. The user merely clicks on the word to dis-play its definition or holds the mouse arrow overthe word to bring forth the pop-up.

Create the table of contents headings as hyper-links to their related sections. Use no more thantwo levels of headings. Provide indicators that tellthe users what page of the document they are inand what part of the document they are viewing.




7

Writing Effective Reportsand Proposals

This chapter provides you with techniques toeffectively develop reports and proposals.

These techniques will help you develop informa-tive short and long reports, as well as prepare per-suasive proposals. In this chapter, you will learnabout:

• Guidelines for short reports

• Guidelines for long reports

• Guidelines for meeting minutes

7.1 Guidelines for Short Reports

Your organization will require you to write shortreports at some point in your career. You mayneed to report on the status of a working project,respond to questions, report on a trip that you’ve

107



taken, summarize test activities, describe an inci-dent, or report periodically on a project.

Short reports require that you write for read-ers who need particular information to completetheir work successfully. Here are some guidelinesto help you effectively produce any short report.

Planning a Short Report

Just as with any of your workplace writing, youcan expect to do some planning to prepare foryour short report. You may have to read somebackground material on the Web or in journals orprofessional magazines. You many need to reviewa customer record, perform a procedure, or con-duct an observation. You might need to conductan interview, attend a meeting or conference, orvisit a client site. These planning activities arethe basis for the content of your report.

In addition to gathering information, you shouldalso analyze the audience for whom you will writethe report. You will need to determine the infor-mation needs of your audience. Managers andexecutive readers typically are not interested intechnical details, but they will want information tohelp make decisions about expenditures, problems,schedules, and resources. Coworkers or customersmay require more background and detailed expla-nations than managers and executive readers.

To ensure that the report is effective, state thepurpose of your report. Be clear about why you

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are writing. In addition, be specific regardingevents that occurred. Indicate the steps that weretaken, specific dates and times, exact locations,and the names of individuals involved. You mustbe clear about the outcomes, conclusions, or rec-ommendations. Describe how your organizationwill be affected.

Developing a Short Report

Report your information accurately and objec-tively. Do not include opinion without providinga rationale for it. A short report developed inter-nally for your organization can be in memo for-mat or written as an e-mail message. If it is sentoutside your organization, use a business letterformat (see Chapter 4).

Create a clear and focused subject line. Useheadings to organize the content of the report.Use bulleted or numbered lists for a series ofitems or options. Include visuals to summarize orsupplement the text. Write clearly and concisely(see Chapters 2 and 3).

Sometimes your organization will require youto use a standard report format. If you don’t havean organization format, the following heading sec-tions can be used for most short reports:

Introduction (or Background)

This section tells your reading audience thereport’s purpose and scope (i.e., what you are and

Writing Effective Reports and Proposals 109



are not including). In this section, you candescribe what you are investigating or providesome background information.

Discussion (or Findings)

This is the longest section of your report. In thissection, provide the data you have collected orcompiled. Also, provide your analyses, interpre-tations, and important findings. Discuss advan-tages and disadvantages of potential solutions toa problem.

Conclusion (or Recommendations)

In this section, indicate any specific actions to betaken, provide recommendations, or summarizeyour findings. What appears in this section shouldbe based on or emanate logically from the infor-mation you provide in the previous section.

Progress Report

One common short report that you may have towrite in the workplace is a progress report. If youare working on a project, developing a product,building a warehouse, writing a software program,or implementing a charity event, you will proba-bly need to develop reports on your progress.

The readers for your progress report are typi-cally not working directly with you; they areawaiting the results of your efforts so they canmake decisions about budgetary items, schedules,

110 Chapter Seven



equipment, or resources based on your progress.You may be required to provide a progress reportdaily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly, depend-ing on your organization’s specific requirements.

Progress Report Structure

In your progress report, it is important to conveyinformation about three main topics: the workcompleted as of the report date, the work remain-ing to be done, and any issues or commentaryregarding project completion.

In the opening, provide information on theproject title and/or number, as well as any back-ground you feel the reader needs regarding theproject on which you are working.

