chapter M McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Understanding the Writing Process and the Main Forms of Business Messages two “As people move up, they write more critical documents.”

2-2 Overview The Writing Process The Main Types of Business Messages – Letters – Memorandums – – Text messaging – Instant messaging

2-3 The Writing Process: The Three Main Stages Planning Gathering and collecting information Analyzing and organizing the information Choosing a form, channel, and format Drafting Avoid perfectionism Keep going Use any other strategies that you find helpful Revising Revision Editing Proofreading

2-4 The Writing Process: Planning Activities Gathering and collecting information Analyzing and organizing the information Choosing a form, channel, and format

2-5 The Writing Process: Planning the Form Avoid a daunting-looking document Use formatting devices to enhance readability and comprehension, such as... – White space – Headings – Typographical emphasis (boldface, etc.) – Bulleted lists – Diagrams and pictures

2-6 The Writing Process: Drafting Tips Avoid perfectionism (“satisfice”) Keep going Use any other strategies that you find helpful

2-7 The Writing Process: Revising in Stages Revision Editing Proofreading

2-8 Letters The oldest form of business messages Usually for external readers Usually relatively formal Has standardized components/forms

2-9 Memorandums (Memos) Usually for internal communication Fast being replaced by Typically have a distinctive form: – Date, To, From Subject – Sometimes Department, Territory, Store Number, Copies to

2-10 Techniques for Writing Memos Make short, simple memos informal, like short, simple messages. For longer, more formal messages, follow the advice in Chapters 5-7. Remember that you can use memo format for reports as well (especially the shorter forms). Write them in direct order unless they are on sensitive topics.

Advantages Eliminates telephone tagSaves timeSpeeds up decision makingCheapProvides a written record

Disadvantages Not confidential No authoritative signatureDoesn’t show emotionMay be ignored

2-13 Structure of (1 of 3) Standardized elements – To – Cc – Bcc – Subject – Attachments – Message

2-14 Structure of (2 of 3) The beginning – Name of recipient (first name if acquainted) – Generic greeting sometimes used (“Greetings”) – Letter salutations rarely used – Purpose, company sometimes useful

2-15 Structure of (3 of 3) Message organization – As a general rule, most important information first, with the rest in descending order. – More complex messages organized by the plans to be studied. – Can resemble business reports.

2-16 Five Traits of Effective Uses the appropriate level of formality Is concise Is clear Is courteous Is correct

2-17 Formality of Writing Highly formal to Highly informal Range Casual Informal Formal Writing Style

2-18 Three Levels of Formality in Casual – Example: “Hi ole buddy! Read your super proposal. IMHO, it’s in the bank.” Informal: – Example: “I’ve read your excellent proposal. I predict the administrators will approve it.” Formal: – “The proposal is excellent. The executives are likely to approve it.”

2-19 Conciseness in Make the sentences short—only the essentials. Use words economically. Paraphrase previous messages concisely. Quote selectively.

2-20 Clarity in Clarity begins with your subject line. To write a clear message, use the techniques discussed in Chapter 4.

2-21 Courtesy in Even amongst colleagues, courtesy is appreciated. Avoid “flaming” (anger displays). Avoid sending spam (unwanted messages that clutter people’s in-boxes) Practice the you-viewpoint (as discussed in Chapter 4).

2-22 Correctness in ’s fast pace often leads to incorrect writing. Errors in writing distract the reader’s attention. Error-filled writing reflects poorly on you and your company.

2-23 Closing the Message Usually just the writer's name is sufficient. In more formal messages, closing statement may be appropriate (“Thanks,” “Regards”). Traditional letter closes (“Sincerely”) sometimes used in formal messages.

2-24 Using Shortcuts in Some standard shortcuts have developed (for example, BTW, FYI, FAQ, ASAP). Use them with caution. – Be sure their informality is appropriate for the situation. – Be sure your reader will understand them.

2-25 Text Messaging A recent form of business communication Began as short message services (SMS) by mobile phone users Most carriers have websites where users can send text messages. Typically limited to 160 characters.

2-26 Text Messaging Tips Plan carefully to keep the needed response as short as possible. Cover all critical information. Keep it short. Strive for clarity; be sure abbreviations (b4, plz, gr8) will be understood.

2-27 Instant Messaging Growing in popularity Like a typed phone conversation Needs to be adapted to the audience May be monitored

2-28 “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.” --Louis D. Brandeis Justice of the Supreme Court,