Written Communication Organizational Writing

Internal Audiences

External Audiences

Internal Documents Document Transmittal Reports Policy updates Memos E-mails Description Memo that explains what is being forwarded Summarizing information that is used for future planning Statement of instructions Multi purpose functions

External Documents Document Quotations Orders/Claims Annual Reports Customer information Description Letters stating price for services/products Letters dealing with customer orders/claims Report to stockholders containing summarized performance information Information about new products/services/policy changes

Purposes of organizational writing Three basic purposes of organizational writing 1. Inform Explaining or telling readers something 2. Persuade/Request You want the reader to act 3. Goodwill Creating a positive image about yourself/organization

Why improve our written communication skills? Save time Better writing reduces: -Reading time -Rewriting of badly written materials -Time that recipients need to ask for clarification

Why improve our written communication skills? Make your efforts more effective Increase number of requests answered promptly/positively Present your points to other people in your organization more forcefully. Communicate your points more clearly Reduce misunderstandings

Why improve our written communication skills? Build Goodwill Build positive image of your organization Build an image of yourself as a knowledgeable, intelligent, capable person and respectful person

Criteria for effective Messages It’s clear Meaning is focused and clear –no guessing needed It’s complete All of the readers questions are answered It’s correct Information is accurate. Free from grammar errors It saves the reader’s time Style, organization, visuals help understanding and promote quick acting It builds goodwill Message presents positive image of writer/organization. It treats reader respectful and builds positive relationship

Questions for analysis Who is (are) your audience(s)? What characteristics are relevant to this message? If you are writing to more than one person, how do the people differ? What are your purposes in writing? What information must your message include? How can you build support for your position? What reasons or reader benefits will your reader find convincing? What objections can you expect your reader(s) to have? What negative elements must you de-emphasize or overcome? What aspects of the total situation may affect readers response?

Good style in Business Writing Feature Conversational style Business style Term paper style Formality Highly informal Conversational; sounds like a real person talking Extremely formal Use of contractions Many contractions OK to use occasional contractions Few contractions; if any Pronouns Uses first- and second person pronouns Used occasionally First- and second person pronouns avoided Word choice Short, simple words, slang Short, simple style but slang is avoided Abstract terms and academic, technical Grammar Can be ungrammatical Uses standard English Visual impact Not applicable Detailed attention to visual impact No particular attention given

Informative and Positive Messages Letters, Memos, and E-mails

Organizing Informative and Positive Messages Give any good news and summarize main points. Include dates and share good news immediately Give details clarification, background. Don’t repeat information. Be focused and present accurate information. Present details in order of importance. Present any negative elements as positively as possible. Make the negatives clear but present them in a good light. Explain any reader benefits. Most informative memos need reader benefits. Show that the policy helps readers –not just the organization. If possible combine the reader benefit with the goodwill ending. Use a goodwill ending: positive, personal, and forward looking. Focusing on the personal well-being of the reader shows that you are concerned.

Writing Letters and Memos -usually intended for people outside the organization. Memos -usually are intended for people in your organization. Organizational Culture may determine the formality of inter-organizational communication.

Letters A good business letter is brief, straightforward, and polite. If possible, it should be limited to one single-spaced typewritten page. A business letter is often judged on small, but important, things: format, grammar, punctuation, openings and closings. A business letter is not the place to try out fancy fonts or experimental writing styles.

Elements of a standard business letter Return Address: Your address (or the address of the company you represent). Date: Leave two blank lines after the return address. Always spell out the month and include the day, a comma, and the year. Inside Address: Leave two blank lines after the date. Then type the address of the person or company to whom you are writing. Salutation: Type Dear, followed by the person's name. End the line with a colon. If you don’t know the name of the person, use a title instead (i.e., Dear Editor, Dear Madam). Body: Skip a line before starting a new paragraph, but do not indent the paragraph's first line. Make sure that each paragraph is clear and concise. Closing: Leave two lines of space after your last body paragraph, then use a conventional closing, followed by a comma (i.e., Sincerely, Sincerely Yours, Respectfully). Signature: Your signature should appear below your closing. Name and Position: Four lines after the closing, type your full name. Do not include a title (Mr. or Mrs.). If you are writing on behalf of an organization, type your title on the next line.

Memos have a twofold purpose: they bring attention to problems and they solve problems. They do this by informing the reader about new information like policy changes, price increases, or by persuading the reader to take action, such as attend a meeting.

Audience and Purpose Choose the audience of the memo wisely. Ensure that only people who the memo is intended for read the memo. If it is an issue involving only one person, do not send the memo to the entire office. Make sure that material is not too sensitive; sometimes the best forms of communication are face-to-face interaction or a phone call.

Parts of a Memo Standard memos are divided into segments to organize the information and to help achieve the writer's purpose. Heading Segment The heading segment follows this general format: TO: (readers' names and job titles) FROM: (your name and job title) DATE: (complete and current date) SUBJECT: (what the memo is about)

Importance of subject lines Subject lines determine if a reader will be interested. Subject lines -need to be specific and at the same time broad enough to cover everything in the message. -are relatively short: no more than 10 words. -need to be appropriate for the situation.

Opening Segment Purpose of a memo is usually found in the opening paragraph and includes: the purpose of the memo, the context and problem, and the specific assignment or task. Before giving details to the reader, give a brief overview of what the memo is about. Including the purpose of the memo clarifies the reason the audience should read this memo. The introduction should be brief.

Body and closing of a Memo Context The context is the circumstance, or background of the problem you are solving. Write a few sentences to establish the background and state the problem. Details Be as accurate as possible. Integrate reader benefit. Closing Segment After the reader has absorbed all of your information, you want to close with a goodwill ending that states what action you want your reader to take.

E-mails Principals of Business Writing apply to e-mails.Good style in Business Writing E-mails can be very informal to highly formal depending on audience. Be aware of grammar and spelling –use spell checker. Salutation and closings are optional. Keep your audience and purpose in mind. Be aware that e-mails are not confidential.