In the next section (often titled “Work Com-pleted”), specify major activities that you havecompleted as of the date of the report. If theprogress report is not an initial report, specify theactivities completed since the last report. In addi-tion to activities accomplished, you may also beexpected to provide details about expenditures,materials or resources used, and hours expended.In this section of a progress report, you typicallyfocus on what was completed, not on any findingsof a specific activity. For example, if you conducted30 surveys, do not provide the survey findings inthe progress report.

In the following section (often titled “WorkRemaining”), indicate what you have yet toaccomplish on the project, or what you expect to




accomplish by the next progress report. You maybe expected to provide estimated dates of com-pletion, time spent, and/or resources used.

In the final section (often titled “Issues/Rec-ommendations”), provide information on any con-cerns or problems encountered, actions that needto be taken by others, or recommendations.

Trip Report

You will likely be required to write a trip report.You may have attended a conference or workshop,inspected a worksite, or attended a businessmeeting in another city.

For effective completion of any trip report,there are some standard activities to keep inmind. At the end of the day, or at intervals dur-ing the day, if possible, summarize the majorevents of the day or time period. Note names,dates, and times. Using these notes, write yourtrip report as soon as possible after the trip, whileyou are less likely to forget the specifics. Figure7.1 provides an example of a trip report.

7.2 Guidelines for Long Reports

You may need to develop a long report that com-pletes a work effort or project. It typically requiresextensive research, both primary and secondary(see Chapter 1). You might use information from

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JCM-TECH, Inc.Customer ServicesTrip Report

SERVICE PROVIDER: Thomas Calhoon EMPLOYEE #: 3984596SITE: ABC Company LOCATION: Chicago, IL DATE: 10/25/04

BACKGROUND: The customer lost over two weeks of production dueto lack of control of the assembly timing belts driven by the TACKETunit. Smith Maintenance Services, the TACKET maintenance provider,provided us operating statistics on the unit that showed it wasoperating at full capacity. The customer’s engineering staff believesthat the unit was not operating at full capacity. It was decided to makea trip to the customer site to investigate this issue.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

On this trip, I was accompanied by Mark Stevens from ourEngineering Department and Margaret Keenan from SmithMaintenance Services. The installation contractor also was presentto answer any questions.

[Calhoon provides a summary here of experiments conducted atthe site to determine if the unit was operating at full capacity.]

After a review of our findings, we agreed that the unit was workingat full capacity. We then left the site and returned to our lodging.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Mark Stevens, Margaret Keenan, and I met with the customer’sengineer, John Kastle, and presented our findings. We discussedoptions to reduce the load on the TACKET unit. The customer’sengineer determined that one of the options, transferring some ofthe load to another onsite unit, was the best solution to this issue.At 2:00 p.m., the customer, with assistance from Smith MaintenanceServices, implemented this option. Third shift operated withinproduction projections under the new configuration.

c: John KastleMargaret KeenanMark Stevens

Figure 7.1 Trip report.

✩



a sequence of short reports to produce a longreport.

A long report is too involved to be placed in ashort letter or memo format. The long report is athorough compilation of data, analysis, and rec-ommendations. It includes numerous visuals,such as charts and diagrams. It contains moreheadings, sections, and appendices than shortreports.

A long report may require weeks or months todevelop. It will probably be sent to high-levelmanagers and executive decision makers. Itmight be developed by a group of people, ratherthan by one person (see Chapter 6).

Structure of a Long Report

A long report typically includes three sections:front material (letter of transmittal, cover page,table of contents, illustrations list, executive sum-mary); text (introduction, body, conclusion); andback material (glossary, references, appendixes).

Front Material

Front material consists of pages that come beforethe report text. Use lowercase Roman numerals(i.e., i, ii, iii, iv, etc.) for numbering the front-material pages.

Letter or Memo of Transmittal The letteror memo of transmittal is a one-page documentof three or four paragraphs that states the pur-

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pose and scope of your report. Remember thatyou will write a letter of transmittal if you aretransmitting the report outside your organiza-tion; you will write a memo of transmittal if youare transmitting the report within your orga-nization. In this letter or memo you can alsoacknowledge the work of those who assisted inthe development of the report.

Cover Page The cover page informs thereaders what the title of your report is. It providesthe name of the organization developing thereport, the name of the writer(s), the date, and thepersons and/or company receiving the report. Yourorganization may require a standardized formatfor a cover page.

