Lecture and Resource Slides BCOM 3e, Lehman & DuFrene © 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Preparing Spoken and Written Messages Chapter 4

Learning Objectives 1.Apply techniques for developing effective sentences and unified and coherent paragraphs. 2. Identify factors affecting readability and revise messages to improve readability. 3.Prepare visually appealing documents that grab the receiver’s attention and increase comprehension. 4.Revise and proofread a message for content, organization, and style; mechanics; and format and layout.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Process for Planning and Preparing Spoken and Written Messages

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Step 5: Prepare the First Draft Craft _________ sentences ─ Use correct sentence _________ ─ Rely on ______ voice ─ __________ important ideas Develop _________ paragraphs ─ Position _____ sentences appropriately ─ Link ideas to achieve __________ ─ Keep paragraphs _______ ─ Vary sentence and paragraph ______ powerful structure active Emphasize coherent topic coherence length unified

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Step 6: Revise and Proofread Improve readability ─ Understand readability measures ─ Assess and adjust to receiver’s needs ─ Apply visual enhancements for easier reading Proofread using systematic procedures

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Factors Affecting Readability “Difficult” words –Three or more syllable words –Does not include compound words, proper nouns, or words in which a suffix adds a syllable Sentence length and structure –Passive voice Desirable readability index for business writing: Grade 8–11

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Visual Enhancements Improve Readability Enumerated or bulleted lists Headings Tables and graphs Lines and borders Relevant images

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Proofreading Procedures Use spell check to locate simple keying errors and repeated words Proofread on-screen twice: (1) content, organization, style, and (2) mechanical errors Proofread in print preview mode for format and layout errors Print a draft copy and proofread nonroutine and complex documents Print on high-quality paper 5

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Cultivate a Mindset for Effective Revising and Proofreading Attempt to see things from your audience’s __________ rather than from your own ______ documents until you cannot see further improvements Allow others to make __________ for improving your writing perspective Revise suggestions