The Writing Process

The writing process: Audience & Purpose  Strategy  Build interest if the audience's interest is low.  Provide historic background if the audience is unfamiliar with topic.  Tone  Request  Persuade  Advise  Active vs. Passive  Form  Use memo's for casual communications  Use a formal business letter when addressing management  Use when communicating with colleagues.  Vocabulary  The use of technical terms depends on the audience's expertise. *Tone imposes a relationship between you and the reader Purpose and audience determine:

What is the level of knowledge? What is the level of interest? What is the relationship to you? Emphasize clearly what is important within your document. Support your claims with verifiable facts. Audience analysis The addressee All other readers Quickly scan a document Doubt the claims made

The Do's and Don'ts of business writing Do :  State your purpose and who is affected by your message clearly and concisely.  State your purpose early in the message.  Use active verbs except when you need to be non- confrontational. Do not:  Do not use jargon.  Do not use acronyms.  Do not embellish. Unnecessarily  Do not send a document before it was properly reviewed for spelling and grammar mistakes.

The writing process: Organizing ideas Scratch List  Main idea: People and animals have a special bond Pets and health Pets and health Animals’ brains Animals’ brains Pets in nursing homes Pets in nursing homes How to listen to your pet How to listen to your pet  Use a scratch list when writing a short simple or informal communication  Use a scratch list when faced with a short deadline Organize your ideas using a scratch list:

Organize your ideas using a cluster diagram:  A diagram is fast and effective  Helps you visualize the structure of your paper Fig. 1 Cluster diagram by Jamie McKenzie. (

Organize your ideas using a decimal outline: Decimal Outline 1. People and animals have a special bond 1.1 Animals’ brain 1.2 How animals teach their young 2. Pets and health 2. Pets and health 2.1 Pets in nursing homes 2.1 Pets in nursing homes 2.2 Healthy pets 2.2 Healthy pets  Group your ideas by writing words or group of words in a specific order  Write your topic, followed by the major components and sub-points

The writing process: Composing a text Parts of a text  Introduction  Body paragraph  Conclusion  Set the context  Introduce your claim  Explain the main idea  Show evidence that supports the claim  Restate your topic  Recall the claim

Composing a good paragraph  Unity  Coherence  Logical bridges  Verbal bridges  Focus on a single idea  Keep a logical progress in the paragraph  Construct all sentences in the same form  Repeat key words and use synonyms

The writing process: Revising  Allow yourself a few hours to revise  Read your paper slowly  Ensure your writing describes your initial idea  Look for sentences that are too long (20 words or more)  Look for paragraphs that are a lot bigger than others  Look for statements that could mislead the reader  Check that the formality and tone are appropriate  Make sure all your sources are properly cited  Make sure that the conclusion brings your paper together

The writing process: Proofreading  Take a break between revising and proofreading  Use the spell check on your computer, but do not depend on it to find all the mistakes  Look for punctuation and spelling mistakes  Read your paper slowly out loud  Finally ask a friend to read your paper

Do not include in your resume:  Your resume should never include any information about your age, gender, marital status or ethnicity How to write a Resumes? Include in your resume:  Your name and contact information.  Languages spoken and written  Career objective within the company  Employment and educational history  Computer/technical skills  Relevant personal background.  References. Types of Resumes:  Chronological  Functional  Chronological and Functional

How to write a memorandum? A memo brings attention to a problem, provides information or makes announcements How to write a memo:  Heading: to, from, subject and date  Introduction: statement introducing the problem or idea  Discussion of the problem, information  Arguments and facts  Conclusion: summary of main idea, a call to action Types of Memos:  Internal memo proposal  Problem-solving memo  Information memo

What to include in a business plan:  Introductory letter  Table of content  Business overview  Sales and marketing plan  Operating plan  Human resource plan  Action plan  Executive summary  Annex (financial plan) A business plan is a proposal for a new business or new direction in a previously established business. How to write a Business Plan?

How to write a Business Proposal ? A business proposal is a solicited or unsolicited offering from a seller to a prospective buyer. What to include in a business proposal:  Executive summary  Scope of work  Pricing  Cost-benefit Analysis  Project team members  List of past projects and references  Warranties or guarantees