Table of Contents The table of contents pro-vides a listing of the report sections, major head-ings, and subheadings. It also includes the pagenumber for each section, heading, and subhead-ing. The section names, headings, and subhead-ings must appear exactly as stated in the report.

List of Illustrations The list of illustrationslists all visuals in the report, as well as the pageswhere they are located. You should create a listof illustrations page if you include four or morevisuals in your report.

Executive Summary The executive sum-mary contains all essential information, such asthe purpose, scope, problem investigated, findings,




recommendations, and/or conclusion. Developingan executive summary requires the skills youlearned in writing a summary (see Chapter 5). Theexecutive summary is usually single spaced withinparagraphs and double spaced between para-graphs.

As with any summary, an executive summaryincludes the essential information of the report,is 15 percent to 20 percent of the length of thereport, and should be able to be read independ-ently from the report.

Main Text Material

The main text material consists of the major sec-tions of any document you create: the introduc-tion, body, and conclusion. The main text pagesare numbered starting with 1 and continuingthrough the end of the report.

Introduction (or Background) This sectiontells your audience the report’s purpose and scope(i.e., what you are and are not including). You candescribe what you are investigating or providebackground information.

Discussion (or Findings) This is the longestsection of your report. Discuss the data you havecollected or compiled. Also provide your analyses,interpretations, and important findings. Discussadvantages and disadvantages of potential solu-tions to a problem.

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Conclusion (or Recommendations) Indi-cate any specific actions to be taken, provide rec-ommendations, or summarize your findings. Whatappears in this section should be based on oremanate logically from the information you pro-vide in the previous section.

References (or Bibliography) The Refer-ences or Bibliography page is placed at the endof the main text. If you cite outside sources in themain text, you should create a complete list ofReferences for those in-text citations. If you wantto include outside sources that you recommend orreviewed but did not cite in the main text, youshould create a Bibliography page.

Back Material

The pages that form the back material of yourreport are any appendices that you want to in-clude. Back material may also include a glossary.

7.3 Guidelines for Meeting Minutes

You may be requested to write meeting minutes,which serve as an official report of what occurredat a meeting. The meeting may be a project meet-ing, a business meeting, a committee meeting, orany type of meeting for which a record is kept.You may be requested to take minutes at the




meeting and then to prepare them for distributionlater. You can develop the minutes from the notesyou kept on the meeting.

To write effective minutes, you should recordidentification information, which includes thename of the group holding the meeting. State thetype of meeting held, that is, whether it is a reg-ular (e.g., weekly) meeting or a special meetingheld to address an immediate issue. You shouldalso indicate the location, date, and time of themeeting.

Record the names of persons who attended themeeting; it is optional to include the names of per-sons who were expected to attend but wereabsent. If minutes of the previous meeting areapproved or changed, indicate this in the minutes.Include a list of any reports (e.g., auditor’s report,test report) that were read and accepted.

Indicate all the main topics that were dis-cussed and describe the main points of the dis-cussion. State any decisions made or any otheraction items taken or to be done regarding thetopic discussed.

If the meeting is conducted using formalmotions, record any motion that was made (plusthe names of those who made and seconded themotion.) Also, record whether the motion wasapproved, rejected, or tabled. Do not record mo-tions that were withdrawn after discussion.

118 Chapter Seven



Record any votes that were taken for andagainst a resolution. Indicate the time the meet-ing adjourned and the location, date, and time ofthe next meeting. Finally sign the meeting min-utes, as the recording secretary.

If you were requested to distribute the meet-ing minutes afterward, you should distribute theminutes to the attendees as soon as possible. If asubsequent meeting occurs, such as in projectmeetings, often the minutes are formally approvedat the subsequent meeting. The approval of min-utes in the subsequent meeting should take placeas the first item of business.




8

Delivering EffectiveManagement Presentations

This chapter provides you with guidelines fordelivering effective management presenta-

tions. Throughout your career, you will havenumerous opportunities to make oral presenta-tions to management. You might need to sum-marize progress on a project, present a proposal,demonstrate a new procedure, or justify a positionor need for resources. Effective presentation skillswill help you achieve your goals in the workplace.In this chapter, you will learn about:

• Planning the presentation

• Developing the presentation

• Delivering the presentation

121



8.1 Planning the Presentation

Just as with any piece of communication you pro-duce, it is important to spend time in the plan-ning phase. This phase, as you recall from yourknowledge of the document development cycle,requires that you determine your purpose, ana-lyze your audience, and organize the content.

