1. Chapter 4 Preparing Spoken and Written Messages
Business Communication, 14e
Lehman and DuFrene

2. Planning and Preparing Messages
Chapter 4
Planning and Preparing Messages
Step 4
Organize the message
Step 5
Prepare the
first draft
Step 6
Revise and proofread for accuracy and desired impact
Craft powerful sentences
Use correct sentence structure
Rely on active voice
Emphasize important ideas
Develop coherent paragraphs
Develop deductive and inductive paragraphs consistently
Link ideas to achieve coherence
Keep paragraphs unified
Vary sentence and paragraph length

3. Planning and Preparing Messages
Chapter 4
Planning and Preparing Messages
Step 4
Organize the message
Step 5
Prepare the
first draft
Step 6
Revise and proofread for accuracy and desired impact
Improve readability
Assess reading level to adjust to receiver’s needs
Use grammar checkers to calculate readability, locate grammatical errors, and improve writing style
Apply visual enhancements to design appealing documents that are easy to read
Revise and proofread using systematic procedures
Slightly revised

4. Factors Affecting Readability
Chapter 4
Factors Affecting Readability
Difficulty of words
Sentence length
Desirable readability index
for business writing –11 grade

5. Procedures for Proofreading
Chapter 4
Procedures for Proofreading
Use spell check to locate keying errors and repeated words
Print a draft of the document
Proofread several times
1st for content, organization, and style
2nd for mechanical errors
3rd if document is non-routine or complex
Edit for format and layout
Print on high-quality paper