Purpose

You should determine whether the purpose ofyour presentation is essentially informative, per-suasive, or a combination of both. This meansthat you should first identify the central idea,which will help you determine the purpose of yourpresentation. For example, if you want to explainthe services provided by your organization’s Qual-ity Department, your purpose is essentiallyinformative. If you want to show how importantit is to create a Quality Department in your or-ganization, your purpose is essentially persua-sive. If you want to explain the services of yourorganization’s Quality Department and increasethe usage of those services, your presentationshould be both informative and persuasive.

Audience

As in developing a written product, audienceanalysis is also a very important activity in the

122 Chapter Eight



planning phase of a presentation. However, inyour presentation, the audience primarily listensto your communication message. The materialyou present must be relevant to their needs.Remember, you want your message to be under-stood and accepted by your audience.

Consider the size of your audience, also. Youcan be more interactive and informal with a smallgroup of six or seven people in a meeting roomthan you can with a larger group in a large area.Determine the expectations of the audience, aswell as what they already know about the topic.

Formulating the central idea with its purposeand analyzing your audience enable you to focusthe content of your presentation and avoid intro-ducing irrelevant material. Thus you are elimi-nating “noise” from your presentation.

8.2 Developing the Presentation

Just as in your written communication, your oralpresentation requires three components: an intro-duction, a body or middle section, and a closing.In other words, you want to tell your audience“what you are going to tell them” (introduction),then “tell them” (middle section), and then “tellthem what you told them” (closing). For an oralpresentation, you should also determine how longyou are going to speak. This will help you organ-ize the content of your presentation.

Delivering Effective Management Presentations 123



Introduction

The opening of your presentation should capturethe audience’s attention and generate a favorableimpression of you in the audience members’minds. There are numerous ways to “hook” theirattention. You can provide interesting data (“Lastquarter our company lost over $1 million inmachine downtime.”). You can tell a short, rele-vant anecdote. You can ask a question (“Whenwas the last time the third shift achieved top pro-duction output?”). You might start with a power-ful quotation (“Carl Sagan declared, ‘We makeour world significant by the courage of our ques-tions and the depth of our answers.’”). You canalso compliment your audience (“As successfulmanagers, you are often aware that. . . .”). Allthese are ways to capture the attention of youraudience.

Body

The body is the core of your presentation, and itis the longest portion. The body is where you sup-port your central idea and its purpose. You mightprovide some data analysis; present results ofresearch, experiments, or feasibility studies; dis-cuss advantages and disadvantages of potentialsolutions to a problem; or present the majoraccomplishments of a project or activity.

124 Chapter Eight



Conclusion

You can approach your conclusion in variousways. You might summarize main points that youhave made. In your conclusion, you might alsomake a recommendation and/or persuade youraudience to take some action.

Outline and Notes

It is very important to make an outline of yourpresentation. You not only need to list your majortopics and subtopics, as you do when preparing awritten product, but you must also keep yourpresentation within the time allotted.

The outline will also serve as the basis forpreparing your notes or note cards for deliveringyour presentation. Your notes, whether written onsheets of paper or on note cards, should be largeenough for you to see from a distance. You don’twant to bury your head in your notes as you arespeaking. Your notes should be structured in a waythat allows you to deliver your presentation inshort sentences, as well as enables you to person-alize the presentation by using the names of peo-ple in the audience and/or emphasizing “you” and“I” as you deem appropriate. Therefore, it is betterto not have every word of the presentation writtenout. Use phrases and key words in your notes thatenable you to be flexible in your delivery.




8.3 Delivering the Presentation

Developing the content of the presentation is cer-tainly an important factor in creating an effectivepresentation. However, there is another factor that,combined with the content, provides the impetusfor a truly effective presentation. This factor isyour delivery, which has numerous components.

Eye Contact

To build rapport and an effective connection withyour audience, it is important to establish eyecontact with them. If your eyes never leave yournotes, you will quickly lose the attention of yourlisteners. If you are presenting to a group of upto 12 people, look at each person in the room. Ifyou are presenting to a larger group, divide theroom into four or five segments and let your eyesrotate to each segment, looking at a person ineach, as you proceed with the presentation.

Voice Projection

It is important to speak so that everyone in youraudience can hear you. Lower or deepen the pitchof your voice when you give a presentation. Thisgives more strength to your voice, and your voicewill project further throughout the audience. Adeeper voice also enables you to appear more con-

126 Chapter Eight



fident and decisive. If you are using a microphone,adjust to the amplification of the particular in-strument you are using.

Speed

When making a presentation, speak more slowlyand enunciate words more clearly than in yournormal conversation. This, along with loweringyour pitch, enables you to have more expressionin your voice; it also helps you avoid a monotonesound or mumbling, which can lose the attentionof your audience.

Slowing the pace of your words also enablesyou to think about what is coming out of yourmouth, and you will be able to express ideas moremeaningfully to your audience. Try saying thesentence below, first quickly, and then more slowlywith better enunciation. Notice the difference inyour ability to express yourself meaningfully.

How can we improve the quality of ouroutput? One way is to build quality intothe product—every step of the way.

Gestures

Gestures and movement help you add meaning toyour presentation. They enable you to emphasizecontent in your presentation. Gestures should not




appear erratic or inappropriate to your audience.Useful movement keeps the audience’s attention.Pointing your fingers in a meaningful direction tosignal the first point, second point, third point isan appropriate gesture. Using your hand to showa stop or rejection is also an appropriate gesture.Crossing your arms, keeping your hands in yourpockets, or wringing your hands are typicallyinappropriate; they signal a lack of engagementwith the audience and nervousness. Smiles, slightmovements of the shoulders, or slight changes inbody positioning are appropriate gestures. Jerk-ing and abrupt movements are inappropriate.Remember, you want to engage the audience andhold the interest, not alienate them or put themto sleep.

Visual Aids

Visuals can support and enhance your presenta-tion. Some simple considerations will help youuse visuals more effectively in your presentations.No matter what type of visual you use, you mustpresent the visual without losing eye contact withthe audience. This means not turning your backto the audience when presenting the visual.

If you are using regular slides or PowerPointslides, do not place a lot of text on the slide. Threeor four bulleted phrases are sufficient for a slide.Make sure the text is readable from the back of

128 Chapter Eight



the room. Use as few slides as possible. Remem-ber, they are to supplement your presentation,not dominate it. An audience typically remem-bers the main topic and three or four points froma presentation (Ehrlich and Hawes, 1984). It isbest to use your slides to emphasize these pointsor to depict information related to these pointsthat are complex to express in words (e.g., use ofcharts, diagrams, flowcharts, etc.)

Questions from the Audience

Most times when you give a presentation, youwill invite questions from the audience. If youwish to take questions during your presentation,let the audience know this (e.g., “Feel free to askquestions at any time.”). If you prefer questionsafter the presentation, indicate so (e.g., “You’llhave the opportunity to ask questions after mypresentation.”).

When you take a question, be aware of yourbody language. Some people who appear relaxeddelivering a presentation will stiffen up during aquestion, immediately losing the confident imagethey have been projecting.

As part of the planning for your presentation,it is a good idea to anticipate the kinds of ques-tions that might be asked. If you prepare forpotentially difficult questions, responding to allquestions will be easier.




Avoid preceding your response with commentssuch as “I’m glad you asked that question” or“That’s a good question.” This type of preliminarycomment can convey to the audience that you arestalling and are unsure about answering thequestion. If you are presenting to a larger group,it is a good idea to repeat or summarize the ques-tion that is asked. This ensures that everyone inthe audience hears the question. It also can helpyou clarify the question or reduce any hostilityfrom the person asking the question. Finally, itallows you some time to gather your thoughts foran appropriate and effective response.

References

Ehrlich, E., and G. R. Hawes. 1984. Speak forsuccess. New York: Bantam Books.

130 Chapter Eight



Appendix A

Eliminating “Waste” Words

Original Revision

at this point in time now, currentlyeach and every (use each or every,

not both)due to the fact that becausea period of six months six monthsat an early date soonat the present time now, currentlyin view of the fact that becauseuntil such time as untilwe are of the opinion we believe, we thinkwith reference to aboutas a result of becausefor the month of October for Octoberin order to be to befor the purpose of to (verb)

(verb)ingprior to the start of beforeon behalf of for

131



132 Appendix A

Original Revision

on the part of forowing to the fact that becauseon the grounds that becausein connection with regarding, aboutin relation to regarding, aboutin a position to able tofor the reason that becausefor the sum of forin the event that ifon the occasion of forconsensus of opinion consensusfree gift giftpast history historybasic fundamentals fundamentalsadvance planning planningtrue facts factsnecessary requirements requirementson a regular basis regularlyrefer back referduring the year 2005 during 2005pursuant to regardingenclosed please find enclosed iswe are in receipt of we have receivedattached herein is attached isattached please find attached isas per your request as you requested



Appendix B

U.S. Postal ServiceState/Territory

Abbreviation Codes

U.S. State/Territory Abbreviation

Alabama ALAlaska AKAmerican Samoa ASArizona AZArkansas ARCalifornia CAColorado COConnecticut CTDelaware DEDistrict of Columbia DCFlorida FLGeorgia GAGuam GUHawaii HIIdaho IDIllinois ILIndiana INIowa IA

133



134 Appendix B


Kansas KSKentucky KYLouisiana LAMaine MEMaryland MDMassachusetts MAMichigan MIMinnesota MNMississippi MSMissouri MOMontana MTNebraska NENevada NVNew Hampshire NHNew Jersey NJNew Mexico NMNew York NYNorth Carolina NCNorth Dakota NDOhio OHOklahoma OKOregon ORPennsylvania PAPuerto Rico PRRhode Island RISouth Carolina SCSouth Dakota SDTennessee TNTexas TX




Utah UTVermont VTVirginia VAVirgin Islands VIWashington WAWest Virginia WVWisconsin WIWyoming WY

U.S. Postal Service State/Territory Abbreviation Codes 135



Appendix C

User Manual Style Sheet(Example)

Page Layout

• Portrait

• Two columns

• Single-space paragraphs

Table of Contents

• Include main topics and subtopics.

• Include page numbers.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

• Define acronyms in the text at first use.

• Capitalize each letter in the acronyms. Donot use periods.

137



138 Appendix C

Contractions

• Do not use contractions.

Words and Phrases to Avoid, and Replacements

Avoid Replacement

should mustusers, he, she youinput (verb) type (verb)click on clickhighlight select

Special Wording

• Avoid telegraphic writing. Always includethe articles.

• Use “Choose the check box,” “Select the . . .tab,” “Choose the Save command.”

Items in a Series

• Use a comma before the “and” prior to thelast item in a series (e.g., a mouse, a cat,and a bird).



Numbers

• Spell numbers less than 10.

• Use numerals for 10 and above.

Margins

• Margins are 1 inch on all sides of thepaper.

Text

• 12 point, Times Roman, black

Headings

• Level 1: Arial, Bold, Black, 16 point

• Level 2: Arial, Bold, Black, 14 point

• Level 3: Arial, Bold, Black, 12 point,indented a tab

• Use upper- and lowercase for headings, notall caps.

User Manual Style Sheet (Example) 139



White Space

• One blank line above and below headings.

• Bulleted lists are indented a tab.

• One blank line between items in a bulletedor numbered list

Text Conventions

• Use italics to indicate words the user is totype.

• Bold the object of the action (e.g., Click theExit key.

• Use brackets and all capital letters whenreferring to keyboard keys (e.g., “Press[ENTER], or [CTRL � ALT � DELETE]

• Use one space after a period.

Screen Captures

• Height 3 inches, Width 4 inches

• Center under text

• Label each screen capture with a figurenumber and title.

140 Appendix C



Index

A

abbreviations, 53acronyms, 23action words, 96active vs. passive voice, 25–26, 33age and disability, 24–25appreciative messages, 31–32audience

analysis of, 9–10management presentations, 122–123questions from, 129–130

B

back material, 117bad-news letters, 68–70

structure of, 81bibliography, 117body language, 2, 127–129body of letter, 64bold text, 98business letter format, 109business writing. See also effective writing

active vs. passive voice, 25–26complaints, 71–75conveying good/bad news, 68–71

141



142 Index

instructions and procedures, 93–105long reports, 112–117management presentations, 121–130meeting minutes, 117–119recommendations, 79–82short reports, 107–112summaries, definitions, and descriptions, 83–91thank-you letters, 75–79

C

channel, 3–5chronological descriptions, 90chunking to communicate, 38, 53, 98circular definition, 88closing of letter, 64–65columns and lists, 40–43communication

audience for, 9–10effective communication, 3–6negative information and, 21reasons for written form of, 2in workplace, 2

communication process, elements of, 3–6company business letter, 58, 60, 62complaint letters, 71–76

structure of, 81concise verbiage, 27congratulatory messages, 31content, determination of, 10–11contractions, 33copy notation, 66cover page, 115culture, 23

D

date line, 61definitions (glossary), 86–88

categorizing the term, 87classical structure of, 87distinguishing the term, 87–88formatting of, 88



descriptions, 89–91chronological descriptions, 90components of, 90–91functional description, 89–90outline for developing, 91spatial description, 89document, content of, 10–11document development cycle, 8development phase, 13–14evaluation phase, 14–15planning phase, 8–13

draft revisions, 14

E

e-mail messages, 52–54format of, 53structure of, 53–54

editing, 85effective communication

example of, 4–6requirements for, 3–4

effective writingbasic correspondence, 49–82complaints, 71–75conveying good/bad news, 68–71definitions (glossary), 86–88descriptions, 89–91e-mail messages, 52–54formatting techniques for, 37–46instructions and procedures, 93–105language techniques for, 19letters, 54–67long reports, 112–117management presentations, 121–130meeting minutes, 117–119memos, 50–52recommendations, 79–82short reports, 107–112summaries, 83–86thanks for an interview, 75–79value in workplace, 2

enclosure notation, 66

Index 143



executive summaries, 85–86, 115–116eye contact, 126eyeballing a document, 15

F

feedback, 3–4document review, 14–15

figures, 45–46first draft, 13–14flaming, 53fonts, 43–44, 98

online documents, 105formatting techniques, 98

chunking to communicate, 38columns and lists, 40–43fonts and heading styles, 43–44visuals, 44–46white space and, 39–40

front material, 114–115full-block format, 55–56functional description, 89–90

G

gender, 23–24gestures, 127–128glossary format, 88, 117. See also definitions (glossary)good-news letter, 71–72

structure of, 81goodwill, 55

in business writing, 30–32in letters, 67

goodwill messages, 30–32appreciative messages, 31–32congratulatory messages, 31

greeting, 63–64

H

heading styles, 38, 43–44, 58, 61hyperlinks, 105

144 Index



I

identification section of memo, 50–51idiomatic expressions, 33idioms, 23illustrations, 115independent feedback, 14–15information gathering, 11–12inside address, 61–63instruction set, 95instructions and procedures, 93–105

body of, 95–99conclusion section, 99–102development of, 94–102evaluation of, 103example of, 95–99introduction section, 95online documents, 103–105planning and development of, 94team development of, 102–103usability test form, 104work instructions, 100–101

intercultural communication, 34international readers

considerations for, 32–33cultural differences, 34–35sentence structure, 33simple vocabulary for, 33

interview thank you letters, 75–79italics, 98

J-K

jargon, 29

L

language. See plain language letter or memo of transmittal, 114–115letterhead, 61letters, 54–67

body, 64

Index 145



closing, 64–65company business letters, 58, 60, 62components of, 58–67copy notation, 66date line, 61enclosure notation, 66format of, 55–59greeting, 63–64heading, 61inside address, 61–63personal business letters, 58–59reference notation, 66–67signature block, 65structure of, 67, 81subject line, 65

list(s), 40–43list of illustrations, 115long reports, 112–117

back material, 117conclusion (recommendations), 116–117cover page, 115discussion (findings), 116executive summary, 115–116front material, 114–116guidelines for, 112–114introduction (background), 116letter or memo of transmittal, 114–115list of illustrations, 115main text material, 116–117structure of, 114–117

M

major topics, 12management presentations, 121–130

audience, 122–123body of, 124conclusion, 125delivery of, 126–130development of, 123–125eye contact, 126gestures, 127–128

146 Index



introduction, 124outline and notes, 125planning of, 122–123purpose of, 122questions from audience, 129–130speed, 127visual aids, 128–129voice projection, 126–127

margins, 39, 55, 63meeting minutes, 117–119

guidelines for, 117–119memo of transmittal, 114–115memos, 50–52

format of, 50identification section, 50–51message, 50–51structure of, 51–52tone of, 51–52uses of, 50

message, 3–5minutes of meeting, 117–119

N

negative tone, 23nonverbal communication, 2, 127–129notes, 125

O

objectivity, 109online documents, 103–105opening hook, 124oral presentations, 121outlines, 12–13, 125

P

paragraphs, 39–41parallel construction, 28–29paraphrasing, 85personal business letter, 58–59

Index 147



plain language. See also tonebenefits of, 16–17implementing of, 17importance of, 15–16

Plain Language Network website, 17pop-ups, 105positive vs. negative language, 21–22postal abbreviations, 133–135presentations. See management presentations primary research, 112procedures. See instructions and procedures progress report, 110–112

structure of, 111–112proposals. See reports and proposals

Q

quality practitioners, 94

R

race and ethnicity, 24receiver, 3–5recommendation letters, 79–82

structure of, 81reference notation, 66–67reports and proposals, 85, 107–119. See also long reports;

short reportsresearch, 112

types of, 12response, 3–6revisions, 14Roman numerals, 115

S

safety instructions, 98secondary research, 112semi-block format, 55, 57sender, 3–5sentence length, 27sentence structure, 33

148 Index



short reports, 107–112conclusion (recommendations), 110development of, 109–110discussion (findings), 110guidelines for, 107–108introduction (background), 109–110planning for, 108–109progress reports, 110–112trip reports, 112–113

signature block, 65slang, 23, 29, 33slides, 128–129spatial description, 89speed of delivery, 127standardization, 102–103state/territory abbreviation codes, 133–135style guide, 102subject line, 65subtopics, 12summaries, 83–86

characteristics of, 84defined, 83–84development of, 84–85executive summaries, 85–86

T

tables, 45–46teams

instructions and procedures, 102–103long reports, 114style guides/templates for, 102transparency feature, 102

technical terminology, 29–30, 83telegraphic writing, 98template, 102thank-you letters, 75–79

structure of, 81tone, 7

bad-news letter and, 68–69conversational tone, 98of memos, 51–52

Index 149



negative tone, 23as positive and unbiased, 21–25, 30

topic sentence, 85transparency, 102trip report, 112–113

U

unbiased tone, 22–24U.S. Postal Service state/territory abbreviation codes, 133–135units of measure, 33–34usability test form, 104user manual style sheet (example), 137–140

abbreviations and acronyms, 137contractions, 138headings, 139items in a series, 138margins, 139numbers, 139page layout, 137screen captures, 140special wording, 138table of contents, 137text, 139text conventions, 140white space, 140words/phrases to avoid, 138

V

verbal communication, 2–3verbiage, conciseness of, 27visuals, 44–46, 90, 96, 114

formatting of, 45–46management presentations, 128–129selection of, 45

vocabulary, simplification of, 33voice, active vs. passive, 25–26voice projection, 126–127

150 Index



W

waste words, 27, 131–132white space, 39–40, 98work instructions, 100–101work-related writing. See also business writing; effective writ-

ingactive vs. passive voice, 25–26characteristics of, 6–7as clear, direct, and concise, 26–29goodwill in, 30–32international readers and, 32–35positive and unbiased tone, 7, 21–25slang and jargon, 29–30you attitude in, 20–21

writing. See also business writing; effective writing; work-related writing

purpose for, 8writing process. See also document development cycle

analyzing the audience, 9–10defining the purpose, 8determining the content, 10–11development phase, 13–14evaluation phase, 14–15first draft and revisions, 13–14information gathering for, 11–12organizing the information, 12–13phases of, 7–15planning phase, 8–13

X-Y-Z

you attitude, 20–21examples of, 20–21

Index 151

